BMX detanglers

Detanglers (also called gyros) are a contraption on BMX bikes that allow you to spin the bars as many times as you want without tangling up your brake cables.

 

Many freestyle BMX riders don't use brakes at all, but many riders do use a brake for different reasons.

. Brakes allow you to control your speed on jumps, for some riders who ride dirt jumps, controlling speed and having safety in stopping, a brake is a necessity. 

. Brakes allow some more advanced tricks that require the rear wheel to be completely stopped. 

A lot of tricks involve spinning the handlebars around 360 degrees, at least once, sometimes up to 5 times depending on how much time you have in the air. Other tricks include kicking the bike around 360 degrees, while holding on to the handle bars. Another reason why detanglers are nice to have is because when trying a trick in which the bars move, you don't have to untangle them every time you try the trick, which can take MANY tries. 

How does it work?

 

Well it's pretty confusing, but I'll break it down for you in a more basic way. There are two plates connected to the front of the bike. When you pull on the brake lever, the top plate moves up, but the bottom plate is connected to the top plate with grooves that allow the bars to move around freely, but still pulls the bottom plate, moving the brake and causing you to stop.

 

You can get a kit like this for around $20 to $30 depending on the brand.

I myself have never ridden with a gyro, but I plan on getting one in the near future to make barspins easier, while holding the capabilities to brake.