How to build a DH track

[Plow King]

Seeing as there are alot of questions about how to make downhill tracks, I figured I should give some advice to up and comers thinking of going and building a track.

Before even starting work on the trail you should.

1/ DO NOT make the track obvious as to where it is.

I've seen people just clear out the entrance to the trail on the side of a fire road or main street. That is stupid, you might as well just put up a sign saying here is a trail, come use, destroy or close it. Bush bash into the trail, where the trail head starts (make sure you dont step on any plants or vegatation) Take multiple lines into the trail every time, and if it looks like a trail is starting to appear cover the trail with leaves and put fallen over trees and dead fallen over plants in the way.

2/ Scout your local area, look for the steepest part. Find a really rocky area to start with (doesn't have to be ridable) Once you have found that then try and make the track on or around that area.

3/ Do not make it near peoples homes. this will piss people off because they will have bike riders screaming down near there neighbourhood. This will piss people of and almost certainly get the track found and shut down.

4/ Do not tell people where your trail is, this is fairly obvious. Only tell your close riding buddies/ friends. You don't want lots of little shits coming to your trail, building new lines, making loads of noise and destroying stuff. Word gets around, these kids could tell there parents, who could tell other people, which could also get the track closed down. Make sure you explain thoroughly to your close friends not to tell anyone about the trail.

5/ Do not cut down trees, Don't friggin do it, simple as that!

6/ Try not to use north shore obstacles, use them only where necessary. And if you do use them DO NOT nail them into trees, lay them on rocks or dig the wood into the ground.

6/ Do not leave rubbish lying on the track, take it with you. This does not give the sport of mountain biking a good look if the track does get found. If the track is bombarded by rubbish I can assure you the track won't have a chance of survival. If people have found the track and have left rubbish there, take it with you and dump it in a bin. however, if it is biodegradable make a pit and chuck it in there ,and with other dead trees. you can make a compost heap and put it on other trees or plants.


Starting the track.

1/ Mark out where you want the track with some string. Do Not make indents in trees/ or cut bark off, this can consequently kill the tree if you accidentally ring bark it)

2. Begin clearing out the track, top to bottom. Do not take out plants, only weeds. If it is necessary to take out plants replant them somewhere else. As for the width of the track, Try to keep most of it single track. The only sections that should be wide are the technical sections, i,e rock gardens.

3/ Always, always make b lines around the harder obstacles. If kids do find the tracks, and they cant do it. They will more than likely knock it down because it is too hard for them to do. But if you have a b-line they will hopefully enjoy the track because they are able to hit it, and will want it too stay there so they can enjoy it for years to come.

4/ Decide what you exactly want to be on the track, jumps, rock gardens drops... Plan exactly where you want them, how big, and check for things like run-up, run out and any other obsticles around that could cause a threat. I,e cliffs.Find a spot where they would be easiest to build and have the least effect on the environment.

5/ When building drops and jumps try to use what you can find, Don't go digging mass piles of dirt, see what else you can find. digging hug holes of dirt is not going to help the local ecosystem. try using rocks that are packed together to form a lip or landing. find some rocks (size, depends on how many) Put the main ones at the bottom and then you cant start to form the shape of the jump landing with the rocks, use the flat rocks on the top (where your riding onto or off)


6/ When building rock gardens, make sure these have several lines, that range from exceeding your ability to way below your ability. Make sure that the easier lines are slower. (same reason as mentioned before, if randoms come to your track who suck and cant do it they will want to destroy it) When you start building look for a rocky part on the hill. If there arn't many rocks on one part of the track you have to bring them in. dig them into the ground. Rock gardens do not contain, or should not contain loose rocks, they are extremly dangerous. (note, when moving rocks if there are creatures under them put the rock back ,and be careful of dangerous animals, i.e spiders.)


7/ the only place on the track where you should use alot of dirt should be on the berms. the berms should be made with fallen down trees and rocks heavily packed together. The angle and height of the berm depends on where it is placed. Basically the faster the corner the longer and less curved it should be, whereas a slow corner usually has a not as long berm and more curved. Most berms should be about 50cm high and packed down heavily.

