Plate Letters

BMX race plate letters: personalise without losing legibility

On a BMX race plate, the number is the official information: it is allocated by the club or the federation and must be read without hesitation by the officials. Letters cover everything else — the rider's name under the number, a club initial, a country or region code, an alphanumeric suffix when the event regulations call for one.

What letters are used for on a plate

• Rider name or first name, as a band under the number
• Club initial or short club name, for regional rounds
• Country or region code at international events
• A suffix letter tied to the number when the federation allocates one
• Team or partner name, within the limits of the regulations

Heights, typefaces and colours

Letters are sold as complete alphabet sheets or as sets of chosen characters, in several heights. Keep the larger heights for the standard plates of the Junior, Expert and Cruiser classes, and the smaller ones for the mini plates of Micro and Mini riders, as well as for name bands that have to fit under a number already in place.

On style, stay with solid typefaces and a strong contrast against the background: a thin letter in a colour close to the plate becomes unreadable the moment the bike is splattered.

Number plate and bar plate: two surfaces to treat

The number plate gives you a generous flat area, with room for a name band under the digits. The bar plate, smaller and fitted to the handlebar with ties — a common set-up on 24" Cruisers and among Pro riders — leaves far less space: it is usually limited to an initial or a very short name. Plan on two letter heights if you are equipping both bikes.

Application and durability

Adhesive vinyl goes on a clean, dry plate. Degrease with alcohol, lay the letters out dry while marking the ends of the word, then peel the backing one letter at a time and squeegee from the centre outwards. Let the adhesive cure for a few hours before a jet wash. At the end of the season, a lifted letter comes off with gentle heat and leaves no mark on the plate.

Staying within the regulations

The rule to remember: nothing may obstruct reading of the number. A busy background, a letter overlapping a digit or colours too close together can be refused at scrutineering. Check your federation's or the organiser's regulations before national-level events, and keep the plate numbers completely clear.

Brands available

• Tangent: alphabets matched to its own plates and number sheets
• Insight: classic letters, clean reading at distance
• Stay Strong: colours coordinated with the brand's pads and accessories
• Box Components: thick vinyl that survives the pressure washer
• Elevn: bolder typefaces for a colour-matched build

The BMX RACING advice

Tell us your plate format and what you want to put on it: we will tell you the letter height that fits the space available without encroaching on the number. Being multi-brand, we compare vinyls instead of pushing an in-house reference. Dispatched within 24 to 72 hours and you can spread the cost over 2 or 3 payments available; the rest of the range sits in our BMX accessories.