From Ride UK BMX Basics

Whilst there are no real rules in BMX (which is one of the beauties of it), there are certain rules that the majority of BMXers will adhere to.

Most of these are pretty commonplace and you’ll probably pic them up anyway, but to save any future embarrassment or misunderstandings, here are a few of the unwritten rules in BMX.

Trails

There are countless unwritten rules with trail riding that will vary between sets of trails. Some places are stricter than others, but as a general rule of thumb these rules are pretty widespread.

1. Don’t try and ride the jumps when they’re wet, it can really mess them up.
2. Under no circumstances ride the jumps when they’re locked up. They’ve put chains across for a reason. If you take a bad slam when nobody is around, there’s a chance the jumps might get plowed.
3. Pedalling between the jumps is a big no- no. Nobody is going to get angry, but you’ll probably get a few laughs your way.
4. If you’re going to a set of trails regularly, you’ve got to be prepared to dig! The locals who put in the work will soon grow tired of you turning up every bright and sunny day.

Skateparks

1.  If some riders come through to your local park, don’t just treat it as a chance to show off. Most riders don’t like the competitive side of BMX, so if you pull the same trick a visitor has just done, only bigger, higher and right in their face everyone’s going to think you’re a bit of a toolbag.
2. Don’t spend too long on your run. If you keep crashing stuff, getting up and carrying on whilst people are patiently waiting their turn they will eventually get annoyed.
3. Don’t hang your bike over the edge of the ramp when somebody is riding. You’ll get this a lot with young skateboarders too. Either way, give them a heads-up so the coping stays clear.

Street

1. If some riders come to your town and you’re nice enough to show them around, don’t just take them to spots where you can pull out all your best moves. Nobody likes a show-off.
2. Locals can be pretty protective about certain spots, so don’t be offended when people might not be too keen on letting info out. They’ve probably got plans themselves and are worried you might go there and do it first or tell all your mates about it.