How to Create a Mountain Bike Route

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Mountain biking can be a very fun and rewarding sport but, without the right place to practice it, it might not be at all.

Steps

Step 1. Get permission

Nothing spoils the reputation of a "mountain biker" more than an illegal trail. Asking before building is very important, as it will make a difference.

Step 2. The competent authority will destroy any illegal leads it finds

Step 3. Follow the proper construction procedures

A good starting point in this regard is the IMBA website (https://www.imba.com/resources/trail_building/sustainable_trails.html)

Step 4. Find an area large enough to build on

The woods are a good place, but they must have some paths, and they are suitable for the purpose also because they already offer natural obstacles.

Step 5. Once you've found the right place to set up, try building some "jumps" using wood or mud

Try to make them at a reasonable height, without exaggerating, maybe between 30 centimeters and a meter. Before building the ramps, make sure you have enough space to slow down once you've finished the jump - you certainly don't want to crash into a tree, a mound, or, even less, the ground.

Step 6. After entering some jumps in the path, you can add more fun things

• Dig a hole in the ground about 10 to 15 centimeters deep.

  

• Look for logs or other large round pieces of wood.

  

• Cut out boards about half a meter in length.

  

• Place them in the small ditch you dug and put dirt around them so they don't swing back and forth.

  

• Spacer them from each other for greater rebound. Don't go over it too quickly, or the tires will end up turning square.

  

Method 1 of 1: Avoid the 10 Most Common Mistakes When Building a Runway

Ever since humans began to follow a path, they have made mistakes about it. Usually, our mistakes - whether they land us in the bellies of long saber-toothed beasts or wander the boundless gut of suburban suburbs - only harm ourselves. But when it is the track builders who make mistakes, they harm everyone. The users of a track, the managers of a territory, the vegetation, the fauna… all of them are damaged by the constructor with good intentions, but sometimes inexperienced. In our travels, we often see the same mistakes repeated over and over, but the good news is that they can be avoided. In an attempt to bury them in the cemetery of evolution along with the dinosaurs, here are the 10 mistakes to avoid:

Step 1. Not having the Authorization of the Competent Authority

We know, we know: you just want to build your own path. But trust me, before you work on the track, nothing is more important than approval from the landowner or manager. Experience has shown that the lack of proper authorization is the main cause of the closure of a runway. When it comes to building a path, apologizing is certainly no better than asking for permission.

Step 2. Fall in love with the Descents

To put it simply, downhill slopes are a nightmare due to erosion: they accelerate natural and artificial erosion, leaving rocks and plant roots to the air, and generally have a short life, before becoming large and extensive havoc that damage the ecosystem. To build tracks that last over time, use the Rule of the Middle: the slope - or steepness - of the track should never exceed half the slope - or steepness - of the slope; and the 10 Percent Rule: The total slope of the track should be 10 percent or less.

Step 3. Make assumptions about the slope

No one, however good their eyesight may be, can guess the right slope every time. Sure it's fun to try, but use an inclinometer to confidently confirm incline every time you plot a course - there is no job in the world that can fix a track built to an impassable slope. If you don't have an inclinometer, the recommendation is to invest in this indispensable tool.

Step 4. Don't Follow the Course of the Course

Not even race courses - which are sometimes designed with an erratic course to break a runner's pace - should have this design error. All track builders should embrace the "smooth motion" mantra. Poorly designed courses, especially fast sections that lead to sharp turns, are the primary cause of collisions between runners. As you build the track, think about the trend - it is the key to achieving a satisfying course.

Step 5. Skimp on the Margins

The only cases in which it is possible to save money on a well-defined slope are those (1) where the side slope is so steep - 80 percent or more - that the difference in altitude exceeds two meters in height, or (2) where the slope is so steep. track shape forces you to build close to the direction a large tree hangs. Either way, you should build a wall suitable to support the edge and, as with all slopes, the retaining wall should maintain between 5 and 7 percent off-piste.

Step 6. West Virginia Climbing Turn

Our friends in West Virginia affectionately named some of their steep grades this way, and while they held up in a couple of places due to the terrain and the bikers, most of these steep inclines are destined to wear out terribly. If you want your uphill turns to last over time, build slopes no steeper than 10 percent.

Step 7. Building Straw Houses

Remember the little pig who built his house with straw? He was eaten by the wolf. Using substandard materials to build track structures makes you and everyone else vulnerable, as it reduces track safety and duration. All of this can lead to pain, guilt and even the intervention of lawyers. Build right, to keep wolves at bay.

Step 8. Finish a Section Ahead of Time

It's okay to support track training, but some inexperienced builders are so eager to build bigger, newer and better tracks that they don't spend enough time looking after the new sections of the track. Resist the temptation to move forward and finish a project ahead of time. Always correct the mistakes you made previously.

Step 9. Continue Building the Path to Grandma's House

This is what we call the obsession of some builders to mark the edges of the track with logs. A well-constructed track shouldn't need it. In fact, marking the track with logs can trap water and increase track erosion.

Step 10. Ignore Old Wounds

As mountain bikers, we might think our injuries are a sign to be proud of, but the scars left on the ground by closed trails are bleeding wounds that need to heal. It always tries to recover the eroded areas with embankments and natural obstacles, such as logs or rocks, which divert the water course and restore the course of the land, but also to recover all the closed slopes by reintroducing the original vegetation, which hides the old traced. Also try to put the spotlight on the great tracks you have built and not on the damage done.

Advice

• Press all the sand well to build jumps and steps, otherwise the front tire will slip off.
• Try to be creative in what you do. Don't be afraid to try different solutions.
• Another fun thing to do is find a long thin trunk, about a foot in circumference, but also two or three. Prop them up with pieces of wood under each end. Try creating a small ramp on each side and then try to ride your bike up it. It is difficult and takes some practice.
• Don't jump too high, or you might crash into a tree if you gain speed.
• For a good ramp, try to get a log of about 30-60 centimeters. Place it horizontally along the path and compact some sand on both sides. MAKE SURE THE SAND IS REALLY COMPACT so that the trunk does not roll off as you jump.
• Never build a vertical ramp on small jumps (4 meters or less in height). It consumes the ground just below the edge of the jump, causing an impact on the rear wheel that causes your mountain bike to overturn.

Warnings

• As always, you should wear a protective helmet. If you make higher jumps or create elevated paths, candying, you could be very injured.
• Don't do anything stupid, like getting out of a backward jump with your eyes closed.
• If you are preparing the route for other people to use, remember to place warning signs at the most dangerous points, such as ramps, slopes, overhangs, etc.