8/ end of trail. the end of the trail should connect to a fireroad of some description. If this is not possible make sure when you walk back upto the top of trail on the trail. So that you dont trample of damage any more vegetation. If your trail does come out at the end of a firetrail make sure that you bush bash onto the fireroad. (don't tread on any plants, trees vegetation)


When the gradient is steep rock armouring the trail doubles as techincal for the rider (rock garden) and protecting the track from rutting out.

Rocks should be used in areas succeptable to erosion. Make sure water never travels down the track, water is ultimately what erodes the track so things like mild scalops (a couple of digs so the track slopes off to one side for a metre or so, you don't notice it when you ride, but it allows water to drain off.)

You need to pay special attention to berms, can they drain water easily or will they catch water?

Also gradient reversals should be used whenever possible, it creates more of a flow feeling (up and down, pumping- flowing), it stops riders jamming on brakes and rutting up the track and allows riders to regain some height, hence keeping the run as long as possible. A good gradient reversal on a DH track will skim off a bit of speed, but the rider doesn't have to pedal.

Very easy things to overlook when building but 12 months later, it makes a huge difference.

Thanksyou scratchy for the extra stuff. Very usefull. Cheers

[Skywalker]

2/ Scout your local area, look for the steepest part. Find a really rocky area to start with (doesn't have to be ridable) Once you have found that then try and make the track on or around that area.


Make sure you scout the area properly. Don't just start cutting a track thinking it will go somewhere. Because in reality.. it probably won't. You have to plan your track well. Walk the whole terrain and imagine how fast you'll be going, then plan the lines. Cut and have fun! :D

PS Good work there norcs! Sticky it please... every point is very relevant in starting your own trail.

[Mattydv]

thanks for the tips. it'll make some of my own trails alot better and last alot longer hopefully :)

[Renegade]

Nice work as always Chris. Just in time aswell as I'm planning on making my own freeride track. Thanx heaps and ride hard you pansy:p

[scratchy]

OK, Stickied, I might deleted some posts just to shorten the gaps between the info.

One thing that wasn't mentioned was erosion.

Berms are great and all, but if there is massive braking ruts beforehand then that's not cool.

When the gradient is steep rock armouring the trail doubles as techincal for the rider (rock garden) and protecting the track from rutting out.

Rocks should be used in areas succeptable to erosion. Make sure water never travels down the track, water is ultimately what erodes the track so things like mild scalops (a couple of digs so the track slopes off to one side for a metre or so, you don't notice it when you ride, but it allows water to drain off.)

You need to pay special attention to berms, can they drain water easily or will they catch water?

Also gradient reversals should be used whenever possible, it creates more of a flow feeling (up and down, pumping- flowing), it stops riders jamming on brakes and rutting up the track and allows riders to regain some height, hence keeping the run as long as possible. A good gradient reversal on a DH track will skim off a bit of speed, but the rider doesn't have to pedal.

Very easy things to overlook when building but 12 months later, it makes a huge difference.

[Jarrad]

hay guys do you have any sugestions for a site that is not so steep any feedback would be great

[Gravjunkie]

Another tip.........We are all keen riders and when we scope an area to build a track, we get so psyched to ride it. Take your time and build it right the first time. You'll appreciate your first run a lot more and maintenance on the track will be so much easier in the future.

Unfortunately tho'.....no matter how much advice you give, some people can build tracks, the rest....well.....you just ride what those people have built. :)

[howie38]

kill yourslef and get reincarnated as a 20 incher

[Switch]

For all those people who own their own pine forest, as it would be wrong to use the hundreds of acres of corporately owned forest :rolleyes: . They are great places to build DH tracks as they have next to no undergrowth so a couple of hours with a rake and you can be on your bike, add to that the extensive networks of fire trails to get you back to the top with ease and discretion and you are on a winner.

[whywalkwhenucanroll]

Using quickset concrete to cap the up ramps of jumps is a good idea imo as it prevents erosion and makes for a good strong ramp that is harder to destroy. Just make sure you build the rest of the ramp well too. Also make sure you don't leave any spare concrete lying around, try and use it somewhere else. Pallets are also good for landings because they are strong and wide but using natural landings is preferable. The idea, as said before, is to create a minimal impact trail.

