How to Do a BMX Endo

The endo is one of the first tricks people started performing when learning to ride BMX freestyle in California during the 1970s. A bunny hop and wheelie were done by a lot of people, but the endo brought a new world of BMX options into play. Today, BMX riders are still doing the endo and using it to impress everyone in the gallery, as it leads into other tricks. You need to be able to perform the endo without any hesitation before you move on to something like the 360 tailwhip.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Protective gear
• Open area

1. Find a big open area with ground strong enough to support the bike but soft enough to cushion your falls a little. Avoid the hard concrete while learning the endo for the first time (or any other flat land trick).
2. Pedal the bike to gain some speed. You can go very slow to start the trick.
3. Squeeze the front brake on the bike. Do not squeeze the back brake, which will make the endo very difficult to perform. You need the momentum of the back of the bike to transfer toward the front of the bike.
4. Lean forward and push the handlebars forward while you squeeze the brakes. You will stop the front tire and help the momentum of the back of the bike by moving your weight forward.
5. Lean your body back a little (after leaning forward) to find a balance point as the back tire comes off the ground. If you don't transfer some of your weight back, you can flip over the handlebars on the bike for an awesome crash.
6. Hold your bike in the air, on the front tire, as long as possible.
7. Release the front brake when the back tire hits the ground so you can pedal the bike away.

Tips & Warnings

• Put on all of your protective gear, and be ready to fall, as you do the BMX endo trick. Try to land on your feet when you fall or roll out of bad falls. Knowing how to fall will help you with other new tricks you learn in the future.
• Learn the endo at slow speeds until you get a feel for the balance. As you increase the speed, it is easier to lift the back of the bike off the ground to do a higher and more impressive endo.
• Make sure your front brakes are clean and in good working order to stop the bike when you do the endo.