Flatland cycling is a riding style that became very popular from the late 1970's and peaked in the late 1980's. It is a form of artistic bike riding that is done on smooth flat surfaces and doesn't include riding up and down ramps or jumps. Flatland bikers are very particular about what kind of bikes to ride and what parts to use on their bikes to suit their individual needs.
There are many tricks that flatland bikers like performing including various balancing and spinning maneuvers in unexpected positions. At the beginning riders used to perform one trick at a time, but then the tricks got interlinked together creating a sort of dance on a bicycle. Flatland bikes typically have a shorter wheel base than most other bikes that are used for freestyle riding. It is easier to balance and make the bike spin on one wheel with a shorter wheel base.
Some of the other features found on flatland bikes include four pegs that are situated on the end of each wheel axle to help the biker to balance. The pegs are usually aluminum or plasic tubes and are bolted to both sides of the front and back axles. . Flatland bikes also normally have either a front brake, front and rear brake or no brakes at all, depending on the bikers style choice. Flatland bikes are very similar to BMX bikes, but the frames are geometrical. The flatland bikes have bolt on pegs at the front and rear, a rear brake cable gyro to allow the bars to rotate forever without the brake cables getting all tangled and a compression bolt which is hollow on the forks for the front brake cable.
A rear hub mechanism which is better known in cycling circles as a free coaster was also invented especially for flatland bikes. This allows the back wheel to roll backwards without engaging the hub and allowing the cranks to rotate backwards as they normally would on a normal bicycle. Other differences on flatland bikes include no offset forks, high pressure tyres, narrow handle bars and very small front sprockets.
Flatland bike enthusiasts are forever looking for quality parts that will improve the performance of their bikes. Other parts that can be bought separately for a flatland bike include chains, cranks, forks, frames, grips, headsets, hubs, pedals, pegs, rims, seat clamps, seat posts, sprockets, stems, tyres, handle bars, bar ends, brakes, brake levers, spokes and tubes. The list seems endless.
Flatland bikers are always working to perfect their skills. Some of them practice hours a day to get their tricks perfect. It makes a lot of sense that they would be fussy with their choice of spares for their bicycles.
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Flatland bikes were the rage in the 80's, and are still very popular today. Click Here for more information.
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