Video: 6 Pump Track Skills with Christina Chappetta & Jackson Goldstone

Nov 17, 2020
by Pinkbike Originals  


With the help of Jackson Goldstone, Christina shows us six different skills that you can practice at your local pump track.






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Member since Feb 15, 2012
1,093 articles

92 Comments
  • 55 0
 about that whole local pump track thing....
  • 12 2
 Get your friends together and form a group to build one. There are lots of grass-roots efforts to build bike skills parks. Checkout bikeparkbtv.org as a great example.
  • 138 0
 @bonkmasterflex: about that whole friends thing...
  • 4 0
 @bonkmasterflex: Keene bike park is another great model.

www.keenebikepark.org
  • 16 2
 @Adjin: Mirroring another person’s body language is a great way to make friends. While you’re talking to someone, try to subtly imitate their expressions and gestures. For example, if they wave there arms vigorously round and round like a windmill, do the same.
  • 8 0
 @acali: I might actually do that next time I'm out and see if anyone does it back.
  • 3 0
 @acali: I tend to make loads of big and wild moves when talking to people. Somehow they often don't seem to imitate me. Don't they want to be friends?
  • 3 0
 @Adjin: rent some for the day
  • 28 0
 Built a 40 x 60 foot pump track next to my farmhouse for my daughter. So I told the wife at least! What a wild workout it is and it does not get boring. It has really helped my trail riding and we have built one by our community hall too now. It is used way more than the $40k playground right beside it and cost hardly anything with volunteer labor and free dirt.

If you wish you had a pump track, find a buddy with a by of land or get on your local government and get stuff rolling. It is amazing how many towns and cities are looking for ways to keep their kids from getting in trouble but have no idea how. You can buy plans online

Talking to someone involved with the tracks west of Edmonton he said "We were blown away by how many of our County kids came out of the woodwork for
these. The best way I can explain it is that we provided something they always wanted
but never knew existed.
  • 9 0
 That's amazing! It is WILD how many people of all ages use the pumptracks all around our communities. We even have run bike races in the area bc the demand is so high, even for the tiny riders. It's so fun to see and be a part of.
  • 4 1
 @christinachappetta: Next you guys should make a video about how to make your own pump track. I have some space that I plan to build one but I am struggling to figure out the best design that is not overly complicated but still fun for me and my boys.
  • 6 0
 @n8dawg82: I'd suggest buying this manual. It comes with a few plans but most importantly comes with some dimensions and ratios for rollers and turns.

www.llbmtb.com/product/welcome-to-pump-track-nation


I made mine only about 18" wide on the top of the rollers and it still rides really well. For a few people that is all your really need plus when you tweak it you don't need nearly as much shoveling!
  • 4 0
 @christinachappetta: it's so neat to see you so excited about your articles that you reply to almost every post. You are an excellent addition to the Pinkbike team.

And reading down the comments, yes you should come to Alberta one of these days!
  • 3 2
 @Andykmn: there may be a couple of asphalt tracks coming to Edmonton in 2021..

Mayerthorpe AB has a pump track and an asphalt skate bowl; its waiting for the spring to lay asphalt as snow brought the construction to a halt this year.

Drayton Valley AB has Canada's largest asphalt pump track right now; green pump track loop, blue pump track loop and red grade jump lines.

Calgary AB has two asphalt tracks, one Velo and one by Bike Track. Calgary's first asphalt pump track is in the Fairview community with kids/beginner loop, blue grade loop and jump line.

Calgary has another two or three tracks coming in 2021.

These are all by the Calgary based arm of www.Bike-Track.com
  • 2 0
 @Andykmn: Thanks! I just purchased the ebook so hopefully I can get started on it right away. What design did you go with?
  • 2 0
 @n8dawg82: I built Pumptopia at one spot, but the others were just kind of based upon how it fit into my space. Basically 10 foot radius on the turns and about a 10 foot spacing on rollers is a good place to start and you can tweak it from there.
  • 1 0
 @n8dawg82: leelikesbikes.com sells a very inexpensive ebook on the subject. the layout is up to you but this book gives good equations for spacing vs height of rollers and berm diameters so you don't waste time building something that doesn't work so well. its not too much information but it keeps you from having to reinvent the wheel. plus Lee is a super nice guy.
  • 3 0
 @n8dawg82: I just threw a few photos into an album. www.pinkbike.com/u/Andykmn/album/Trailforks
  • 2 0
 @Andykmn: Thanks again for the info and pics! I jumped right in after I downloaded the book and here is my progress as of 12/6. Unfortunately we have snow on the ground now so the final shaping and packing will have to wait but most of the work is done. I ended up doing the Pumptopia with the alternate X in the middle. Should be a great track.

