Please submit your questions at any time. One question will be answered every month.

"When entering a turn, especially a 180 degree turn, I notice that a lot of riders take the middle line. I've read about 'High/Lows,' but how do you feel about a 'Low/High' old school hard core block pass? They seem a lot easier, even though they don't win any friends. Mixing it up keeps it interesting. What do you think?"

Low/High...humm, that's not old school....It's just racing, as a rule if there is 2 feet you take it, that rule applies today, yesterday, tomorrow...It is the way to pass and since we are not trying to gain friends on the track it's cool.
--Greg Hill, Sinister Steering Systems / Greg Hill's BMX Seminars.

The middle line or The Blue Line is the fastest way around if done properly. The high low will work if the lead rider is high on the blue line and of course the old school way of coming in low and going high is always an option and will work, but you have to be careful that someone does not kick your front wheel out from under you, and you get run over from the riders behind.

Keep The Rubber Side Down,
--Richie Anderson

I agree with you that the Low high mixers thing up in the races. Racing these days in pro especially, you need to keep you speed up. Usually a Low high will slow you down and sometimes you have to bump into the other rider you are trying pass and that slows you down and allows the 3rd place rider to go by both of you. With High low you have more chance to keep you speed and to pass the rider in front of you and win the race. Again everything has to be perfect to be able to pull these moves off. You could be setting someone up for a high low and the rider behind you is setting you up for a low High making it for an interesting corner. Either way you can make passes, but the key thing is to stay in front and keep your speed after yo have made the pass.
--Wade Bootes, Trek BMX

Block passes are great to do. But you should always be able to do an outside in pass. Otherwise what happens if the rider in front of you goes to the inside and you can't? Then you have to be able to go to the outside and still make your high/low move. But, yes, the block pass is still a great way to pass people and everyone still uses that move.
--Mike Gul, Hyper Bicycles, Dope BMX Products.

The old "won't make you friends" block pass is an old but not forgotten fave. Probably Chuck T is the best qualified member of the group to answer this one - I know cuz he's probably pimped all of the rest of us Pros at least 10 times. The crucial part to this pass is to make sure to ride your opponent up and block his line at the exit of the berm. Too many riders make good dive under other riders but fail to block their exit line and watch as the would be pass victim rails the berm and gets away. Block passes tend to be most effective in slow and small turns where there's no risk to getting high-lowed by a third rider as you ride your opponent up. Save high lows for when you're desperately in last going into the first turn or when faced with a one-on-one situation in a semi in the last turn. Otherwise, they tend to waste too much speed and only set you up to get pulled on the next straight.
--Jeff Dein, Dingo BMX and East Coast Pull

I think that the the high low block pass is good. making the this pass is simple, However, when making the and once you have passed him. You alwys want to try to swing wide to block his line. I think this more is fair and smart riding.
--Charles Townsend, Townsend BMX.

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