One aspect of riding bikes in the dirt is that there will always be opportunities to make the trail better. At times, the trail may need to be made safer, such as removing huge trees which have fallen. Other times there may be a need to divert water off, or away from, the trail. And then there’s the really fun way of making trails better: adding features.
Of course adding features is the fun part, but the safety part really does come first. The last thing anyone wants is for the newbies to get hurt. They’re the future of sports, so we want to make the trails safe for them.
Before I get you thinking that making a trail safe is all about removing hazards, let me make it clear, that’s not always the case. In the case of a tree falling across a trail, especially if it’s on a turn, or down a drop, or anywhere it’s not visible right away, then it has to be removed so people don’t get killed. Some obstacles can be left on the trail and made safe by signs warning any riders that a significant obstacle is coming up.
In fact, some of the best trails have difficult sections and easy sections, so anyone and everyone, no matter their skill level, can enjoy them.
All that said, the point of this article is to get people interested in making their own features to make the trails near them better.
Do you enjoy jumps? With a shovel and some water you can make some sweet jumps. Mound up the dirt. Get it a little wet, then smack it into the shape you want.
Do you enjoy berms? These beauties can be shaped with the same tools as are used to make jumps.
Do you enjoy riding skinnies? A good skinny can take a bit more craftsmanship, but the tools can be as simple as a hatchet or as complicated as a chainsaw and a drill. The most complicated is of course by using no nails or screws.
Do you enjoy bridges? These are like skinnies, except usually wide enough so riders can pass each other going opposite directions. They require some carpentry skill to build properly.
Dirt and wood are what the above are commonly made of, but there is a way to build all of the above using rocks. To make jumps, berms, skinnies, and bridges out of rocks takes a huge amount of patience as well as a great deal of spatial recognition. If you don’t have either of those, start small until you’ve developed those skills. Otherwise, stick to building with dirt and wood.
The last feature I want to bring to your attention is the seesaw. It’s what is pictured at the beginning of this article. They can be built right, and they can be built poorly. The good ones are balanced in such a way as to return to one side or the other but never hover above the ground. In other words, one side is weighted so the rider knows to enter on that side.
If you’re not sure what any of the previously mentioned features are, you can check your local YouTube…or you can check your local trail system. I bet you can guess which one I would recommend.
Enjoy Bike Month!!!
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