BMX bikes are one of those things that have simply never gone out of fashion. Many of the kids who have used them in the past now have their own kids carrying on the tradition of extreme biking. With specially designed BMX tracks, this is more controlled and is therefore an exciting activity but is also safer than a lot of people may think. It beats just hanging around the youth shelter.

It can help the local community in many ways including providing a fun activity for all the family to do and lowering levels of anti social behaviour. It can transform wasted space into a productive part of the local community. BMX tracks are widely appreciated and considered as ‘cool’ by younger members of society and are now being embraced by older demographics.

But what is it about BMX tracks that are cool? Out of all the BMX track designs, which ones are considered the best?

Designing a BMX track can be challenging; it takes skilled experts to create the most exciting courses whilst still maintaining the necessary safety aspects of the park. In terms of being the best, it depends entirely upon your sporting ability in order to define which type of track ranks the highest. It is important to have a variety in terms of skill level when it comes to BMX tracks; from beginner to expert, the best creators of tracks often have a wide selection to choose from.

Jumps are one of the main things involved in BMX biking, therefore a track with good ramps (of varying heights) and good lead-ups to the ramps is essential. There are many different kinds of ramps that can be included in a well designed BMX track. There will almost always be a start hill, to allow the riders to build up momentum for their first jump. Other ramps may include quads (four ramps grouped closely together for a faster paced course), triples (three ramps grouped closely together), or doubles (two ramps close together but with an easier, less steep incline/decline) – these are small ramps and are usually under a metre high.

To create a better flow of the track, one or more turns may be included. These are turns in the track that are raised up on one side, and they help to create a more varied and interesting course. Ramps over 1 metre high are called step-ups and these are often included to provide more challenging jump opportunities to more progressed BMX track users.

Finally, there may be table-top ramps included. These are so-called because of their resemblance to actual table-tops with their steep inclines and flat top surfaces which then decline again after a period.

All-in-all this mixture of ramps can all create different types of BMX tracks for various levels of skill depending upon the combinations used by the creators.

To attain the most authentic type of course, it is useful to know the various types of ramp in order to make sure they are included in the overall design. If you see one or more of the ramps mentioned previously in a BMX track design, you can be sure of a safe, exhilarating injection of fun into your day out, one which is catered for all skill levels and for all the family!

By: Mary Holder