Anyone have personal experience building a backyard pump-track?
I’m in the contemplative stage
Would love to see some pics, as well as any info for “wish I had/wish I hadn’t”
I have the Lee McCormack book on order
I have one. I haven’t had the time to do maintenance or ride in in the last couple years so it is getting a bit overgrown. I found it takes a fairly significant amount of work to keep it rideable. The old murphy’s law thing, don’t want things to grow on the pump track, means grass/weeds grow there super well.
The right kind of dirt makes a difference. High clay content so it works easy when wet, but packs down hard when it dries.
I found the Lee McCormack book kind of helpful, but unless it has been updated a lot, just going to other pump tracks and riding and looking at the design will give you what you need to design/build.
Mine is pretty small, triangle shaped in the back corner of the yard, about 10m by 8m. Bigger would be nice, if you have the space, but even a small track is fun, and tires you out pretty quick.
Some pictures here just after it was finished back in 2009. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.278998600256&type=3
Is that Paul Belhumeur I spy in those pictures?!
awesome, thanks!
And is that my/your Balfa Minuteman, Brian? That frame is a lot bigger than I remember.
Yes it is.
Yup. Still have it. My youngest rides it now.
I helped Paul build a pumptrack in his backyard in Dartmouth probably a few years after. We never got it quite dialed in though and the fast straight beside a fence led to a pile of crashes from what I remember.