Who Wants to Build A Trail?

B

Big C

New Member
I am sorry that I am a nuissance to most of you, but I would like everyone to please hear me out.

New Jersey has great terrain that is not being used to its full potential. As of now, there are no public downhill spots other than MCBP, and most of us cannot make trips to MCBP every weekend. I propose that we get serious about this problem, find a good place to work with and get JORBA involved. This way it could be legal and we could have real trail builders helping us along the way.

Here is what I think needs to be done:

1. Contact JORBA and get them on board with the idea
2. Find places that will work for most people
3. Get the town where our place is located to approve the idea and grant us permission (most difficult)
4. Start building

I know it is not that simple, but that seems like a good start

The reason I am posting this is so that we can see who would be willing to do this. If we can get enough people to get on board with the idea, we will have a better chance at getting JORBA to help.

a great example of what the end result could be...

http://www.oregonlive.com/cycling/index.ssf/2008/07/its_mountain_bikes_only_on_the.html

also this...


http://jorba.org/node/675
 
So whos going to be responsible for all the injuries or even death(s) that can be possible? This is why when you go to these bike parks you sign your life away on a waiver :D

Not for nothing but have you been on any real DH resorts or trails? From your posts it seems like your only riding trails at Tourne .. Its a dangerous sport and there is lots of risks involved that NJ i highly doubt will just approve. Im all for a nice DH trail somewhere local but its just not going to happen out in the open to the public .
 
Keep JORBA out of it. There is no way that this will ever get them on board, due to liability. If you want, hop the Delaware River into Pike County, Pa and you can help me build some trails. There is A LOT of land.

EDIT: I don't mean to sound like an a** in the first two sentences.
 
Big C - I see you have a lot of enthusiam but there are a bunch of things that I don't think you are realizing.

aedubber and mtnbiker49 make great points - main thing being liability. But some things to add to that:

  1. Like aedubber said, have you been to any real DH parks? You have MCBP in the state - what is wrong with that place? The pictures of it look great.
  2. You state you live in "North NJ" - I haven't been to a lot of North NJ parks in a long time but judging by the vids and pics I've seen on here, the terrain looks pretty tech and I'm sure there are trails there that would be a blast on a bigger full sussy bike.
  3. Or are you looking for more of a DJ flow setup? Have you been to Alexandria? Those guys have done a nice job with that public setup.
  4. Most importantly, have you ever built anything or participated in a local TM? Trails take a shitload of time to build and maintain. Or do you think that getting JORBA and a town involved that "they" will handle it and you can just ride it? DJ, DH, FR and even XC is a pay to play gig. You either pay for the ticket at MCBP or pay with hours of shovel time. IMO, paying the $30 a day or whatever to ride lift assist is a screaming deal. Try working 3+ hours on one feature and see how far the "fun" lasts. How far is MCBP from you? If you are riding Tourne it's probably an hour? If you are managing your own trail - that's how long it will take to "open up" your trail to ride.

But if you are really intent on building a trail, take up mtnbiker49 on his offer. Go to PA, lease some land, buy $20,000 worth of equipment (like a skid, some saws, tons of shovels), and spend 2-3 years getting a few decent lines going. Sorry to sound like a jerk but IMO, NJ has some great offerings already here and could be even better if people lended a hand.
 
This not bigc first attempt at this here or on mtbr and has been told the why nots. At this point it is beating a dead horse. If I remember correctly Bigc is young but shows a lot of ambition esp in this day and age where most kids can't get away from the Xbox.
 
Follow your dreams BigC. Its better to have come up short of them than never to pursue them at all. I cant begin to tell you how many piles of twigs and sand cheese wedges I've built in my life and I dont regret a single one of them.
 
FFT said:
Follow your dreams BigC. Its better to have come up short of them than never to pursue them at all. I cant begin to tell you how many piles of twigs and sand cheese wedges I've built in my life and I dont regret a single one of them.
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This is the kind of mentality that gets people banned from legal trails. That being said, don't be dumb and be building features in plain sight. This sight doesn't not support this type of work but asking for forgiveness is easier than asking for permission, just be smart about it.
 
mattybfat said:
This not bigc first attempt at this here or on mtbr and has been told the why nots. At this point it is beating a dead horse. If I remember correctly Bigc is young but shows a lot of ambition esp in this day and age where most kids can't get away from the Xbox.
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Wasn't sure his age - so read some of his back-posts. Looks pretty young in the video he posted at Tourne. Like you said matty - good ambition where a lot of kids are inside gaming.

