Jumps anyone?

studiorat

Anybody know how to build jumps or ramps? The brother and I are going to build a few at the weekend I was wondering did anybody have any tips on building them. We'll be using small frame mtb's with knobblie tyres and not bmxs.

kona

where are you building??

have you the technique down?? or are you just starting out??

studiorat

I don't have any techniques down. We are building in a forest deep in Wicklow.
I built the bike so I thought I may as well try and use it. So I suppose it's best to start off small.

I'm bringing a shovel, bushman saw and a felling axe and I suppose some water. Should I face off the jumps with timber?

Anywhere around Dub City south I can get some practice in? I don't mind breaking the law. Anything up in UCD anymore?

kona

be VERY VERY careful where you build, i dont give a **** about the law either, but they will just tear the jumps down if they are illegal, i give a **** about this, cutting wood and shovelling and carrying boulders all day is alot of work, and when you see them torn down you wont be happy:mad:

also away from people....walkers are ****:mad::mad:

my advice is to build a table top, thisway you can go as big as you want but unlike a double you have a landing if you come up short.

always flow downhill, so find the gradient and follow it.
use wood to build a back, fill it out with rocks and ****.
then use the muck to build a smooth take off and lip to throw you into the air.

build the landing about maybe 6-10ft away, with the slope nice and gentle for the landing.

then fill the gap in with crap to form the tabletop.

water can help form the jumps.

always stop every so often and compress then muck by jumping and standing on it.

and build it a bit higher to compensate to sinking., then leave to settle.

make sure no rocks/wood stick out as this makes it harder for johnny scumbag to tear it apart.

try skate parks and the like to practise too, st annes in raheny has some big bmx jumps now, bit ott for a mtb IMO.

studiorat

Thanks Kona,
Prob. start with a table top so. 4 to 5 feet high?
I think I'll get into this in private first, I'm a bit old to be making a tool of myself in a skate park. (probably be arrested anyway)

This spot is a good hour and a half down the N11 so we should be safe from the majority of sunday strollers.

Is there anywhere up around 3 rock anymore?

Thanks for the advice, I'll be sending google map links to special friends...

kona

5ft is quite high, also, if you are going that big id advise a wheelbarrow, youd be suprised how long it takes to build, if only 2 people.
it really is tough work, good luck:)

studiorat

Roger wheelbarrow!

ob

Have a look at this, it has some interesting reading....

http://www.imba.com/resources/trail_building/index.html

studiorat

ob wrote: »

Have a look at this, it has some interesting reading....

http://www.imba.com/resources/trail_building/index.html

Brilliant, Thanks...

doozerie

kona wrote: »

also away from people....walkers are ****:mad::mad:

Some of them are, yes. Likewise, some cyclists are too.

When I rode with a mountain-biking club, the only problems I encountered with walkers were when one of the **** in our group (thankfully there were only a few of them, most of the bunch were fine) decided to act the maggot towards the walkers we encountered.

There are idiots on both sides of this divide, but labeling an entire group by the actions of some of them is stupid and just widens the divide further.

doozerie

Oh, and felling trees and the like in a "public" woodland is probably illegal and is the kind of thing that gets mountain bikers a bad reputation (and rightly so). There are plenty of challenging routes out there without having to vandalise an area to create them.