[cmc]

This one is at Ray's. I'm pretty sure it's the one in the medium-size trails line that goes to the big Red Bull berm/wallride.

I call it the "ribbon" style berm. When I went to Ray's, it took a little getting used to, because I have always built and ridden transitioned "bowl corner" type dirt berms. After a while I had it dialed...but I still kept wondering why Ray's didn't do the bowl-corner style. (I know it's a lot harder to build them with wood).

In this picture it looks like this dude would slide out if he got any more leaned over.... but if the surface trannied up to vert, he could get completely sideways....

What do yall think? Do you like "flat bank" berms or is bowl corner always better? I had a discussion with one of my buddies recently where he thinks you need sort of a blend of ribbon and bowl. Like the tranny has to be mellower in the beginning of the berm and at the exit... I'm not so sure... When people rail a pool corner, you just pick your line on the transition as you lean into it, the transition stays the same, you don't need the berm to set your line for you.... Does that make sense? What do yall think.


Mark Weir. Short berm with tight transition:

A pic from my spot... This 180 bowl used to be more transitioned, but the face has started to flatten out with wear...Also the shape is not a perfect radius, it starts to mellow out at the end to drop into a landign...

...And a repost of a couple berm pics in the "Dirty Update" thread...cuz they're so sick:

 

[TortugaTonta]

The main thing is speed. If its not a real fast section you really don't need vert. On my real fast berms I start banking the trail before it starts to change directions, that way you are dipping your shoulder before you are actually in the turn. Then I have a quick transition to vert, that way you can commit to being paralell to the ground and rail it with no brakes. I found that if you don't transition to vert quick enough your tires will slide up the face of the berm until you get to the vert part. That can be fun, turning like Ricky Bobby and all, but you will lose some speed.

On lower speed turns or 90's bowling is good because you can have a little more variation to your line.

We have this cool little 90 degree berm with a roller right at the end, you basically have to hop from the apex of the turn to the backside of the roller which is all bowled out, then there are a couple of roller dubs you can manual pump or double up. It is so damn fun! any one of the features alone would be ho hum, but when you put them together it makes you smile!

 

[opjones]

Bowl

And just for clarification, that is the inside berm on the old pump track. The Red Bull berm is bowl style, i think it just came down to cost and maintenance for Ray.

 

[cmc]

If I remember right, the first photo I posted above was in the Mongoose trails line. It was the only 90 degree right turn to immediate 90 degree left turn at Ray's when I was there in November. Kind of an "S", but a true S is more than a 90 on each turn... It was a blast... I was just saying that at first it was hard to get used to because of the ribbon style of the turns rather than bowl style. Still rad though, don't get me wrong... After that was a box jump, then a bigger box, then the left turn RedBull bank/wall.

 

[opjones]

you're right, the first pic didn't show up last time

 

[DirtBag]

The line at Ray's with this berm style is really set-up so that you have a fun switchback style to maintain speed through:

It works well for the line there and does take a bit to get right. I personally did not like the washboard feel of the big Redbull berm in the Superco picture. It really slows down your speed. Sure it is fun but would have been amazing if it was not built with overlapping boards.

Full view:

 

[Stoked]

idk i like all berms...the harder to ride at first the better haha

 

[cmc]

when i was there, dudes were airing 4 or 5 feet out of the top of the RedBull berm and landing back into it. sickkk.

i see the future in building more and more strange geometric shapes that people find a way to shred.... shlt shouldnt look an x-games park circa 1998 all the time.

 

[Pete..]

It's all about berms with a mono-boob in the middle of it

 

[TortugaTonta]

^^^^ I like it!

I bet thats real tricky the first few times, but once your dialed on the line it has to be hours of fun.

 

[Stoked]

It's all about berms with a mono-boob in the middle of it

pump the boob

 

[cmc]

It's all about berms with a mono-boob in the middle of it

haha! rad !! we did that too, slightly differently, but after a few weeks the verdict was nix the boob... and we just made the berm steeper. we still have several berms that are similar in that they dump you into a backside/pit to pump... it's not in the middle of the berm but same idea....

 

[jerseydirt]

your problem is that there is only one boob, not two....

 

[Greyhound]

Your adjustable wrench is going to get rusty.....