[aeffertz]

Just got a pretty sweet double built today.
Check it out, yo!
Built it into a hillside to help save dirt. It's about 5 feet tall.

Looks kinda small in this pic...

Here's the landing. It's about a 8 foot gap.

Few more doubles will be after it and the last jump will be a hip.

 

[don]

I hate to be a jerk and diss someones hard work but you need to not rush the build - I am guessing you guys got that one set done in about 1-2 hours? One good rain storm and that set will be back in the pit you dug.

For a set that size, take out the logs. To get a bunch of dirt dig all around the jump at least a shovel/1 foot deep. I reshaped the middles of a couple sets at my trails and there was almost too much dirt. If it's just you digging plan on setting aside some hours for each lip and landing.

On a positive note - it looks like you packed the sh1t out of the lip and landing face - nice. Pop the logs out get a bunch of dirt from adjusting the grade and then get your pack on ALL the way around the lip and landing and you'll be golden. Remember it's better just to ride a good 4 pack than a crappy million pack...

 

[aeffertz]

well, thats not what I was expecting... lol
but thanks. i can see what you're talking about.
just this took me about 4 hours...
im a lonesome digger.. no helpers.
I've built a few jumps and used filler like logs and they're all holding up great.
Here's what I did that i think helped.
i stacked the logs as a triangle shape and after i had 3 stacked, i made sure to pack dirt in all the cracks so no dirt would be able to fall in if it rained.
there are only 3 logs in the take off.
and a lot in the landing.
I still plan on getting everything covered with dirt so you cant even see the logs.
also, i hear that some people put cement crap on the lips of jumps?
where can i get some of this? just chip some out of a sidewalk and bust it up then mix with water?

 

[opjones]

Hey we all have to learn somehow, good job on doing it all yourself. It takes dedication to start your own jumps.

 

[sixgun_sound]

I don't think you necessarily need to take the logs out, but you definitely need to add a bunch more dirt. With the exposed logs, they look like downhill mountain bike jumps. And as don said, pack everything, not just the riding surface. Also, if you're digging pits/bowls before your lip and after your landing, you essentially create bigger jumps. If you have a 2 foot deep bowl in between your sets, and your jumps are 3 feet high, you end up with 5 foot high jumps. I've built jumps that way for over 10 years.

 

[eaterofdog]

That's a pretty good start. I'm not crazy about bomb craters between the jumps, but it looks fun.

 

[FR4life.]

Definately dosent look 5 feet tall... Props for making the effort alone though, it always sucks.

 

[aeffertz]

yeah, i dont really like the huge hole in between them, but theres nowhere else to get dirt from... theres trees left and and right except on the part i cleared out.
and about the digging down after the landing and before the lip, that's what I was doing too.
from the lowest spot on the take off to the lip is about 5 feet. its built onto a little hill so like theres only a foot and a half of dirt on top of the hill.
thanks for all the feedback! keeps me motivated, and actually im going to work on it some more!

 

[urbaindk]

also, i hear that some people put cement crap on the lips of jumps?
where can i get some of this? just chip some out of a sidewalk and bust it up then mix with water?

Ha Ha, that's awesome. I'm just going to have to assume you are joking. If not you need serious help. If you really want cement on your lips (which I wouldn't recommend because if you want to change them later you are SOL), try getting a bag of Quickcrete from Home Depot or similar type hardware store.

 

[v-digit]

good job man, thats a nice looking jump

 

[FR4life.]

You can buy cement, bro.
http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/FastSettingConcreteMix.asp
Wouldnt recommend using it on a jump, just pack it well and it should be fine if you do it right.

 

[aeffertz]

yeah, idk i swear somewhere someone was talking about that... idk.
Here's some more pics of my setup.
Roll In:

In this pic you can see where my new jump is sorta. on the very right where theres a clearing is where my new jump is. you can sorta make out the trail to it. it crosses the roll in line. you have another small roll in to a berm then that long straight before you get to it. maybe ill put a couple rollers there or something. what do you think?

This jump looks like sh!t now... i havent touched it since winter and now its all grown over with weeds... i sprayed some weed n grass killer over it yesterday though. this is the jump right after the roll in.

