First laps on my pump track
James Hall and Ted Van Orman have done a great job on my backyard pump track, and today we rolled the first test laps.
Stumpjumper Comp 29 test: Valmont Bike Park
It’s becoming clear to me (apparently everyone else has known this for a while) that a mountain bike with 29-inch wheels rolls over rough terrain way easier than a bike with 26-inch wheels. So, OK, maybe a 29er is a good idea for passive trail riding. But the question is, can a 29er be ripped?
Building my pump track: Update 1
Great progress yesterday and today.
Big snow tonight and tomorrow. I’ll be bummed if digging gets postponed, but the moisture will be good for the dirt.
How many calories do you burn on a pump track?
Lee, I was wondering how many calories, on average, does some one burn riding a pump track for 5 minutes? figured you would be the man to ask..Let me know. Thanks, Alex
Off the clock
Just got back from an hour “off the clock” at Valmont Bike Park.
What a great little adventure — and a test of the new 2.3 Specialized Renegade.
BMX bike for MTB training (again)?
Hey there Lee
I am a mediumly ordinary MTb rider, who does not get out often enough. I have bought Mastering Mountain Bike Skills edition2, and it is a great book, however I really do not to get to session stuff much which would imprint skills into my old brain. And so often ” just riding” gets in the way of actual learning.
Recently a couple of pump tracks have been built where I live ( In Wellington, NZ ) and they are of course just ideal for sessioning and skills. I am just starting to ride awkwardly on them.
My question is this: might is be worthwhile getting a BMX bike for the purpose of fun and skill acquisition?
I have a peferectly excellent MTB (an Ibis Mojo) however in a way having a completely different bike would make riding a pump track an event, and I would be more likely to session it and not be tempted by the nearby MTB trails?
I do not want to build a hard tail MTB as the Mojo is just fine for all the trails, and in some ways a HT is an unbalanced beast compared with a fully rigid BMX or a fully sprung MTB ?
Your BMX book does look enticing!
cheers
Rob
Wellington, NZ
Video: Pumptopia in Oak Creek, CO
I still want to report the complete story about last weekend’s building adventure in Oak Creek, CO, but I’m pinned with software design plus coaching.
Rather than keep us all waiting, here’s a video of the build and break-in ride:
Pumptopia v1
Last weekend James Hall and I built a sweet pump track in Oak Creek, CO near Steamboat Springs.
Pumptopia v1 is like Kidtopia, but with a camel on the main straight and jump options down the middle. The design is an evolution of the tracks I been building all year. So far, it’s the best all-around, public-use track I’ve designed. So far.
Full story and video coming soon.
Pump track in the woods?
Forgive me. I know you must get besieged with questions. The area I would most like to build in, and that I believe the city would support because it is just across from the Sheriff Department and ambulance garage, and it is just behind the current skate park, is wooded. Is it possible to build a small track in a wooded area? Am I out of my mind for even thinking of doing that?
Jonathan
Best warmup ever
I’ve been coaching at Valmont Bike Park a lot, and I’m becoming compulsive about my pump-track warmup routine.
Test riding the Kidtopia Pump Track
The track is fresh and the riders are not, but this first-ride video shows how the Kidtopia pump track fits and flows.
We built this last week in Boulder County.
Check out the video >>