# concrete pump track?



## euroford (Sep 10, 2006)

I have a backyard pumptrack, basically just a couple of berms and rollers with some smaller tables in between, i've had it going for several years and have it dialed in pretty well, but I have a problem pretty unique to the backyard track variety....

Its just doesn't get ridden enough... even though i ride it a couple of times a week, by myself i just can't ride it enough to keep it "ridden in". 

Basically... the track is surrounded by a well cared for lawn, which is great because this virtually eliminates erosion, but the problem I have is that the lawn try its best to reclaim the track!

In the past i worked public tracks/dj's that got more than enough rider pressure, so you just gave it a sweep and watered before you rode. but with my only ridding it a couple days a week, the lawn is more aggressive than i am! so instead i have to weed whip and torch the ridding surfaces, then sweep and water, and over the years the lawn is just getting a bigger foothold.

and it be honest... i want to get home from work and pull a couple of laps, not spend an hour and half dialing it back in just to get some laps.

so... to that end, i'm thinking about gradually beginning to concrete the ridding surfaces. probably start with the berms, then the rollers, then the tables. Since i've had the track for several years now, i have the shapes pretty dialed and i can live with them in the configuration they are now.

has anybody done this? I've done a fair bit of concrete and construction work myself, and i've been digging dj's and pump tracks for years and years and years, so i'm pretty confident in my ideas, but i thought it would be great to see if anybody has some real world experience.

my idea would be to kill the grass, make sure i got my shapes dialed and then pin down some steel mesh to the ridding surface, then mix some quickcrete in a mixer (probably find one on craigslist) and then start slapping it on with a flatty about the same way you would with clap mud. i think probably build it up to about two inch thickness.

I reckon this wouldn't last for decades or anything, but i'd hope to make a nice fast ridding surface that could stretch my maintenance out to months not days.


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## kitejumping (Sep 3, 2010)




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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

Couldn't you just build some concrete curbs to separate the lawn from the track? Or would you then worry about crashing and hitting one of those, probably would be more dangerous than a concrete track surface. But maybe you could build wooden curbs?

And how about a few pix? Always curious about these. I'm hoping to put in a simple short trail at some point, my wife wants a walking path so I figure it can double as a bike path. I'll add a few features off to the side.


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

Here are a couple other options that might be easier/cheaper: http://www.leelikesbikes.com/hard-surfaced-pump-tracks.html.


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

The type of dirt can matter a lot. Around here, limestone / caliche is used for road base, and from what I understand it has certain common aspects to the composition of cement https://civiltoday.com/civil-engineering-materials/cement/10-cement-ingredients-with-functions.

On trails, rollers, jumps that I have worked on that were built with this high-limestone dirt, they harden and get super packed with minimal maintenance.

So maybe just try adding a layer of "portland cement" dust, getting it damp, and riding it in.... ?

How Cement Is Made
_
"Portland cement is the basic ingredient of concrete. Concrete is formed when portland cement creates a paste with water that binds with sand and rock to harden.

Cement is manufactured through a closely controlled chemical combination of calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron and other ingredients.

Common materials used to manufacture cement include limestone, shells, and chalk or marl combined with shale, clay, slate, blast furnace slag, silica sand, and iron ore. These ingredients, when heated at high temperatures form a rock-like substance that is ground into the fine powder that we commonly think of as cement.

Bricklayer Joseph Aspdin of Leeds, England first made portland cement early in the 19th century by burning powdered limestone and clay in his kitchen stove. With this crude method, he laid the foundation for an industry that annually processes literally mountains of limestone, clay, cement rock, and other materials into a powder so fine it will pass through a sieve capable of holding water.

Cement plant laboratories check each step in the manufacture of portland cement by frequent chemical and physical tests. The labs also analyze and test the finished product to ensure that it complies with all industry specifications."_


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

Just taking a stab at it...

Would it make sense to oil the dirt?
I know it's usually to keep the dust down, but maybe it prevents grass from growing as well.
Not sure what kinds of oil are used.


-F


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