www.pinkbike.com/photo/19873747
  • 20 1
 Rule 1 of the pump track: Pump up the jam. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EcjWd-O4jI
  • 12 1
 Rule 2 of the pump track: Roll with it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrARl0dzd-0
  • 12 1
 Rule 3 of the pump track. Push it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YleXlgHI1oM
  • 12 1
 Rule 4 of the pump track: Jump around. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhzpxjuwZy0
  • 12 1
 Rule 5 of the pump track: At some point you'll... Wipe out. www.youtube.com/watch?v=p13yZAjhU0M
  • 2 0
 ...and the Humpty (Pumpty?) Dance youtu.be/PBsjggc5jHM
  • 15 0
 Thanks to Whistler Blackcomb Foundation for the grant to pay for the trucking and the asphalt material. This is 100% Volunteer built jump park built with equipment donated by Dream Wizards. Great vid, keep up the great content. ☀️
  • 3 0
 Thanks for all your hard work and efforts to seeing this get done. What you have done here with this riding zone is an asset to the Squamish community. Cheers to you bud.
  • 2 0
 Thanks TED!!! So nice to have your blessing 3 Such an insane spot and community in Squamish, yall are some lucky and deserving folks. But it takes some spearheading to get $#!? done so amazing work all around!
  • 9 0
 Didn't see Christina performing manual... Have to say it's hard to learn at least at my age (40+). I have been practising quite a lot and now I can do about 100 feet on the tarmac downhill but about nothing on a pumptrack or in the forrest trails or bikepark.
  • 14 0
 Mine weren't as good looking at Jackson's to be fair so we focused on him there. I did actually do a few! I swear haha but I find them easier on trail, especially after I've spent some time practising in the pumptrack ;-)
  • 4 0
 Hey check out my video I just made about how to manual! youtu.be/YsvScDhbWIQ

That's awesome you can get up to 100 ft! Keep up the practicing. Smile
  • 1 0
 @Fifeandflow: Thanks. Here's one of my attempts: www.pinkbike.com/video/513574
  • 1 0
 @JAK79: Hey that looks awesome! I can see your corrections. It's a different game to do rollers, but I'll work on those too. For now I'm mostly working on the same thing as you and just keeping it going forever.
  • 7 0
 If you happen to be reading this from Edmonton or Alberta in general. There are 6 Velosolutions pump tracks in Yellowhead County: Evansburg, Wildwood, Niton, Peers, Marlboro and Robb. Also Calgary just built one in Glenmore Park. You can see these on Trailforks.
  • 5 1
 That's insane! 6?!?! Wicked! Maybe I will actually have to visit Alberta some day. We could really use one in Whistler, surprised we don't have 1 already.
  • 19 0
 @map-guy : Name checks out
  • 3 0
 Thanks for this - I do happen to be reading from Edmonton, and I honestly didn't know about any except for the Glenmore park track! Cheers!
  • 2 1
 @Cmoreira: there is two in Calgary; the first is in the Fairview community. There are two or three more coming to Calgary in 2021, and a couple in Edmonton..
  • 7 0
 I know it's a bit of money, but any municipality that won't invest in a pump track needs to go check out some places that have them and see the amount of use they get. It's completely crazy. We are lucky to have at least 6 in NWA (3 of which are Velosolutions), and they're all heavily used. The best is the diversity of users from hard core riders on expensive DJs to completely newbies on pawn shop bikes. Everyone has a good time. Combine it with a small skills park next to the pump track, and you have an urban incubator for riders.
  • 7 0
 This pumptrack and dirt jumps were built by a local volunteer mountain bikers, with donated equipment and time from Dream Wizards. It takes some creative thinking and hard work but pumptracks can be every where.
  • 5 0
 True! Jackson even said he and some mates did a LOT of work getting the big jumps going in the background..which is probably why they all send so hard! No dig no ride.... not applicable to paved pumptracks haha But I did clear out some leaves from the corners...
  • 7 0
 You know you're not ordinary rider when you have Enves on your dirt jump bike. Smile
  • 3 1
 What can you expect, he is sponsored by them. But you are right Jackson is no ordinary rider.
  • 4 0
 Great rider and ambassador to the sport... and very humble too. He saw me trying to navigate Squamish trails and made sure I was on the right track. Didn't even snicker when I cased the jump line!
  • 8 1
 Skeptical about it being worth practising riding opposite foot forward...