Top tips above, anyone who wants to start a trail should take note of this stuff.

[Timbot]

OK, Stickied, I might deleted some posts just to shorten the gaps between the info.

One thing that wasn't mentioned was erosion.

Berms are great and all, but if there is massive braking ruts beforehand then that's not cool.

When the gradient is steep rock armouring the trail doubles as techincal for the rider (rock garden) and protecting the track from rutting out.

Rocks should be used in areas succeptable to erosion. Make sure water never travels down the track, water is ultimately what erodes the track so things like mild scalops (a couple of digs so the track slopes off to one side for a metre or so, you don't notice it when you ride, but it allows water to drain off.)

You need to pay special attention to berms, can they drain water easily or will they catch water?

Also gradient reversals should be used whenever possible, it creates more of a flow feeling (up and down, pumping- flowing), it stops riders jamming on brakes and rutting up the track and allows riders to regain some height, hence keeping the run as long as possible. A good gradient reversal on a DH track will skim off a bit of speed, but the rider doesn't have to pedal.

Very easy things to overlook when building but 12 months later, it makes a huge difference.
Shouldn't building berms help alleviate braking bumps by allowing you to hit corners quicker with less brake?

[scratchy]

Yes, In an ideal world they do help as the allow people to hit the corner quicker. But what you'll find 99% of the time is that people have hit the brakes before the corner and rutted it up. Either the berm is too tight or the run in too fast, either way people are backing off before the corner. Perhaps that is where the art of trail building comes in.

Maybe a good idea is to have some gentle berms at the start to get people in the flow of the track, before chucking massive 180 degrees berms down.

[demo man]

The problems with berms are mainly about water drainage. The problem with corners in general is that they ask people to slow down, and that creates braking areas.

Try adding small uphill rises before corners to wash off some speed naturally (but no stop-starting please). Get water off the track as often as possible. When there is a jump or rise, make sure that you use that to your advantage... make sure the water that is going to get caught by the rise can get off the track. Jumps and rises can be used in the same way as water-bars on roads are used.

Build the whole trail so that is has a 5% outslop, meaning that the whole trail is off-camber by 5%. This will not really be noticable to the rider, but it will be to the water.

Berms are great, just get water off the track right before them and right after them, and don't allow pools to be created in the middle of them. too easy.

rock armouring is great. It's best use is in wet areas, and it can be good for steep areas also. This method takes lots of hard labour though - be prepared (crow-bars etc.)

[donthucktoflat]

i have learnt two things about building trails with Glen Jacobs. these are that he knows exactly what he wants and that when using rocks use BIG FKN ROCKS. small rocks will vibrate the soil off them and you will get massive erosion. BIG ROCKS ROCK!

[milto]

Thanks heaps mate,
I'm getting into DH/Freeride now i'll be able to practice without heaps of fuss and geting in the way of hard out riders.

Cheers,
Nick.

[scissors]

Thanks heaps for the advice, i'll put it to the test. I got a really steep hill which has no other use, cars can't get up it so i guess it's mine for the taking.

[partyanimal]

i've found that putting a piece of pvc pip a the lowest point in a berm helps to clear water from it really fast. At my track i was once riding in the rain (ok it was a storm) and everywhere down below was flooded but not tmy berms.

partyanimal

[freerider8]

thanks a lot for the tips they should help heaps any way catch you guys later :)

[nmdher]

cheers for those tips guys, I want to build a dh track just need a good location

[BLAKE-2234]

hey mate im actually trying to build a dh track (that is already an unused walking track) at the bottom of my street and because you live in the shire quess what i do too so was wondering if i could get some help guys from bike culture (jon odams) is trying to find time to walk the trail and find out how much work is going to be needed to get it rideable as its pretty rocky and steep but i think its rideable ( i would ride it if i had a dh bike) but yer i thought i would just tell you this incase you wanted to help but i dont know
ps the track is down akuna avanue if you know where that is

cheers blake:) :)

[Plow King]

hey mate im actually trying to build a dh track (that is already an unused walking track) at the bottom of my street and because you live in the shire quess what i do too so was wondering if i could get some help guys from bike culture (jon odams) is trying to find time to walk the trail and find out how much work is going to be needed to get it rideable as its pretty rocky and steep but i think its rideable ( i would ride it if i had a dh bike) but yer i thought i would just tell you this incase you wanted to help but i dont know
ps the track is down akuna avanue if you know where that is

cheers blake:) :)

Next to the oval? My mate lives right there. I'll ask him to check it out for you.

