Berms in a very narrow pump track

Hey Lee,

First off id like to say i love your building style and your website.Recently i have been reading up on pump tracks when i came across your website which i might add is amazing.Whilst reading i noticed that you said a backyard pumptrack could be as small as 20 x40.Ive been wanting to build one for the longest time yet only have about 15 feet x 42ish feet.Do you think this could work and be fun?Also what kind of roller spacing and berm radius do you use?

Many thanks
Fraser

Fraser,

Thanks for reaching out.

42ish feet long is fine, but 15 feet wide is tight.

Your only option is 180-degree berms at the ends, with some sick straights in between. This track can be super fun.

To make those berms work, you’ll need to build retaining walls on their backs. This will allow you to maximize the radii of the turns. Make the radii as wide as you possibly can, and make the banks as steep as you can (at least 60 degrees).

This photo in IMBA’s Bike Parks book shows a 180-degree berm on Valmont Bike Park’s Creekside pump track. The retaining wall helped the builder maximize the turn radius in the available space. The berm should be a lot steeper.

You’ll find lots more details in the Welcome to Pump Track Nation ebook.

Lee