Bicycle Stunt Equipment

Bicycle Stunt Equipment

Publication Date: April 1999

In bicycle stunt riding the only equipment required is a bike. But it's the kind of bike used that allows bicycle stunt riders to pull their big tricks and still have a bike left afterwards.

Brakes: Freestyle bikes have both front and back brakes. One unique aspect of these bikes is that they either have really long brake cables that need to be untwisted after tricks (say a handlebar spin), or they're equipped with a gyro fitted below the stem (which attaches the frame and handlebars). It separates the rear brake cable by two plates which can rotate freely, but still pull against each other when friction is required for braking. The front brake is routed down through the stem, which is hollow. This system allows both brakes the ability to spin completely, so that a rider doesn't need to reverse a trick in order to untangle his brake cables. Flatland riders also have "coaster brakes" or "free coaster" brakes, which allow the wheels to move backwards without using the pedals. Many Street and Vert riders are now riding with no brakes at all.

Frames: Freestyle bikes do come in different frame sizes, usually broken down simply into small, medium and large. The frame size is determined by the length of the top tube (the tubing running from the seat to the handlebars). Flatland bikes tend to be sized quite a bit shorter than bikes for ramp riding. Unlike the typical weight-obsession one sees in road biking or mountain biking, weight is not so much a factor in freestyle bike technology as strength and durability. These small bikes have to be able to take the pounding they receive with every jump. For that reason, they aren't made of aluminum, but of hybrid types of steel. Whereas a pro road bike might weigh 17-18 pounds and a pro mountain bike 22 pounds, pro bicycle stunt riders in dirt, vert and street manage bikes that weigh on average from 30-35 pounds. Because flatland bikes don't even need to get off the ground, but still need to hold a rider's weight in unexpected places, they are heavier still, around 35-40 pounds on average. Flatlander Jason Brown helped develop a "crazy" new flatland specific bike for GT. It is an all aluminum frame, weighs about 10 pounds less than the other flatland bikes and is smaller and easier to maneuver. This is revolutionary, as all the other bikes are made of the 1040 Cr-Mo steel.

Pegs: In order to do many lip tricks on vert, or to grind along bars or other surfaces in street, or to hold a rider's body in myriad ways in flatland, freestyle bikes have steel or aluminum cylindrical pegs which thread onto the axle of the wheels in front and back. They stick out three or four inches from the center of the wheels on both sides. Flatland pegs tend to be burlier than for the other disciplines.

Protection: Bicycle stunt competitors, with the exception of flatlanders, will all be wearing helmets. Many are wearing lightweight skateboarding helmets, while others are wearing full-faced motocross style helmets. Full-faced helmets are increasing in popularity as riders are attempting more difficult tricks. Most riders also will be wearing knee and shin pads, as well as elbow pads. Some riders, especially Dirt jumpers, will wear chest protectors.

Seats: The seats of freestyle bikes are made of molded rock-hard plastic. Since riders don't spend much time "in the saddle," seats are designed for weight distribution rather than comfort.

Wheels: Freestyle bikes all use the same size wheels, 20 inches. Unlike mountain bikes, for example, where size is determined in terms of frame height, freestyle bike size is determined by the wheels. This is opposed to mountain bikes, for example, which have 26-inch wheels. In other words, freestyle bikes are tiny.