BMX Trick
Crooked grind
A crooked grind is a BMX rail grind where the bike crosses the rail at an angle, grinding a front peg on one side and the opposite rear peg on the other.
Updated 4 min read778 words
A crooked grind, usually shortened to crooks, is a BMX grind where the bike crosses a rail at an angle, with the front peg on one side of the bike and the rear peg on the other side both grinding at once. The front wheel hangs on one side of the rail and the back wheel on the other, so the bike sits crooked across it. Some riders call it a crossover grind.
Overview
Most peg grinds use pegs on the same side of the bike. A double peg grind, for example, puts the front and rear pegs on the same side onto the edge. Crooks uses a diagonal pair instead: left front with right rear, or right front with left rear. To do that, the bike has to straddle the rail, which is why crooks is mainly a rail trick. It also works on very narrow ledges, but on a wide ledge the far peg has nothing to grind on.
You need pegs on both sides of the bike, or at least a front peg on one side and a rear peg on the other. Riders who only run pegs on one side cannot do a standard crooked grind.
Descriptions vary a little between riders. Some set it up like a feeble and let the front wheel drop over the far side. Others approach more like a 50-50 and lift the back end over instead. The finished position is the same: two diagonal pegs on the rail, one wheel either side.
Crooks compared with other grinds
| Grind | Peg or pegs that grind | Where the wheels are |
|---|---|---|
| Double peg grind | Front and rear pegs on the same side | Both wheels on the near side |
| Feeble grind | Rear peg | Front wheel on top of or over the obstacle |
| Smith grind | Front peg | Rear wheel on top of the obstacle |
| Crooked grind | Front peg on one side, rear peg on the other | Front and rear wheels on opposite sides of the rail |
| Toothpick | Front peg | Rear wheel up in the air |
How to do it
Learn the double peg grind and the feeble grind on rails first. Use a low, straight, waxed rail with no big drop on either side.
- Check your pegs. Make sure the front peg on one side and the rear peg on the other are fitted and tight.
- Approach almost straight on. Ride toward the rail at a slight angle with steady speed, as if setting up a feeble.
- Hop and drop the front over. Do a bunny hop and let the front wheel go over the rail to the far side, so its peg comes down on top. Do not overdo it, or the bike will not sit evenly.
- Lock in the back. Bring the rear peg on the near side down onto the rail at the same time.
- Stay centred. Keep your weight directly over the rail. If you drift to one side, one peg drops off.
- Steer gently. Keep the bars slightly turned toward the rail so the front peg stays on.
- Get off. At the end, lift up and ride or slide off, or hop off to one side. Lift enough that the bottom bracket and sprocket do not catch the rail.
Variations
- Crooks 180 in or out. Spin 180 degrees onto or off the rail. See 180.
- Crooks to fakie. Stop at the end and roll back off the rail. See fakie.
- One-handed crooks. One hand off while grinding.
- Crooks barspin out. Add a barspin as you hop off.
- Opposite crooks. The mirror version using the other diagonal pair of pegs.
Common mistakes
- Coming in at too big an angle. The back peg slips off before it locks on.
- Dropping the front too far. The bike sits unevenly and the grind feels unstable.
- Drifting off centre. One peg leaves the rail and the bike falls to that side.
- Choosing a rail that is too high. Learn on something low with a safe drop on both sides.
- Catching the sprocket on the way off. Lift clearly before hopping out. A sprocket guard helps.
- Dry, rough rail. Pegs grab and pitch you off. See wax.
History
The name comes from skateboarding, where a crooked grind is a nose grind with the board angled across the ledge. BMX riders adopted many skate grind names as street riding grew, sometimes for quite different moves, and the BMX crooked grind uses diagonal pegs rather than one end of the bike. There is no clear record of the first BMX crooked grind, so this page does not name a rider. See rise of street riding.
Related tricks
Frequently asked questions about Crooked grind
Which pegs touch on a crooked grind?
A diagonal pair: the front peg on one side of the bike and the rear peg on the other side, for example left front and right rear. Both grind on the rail at the same time, with one wheel on each side of it.
What is the difference between a crooked grind and a feeble?
On a feeble, the rear peg grinds and the front wheel sits on top of or over the obstacle. On a crooked grind, the front wheel drops right over to the far side so its peg catches the rail too, and the bike sits across the rail on two diagonal pegs.
Can you do a crooked grind on a ledge?
Mostly no. The bike has to straddle the obstacle, so crooks is done on rails and very narrow ledges. On a wide ledge the far peg has nothing to grind on.
Where does the name come from?
It is borrowed from skateboarding, where a crooked grind is a nose grind with the board angled across the ledge. In BMX the name describes the bike sitting crooked across the rail, but the trick itself is different.
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