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@bmxed
I'm not disputing the importance of bmx racing in the overall picture, just that as one of the many disciplines it's the one that shares so little with the others, from the uniforms to the v-brakes and clipless pedals. I've met many bmxers over the years and other than talking about the local race track (cyclopark) whilst we are using the skatepark not 50m away bmx racing has never come up in conversation. But then I don't talk about x-games or any of the other big competitions, and view bmx as a way of observing and using things around you rather than striving to be the best.
Style and creativity are quite hard to quantify. Everyone has slightly different ideas of what can be done on an obstacle, and different styles can make the same trick look very different. When I watch street riding I'm not looking just at the complexity of the tricks but taking in what the spot has to offer and seeing the insight into the rider's line and the filmers take on how best to observe this.
Spot selection is a whole topic by itself. I spend hours riding about looking down alleys and industrial estates for anything from a curb set up to a perfect handrail. I've got google maps dotted with spots so I can go somewhere new and know what's round the corner. Some tricks need a really specific obstacle, so even the fact that they've found something that can be rollercoaster grinded makes the trick so much better.