History
After BMX racing had become pretty well established, about 1980, some racers began doing stunts, both on flat courses and while going through the air off jumps. Some of them even broke into abandoned skateboard parks to work on half-pipe and street stunts similar to those performed by skateboarders.
Freestyle BMX, as the sport was originally called, was condemned by many racers, but Mongoose began manufacturing freestyle frames in 1983 and the following year the first competitions were held, mostly in California skate parks.
By 1985, sponsors were putting money into prizes and competition expanded throughout the country. That boom lasted only about three years, but many new riders were attracted to stunt riding after it was included in the 1995 X Games. It's estimated that about 5 percent of the BMX racers in the United States also do stunt riding.
There are four types of competition:
- Dirt jumping: Cyclists perform airborne tricks after taking off from a ramp and jumping two dirt hills
- Flatland: Cyclists perform acrobatics, using the bike as a kind of jungle gym, while rolling slowly over a flat track or platform
- Street: Stunts are performed while jumping over boxes, rails, and pipes on a skateboard-like street layout
- Vert: Stunts are performed on and over a half-pipe, like those used in snowboarding and skateboarding
Bicycle stunt riding has no single sanctioning or governing body. Many competitive events are run by the Aggressive Skaters Association, and there's also a tour conducted by ESPN to promote the X Games.