[BLAKE-2234]

i live down akuna avanue which is over the bridge (that goes over the bypass) the street is kinda been rejected by the rest of our suburb (we are on the other side of the bypas lol) but back to topic um yer the other side of the oval so if you are coming from sutherland you get off the bypass after the woni bridge and tak the bangor exit and akuna is the very first left ( you will if you go there notice the large signs) but yer i live down there and there is a track at the bottom of my street that goes to prince edward park in the woni so it is a bit rocky ( by bit i mean very) and sortoff runs a long a cliff but i reckon with some work it can be rideable

look forward to hearing from you
cheers blake :) :)

[fleshbone]

howdy their blake,i'm a fellow bangorian that has also been looking at some viable cliffs to build off.this track you speak of.would it happen to link up to a fire road that goes all the way up the back of akuna ave.i live just down the road from akuna oval.

[BLAKE-2234]

ok then the fire road finishes at the bottom of koorabar rd (in which i live ) it is at the bottom of koorabar youl see the reserve obviously and go down towards the left where the power lines head to wonni and the trail is there it will go down to cliffage follow along it to the left then there are steps and thats almost it of the cliffs so go check it out im home on thursdays and tuesdays and weekends so will be scoping it out starting some work on it so feel free to check it out

cheers blake:) :)

[satattwa]

With all the talk about trail building, I thought I'd comment too.

It always pays to have a few looks at the proposed track in different conditions.

Just because it gets built in the 'dry' doesn't mean it is going to drain at all well in the 'wet'.

So if you can, make sure drainage is designed to maximum efficiency.

Work with what nature provides, study it and your work load should decrease in proportion to the amount of fun to be had.

[BLAKE-2234]

hey mate thanks for the advice and on inspection it does drain well (it is kind of on the side of a cliff so go figure) but yer i built some of it in the rain and its sweet a few tweeks here and there and itl be sweet


cheers blake

[bikekid127]

Thanks heaps this will really help me build my track

[13677meelo]

Nice track building ideas. I would of used itr if i had seen it sooner:D

[Kyran]

Heyy thanks mate...

I might be making one soon

This will help a lot... I need to buy a new bike first though haha

Thanks again

[j dizzle]

jsut built a dh trail, and it flows beautifully. rained last night, so we will be building again today. goes for less than a minute, but its an easy walk back up, great dirt. one of the fastest flowing tracks i have ridden. and yes, there are b lines for the obstacles. anyone heard of gilmore, or dougles? yeah its in there.

joel

[Seanikans]

Yer hey i live in bonnet bay if u guys know where that is. Is the bike track in bangor the one down akuna avenue finished yet and are there any jumps on the dh track. also wat bikes u guys riding

[mitchy123]

good post mate. very helpfull

[horseyboy533]

very good info guys

i just wanted to also add that make sure moto's dont find out about ur track because i have been making a track for the last month and after every day of school i have been going up there making new sections. But recently i have found that a clan of motor bikers have found it and trashed some parts. make sure you all ways make b lines big enough for unwanted guests to pass through. thx againt for the tips on the rock gardens. very helpfull.
ok l8r
NEVER LET UR WHEELS STOP SPINNING

[mc_steez]

i dont really worry about moto riders cos a couple of my mates own motos and they regularly ride our track (the track j-dizzle was talking about). They rip up the dirt and can fuck up the berms on our track. But i think it makes the track more exiting if anything. It makes it unpredictable and slippery which can also be really fun.

but if you really want to stop the moto riders ripping your track put a big drop at the bottom of your track or something moto riders cant get past cos usally moto riders go up the track not down. i hope this helps

[horseyboy533]

yer i guess but when they come up in packs of 5 or more on thumpsters then it can b kinda annoying. they r a great help sometimes tho

[Zekman]

With the motos if the track isnt straight and nice flowing berms most motos wont ride it as they're not going flat out and they wont do drop offs either or tight single track.With the erroison try to keep the lines a little more flowing if you think a section will have hard braking(if you cant do this as posted before have a good run off for water) or learn how to ride without skidding where most poeples inexperience in riding come out.With steep sections having a good exit from that part will minimise braking if no braking at all and will cause less errosion than a bushwalker walking the same trail.I hope that has been some help.

