BMX: How To Fakie

The freestyle sport of BMX involves balance when learning how to fakie, along with many other stunts. The fakie is where you either coast or ride the bike backwards from an incline. You must be able to balance well and keep control of your bike as it is rolling back.

1. Gear up. It is important to be safe in all tricks preformed for any sport. Every stunt provides its own dangers and combining the stunts will in turn combine the dangers. Many states, such as California, require you wear a helmet when simply riding down the sidewalk. How much more important it is to wear your gear when attempting a stunt for the first time? Other safety gear that may be important are knee and elbow pads.
   
2. Practice your balance. During the fakie, there is a point on the ramp where you will be at a full stop. In order to perform the fakie properly, you must be able to balance while still on your bike. On flat land, practice riding and stopping without putting your foot down to support you. Doing this will make you more comfortable with the balancing of a still bike.
   
3. Take it up the incline. Once you have mastered the balance, it is time to attempt the fakie. There are many types of bikes. Consider the style of your bike. If it is a true freestyle bike, then when you pedal backwards, the wheels will turn. Most normal mountain bikes free spin backwards, so peddling backwards is non-rewarding. If you do have a freestyle bike, it will be easier for you to descend the incline. If it is a normal mountain bike, you will only be able to coast down. Ride up your incline, stopping before you go past the top. Be sure you are straight up and down on the incline. This will make it easier to keep your balance while you learn to ride the bike backwards. Using your hand breaks, balance your self still for about 30 seconds and peddle backwards, releasing your hand breaks and either drifting backwards or peddling yourself backwards. Remember, this is depending on what style bike you have.

Once you have mastered your first incline, move on to more of a steeper incline. Moving on will help you perfect this stunt. The better you get, the more you can do while performing a fakie. This will let you express your own style in your stunts. Ride safe.