Anyone made any meaningful progress with this?
  • 3 0
 The advice is OK, I just don't think it's completely necessary.
  • 3 1
 For one footed tricks it’s essential.
  • 29 0
 This has helped me a LOT in enduro racing. Especially the really long stages, like 20+ min, when it feels nice to rest on a flat out section. I've also had quite a few physios and doctors over time tell me my hips are shifted weird, most likely from standing crooked most of the year on my bike. Something worth looking into if you ride a lot.
  • 5 0
 @christinachappetta: You learn the weirdest shit in the pinkbike comments. I'll have to take note of this
  • 10 0
 It definitely helps in the event that you get caught in that position. Especially for XC or more pedal heavy trail riding, being a bit ambidextrous does help. It's okay to still have a dominant foot, but just being more comfortable with the other can go a long way.
  • 3 0
 @christinachappetta: I always wondered about snowboarding having an effect like this too
  • 5 0
 I do this all the time to even out the load on my hips and low back due to some old surfing injuries. I ride oppo about half the time now and can corner almost as strong that way. And i can ride all day again with out back pain. w00t
  • 4 0
 I normally ride left foot forward and feel more comfortable turning to my left. I find if I have a fast right corner coming up I can set up and carry speed better if I approach it with my right foot forward. I don't switch my stance for each corner but I have found that it helps me in certain situations.
  • 4 0
 It's a pretty good skill to have when you are running long down hills. Easy to cramp up if you can't switch forward foot.
  • 4 0
 YES!!!! Being able to switch feet opens up new cornering excellence.
  • 3 0
 @Tormy: true, trend is now having beginners learn switch riding.
  • 3 0
 I broke my leg last year and when I came back to riding I had to switch my lead foot for several weeks. I can now ride comfortably with either. I definitely find it's helped with fatigue, as if my legs start burning on something long, I can swap feet without it making much difference to my riding.
  • 2 0
 @christinachappetta: Cool, thanks to you and everyone else who commented, pretty convinced now, gunna give it a go!
  • 3 1
 The advice to push down on the way down and unweight on the up is why so many people have a hard time with pumptracks. They end up equating it with being tall at the top and low at the bottom which is not going to help get speed. Christina is definitely a better rider than everyone here, but watching her front wheel impact the front of the roller and slow down as she stands up after is about the opposite of what should be happening.
  • 4 0
 I'd like to see a thread of peoples backyard tracks they've made? that exist in the forums? Also-loving these Christina videos, easy to comprehend and fun, good kid.
  • 1 0
 How to convince my townhall to invest 0.01% of what they spend in soccer and let me make a pumptrack without worrying more about legal problems than getting children off of tik tok or drugs is so much harder than anything for me than shoveling a tunnel to one of your pumptracks. This year euro20 million in soccer against 0 in mtb
  • 2 0
 Seems like pump tracks could have a multiplier effect on the mtB industry—not just on my bike skills... thanks for this tutorial, no big deal that the rider is half my age and better than I’ll ever be
  • 1 0
 The shore has two paved pumptracks. I find it's all about pushing the handle bar down into the berm and hang on! You can get scary fast on paved pumptracks. Helps keep the courage up when railing berms on trails. I wish the Empire track was paved . I fix it then kids trash it. Pavement FTW.
  • 6 1
 This got me pumped.
  • 1 0
 Great video! And thank you for that. We have a new pump track just like that in Boise. Kyle Warner rips it. I'm gonna hit it more and also going into winter, when the local trails are muddy or snowy anyway.
  • 2 0
 Working on getting our first local pumptrack now. Any USA builder recommendations besides velosolutions?
  • 4 0
 Look up momentum trail concepts. They are a solid crew of builders and riders. Plus their banter is highly entertaining.
  • 1 0
 Awesome!!! That's the spirit! Paved tracks are awesome bc they require minimal upkeep once it's in. The only downside is you can't reshape over time. Not sure what other companies to reach out to sorry, something worth looking into for sure. Good luck and have fun.
  • 3 0
 If you’re in Washington state (or maybe nearby), check out shire built! www.instagram.com/shire.built
  • 1 0
 Pathfinder trails are in Egan and did a paved pump track in cottage grove. So like ~20-30 minutes from bloomington.
  • 3 0
 whats with the opposite foot forward thing?
  • 2 0
 There's a good thread just above going into more detail ^^^
  • 1 0
 @christinachappetta: chur, kinda makes sense now
  • 2 0
 Her bike though... Holy crraappp that's a beautiful dj!
  • 1 0
 Does anyone happen to know where the best pump tracks in the Colorado Front Range are?
  • 1 0
 Anthem Park in Broomfield has a sweet VeloSolutions track.
  • 1 0
 @leelikesbikes: Thanks! Didn't even know that existed
  • 2 0
 That track looks incredible
  • 1 0
 It amazing how bad some of local pump track are.....
  • 1 0
 No doubt.
  • 1 0
 Yes. The math is simple but finicky. It's very easy to build a track that rides poorly.
  • 1 0
 I need to move to BC. Oh wait . . .
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