Pump Post 3: Proper Spacing.

If there is one thing I have learned about carving pumpable dirt, is that it is a lot like baking, only with shovels.

When baking, exact measurements are what does the trick.
The same is true for making a pump track.

I have spent some hours in Ryan's woods looking at the pumps, then scraping and reshaping the pumps.
Then once again looking at them for a while. Now, maybe a test ride. Oh, go back and move that bump 6 inches forward.
Look at it for a while. Scrape it again.

Now another test ride.
On and on it goes.

You may ask why, if it is like baking, do I have to continually shape and reshape the BOE pump track?

Because we did not start with proper measurements for the get go. The Berms Of Endearment was started as a loop off of another trail, therefore was not laid out as a pump track. We were following a line.

This line turned into a pump track that is really great. Fast, fun, smooth. Berm options, little jumps, 283 feet of fun in 10 seconds.

But the space between two of the berms is a bit long, and it throws the whole flow off. It is about 6 feet too long, which is half the space between pumps.

I have learned that 11 feet is the secret. 22 foot berms, which means a 11 foot constant radius, and pump bumps are 11 feet top to top.

Using this measurement from the get go on the new track will produce a flowy, fast track.
The 11 foot radius berms down on the farm are fast enough to pop you out of them, but this is because we do not have the tops of the berms high enough yet.

I have some helped lined up to move dirt into my yard, so making the berms tall should be no problem.
The real issue down on the farm was moving the dirt. Being older does not speed up the manual labor.

Back to my search for dirt.......

I am thinking a couple signs on telephone poles.
The key is to be responsible and take them down when you are done.
IMO.

Pump Track Post 2: The Master Plan

So, I have measured the yard, and walked it out.

And this is the master plan.


I actually have more space than needed. That is a good thing as I will be able to adapt as I go.

As you can see the length of the yard is 150 feet, with the width being 85 on one side and 45 on the other.
It will be a long lap. At least twice as long as the "Berms Of Endearment" loop. Which has a lap time of around 10 seconds.

Yesterday I proccured shovels.

Today I search for dirt!!

If anyone out there has a source for good clean dirt let me know...

Soon, it is sunny outside.

My Kingdom for a Pump Track

The title says it all. There is not much that I want more than to go into my backyard and ride my bike. Get in some training (though I recently wonder for what I might be actually training), get sweaty, and have some fun.

Well folks, that dream has arrived. This week I break ground on my own pump track, nestled in good ole Vancouver.

The yard is 150 ft. by 85 ft., by 42 ft. My preliminary walk through, conducted this afternoon, shows room for at least 9 full berms. 3 or 4 of these wood be on the 42 ft section, with a run of 80 to 100ft. of fast pumps towards the other side of the yard, where at least six more berms and many more pumps will whip you around.

The long stretch of berms will be multi directional, allowing for a full circuit of the back yard. I am guessing the pump track will be around 500ft long when done.

The digging?

Well, that starts any day now. Tomorrow I am putting together some agility stunts, long, thin rails couple feet up, teeters, and beggining my search for clean, fill dirt.

Because if there is one thing I have learned, it is that it is easier to dig up than to dig in.

But at least I do know how to earn my turns...

Come on by and dig a few.

Rollin' Retro...

I traded for this old school 24. It is what they called a Schwinn super stock cruiser, or pro stock cruiser.

I immediately found some chrome GT cruiser bars at city bikes for 5 bucks. They are 30 inches wide!

They are great for cruising around town with the seat post up, but for riding trails it will be another deal. I do have some sweet gold anodized v bars I may set up with levers and grips to swap out. They will match the gold anodized spyder well.

I saw a set of sealed titanium hubs and spokes, 24"wheels, for sale 180 bucks. They are laced to narrower sun rims. I think the hubs are Nukeproofs. Very fast wheels if you ask me. I didn't buy them of course, but I want them.

This bike really rides well. I was riding it at the skate park this evening, nosing it over some hips, and it floated well even.

The wheelset is the original one. It has some cool red line cranks, but they need to be swapped out for some 3 pieces.

Hiatus revisited......

I tend to, in life, disappear in strange ways, in even stranger descernable cycles, from things.

Hence the blog not having a new post since the snow days before Christmas.

But I have done many fun things, and have many fine pics to share.

My computer is almost ready to let me share them.

I need to get a hard drive, dump everything onto it, and reformat back to the old operating system.

I hope to have that handled soon, as it is heavily affecting photo editing possibilities.

For now, I will be posting some unedited.

I have great shots from the Oregon Bike Polo Championships.

Great Rickreal dirt riding footage.

More partying.

Witty commentary. Rambling memories. And more.

Snowssenger

Scapoose

While I agree that wood features should not be built, and no one else's private property should be damage by any on other than the owners, I must add the irony of them being so concerned about land that they are just eventually going to strip of trees and ruin through logging.

Go figure!

2+2=6?