Cheers
Zekman

[JaRedy]

THanks for the tips, hopefully the tracks I want to build might last a little longer.

[JoshP]

yea thanxz for the great information about builing DH tracks
me and my mates hav just found an old DH track we think it hasnt been used for a good six years maybe, we started clearing out most of the track and we started to build some jumps.
we reakon its gonna be a sick track when its finished but anyway thanxz for the really good info it will come in handy
thanxz:D

[fukin BANG!]

PRIMO tips! very nice. i hope i can find the right place to put them to use.
thanx :)

[Harry B]

Yeah thanks for the tips, I'll take them into acount next time I build a track.

[Newman06]

cheers been thinkn bout making a track out the back of my place for a while and thanks to that i might now be able to make a good one... all that info is really helpfull cheers...

[heath_92]

Great thread. I'm about to start building my own track (on my own private land) and i found this artical very helpfull.

[kane h]

thanks for the tips

[KDP-13]

hey mate...

good tips, been following them, i have just started to build a track down my local mountain, we have a rock garden and a few good rocks that will be in the track, we have started to clear and build the traack now, just one question, how many jumps or drops should i put in the track???

the track all together will prob hit the 3 minute mark...

thanx tye

[krizbike]

Great advice everyone. I've just finished making my own first track. Anyone in Lismore area (Northern NSW) chat to me if you want to know where it is.

It's pretty damn fast at the moment, and only 300m in length. I'm going to work on it some more to make some slower alternatives (less steep and not requiring the ole brown undies)!

It's been raining for the last few days, so I might go for a walk soon and check it out (yeah, it's real close to my house which is great).

The cool thing is that to get back to the top you just ride up a bitumen road.

Might post some photos when more has been done. :)

cya,
Chris

[rowdyflat]

Its damn obvious but i'll say it.
If you are building a serious downhill track you need car access for shuttles + machinery access for building so pick a slope that has a good road preferably public road so you dont need to maintain it + minimise turnaround time.
Otherwise maintaining your access is expensive + time consuming.
I KNOW.

[woodsey mtb group 4 lyf]

very very helpful tips this should help me to build my next track much better and succesfully, i am going to build a track soon somewhere and these tips are very helpful for this thanks mate:D

[motohead]

Hey.
First of all I'd like to say, great article on how to build a downhill track and I am now looking at building one but I read in the 'how to build DJ's' article that it should not be built in a National Park- is this same for Downhill tracks?

cheers,
Alex

ps. Hopefully I haven't made to many grammatical errors, Farker's tend to be strict when it comes to that... :)

[demo man]

Hey.
First of all I'd like to say, great article on how to build a downhill track and I am now looking at building one but I read in the 'how to build DJ's' article that it should not be built in a National Park- is this same for Downhill tracks?

cheers,
Alex

ps. Hopefully I haven't made to many grammatical errors, Farker's tend to be strict when it comes to that... :)

You should never build ANYTHING somewhere where you are not allowed to do so.

Doesn't matter if you're building a jump, a drop, a berm, north shore, a house, whatever it is you need to have the appropriate permission first.

[motohead]

Yeh. sorry
Just wondering why it said something there and not there...
cheers,
alex

[jamis7]

i found an empty creek thats been dry for like 5 years at the least is it a good idea to make a track there and have whip jumps up the walls and things?

[tallongdownhill]

They are all great ideas i've seen to many tracks shut down because of been to obvious to over ridden etc. I own 300 acres of property now where i have built my own tracks but i have still used all the above points to create my tracks some not to obviuos as i have found some idiots get up there on motorbikes which annoys me :mad: My one q is how can you go about registering tracks for others to enjoy i am looking into insurance. I would like others to also enjoy what my mates and i enjoy:)

[ring stinger]

Thanks for the tips on how to build a DH track. I realy appreciate the environmental care factor.

