Lyons Bike Park update: Equipment and love
We made huge progress today — thanks to equal parts equipment and love.
Lyons Bike Park: We’re moving dirt baby!
T-minus 15 days until the Lyons Outdoor Games. The weather is bad and the resources are spare, but things are starting to take shape.
Also: Come out and dig this Saturday!
Back to Lyons today
Sorry for the staleness of the site, but it’s all for good. While dirt and rocks are being hauled to the Lyons Bike Park site, I’m busy marking out the features with stakes and flags. Today I plan to double-check the main area — so we can start building it next week.
The measure of a technical trail
One of the coolest parts of the Lyons Bike Park will be the Natural Terrain Loop. My goal is to re-create common local trail features — ledges, rock jumbles, tight turns — in a setting where people can learn and practice with confidence. The thought is, if you master these sections in the bike park, you’re ready to rip the local love.
To that end, yesterday I went out and measured key sections at Hall Ranch.
Pump track for 29ers?
Hey Lee. Great site .. love it. I just bought your ebook “Pump Track Nation” and had a question about bike selection/course design.
I’m primarily an XC racer (some super D and road racing mixed in) and I’m looking to beef up the handling skills. I’ve got no problem on technical trails but keeping my speed through the corners and bumps is what I need to work on so a pump track would be great for me. Problem is I fell in love with 29″ wheels and the few pump tracks I’ve tried seemed to be designed for smaller wheels. I’m sure a large part of it is just learning the skills but do you have any recommendations for the big wheel crowd? How to adjust your riding style? Or how to adjust your track plans if you’re planning on building?
Thanks! Matthew
Final design: Lyons bike park
I’ll write [much] more when I get a chance, but here’s a quick update.
Pump track coming to Taos, NM
Hey all. I’m helping cook up a pump track in Taos, New Mexico, and I’m looking for DJ/pump people in that area. If you’re a Taos resident and a member of the Pump Track Nation (or want to join), please email me.
Rock.
Lyons Bike Park: Working design baby!
Hey all,
I’ve been working on a bike park design for the city of Lyons, Colo., and it’s ready for public review.
Please tell me what you think. Measure twice. dig once!
What do you love in a slalom course?
Hey all,
I’m designing a bike park for the city of Lyons, CO. We have a huge area and total freedom. I’m planning a pump track, natural terrain loop, dirt jumps and slalom track. Super cool!
Anyway, I’m sitting here working on the slalom track, and I’m wondering, what do people love? Big sweeping berms or rapid direction changes? Perfect berms or tricky flat turns? A mix of everything? Thinking back to my favorite slalom courses, I love the speed and the high-G berms. There’s no feeling like laying into that first berm on the Sea Otter DS course …
What do you think?
— Lee
Pump tracks: Building a tight 180
Hey Lee,
I’m in the early stages of building a backyard track with thanks to inspiration from your site and the awesome e-book. Over the weekend I started the process with building a 180 berm that is confined in a tight corner of our yard. The space between a fence and shed measures only about 10′ across so I’m actually building a wall with some landscaping wood and rebar to support the backside of the berm and save room for the berm itself. …
Pump tracks: Doing good things with bad dirt
Hey Lee, I just wanted to show off my first pump track to you. It’s a real small track, not too fast, but loads of fun and actually really difficult. It has a short uphill and two berms aprox 180 degrees. I didn’t keep track of how long it took, a built it over a few weeks though, with just me working on it for the most part. It’s dug straight into the ground. I’m in Wake Forest, North Carolina. I’ve attatched some pictures.
— Paul
Status #2: Valmont Bike Park, Boulder, CO
Last night was the second of two public reviews of the bike park plans.
IMBA’s Pete Webber gave his spiel at the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance meeting at Rocky Mounts.
Keep reading for the latest schematic.