[Article] Why Flatland?

[kkmk]

Its an essay for english, updated, edited, cut n shut a bit. I dont actually like the finished result very much, but i never do. I just write what comes to mind, and it usually come together. Sorry its so long:

I first discovered flatland while trawling through the internet late one night. I had always been into bikes, and since I had just discovered youtube, it seemed logical to search BMX and see what came up. I got the expected results of big kids on little jumping things, and ruining public property. Then I found a little gem. It was a group of mid 20’s riders on bikes that somehow looked smaller than all the others ones. They never left the ground, and instead only stayed in the car park. They were doing the most amazing things. Balancing, rolling and spinning in positions I wouldn’t even have bothered to dream about.

The next day, I went out and stole my friend’s brother’s bike pegs, and decided to try things out for myself. I spent six hours that hot summer day riding my bike on a basketball court trying to balance only on the front wheel. I had achieved basically nothing, but I was hooked! I spent the rest of that day investigating this wondrous sport. I discovered it was called Flatland BMX. I found many references to it being “the most difficult pastime known to man”. I can vouch for that!

The first year, as many flatlanders will tell you, is the hardest. You achieve basically nothing, and then once you look at yourself compared to others, you feel menial. You found those tricks impossibly hard to achieve, yet there are still hundreds better than you.

As you may or may not have realised, flatland is a bitch to be involved in. It takes months or even years to get that one trick dialled to perfection, and the bikes cost so much! I have learnt so much just from building my own bike from scratch. If you didn’t know about the huge differences even the subtlest of changes you make to a flatland bike, you’d think it was MADE to ruin the riders back, wrists, and thighs. The parts are also stupidly expensive. My bike right now (lovingly named Navi), has cost me nearly $2500 and its nowhere near completed.

All the magic happens in the most obscure of places. If you took four or five regular bikers, and gave them a car to drive around in, they would stop with their bikes at all the expected spots, skate parks, stair sets, rails etc. If you did the same test with a group of flatlanders, you would find it very amusing. Have a car full of middle aged men marvel at the surface of the netball court, the dimensions of a car park or even how clean the floor of the warehouse is. As the name explains, it is all done on flat hard ground (hence, flatland).



So what is it that inspires people that it’s a good idea to spend seventy percent of their life in car parks with a bike that looks dangerously small for them, lacking employment, or a girlfriend? Some people begin it as a way to get fit and improve their balance. These guys will not last a year. Others (usually 13 year old boys) will do it to look cool and impress people. These kids will drop off fast when the next amazing thing comes by them. The people who will stick with it are the ones who fell in love as soon as they saw it. They do it for the fun, for the thrill. Not the typical thrill you would get from bungee jumping or skydiving, but from knowing that the journey from stepping over those handlebars and kicking your tyre, that took you eight months to get right, has made all the difference. You are the only person around for one hundred kilometres that can do this. And you feel special. All the effort, dedication, blood from your shins that you put into learning feels so worthwhile. The journey, while long hard and uneventful, is worth it. There come times in a flatlanders journey when he feels it’s not worth it, and that it’s not anything super special. I know I’ve felt like this a few times. It is always at these times that a child, watching from the window of the car waiting for his mum to come back from the newsagent notices you. They leap form the car, and after secretly watching you swear and throw your bike at a wall, they ask you, “Where did you learn that?” or “Are you training for the circus?” That inspires you. After hearing comments like these, and seeing the looks of astonishment on passer-bys faces, is worth it.

I discovered flatland a little over a year ago, and I am still going strong. I spent most of my free time in Uley street car park, or can be found in the old Car Shop at night, ever practising many things which make me swear and scream, but at the end of the day, I find it all worthwhile. It takes your mind off everything. Losing your girlfriend the day before, fretting about not having done your English folio.

Everybody rides for different reasons, wide and varied. I ride for the freedom, the integrity, to be different. It takes my mind off all the bad things in life, keeps me away from the bad things I’m yet to encounter. The trip I go on, in the 5 minute ride from my door to my car park is my favourite time of the day. I’m doing what I enjoy, what I love. I know there is nothing id rather be doing, and that makes my time there special. It replaces everything other people have in their lives. Drugs, a girlfriend, anything at all. I have now had the chance to ride with one of the guys in the video that inspired me, and im enjoying flatland more than anything else in life.

In balance, telling that kid in the car park that you sold your soul to be able to balance on the front wheel with no hands, and seeing him run off to tell his little sister, is amazing fun.

[jawn]

Nice read. Hope you don't mind, but I submitted it for publishing on BMX-Zone.

[KatieH]

Haha Awesome.

Least you don't sound like a punce in it. I always do!

You actually handing/handed it in?

[Dylan]

Nice article, i don't understand how people can do flatland, i respect it though, and i completely agree, the most difficult pasttime known to man.

[WHBmx]

great read!


hand it in!

[harorider]

thats harsh.. im inspired., though not inspired to write one and publish it cos im no good at english. but stil inspired

[kkmk]

Got a b+

[Justin]

Great article, you some up the aura of flatland so nicely.

[JustinCarter]

I kind of want to try flatland just to see what it is like, only if i can actually try on a flatland orinted (sp) bike though.

[kickemos1664]

your essey rocks man

you probably got 100% on it.