[Hoppalong]

Hey man, it's great that you are concerned about the enviroment:), i know a track near me, that has just been ripped to shreds by squids making "new sweet lines" and the trees are holding on by strings. But sometimes it's unavoidable to dig out a tree but your right, it should be replanted, and sometimes dirt is the only option for jumps. Great stuff. :D
Hopson

[Dug]

A bit of kittylitter around unstable areas can help hold things together.... Fresh I hope!.....:cool:

[Tripper2]

Woah,
Thats gonna be good help for the track i plan on building on my mates property =]
haha cheers

[huge]

good advise

:)Seeing as there are alot of questions about how to make downhill tracks, I figured I should give some advice to up and comers thinking of going and building a track.

Before even starting work on the trail you should.

1/ DO NOT make the track obvious as to where it is.

I've seen people just clear out the entrance to the trail on the side of a fire road or main street. That is stupid, you might as well just put up a sign saying here is a trail, come use, destroy or close it. Bush bash into the trail, where the trail head starts (make sure you dont step on any plants or vegatation) Take multiple lines into the trail every time, and if it looks like a trail is starting to appear cover the trail with leaves and put fallen over trees and dead fallen over plants in the way.

2/ Scout your local area, look for the steepest part. Find a really rocky area to start with (doesn't have to be ridable) Once you have found that then try and make the track on or around that area.

3/ Do not make it near peoples homes. this will piss people off because they will have bike riders screaming down near there neighbourhood. This will piss people of and almost certainly get the track found and shut down.

4/ Do not tell people where your trail is, this is fairly obvious. Only tell your close riding buddies/ friends. You don't want lots of little shits coming to your trail, building new lines, making loads of noise and destroying stuff. Word gets around, these kids could tell there parents, who could tell other people, which could also get the track closed down. Make sure you explain thoroughly to your close friends not to tell anyone about the trail.

5/ Do not cut down trees, Don't friggin do it, simple as that!

6/ Try not to use north shore obstacles, use them only where necessary. And if you do use them DO NOT nail them into trees, lay them on rocks or dig the wood into the ground.

6/ Do not leave rubbish lying on the track, take it with you. This does not give the sport of mountain biking a good look if the track does get found. If the track is bombarded by rubbish I can assure you the track won't have a chance of survival. If people have found the track and have left rubbish there, take it with you and dump it in a bin. however, if it is biodegradable make a pit and chuck it in there ,and with other dead trees. you can make a compost heap and put it on other trees or plants.


Starting the track.

1/ Mark out where you want the track with some string. Do Not make indents in trees/ or cut bark off, this can consequently kill the tree if you accidentally ring bark it)

2. Begin clearing out the track, top to bottom. Do not take out plants, only weeds. If it is necessary to take out plants replant them somewhere else. As for the width of the track, Try to keep most of it single track. The only sections that should be wide are the technical sections, i,e rock gardens.

3/ Always, always make b lines around the harder obstacles. If kids do find the tracks, and they cant do it. They will more than likely knock it down because it is too hard for them to do. But if you have a b-line they will hopefully enjoy the track because they are able to hit it, and will want it too stay there so they can enjoy it for years to come.

4/ Decide what you exactly want to be on the track, jumps, rock gardens drops... Plan exactly where you want them, how big, and check for things like run-up, run out and any other obsticles around that could cause a threat. I,e cliffs.Find a spot where they would be easiest to build and have the least effect on the environment.

5/ When building drops and jumps try to use what you can find, Don't go digging mass piles of dirt, see what else you can find. digging hug holes of dirt is not going to help the local ecosystem. try using rocks that are packed together to form a lip or landing. find some rocks (size, depends on how many) Put the main ones at the bottom and then you cant start to form the shape of the jump landing with the rocks, use the flat rocks on the top (where your riding onto or off)


6/ When building rock gardens, make sure these have several lines, that range from exceeding your ability to way below your ability. Make sure that the easier lines are slower. (same reason as mentioned before, if randoms come to your track who suck and cant do it they will want to destroy it) When you start building look for a rocky part on the hill. If there arn't many rocks on one part of the track you have to bring them in. dig them into the ground. Rock gardens do not contain, or should not contain loose rocks, they are extremly dangerous. (note, when moving rocks if there are creatures under them put the rock back ,and be careful of dangerous animals, i.e spiders.)