If he doesn't have a license/car and can't get to a place like Mtn Creek then here are some options:

1 - get involved with the Tourne TM if they have them. Learn about how XC trail building works - it applies to all types of trail. Essentially the root of it all is to build stuff that sheds water without blowing things up. Who knows you might meet someone at the TM that knows where a local DJ/FR spot is.
2 - don't take this the wrong way but judging by the vid - I think you and WKO need to work on some skills before you start hitting the bigger lines/runs when you go DH'ing. Build a small double and berm at your parents house. Doesn't need to be big to learn on. Or make a spine ramp for the driveway. To be honest, I think riding a certain size spine you could learn almost 75% of the skills you would need to ride most anything: you can learn how to boost, how to whip, how to tail-tap, how to 180, how to roll-back /fakie, put another ramp or a piece of 2x6 90 degrees from it and you could ride between the "coping" and learn to ride skinnies and drops to flat. I have a small spine in my driveway and it helps tons to keep the skills sharp - plus it's fun as shit. And you can learn how much time it goes into building something - which I agree on with FFT's post.
3 - Find some small piece of local woods - scope shit out - you would be surprised what you can find - and you don't need much. Like stb said I would not start building renegade TTF's at Tourne but something like a small drop in a nearby woods that no-one uses might be an option.
 
Glen Park. Strousburg, PA

Otherwise, more power to you. Find a wealthy cylist with land, do him 'favors', and return ask to build trails.

If I had that much dough to buy 100 acres in PA on a hill, I would do it. I would low ball them with like a 29er plus $500 cash.
 
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don said:
[*]Or are you looking for more of a DJ flow setup? Have you been to Alexandria? Those guys have done a nice job with that public setup.
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where is this?

I fully understand the desire for DH trails "closer to home" but there is much more involved as many of the other members have stated.

Trust me, I REALLY do understand your desire, but I have also learned recently to be very happy on the trails I do have available and am very appreciative of the work that goes into them.
 
The Real Problem

BigC. Kudos for posting your feelings on this forum. However the "REAL PROBLEM" when it comes to this type of activity is land owner liability the "WHAT IF" someone gets seriously hurt, broken bones, paralysis, or even death. It is unfortunate in this day an age everyone is lawsuit happy and the way the towns and local government run things, their liability insurance is already in the millions of dollars. While I like your enthusiasm you might be better suited putting your drive and efforts in supporting your local trail volunteer group and keep the D'hing to the local MTB parks that offer that type of activity.

And as Mtnbiker49 and Don said...Keep JORBA out of it.....I don't believe this is something JORBA would have the time and resources to tackle (but i cannot speak for them), you have to see were they are currently putting all the resources and efforts to use at this time and you can get that info from their web site or in some of the forums on this web site..I know its frustrating as a young man with no car to go places and find someone who wants to do what you want to do and like, try hooking up with one of the riders or two in these forums and maybe someone who lives close to you would be willing to take you on a road trip and do some DH'ing with a group of other like minded fellow MTBNJ'ers...good Luck and ride Safe..

Mike
 
Oh, didn't know he doesn't have transportation. I don't think that Pa works the way Nj does, so I will not mention what I would do.
 
1. i am young (dont have video games haha)

2. those videos are all jokes, (mostly made in the winter for killing time with no snow)

3. I have built trails locally with jumps, skinnies, boulders, and drops (not all small features too.). However, these were illegal, and the borough got pissed (they didnt know it was me, but they found some of my friends). this is why i would like to make it legal

4. the only reason i go to the tourne a lot is cause its a 5 min ride from where i live, i ride every day (sometimes 2 times a day in the summer, and every day after school after practice (sports)). I have also been to Lewis Morris a lot.

5. When you ride the same trails everyday, it starts to get boring. I have been on every Tourne trail at least 10 times including the walking trails.

6. I am no idiot. I realize that all of this stuff takes time and money. I have been told over and over again "go to MCBP" or "stop asking this", and believe me, if i could, i would go to MCBP and I would be fine with it, but I cant get rides and i just dont have the money (saving for college)

7. I watch too many Pinkbike videos

Everyone mainly seems to be concerned about liability. Does anyone know what Blackrock or Duthie do if someone gets hurt?
 
