Bikeguide.org - Bike maintenance for BMX'ers
The Street => The Bike Shop => Topic started by: Eggit2 on January 31, 2015, 09:37:38 AM
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There are some jumps near where I live that have been around for nearly a decade, but they are always neglected. No one has touched them in 2 seasons and all the lips were crumbling apart, the lines were rutted out, and they really sucked. Only one of the lines even ran at all, and it ran really bad.
Mu buddy has been going out there nearly every day for 2 months and has fixed up everything, mostly by tearing it down and starting over.
(http://i.imgur.com/2YhUlzO.jpg)
The jumps are super nice now, and he has started work on some new lines. The other day 2 kids who worked on them 2 years ago started showing up and trying to trail boss him. They were talking shit about how he fucked them up and he has no right to dig out there when he didn't build them (those kids didn't actually build them originally either). The kids got pissed up and called their buddies to show up for back up. When their buddies showed up one of them says "wow, these really nice." and the dickwad was holding his finger of his mouth trying to get his buddy to shut up.
So who is in the right here? My buddy for taking of some neglected trails and making them good, or some little punk kids mad that someone is poaching the spot they neglected for 2 years.
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Good question.
What is the statute of limitations on abandoned trails?
I say if a place has been abandoned ( and not just left tarpped up for the winter) they're free game.
It sounds like the kids that came back are acting like a kid with a toy. They play with a toy until their bored with it, then when someone else picks it up to play with it they act like it's their toy and they were still playing with it, etc.
I can't say who is right or wrong in this situation but running trails are far better than non running/abandoned/plowed trails.
trails rule.
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Is he camping at the trails?
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I have some (much shittier) local jumps that were last maintained by me... if I showed up and they looked like that I'd leave and bring back a case of beer.
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Your buddy is the man in my mind.
Neglected, non running trails are fairly obvious, and if he's worked them for months without seeing anyone else till now how could he know if someone would feel stepped on.
I say fuck the kids who showed up, keep digging&buildibg as you(your buddy)see fit
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The others sound like bellends and your mate has every right to be fixing them up as long as they aren't on private land or land that the others negotiated to dig on. If anyone turned up out the blue at our place they would get told where to go but we're in the middle of 190 acres of private woods with permission.
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Man, it really sucks finding a place to dig and rely on your efforts being intact day after day.
I fucking hate this in regards to pools. I put in effort draining them, cleaning, fixing holes (you know which one I'm talking about Erick). Then it gets blown up by people who because they find out are also entitled to ride it.
That being said, if it was common knowledge it was these guys spot and they call it foul, then I think they have some rights. Limited. Never the less, being outcast and evicted cannot be held up though.
Above all, this is Jordan's issue.
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Is he camping at the trails?
Our buddy brought his daughter out there and the tent was so she had a place ti sit in the shade.
The dudes were out again today. One of them was really psyched on seeing everything fixed up, but still a little tense about some of the things we changed. We invited them to ride the new stuff and they seemed to agree that it is flowing better now. Things seem to be working out now, we all agreed that we all want the same thing and more people digging is never a bad thing.
Here's some pics showing the state of things before and after.
(http://i.imgur.com/ms7DN5s.jpg)
The landing on the left and the jump before it is one we fixed up, the one on the right was there, but actually one of the more intact jumps.
(http://i.imgur.com/2aKl39p.jpg)
Old lip.
(http://i.imgur.com/O7S86EN.jpg)
New lip.
(http://i.imgur.com/JRTOgtt.jpg)
Old and new lips.
I can understand where they are coming from, but to us these things looked abandoned. They definitely weren't doing anything this year, and I don't think anyone was fixing them up last year either. Had any of them been going out there for the last 2 months we definitely would have offered to help. Things are a bit tense, but hopefully we can all work together to make these things awesome.
I also don't want to turn this into a 20" vs 26" thing, but most of the other guys ride 26" so I think part of it was that they didn't care about the jumps being as smooth as we do.
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Private property or public? Who has permission, or are you all digging illegally?
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Private property, but an empty lot. Its had jumps on it for over a decade. One of those situations where the owner doesn't really care until he sells it.
Everyone in the area knows about them too, so its not a case of blowing up a secret spot or anything like that.
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So nobody has permission from the owner?
If you're all digging illegally, it would be best to get along to avoid killing the spot with drama. Bring the other guys a six pack, be cool with them, and get everyone on the same page.
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In the pictures you put up, the jumps don't look in too awful shape, it just looks like a re-surface job. I can see this from both sides since I have been in both situations. If he has torn large portions of the line down and changed it hugely, I can understand the other peoples annoyance. If he has just added to what is already there, or made some new lines which dont interfere, then they are being idiots. Just learn to get along with them and if you have to only dig the shit you have made there.
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So nobody has permission from the owner?
If you're all digging illegally, it would be best to get along to avoid killing the spot with drama. Bring the other guys a six pack, be cool with them, and get everyone on the same page.
for real.
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fuck that little kid
can i ride them?
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A bit OT but Eggit have you done any mods to your bike recently or any recent riding photos to share?
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80's tough kid throwback. beat them, up and ride the trails.
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80's tough kid throwback. beat them, up and ride the trails.
2010s smart kid option:
Go to the land owner, get written permission for you and your friend, and have the other guys arrested when they trespass onto the trails.
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And afterwards don't jump anything, just spend all your time using the lips for practicing freecoastering.
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80's tough kid throwback. beat them, up and ride the trails.
2010s smart kid option:
Go to the land owner, get written permission for you and your friend, and have the other guys arrested when they trespass onto the trails.
go to the land owner and get shut down...