7/ the only place on the track where you should use alot of dirt should be on the berms. the berms should be made with fallen down trees and rocks heavily packed together. The angle and height of the berm depends on where it is placed. Basically the faster the corner the longer and less curved it should be, whereas a slow corner usually has a not as long berm and more curved. Most berms should be about 50cm high and packed down heavily.

8/ end of trail. the end of the trail should connect to a fireroad of some description. If this is not possible make sure when you walk back upto the top of trail on the trail. So that you dont trample of damage any more vegetation. If your trail does come out at the end of a firetrail make sure that you bush bash onto the fireroad. (don't tread on any plants, trees vegetation)



Thanksyou scratchy for the extra stuff. Very usefull. Cheers

[meelen dh]

i will surely use some of you tips when i build a track. thanks

[D/h hucker]

Mate that was a great thred it has helped me alot with trail building thanks for that

cheers morgs

[crash]

Thank you for such a detailed analysis of track building. Im impressed with your approach to the environment, as in my experience with certain unnamed areas some people are so wreckless and selfish that its no wonder we get frowned upon by those who make the important decisions, I guess its hard putting an old head on young shoulders.I hope they learn before its too late. because we are fast running out of good options close to home, ie outer east of Melbourne

[Middo]

Hi guys,

I spent a couple of years building walking tracks in the bush for the NPWS (and maybe even told a couple of you to take your bikes & bugger off), and I just thought I'd throw my 2 cents worth in.

You should listen to these guys - Plow King and Scratchy - they speak the truth.

From the top: Our soils are often very sandy and thin. Once you disturb the surface it will erode very easily. Rainfall here is often from storms ie lots of it in a short time which tends to get channelled along tracks eroding the s**t out of them if you haven't got the drainage thing sorted. Makes people want to ride around the outside edges, or worse, make more tracks. Makes it really obvious to the landholder/council/neighbours (I won't say NPWS because if you've gotten this far along the thread you won't be building it in a park will you?).

In the middle: The best tracks use/follow the natural landforms, using the rocks and logs where they are. Saves a lot of effort and doesn't disturb too much of the environment or natural habitat, or draw attention to youselves. It would also make it harder for the authorities to demolish jumps/berms if they are natural landforms compared to man made. Don't bring in dirt from somewhere elso to build stuff - it usually has weeds in it which is a massive problem in the bush. Its also better to put a track in through a weedy bit of disturbed land, rather than pristine bush.

At the bottom: Stay out of creeks and waterways. Use rock crossings or a makeshift bridge if you have to. You've all seen a creek crossing full of mud that makes people want to go wider & wider until you end up with a swamp. Not cool. The authorities and landholders don't look kindly on damage to natural waterways.

Lastly, if you do want to go through the whole council facillitation doing things properly way, maybe clean the joint up a bit by getting rid of some old shopping trolleys/rubbish/weeds like lantana, take some pics and prove to the council that you are responsible. It will get you a lot further than just tearing the place up.

Cheers fellas.

[dcrofty]

Middo, top first post.

Bit off topic but would you be able to let me know what sort of qualifications NPWS want for your job? I'm very keen to take my career in a similar direction myself.

[Beno1571]

How do i know that the track wont get found i have done those things with alot of tracks and people go looking.:confused:

[ben_rides_mountain]

thanks for all that info now me and my mate can do own our.
does any one no o and good trails aroun mount macedon (vic) area?
if so can u please reply
thanks:)

[steffo123]

My friends and i have been looking around for a while now and we think we have found the perfect spot. it is away from houses and is perfect. but we are not sure if we are to go and get a permit from the council or just build it. can u help us out on this one.:D

[macca21]

the main thing to keep in mind when you're building a good dh track is to make sure it has lots of flow to it. eg. dont have a tight corner just as you start to build up some speed. another goo thing to avoid is going straight down a hill that is too steep coz otherwise you'll just end up on the brakes all the way down trying to control your speed! last hint: scout out the area you're gonna build in so that you dont miss any interesting natural obstacles!

