Tricks aren't for kids . . . anymore.

[theRuler]

There are dozens of kids riding BMX where I live, which is great.  And in the town park they have just built some bowls, and they are always busy.

Thing is though, none of the kids run brakes.

Walking through town on an evening my mates often get me on one of the local's bikes to do gut levers and stuff, but with the bikes having no brakes, it is hard to do tricks!
Don't people do tricks anymore?

All I see the kids doing are attempting 180 bunnyhops, pathetic footjam endos and out of control manuals (with no brake to feather, to help you learn)

In my experience you gotta learn the tricks with brakes first - it helps.  The more tricks you know, the more into it you get, and it keeps the sport alive.


These local "brakes are for gays" riders will mostly not get anywhere, and will get fed up with BMX. 


One night there was one kid who had a front brake (his dad probably made him) and I got on his bike and did a no handed cowboy.
They had never seen anything like it, and one kid said he was gonna get a front brake and try it.

Brakeless riding is nothing new - at KOC in the mid nineties there was always a gang of local kids ripping on ratty bikes with no brakes, and they had their whole own style.  But most likely they learned the technique and control by using brakes first though.

[Betty]

Peer pressure... 

Agree on running a brake to start with, most of the kids at our local park don't run em some are sketchy but some of em have awesome bike control

Two newbie kids asked my how to go over the spine, (albeit the small one  ) neither had brakes, i showed them and both had a go on my bike saying it was easier, that's cos you're using the brake i told em, both said they'd put a brake on.... it's highly likely they won't

But we're just old farts to them who know nothing... 

As an aside i do like the look of brakeless bikes.... 

[Jon The Bassist]

I took my boys to the newish public skatepark in town yesterday. I didn't even bother taking a bike myself as I knew it'd be too packed to ride. None of the BMXers had brakes and were stopping by dragging their expensive trainers/skateshoes on the ground  .  I didn't see any good riding but a fook of a lot of posing in trendy clothes and hanging around going on and getting in the way.  I still don't get why this is cool and other kinds of riding aren't.   I guess being a slacker must be fashionable at the moment 

[Betty]

I took my boys to the newish public skatepark in town yesterday. I didn't even bother taking a bike myself as I knew it'd be too packed to ride. None of the BMXers had brakes and were stopping by dragging their expensive trainers/skateshoes on the ground   .  I didn't see any good riding but a fook of a lot of posing in trendy clothes and hanging around going on and getting in the way.  I still don't get why this is cool and other kinds of riding aren't.   I guess being a slacker must be fashionable at the moment  

Scene kids... Ride indoor parks to avoid em, they won't pay entrance fees to sit around....  

[lodge]

There are dozens of kids riding BMX where I live, which is great.  And in the town park they have just built some bowls, and they are always busy.

Thing is though, none of the kids run brakes.

Walking through town on an evening my mates often get me on one of the local's bikes to do gut levers and stuff, but with the bikes having no brakes, it is hard to do tricks!
Don't people do tricks anymore?

All I see the kids doing are attempting 180 bunnyhops, pathetic footjam endos and out of control manuals (with no brake to feather, to help you learn)

In my experience you gotta learn the tricks with brakes first - it helps.  The more tricks you know, the more into it you get, and it keeps the sport alive.


These local "brakes are for gays" riders will mostly not get anywhere, and will get fed up with BMX. 


One night there was one kid who had a front brake (his dad probably made him) and I got on his bike and did a no handed cowboy.
They had never seen anything like it, and one kid said he was gonna get a front brake and try it.

Brakeless riding is nothing new - at KOC in the mid nineties there was always a gang of local kids ripping on ratty bikes with no brakes, and they had their whole own style.  But most likely they learned the technique and control by using brakes first though.

I used to think along the same lines as yourself but seeing the rate that young riders progress, the flow and style they develop brakeless I now think brakeless from the start can be a great thing, they progress quick as they hit the tranny's faster and go higher because they cant slow down, lets be honest in new school terms using brakes doesn't compare to a brakeless rider going big and flowing round a park at speed. I run two brakes and probs always will but I'm very aware of how little flow I have in comparrison to a brakeless rider, I would love to have flow like that but it aint gonna happen as I grew up doing front and back hops, all my riding has revolved around using brakes.

[Tachikoma]

I've never really cared about the whole brake/brakeless argument, if people want to ride without them, then as long as i'm not paying for their shoes, and they don't go running in to other people at the park, then that's fine with me.
I sometimes get a little stick from the other folk at the park, but hey, my shoes are in great condition and i can get to the park safely in the first place.

I'm aware their argument is, without brakes you have to commit to what you're trying, shitting yourself and pulling the brakes isn't an option, so brake riders probably progress slower it's true. At the same time, though, all of the old tricks from back in the day that got me in to bmx in the first place, you never see these newschool riders pulling, mainly because a lot of them require brakes, and because they seem to stick to tricks they see on newschool edits.

Wake me up when you see a brakeless newschool rider doing a cherrypicker.

[theRuler]

I understand brakeless riding for flow, and the riders that ride well without brakes have a fine style.

What saddens me are the masses of kids that are into BMX but are brakeless because of fashion, and will never learn any tricks, and lose interest.
(obviously there will always be the riders that do get the interest, and keep it going)

Maybe having a back brake could help them learn a tyretap.  Maybe learning a tyretap will lead to another trick, which will cement their interest in riding for years and years.


The majority of the new breed of brakeless are not thinking about "committiing to what they are trying", they are just fitting in with the crowd.

A friend of mine's son has a BMX, and he took the brakes off because they are "gay". 