 

[eaterofdog]

also, i hear that some people put cement crap on the lips of jumps?
where can i get some of this? just chip some out of a sidewalk and bust it up then mix with water?

Just go to Big Lots or some cheep ass store and buy a couple 50 lb bags of the cheapest kitty litter you can find. Mix it 50/50 with dirt and wet it and use it to face the jumps. Kitty litter is just white clay. It'll be rock hard when dry and slippery as hell when wet.

 

[aeffertz]

Just go to Big Lots or some cheep ass store and buy a couple 50 lb bags of the cheapest kitty litter you can find. Mix it 50/50 with dirt and wet it and use it to face the jumps. Kitty litter is just white clay. It'll be rock hard when dry and slippery as hell when wet.

haha, sweet. i'll ride on it and if it's getting beat up fast, maybe ill try that out.

 

[.Pit Steelers.]

Can i just go break some off and add water ahhahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!11

 

[aeffertz]

Can i just go break some off and add water ahhahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!11

lol. well sorry! i swear i read that somewhere before. hahaha.

 

[eaterofdog]

lol. well sorry! i swear i read that somewhere before. hahaha.

Actually you can, you just need to crush it and cook it at 2000 F for a couple of hours.

 

[MTBKR415]

looks like you've get a great setup!

 

[aeffertz]

got some more work done today.
heres the corner leading up to it

heres right after the berm

here you can see the first double and the take of for the next if you look hard. check out my sweet dj bike!

heres the landing to the first double and the 2nd takeoff towards the bottom.

same with this one. see the huge root on the right? damn that thing sucked to dig out... still have to get that little bit of it out. it's huge!

I also video taped almost all of my digging today and am going to speed it up really fast to make a pretty cool video.

 

[WaveDude]

Dude, next time leave the weeds/grass/flowers/whatever growing on your jump. The roots will help hold it together. If you want to, only clear out the actual part you ride on (or let it happen naturally as you ride it).

And loose the reflector

 

[aeffertz]

lol. thats not my bike.
its my little brothers because mines all torn apart.
i was kidding about the "sweet dj bike!" lol
if you look on the... 2nd pic, where the yellow shovel is, that's actually a jump.
the weeds are almost 2 feet high on it. so maybe i should just weedwack it? the weed n grass killer was a big disapointment.. didn't really do jack.

 

[aeffertz]

Worked on it again today and got the 2nd double finished.
PICS!

and the whole new section:

 

[.Pit Steelers.]

How old are you? some of your post are like "smart" where some are "Can i just go break some cement off of the side walks and add water" haha i still get a kick out of that.. Anyways looks good, and how do you not have enough dirt. Look to the sides go find a dirt mine and take a wheelbarrow. It's alot nicer and better then digging in the middle of the jumps.

 

[aeffertz]

im 16.
the video is being uploaded to vimeo right now so i'll post it in the morning.
yeah look at the sides! theres trees everywhere. i don't really mind the hole in between the jumps i guess.
you jump right over it and it's a good spot for the drainage to run into.

 

[sixgun_sound]

It looks like that spot has potential. At the ripe old age of 16, you've got lots of time on your hands... so here's what you do. Look at every picture of a jump spot ever posted by Zack.Dank and don't quit digging until your stuff looks like his. You don't have to build huge stuff, but make it quality. Use water when you pack the jumps. And you damn-well better have 2 shovels: a spade and a flathead. Just ride the stuff and build what you like riding. That's the beauty of it.

 

[Defenestrated]

The good: That spot looks really nice, and you have got a good thing going so far. The jumps are taking shape nicely by the looks of it.

The Bad: Not to fond of the pit of death in between that double. For the next jumps just dig around the sides as others have said.

have fun

 

[aeffertz]

yeah, the death pit has its goods and bads.
good cause it's easy to get dirt to the jump, bad if you case...
but what about this zach guy? hook me up with a link.
that trail i made is full now with just those 2 jumps, so i'll have to find a new spot somewhere in there. i guess i could do some after the roll in, considering thats why i built it.
idk, i like how these are kinda secluded, like they have a cool feel when youre surrounded by trees. just me? i could get a pic of the whole area and see what you guys would suggest.