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Big C, sometimes we have to make do with what we got, esp when we are young (not me). When I was young, I wished I had video games, but no, all I had was the woods in the back of my house to play in and a Huffy BMX bike. Sometimes you gotta look at the glass half full.

To me, it's looking like you don't have much of a choice here, other than get older and get a job. Or try to make some older friends who'll drive you around and hopefully not lead you into the road of crack and hookers .. if someone happens to bring up chain-link fence, run away as fast as you can.

The good news is that it appears you're not too far from college, which can bring up some new-found freedom, depending on how things work out for you and how much effort you're willing to put in.
 
soundz said:
Big C, sometimes we have to make do with what we got, esp when we are young (not me). When I was young, I wished I had video games, but no, all I had was the woods in the back of my house to play in and a Huffy BMX bike. Sometimes you gotta look at the glass half full.

To me, it's looking like you don't have much of a choice here, other than get older and get a job. Or try to make some older friends who'll drive you around and hopefully not lead you into the road of crack and hookers .. if someone happens to bring up chain-link fence, run away as fast as you can.

The good news is that it appears you're not too far from college, which can bring up some new-found freedom, depending on how things work out for you and how much effort you're willing to put in.
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This was great.

BTW...the husband and I have been talking about some visits to mountain creek and plattekill. He wants to go. I do too, but I feel like the AA person who gave up alcohol and then is invited to a bar...the downhill experience is very addicting for me. If we do decide to go, I will let you know, chip in for gas and you would be welcome to come.
 
stb222 said:
This is the kind of mentality that gets people banned from legal trails. That being said, don't be dumb and be building features in plain sight. This sight doesn't not support this type of work but asking for forgiveness is easier than asking for permission, just be smart about it.
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Opps, my intention wasnt to encourage rouge trails in sanctioned parks. I was implying that these features can be built off the beaten path. I should have specified, my bad.
 
Big C said:
1. i am young (dont have video games haha)

2. those videos are all jokes, (mostly made in the winter for killing time with no snow)

3. I have built trails locally with jumps, skinnies, boulders, and drops (not all small features too.). However, these were illegal, and the borough got pissed (they didnt know it was me, but they found some of my friends). this is why i would like to make it legal

4. the only reason i go to the tourne a lot is cause its a 5 min ride from where i live, i ride every day (sometimes 2 times a day in the summer, and every day after school after practice (sports)). I have also been to Lewis Morris a lot.

5. When you ride the same trails everyday, it starts to get boring. I have been on every Tourne trail at least 10 times including the walking trails.

6. I am no idiot. I realize that all of this stuff takes time and money. I have been told over and over again "go to MCBP" or "stop asking this", and believe me, if i could, i would go to MCBP and I would be fine with it, but I cant get rides and i just dont have the money (saving for college)

7. I watch too many Pinkbike videos

Everyone mainly seems to be concerned about liability. Does anyone know what Blackrock or Duthie do if someone gets hurt?
Click to expand...

  1. Young and with no video games is good although I don't mind a quick game of SKATE every now and then. Or even COD.
  2. The vids look like you guys were having fun - which is good. Any non-joke videos? Just curious what type of stuff you are able to ride.
  3. Have you talked to the town? Hit up your park and rec guy at the boro. Ask them if there is any land in town that isn't used or ask them "where can I ride my bike in the woods - I'm scared of getting picked off by motorists?" Do you have any skateparks in town you can ride? I know it's not DH but you can learn a lot at those places
  4. Tourne - looks like there are some good natural lines there - IDK, maybe ride the place with someone that DH's a lot? I know when I rode Hartshorne with Erik/ecnmtb he opened my eyes to some lines I just didn't know were there.
  5. See above
  6. There is no one that can give you rides up to MCBP? Is there any public transportation? Post up on the MCBP Facebook page, RM, MTBR, Vital, etc to see if you can bum a ride. I know dudes that could make a week trip though out PA just by grabbing rides. If you are cool and show enthusiam, I'm sure people would help you out. Or what about your parents? I swear I drive my kids all over for soccer, lax, and other sports.
  7. I watch too many PinkBike vids too. And stuff on Deluxe BMX, PAWoods, Vital, Ridemonkey, haha. Watching vids are great - you should be glad it's so easy to get now. We'd wait months for the latest VHS to drop back in the 90's and before that it was starring at pics in a magazine that came out 1x/month.
 
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