[gobshite]

Wake me up when you see a brakeless newschool rider doing a cherrypicker.

i think you might have over-laid mate.....

1:40s

[theRuler]

Wake me up when you see a brakeless newschool rider doing a cherrypicker.

i think you might have over-laid mate.....

1:40s

/>

Pretty slick!
Dude has a front brake too - good lad

Love the peg wheelie to tailwhip shiznit. I think I will try that.

[gobshite]

most sports have their scene kids, esp the urban types, skating is full of them, not just the young either,

the old school has its scene kids too if we're honest about it, you know the ones, they don't build or contribute much, they just hang around the forum because they've nothing better to do,

as for brakeless riders, i honestly don't think you can argue that it hasn't progressed bmx massively,

front brakes, rear brakes,both brakes,no brakes,

as long as they're riding "20 wheels then they're ok in my book.

[gobshite]

and another, just to show how common the "cherrypicker" still is,

its just evolved,


dandois is absolutely fooking amazing,

1:26s

/>

can you do it?

[theRuler]

I just worry that riding with no brakes just to look good (rather than good reasons) will mean the rider doesn't get any skills down and just fooks it off, though lack of interest.

For me what kept me interested in BMX was the fact that I could do tricks and stuff, so I kept at it.

Most brakeless riders honed their skills with brakes, then took them off at a later date.

Riding without brakes is nothing new in BMX, but it seems popular with new riders.


^^^^another wicked flatlander!

More like a headtube wheelie - remember Craig Strong doing them back in the early 80's!!!!

You can bet that flatlander started with brakes on his bike though, then took them off when he didn't need them.
Had he just jumped straight in a no braker, would he have learned to do the stuff he can do now?

[ED209]

Wake me up when you see a brakeless newschool rider doing a cherrypicker.

i think you might have over-laid mate.....

1:40s

/>

s'a rolling Pedalpicker not  a CherryPicker... technically yo  

[fugazi]

It's a pedaling time machine, nothing to do with a cherrypicker really.

[gobshite]

I just worry that riding with no brakes just to look good (rather than good reasons) will mean the rider doesn't get any skills down and just fooks it off, though lack of interest.

For me what kept me interested in BMX was the fact that I could do tricks and stuff, so I kept at it.


Had he just jumped straight in a no braker, would he have learned to do the stuff he can do now?

for the most part i agree, as someone else said alot of it is down to peer pressure but imo those who really want to ride will always ride, those who move on will move on,

all i know is the that the ones who dedicate themselves to it generally become incredible riders,

it used to annoy me a little too,the out of control rider struggling to keep control and getting on everyones tits,
nowadays i just smile and raise my eyebrows
imo it should be like a right of passage, reach a certain level THEN take the brakes off,


i'll be totally honest though, both the riders in those links could probably do whatever they wanted, with or without a brake, i remember terry adams saying he used a single front brake because he still loved doing the tricks he used it for,


last one,
viki gomez.....legend

3 or 4 "cherrypickers" in this one

/>

[gobshite]

It's a pedaling time machine, nothing to do with a cherrypicker really.

same thing,just taken to the next level,

is it not having the bike stood up vertically and having one leg over the headtube?

[fugazi]

I suppose so, but that's about it, might as well say a deathtruck is a cherrypicker as well then?

[theRuler]

imo it should be like a right of passage, reach a certain level THEN take the brakes off,

Oh yes.

[scott250]

I use a brake to stop me from wiping out anyone who gets in my way in a skatepark and to stop on trails when I loose my flow.   Best not to go down to a good skatepark when the kids are on holidays etc, snake after snake, ha.  Some of the kids I've seen running no brakes are good riders though, doing all sorts of tricks, both old and new.  Takes me an hour to warm up to the point where i can manual etc without a brake - most of the riders I ride with run none.

My view is each to his/her own.

[fugazi]

I remember in a mag years ago when brakeless was getting popular there was a little feature and comments from riders about it all, the One that sticks out in My mind was along the lines of "If You don't want to use the brake, don't pull the lever"
I've never given the brakeless thing a real go, doesn't really interest Me & I think a lot of stuff looks better done with brakes, but like darksunday put earlier, as long as they're riding 20" wheels then they're ok in my book 

[Tachikoma]

I always thought the "hopping" was required for it to be a proper cherry picker, as such none of the videos linked above actually do a cherrypicker.

[oldschoolace]

My stock reponse whenever brakeless riding is mentioned,

Brakeless LOL 

[griff]

My stock reponse whenever brakeless riding is mentioned,

Brakeless LOL 

  he's smiling right up until the moment his face hits the bar, bless him

the young chap in this video's got a brake and helmet, but clearly decided that wearing a shirt was a safety step too far

/>he's very good, but I kept thinking that's gonna be a nasty fooking graze just waiting to happen 

needless to say when I try that T1 bowl on saturday I'm going for all the protection I can muster, on account of the fact that I am shit and will also need to drive home

[theRuler]

Please don't misunderstand what I am getting at in this thread.

I don't care that people ride with no brakes, and excel at it - that's all good.  Brakeless flatland and street is awesome, and innovative
And if you want to destroy your shoes with "foot brakes" it's your call.

What I am saying is there is a whole bunch of keen riders that don't get to experience tricks that require brakes, because of a current trend.
These brake dependent tricks are stepping stones, and building blocks.
And that worries me in that these riders will tire of BMX sooner.

But obviously, not all brakeless noobs will.

We all went through crazes and trends with our bikes, but there weren't ones that limited what we could do on them - usually the opposite.

[evamedia]

But the building blocks have moved, you don't need brakes for grinding, barspins, tailwhips?

that said, I ride a back brake, and air higher as a result