 

[sixgun_sound]

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199115

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=193624

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188422

 

[aeffertz]

thanks man!
video will be up in 5 min!
EDIT:
holt sh!t, how? is that all by hand? and if you look, he also uses filler like logs! so, quit hounding me about it. lol.

 

[sixgun_sound]

I use filler too... but you won't see it sticking out. I keep throwing dirt until the jump is way the hell bigger than I want it. Then, you have plenty of dirt to shape it and pack it with. It bugs me when mountain bikers build jumps that way, like the back and sides are all logs, holding the dirt up. Zach's **** is not all by hand, but the finishing work is, of course, all by hand.
I don't have a camera, but I'll get some pics of my spot I'm building.

 

[aeffertz]

ok.
i guess my next jumps wont have any signs of filler... i cant get these covered because of the massive hole in the middle... uhm, and for the video, vimeo is having one hell of a time converting it, so who knows when i'll be able to post it...
good night.

 

[t1maglio]

I got all excited when I saw you were from wisconsin, and then I realized that ladysmith is WAAAY up north. My dad is in Menomonie so maybe some time when I'm up we could ride. If you ever come my direction and want to ride let me know.

And aside from some of the not so uplifting comments I commend you on your start. Digging alone is really dull. I dug Monday for a few hours for just a lip, then the next two days for a landing, and the stupid dirt has dried out I have to wait for rain to finish it. Whatever, keep digging and post some ride pics when you can.

 

[WaveDude]

Looks like what you have is built at the bottom of a hill. If you have access to all that land you have room for tons of jumps. Walk up the hillside and start bushwacking up top. Look for a line that traverses the hillside and snakes through the trees (so you don't have to cut them down). Put some berms on the ends so you can start up top and wind your way down the hill to tie into what you have now. By cutting across the hill (instead of going straight down it), you can dig into the hill for dirt, bowl the trail out between jumps and still get it to drain w/o digging trenches.

 

[don]

WaveDude is totally right on the build direction - across the hill and zigzag down the side of it. Our trails are like that and there is ample dirt for building.

It looks like you're getting a bit better with the latest pics. Study the pics that link to Zach's stuff. I know he had some skid steer help but his sets are also huge. You could build something half the size and still be plenty big/fun. I always think - when I'm close to being done on a set I still have about a 1/3 more worht of work to go. It's actually easier to add more dirt and shave it out for the final shape.

Post some pics of the area you have - I'm sure there are some of us on the board that can steer you in the right direction in terms of a solid layout.

And get a good pick-ax for the roots. A good sharp axe will get through them in a few swings. I good steel pry-bar will help too.

I know at 16 and building by yourself stinks and you want to ride the stuff - but like I said try to take your time and build a real good quality set and start riding that - then build on from there.

 

[WaveDude]

Hah! You could build stuff 1/4 or 1/8 the size of Zach's and still have fun. Spend the time to do it right the first time and you'll have less maintenance later on. And get used to digging alone--if there were as many diggers as there are riders there would be trails everywhere.

 

[aeffertz]

so, wheres this hillside you guys are talking about?
lol.

 

[WaveDude]

Well, GD it, hold the camera level next time.

 

[aeffertz]

is it the pic with the backpack in it? that hill?
it IS a hill, but there are too many huge trees to even get something good going.
I did, however, get a trail going straight down it... so maybe i can get some more jumps in there.
i just wish there was a way i could get everything to flow together..
well, no digging today, tomorrow, or sunday.
got a race this weekend. (motocross) i'm more of a MX'er than a mountain biker, but i still love both.
OH! and i'm liking RM so far! people actually give advice, and post sh*t. sweetness. i hope you guys think i'm a good addition to RM. i try to keep things interesting and/or give advice.

 

[boostindoubles]

another tip for getting dirt besides in the middle of the jumps is to pull it from in between doubles. You'll get a ton of dirt and make them more flowy by rounding out the trail between jumps. Plus it makes the jumps taller... because your trail now goes underground between jumps. place looks fun though. peace

 

[Wumpus]

the weeds are almost 2 feet high on it. so maybe i should just weedwack it? the weed n grass killer was a big disapointment.. didn't really do jack.

It needs to be hot and sunny for the weedkiller to work good -- 80°F+.