[stringbean]

My friends and i have been looking around for a while now and we think we have found the perfect spot. it is away from houses and is perfect. but we are not sure if we are to go and get a permit from the council or just build it. can u help us out on this one.:D

the chance of you gettin a permit is next to none, and if you do and they say no, they know u want to build there so its easy for them to find. go for it for it of you can, but i doubt you'll get it.

[Middo]

the main thing to keep in mind when you're building a good dh track is to make sure it has lots of flow to it

Actually, No. You do all the other stuff fist then design the track to suit. When you get it all right, you'll end up with a legal, sustainable, natural track that will stand the test of time. If you don't, it will get closed down, eroded and left unused. Like anything worthwile, learn about it, plan it, build it, then enjoy it. Skip the first two, and you're just going to make the same mistakes over and over......

[cluster]

Gday!
Me and a few mates make heaps of DH trails up in the bush.
We also spend a lot of time fixing them up, and keeping them fresh, so you can imagine our anger :mad: when a couple of local dropkicks with nothing better to do decided it was a good idea to mangle our tracks.
Burms were mashed up, rocks dug out of their gardens, branches and trees felled across the track and worse! :eek:


Anyway, the moral of the story is this: HIDE YOUR TRACKS!
:rolleyes:(the start AND end of them)

[BUSHPIG]

Grate post m8t

[BUSHPIG]

Gday!
Me and a few mates make heaps of DH trails up in the bush.
We also spend a lot of time fixing them up, and keeping them fresh, so you can imagine our anger :mad: when a couple of local dropkicks with nothing better to do decided it was a good idea to mangle our tracks.
Burms were mashed up, rocks dug out of their gardens, branches and trees felled across the track and worse! :eek:


Anyway, the moral of the story is this: HIDE YOUR TRACKS!
:rolleyes:(the start AND end of them)
absolutely

[BurkeDog10]

hey guys havnt had time to read through this thouroughly but a quick question!
the only thing steep in my town is the river bank and it goes for about 5 metres! not a reall big ride at all! so i was just wondering can you build a DH track goin diagonally across the bank and then would that be an efficient "first timer" track!

Cheers

[Howie66]

Anyway, the moral of the story is this: HIDE YOUR TRACKS!
:rolleyes:(the start AND end of them)


Good call man..

[Howie66]

hey guys havnt had time to read through this thouroughly but a quick question!
the only thing steep in my town is the river bank and it goes for about 5 metres! not a reall big ride at all! so i was just wondering can you build a DH track goin diagonally across the bank and then would that be an efficient "first timer" track!

Cheers


Ummm no dude. If you own a jump bike id make a jump at the top and use it as a place to practise backflips etc.. Sorta like a foam pit.

But as for a DH, track, nah dude.

[lbroy]

thanks for the tips guys, i'm just about to make a dh track on an old walking track that will be about a 5-10 minute run, all those tips will be great:).

[gongy_dh_pro]

nice post good advice

[old4dy]

Another good hint is if where you are building their are termite nests about. Dig them up perfect for jumps berms etc. Save s awhole heap of time not having to transport or dig out from somewhere.

[downhillerBen]

yes only if its termites, or you'll have ants everywhere !!!! :D

[jermunty]

do you folks know of any literature other than the imba book that i can aquire for extra schmooeee track design?

[adman111]

I've built my own downhill track on my property and it's great because it incorporates the land all the time. Most of the jumps are big because they start at the top of a rock drop into a step down, or because you jump over fallen trees. It makes it really cool to build the track with the landscape if possible, instead of jump ordering in a whole heap of dirt, wood and nails and make it completely yourself.

[rides_giant]

thanks for the great advive will take it onboard wen building nxt time. sorry to get off track but Does anyone know of any good trails around the goulburn valley?
thanks guys.

[silver.shad]

Thanks for the tips i'm sure it's gunna help everyone who is thinking about building a track or is in the process

[Mad_Mike_51]

This is heaps hand as i am just starting to build trails theyll start to get better with the help of this.

[2-fast]

Thanks

Good info, will be sure to use in my present and Future trails :D:D:D:D:D