Nowadays, it's the fashion to have your bike as light as possible - but it all comes down to the old strength-to-weight question.

Basically, you want a bike that's light enough for you to do stuff with, but not so light that it breaks when you try and grind a ledge.

Street riding is great because everyone has a street near them and even if it's just a curb, well, sometimes that's all you need.

Street bikes usually come with pegs and a gyro.

Back in the day, nearly everyone had four pegs on their bike, but nowadays, many people just have one set of pegs, on their favourite side.

This is because they found that:

• they were only grinding on that side anyway
• less pegs = less weight
• less pegs = less money to have to spend on your bike.

Having said that though, there are also many street riders (Butcher, Dan Price, Edwin Delarosa etc) who choose to ride with four pegs and NO brakes.

They feel that:

• four pegs = twice the tricks you can do with two pegs
• no brakes = less cost and less maintenance
• no brakes = you learn more bike control.

There's basically no right and wrong way of setting up your bike (unless you've got it set up so it's loose/doesn't work etc).

Everyone likes their bike set up a different way - BMX is meant to be all about freedom and self-expression, so don't worry if your set-up is different.

Makers of good street bikes and frames include: Hoffman, S&M, Standard, Fly, Volume, Dragonfly, MacNeil, Dirt Bros, Metal, FBM and Terrible One.

Some great street riders are: Taj Mihelich, Edwin Delarosa, Butcher, Van Homan, Garret Byrns and Joe Rich (all USA).

How to Set Up Your Bike for Street Riding

BMX street riding is the common ground where many riders from different disciplines of freestyle can meet. Vert riders, dirt jumpers and flatlanders can all offer something new. Some riders focus on street riding only. Street riding challenges you to ride on or jump over things that you see every day, from curbs and stairs to ledges and rails, or even trees and buildings. You need a creative mind, good bike-handling skills and a strong bike built to take some abuse.

Things to Be Rememberd

Do a quick check of the frame and everything else on the bike to be sure nothing is cracked, bent or broken.

Put axle pegs on the front and rear wheels and cable detanglers on the front and rear brake cables.

Remove old grips if they are torn or if the handlebar is showing through. Bar end caps will help protect the ends of the handlebar.

Choose a strong wheel set. Forty-eight spokes are a must. Try to find rims with double or triple wall construction and oversized axles (14mm).

Start with a good freestyle-specific frame. These usually have a longer wheel base, reinforced thick wall tubing ends, and steep angles.

Remove any pads, reflectors, chain guards or kickstands.

Lubricate all moving parts, such as brake cables, brake pivot bolts and your chain.

Use tires that have a smooth tread and inflate them to the maximum air pressure. Most riders run at least 100 lbs. of pressure in their tires, even though it is usually well above the recommended pressure on the tires. There are only a few tires rated to that pressure.

Put the correct amount of tension on the chain so it doesn't fall off when you're riding.

Use three-piece cranks instead of one-piece cranks. Most riders use 175mm long crank arms.

Adjust your seat to a height and angle that allows good mobility in front and in back.

Choose platform pedals over caged pedals.

File down any sharp edges on the bike, such as the edges of the stem or handlebars.

Some Tips for Helping You

Always wear a helmet!

When you are setting up your brake cables, make them as short as possible while still having smooth braking. Long cables tend to get in the way.

Choose all the parts on your bike based on their strength. Street riding can be pretty abusive to your bike (and your body).

A lot of street riders also ride other forms of freestyle, so you may want to set yourself up with that in mind. Dirt jumpers can usually get away with just throwing some pegs on their bikes, vert riders can usually run their bikes as they are, and a flatlander who also wants to really focus on the street might consider using a longer frame and higher gearing.

BMX freestyle is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity.

Most riders use smooth pegs for easier grinds and other lip tricks.