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.
@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.
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.
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.
@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.
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!
@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!
@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.
@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.
@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.
@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.
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. ☀️
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.
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!
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.
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 ;-)
@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.
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.
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.
@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..
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.
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.
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...
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
yeah... I have to agree. This is all great if you're fortunate enough to have a local pump track... let alone a paved one like a VeloSolutions. Strong content, just not universally applicable
I built my own when I was 15 by hand in some of the hardest dirt you can imagine. It sucked, but sometimes I wish I had that willpower back, young me didn't take shit from anything and made shit happen. Don't overthink why something won't work, make it work. Get 10 riders together and you can move literal tonnes of dirt to make something good enough to rip on after work/school.
Any pumptrack will do :-) Doesn't have to be the latest and pave(est??) But looks like you live in a pretty wicked place so maybe find a mate's yard to dig in?!
@brodoyouevenbike: Awesome attitude!!! My wrists are old for packing dirt now haha but I do still wish of having a yard some day but big enough to fit a track!
Feeling very lucky to have loads of Bike Track pump tracks around me. Nottingham has a strong bmx race scene which helps I guess, as does the large number of disadvantaged kids - the councils are willing to spend. It’s been said a thousand times already but pumptracks are one of the very best training tools for a mtber, within the first year of riding pump track I’d progressed easily 3x as much as I normally would have on the trail. Srsly try and get a group together and get one going, hand built, funded, whatever. It’ll be worth it and maybe the process will even be fun. Failing that get a bmx and find a skatepark...or do both!
www.keenebikepark.org
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.
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!
And reading down the comments, yes you should come to Alberta one of these days!
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
www.pinkbike.com/photo/19873747
That's awesome you can get up to 100 ft! Keep up the practicing.
Anyone made any meaningful progress with this?
It’s been said a thousand times already but pumptracks are one of the very best training tools for a mtber, within the first year of riding pump track I’d progressed easily 3x as much as I normally would have on the trail.
Srsly try and get a group together and get one going, hand built, funded, whatever. It’ll be worth it and maybe the process will even be fun.
Failing that get a bmx and find a skatepark...or do both!