stumpjumper476

I've been freeriding for about a year now but I just started building my first stunt, (poorly) pictured below.


Now the "log" is more like a 50 foot tree, and instead of building a normal ladders I'm simply nailing thick, sturdy sticks onto the tree. Now for the questions;

-What is the best type of wood to nail to the tree?
-Can I even USE sticks or should i use plywood?
-How far should they be spaced apart?
-Do the nails hold better in drywood?

ridehard

nails will probably hold better in drywood. Space them about 5 inches apart, and the best thing to use is 2by4 cut as thin as you like (depending on your skill level).
I have made one similar to what you are talking about, and a nicer one where you actualy make ladders out of 2by4's, then put them on top of posts wich you have stuck in the ground. Pritty cool.

stumpjumper476

I see. But are thinner slabs of wood more challenging or easier? I guessing harder.

Also, with the stunt you built, are you saying you placed logs next to the tree and nailed the 2x4s to the logs? I will try to get some pics tomorrow if it helps at all.

ridehard

Thiner slabs (as in thiner width) are more chalenging because there is less area to put your tire on.

arboc!

use screws they are so much better, nails will pull out and you stunt wont last long.

stumpjumper476

Should I nail the screws in?

arboc!

ummm... no, use a drill

phantomcow2

use a cordless drill. Screws are better

stumpjumper476

I'm not even sure if I have a cordless but noise is also an issue. It's in a public park and building stuff and cutting down stuff would get me in trouble. Luckily the grounds keeper is like 90 years old.

Hopper

Umm if you don't have permition, don't build it. It will give riders a bad name and also you will put lots of effort into making it then the council will tear it down.

swifferman

Then don't do it.

phantomcow2

yea if your building on a public park take extreme caution. I would seek WRITTEN permission from the proper authority first and build as much of it as you can at your home. And see if you can get a hold of a cordless, you will shave off 6 hours off building time

trekkie820

If you don't have permission, don't do it. Lets use our heads here. People like you are why riders get a bad name.

phantomcow2

i dont think riders have a bad name. He might get permission, you never know.

trekkie820

Doing things like building stunts in public parks without asking makes us look like angels. Mountain bikers in Cleveland got screwed because of things like this in the past.

Raiyn

Then don't do it. It's people like you who get LEGITIMATE trails shut down for the rest of us.

camaddy

I can't believe you're even posting this here. Like everyone else said, don't screw it up for everyone else.

stumpjumper476

No, I'll build it, despite your warnings. I'm not giving riders a bad name by building something deep into the woods, where it isn't even visible. Cow makes sense by telling me to ask permission, but you people that whine about giving "riders bad names" seriously need to think. It's not like the stunt I'm building is in the middle of a trail that we would fly down on freeride bikes, swerving around dogs and hikers, it's off trial, and there's not even a small trail leading to it. Any wood cut is either dead or is a small shrub that may get in my way.

And for you people that are concerned about me "screwing it up" for everybody just needs to toughen up. I'm sorry, but if I got caught by a 90 year old man, building a small ladder in a small, poorly maintained public park in a little town in CT, I highly doubt he would report the incident to other park rangers and groundskeepers, who probably wouldn't be guarding there parks with shotguns, threatening to shoot any mountain bikers.

People, get over it. Stop being such angels and if you wanna have a sweet freeriding experience, your gonna have to bend the rules. I have any right to build it there anyway. I maintain the trails there, rake leaves out from the paths, build bridges across streams, and direct water paths.

C Law

Well, you could certainly get permission from the parks department then right?

If you can't, don't build it.

It is great that you are maintaining the trails but It certainly does not give you the right to build whatever you want even if it is deep in the woods.

Getting caught by the 90 year old park supervisor is not your only concern.

*imagine*

4 twelve year old kids are riding bikes in local park when they come upon your stunt. They try it because they are fearless. Third kid that tries it f's himself up. Call EMT's. Parents sue park and town. Town settles and says some rogue mountain bikers built illegal jumps and structures. PArk shut down to mountain bikes becuase of incident. All CT parks shut down to MT. bikes becuase of this incident. Then NY, MA, and NJ follow suit. Then, The entire east coast............

you follow??

camaddy

I think we're wasting our time with this kid. I'm sure he's too young to have learned to respect anything but his own wishes.

phantomcow2

get permission first, seriously. You will make a lot of shift for yourself and others. People get worked up about this stuff. So just ask the proper authorities, im guessing the park managers here. Its not that hard

Maelstrom 

Its going to be kids like you freaking out when trail access gets more and more difficult to maintain by illegal stunts being built. Everywhere is dealing with access issues, and people like you are making it more difficult than it needs to be.

Toughen up. We almost lost fromme (north shore) because of renegade builders AND dumbass kids acting like jerks. A mountain in California has been completely shut down to anything but xc bikes because of renegade building AND poor build of main trails causing injury. Trail access all over is at risk.

Just because you are too young to see it, doesn't mean we need to get tough, it means you need to open your eyes to reality.

Maelstrom 

Thats what Dangerous Dan Cowan said until the north shore was almost lost. Guess what, thats an outdated approach. Mountains are now being regulated and built by the cities/resorts to facilitate your needs.

Don't use slabs. GEt a saw and use dead wood. It will give a more shore feel. The shore and other spots don't use flat pieces of wood, but cut pieces of dry wood nailed down, makes the ride harder.

Oh and get permission.

J-McKech

I'm not defending the kid but wasn't this the same way North Shore was built. They were stunts off the main trail where no one could find them. I remember watching The Emergence and them saying, they never told anyone where the trail was only close friends. I'm just curious on everyones feedback.

Maelstrom 

Well ya, but hindsight being 20x20...thats whats causing the problems now. They had permission for a few and built many (some of them well beyond sane too). Its cool at the time, but for the last year the north shore has been fighting to stay open, recently getting an almost repreave.

Thats really my only point. If you work ahead of time with the bike clubs and township you can open legal trails, which stay open.