2015 smarter kid option.
take the two strongest/smartest/most dedicated trail builders and find a new spot.
dig 4 days/nights a week.
tell no one.
roast.
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80's tough kid throwback. beat them, up and ride the trails.
2010s smart kid option:
Go to the land owner, get written permission for you and your friend, and have the other guys arrested when they trespass onto the trails.
go to the land owner and get shut down...
2015 smarter kid option.
take the two strongest/smartest/most dedicated trail builders and find a new spot.
dig 4 days/nights a week.
tell no one.
roast.
Your option actually makes sense compared to my smartass response.
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Here is your problem solver........
You drink the beer??? Then bring a shit ton of beer down there and share it with the old locals.
You do drugs? Bring a couple of joints or a peace pipe down there and light that mother up.
You straight edge? Bring down some gym shorts and a pair of running shoes and fight everybody.
All three options will lead to a rekindling of the scene. BOOM. Now you have more people to ride with, more people to dig with, and more people to mooch beer/drugs/fight on a regular basis.
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A bit OT but Eggit have you done any mods to your bike recently or any recent riding photos to share?
Not really. I mentioned it on here, but I messed up my knee really bad a few years ago. I wasn't able to ride at all for 2 years, and now that I can its still pretty tough on it. I had a small crash on the trails one day and my knee swelled up really bad and I couldn't walk right for a week.
Its also a little bit depressing for me to ride, before the injury I was always at my happiness learning new things and pushing myself. Now I struggle to do the stuff that used to be easy and I am too scared to push myself.
I have been riding a lot of trials lately instead. Its a whole lot easier on my knee and I feel like the risk is smaller. I am also progressing at a huge rate so its really satisfying when you can feel yourself getting better every time you ride instead of being frustrated by not being able to do stuff you used to.
Getting old sucks.
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i mean as long as you can still manual and hop curbs, eggit..
was cool seeing you and your bike at the trails, holla
homie just facebook posted pictures of some jumps that have been a secret for 15 years and dudes on there are getting irate
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Have you considered dabbling in flatland?
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Have you considered dabbling in flatland?
Yes, but I am not good at it. It took me a solid year to learn hang fives. A lot of flatland "crashes" are super hard on my knee too. Stomping something out or even having to run for a short period puts me in pain.
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That's a real shame, I hope it gets resolved somehow
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yeah joints are shit
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i miss eggits old bikechecks, dope mods on there for sure. shame they're not on the current server or whatever.
re jumps. i've honestly never ridden trails and therefore never understood trail beef. i think if they've been abandoned for 2 years, fuck em. You wanted to ride so you did what was necessary. It's not as if you've turned it into a bmx only skatepark, you just took what they left to rot and fixed it up. i dont see why they'd be mad about this?
fuck 26" in general, still sour towards people doing tricks on anything other than a bmx. dont get me started on FGFS
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Here is your problem solver........
You drink the beer??? Then bring a shit ton of beer down there and share it with the old locals.
You do drugs? Bring a couple of joints or a peace pipe down there and light that mother up.
You straight edge? Bring down some gym shorts and a pair of running shoes and fight everybody.
All three options will lead to a rekindling of the scene. BOOM. Now you have more people to ride with, more people to dig with, and more people to mooch beer/drugs/fight on a regular basis.
this made me lol
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You laugh, but it would totally work. Especially if they were all straight edge. Nothing makes dudes super tight friends faster than whooping each other's ass. FACT.
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^^^ this is true. the straight edge bit is funny, start floor punching and soon youll all be fighting on the same side
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Two step dance off will settle it.
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i miss eggits old bikechecks, dope mods on there for sure. shame they're not on the current server or whatever.
Thanks man. Have some old pics.
(http://i.imgur.com/QgDLiXd.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/fjUf5BP.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/WqGzQbL.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/l4b3RVs.jpg)
Not much has changed on it since then. I got a new seat and some new bars. One of the springs on the front brake broke so its been replaced with a rubber band wrapped around the brake arm and the fork and it works pretty good. Those brakes use some wacky spring I can't find anywhere, and no one makes low profile canti's anymore. I've been wanting a pair of avid Tri Aligns for years, but they go for about $200 on ebay.
(http://www.bikepro.com/products/brakes/brakecanti/canti/n1n_avid_tri_align.jpg)
The only new thing I have done on the BMX that I was satisfied with has been fufanu to canadian nosepick, I need to try and get a clip of that. Other than that its just been failing to re-learn my old tricks. You guys might have inspired me to put together a shitty web edit though.
In lieu of BMX have some stupid trials clips.
http://youtu.be/H8v3cXcm51M
http://youtu.be/7pPXt_9K5vA
http://youtu.be/VRnhIOx4KVU
If I remember right, prodigal son filmed that last one.
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Haha Debroah!
http://instagram.com/p/sGsoV-t7nS/
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I think my fave Eggit mod was either using hydro fronts or when he ground his Director welds off
I wonder if hydro levers are any better now, or more able to be routed down the steerer a la Pott's mod
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Eggit, why dont you have your lower cables running straight to the arms?
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You could run hydros down a steer no problem, my issue with them was that the stock magura lever just feels like garbage. My trials bike has these Echo levers on it and they feel awesome. I have been thinking about going hydro on the BMX again.
(http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/images/custom/brakes/large_tr2011full.jpg)
Although BMX bars might not be wide enough for that lever, on my trials bike there is about 2" of exposed handlebar between the brake clamp and grip.
I don't like running dual cables straight into the brake arms, I don't think the cable angle ends up right and you lose a lot of power. That little adapter is some thing SST made but only ever sold on completes, essentially turning a dual cable set up into a straddle and getting a better pull angle. Its also the same principle as the people that cross there dual cables over one another before going to the brake.