# A backyard pump track is born!



## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

So after thinking about it for a couple of years, we finally decided to put a pump track in our back yard! I thought I'd post up some progress pics as we go along.

I hired some local trail builders, The Shovel Crew, to do the work since I'm lazy and need instant gratification.  Today was the first day of four build days that will be spread over the next week or two.

The first step was to mark up the yard. The shape of our yard naturally suggested the layout, which goes along the perimeter of the available space. The yard is 65' long, 25' wide at the widest point, and 15' wide at the narrowest point. I knew I wanted medium-sized rollers at 10' intervals, so the only big remaining questions were whether to incorporate a table top or step-up, and how much to vary the roller height. I decided a step-up would be fun, and the Shovel Crew convinced me that rollers of varying heights would be best, and they also suggested a crossover from one side of the track to the other that will allow more line options. Here's the marked up yard:



















The next step was to bring in dirt. We wanted the whole track to be above the surface level of our yard for better drainage, since we live in Seattle. My guys were able to find a 50/50 clay/sand dirt mix and we brought in about 28 cubic yards in 2 dump truck loads:










We're committed now! The next step was to move the dirt from the driveway to the back yard. The mini-excavator had a perfectly sized bucket to fill a wheelbarrow. With 3 guys rolling wheelbarrows back and forth, the dirt started to move pretty quickly. They started by just filling in the outlines with a base of dirt.



















Once the whole track was filled in with a layer of dirt, a plate compactor was used to pack it down:


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

The plate compactor seemed like it did a really good job of packing everything down quickly.



















Then they started building up the tight 180-degree berm that will fit into the 15' wide end of the yard. The mini-excavator came in handy again to pack the dirt into some semblance of a berm:










Then it became a matter of bringing in dirt to the location of each remaining berm and roller.



















The neighbors were fascinated!


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

Keep on pushing those wheelbarrows, guys!










Check out the sweet step-up that's forming!










Wow, it's starting to look like a pump track!



















So that's where we stand at the end of Day 1! I'm really pleased with the progress they made today, and I can't wait for Day 2! There is still a small pile of dirt in the driveway and some more height to be gained on the berms and rollers, so the excavator will be working for a couple more hours during the next day or two, if the weather cooperates, and then it will be all shovel work from there. I'll post up more pics when I get them! :thumbsup:


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## shawnlichtfuss (Apr 3, 2011)

great stuff:thumbsup:


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## NWS (Jun 30, 2010)

That's great progress for one day!


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## mnigro (Jul 31, 2007)

your neighbors must hate you... LOL


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

Actually, I was really surprised by how interested they all were. They all seemed to think it was cool, nobody expressed any concerns or anything. People kept checking in at regular intervals to see the progress, and I'm sure they all think we're crazy but they were surprisingly supportive. I think my biggest problem with the neighbors will be keeping their kids off the track. It's all fun and games until someone breaks an arm and sues you! We're hoping the 6' fence with locked gates will help.


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## mbrick (Mar 11, 2011)

Looks great! Keep the photos coming :thumbsup:



A girl from Seattle said:


> It's all fun and games until someone breaks an arm and sues you!


Exactly the problem with people these days...


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## hdparrish (Jan 24, 2008)

That looks like a lot of work. Wish it were in my neck of the woods, though--I might learn a thing or two.


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## mwestra2 (Jan 29, 2005)

Wow! Awesome! Looks like great dirt, too.


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

A girl from Seattle said:


> Actually, I was really surprised by how interested they all were. They all seemed to think it was cool, nobody expressed any concerns or anything. People kept checking in at regular intervals to see the progress, and I'm sure they all think we're crazy but they were surprisingly supportive. I think my biggest problem with the neighbors will be keeping their kids off the track. It's all fun and games until someone breaks an arm and sues you! We're hoping the 6' fence with locked gates will help.


best get a liability release before hand. no joke.

That suggestion aside, nice work! Keep us posted on how it comes out.


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## bclagge (Aug 31, 2009)

I am fascinated by this! Post more updates. :thumbsup:


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## canonshooter (May 10, 2009)

subscribed!!


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## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

wow alot of progress for 1 day! Sweet


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## NWS (Jun 30, 2010)

Washington law is very much on your side, should a neighbor kid get hurt...
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=4.24.210

That won't necessarily stop an a neighbor from suing though, just in hopes of winning some money if they can persuade a jury that you were negligent in some way. An umbrella insurance policy will usually cover your legal costs, though - since the insurer would be on the hook to pay out, they generally want to provide a lawyer to defend you. It's worth looking into.


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## dblvanos (Mar 17, 2010)

As an insurance Agent I would be hesitant to write a homeowners policy on the property. 

If I was a property owner with a pump track that anyone other than my own family would be using, I would raise my liability limits has high as I could. 

Really awesome project!!! Good Luck!


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## dl1030 (Sep 3, 2009)

You can write up a waiver and have people sign it. Copy their driver's license and take their pic as well. Under 18 better bring a parent. If they are not cool with it, you are not cool with LETTING them ride (I wont even allow you to hang out without signing, family and GF have to sign too). It is your pump track. Pump track nation and Rays MTB both have waivers you can steal some verbiage from. 

A friend told me this and it has stuck with me. When someone gets hurt, they dont sue you, their insurance company does. Cover your rear!

Cool project, I too started a backyard pump track this year  The compactor looks like a good idea, i have been using the stomp method with limited success


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

dl1030 said:


> The compactor looks like a good idea, i have been using the stomp method with limited success











https://www.yardproduct.com/product_info.php?cPath=116_122&products_id=540
or
one of those water-filled rollers helps wonders.


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

Thanks for the props! And the legal advice. A lot to think about there. I never thought about the fact that it's the insurance company that sues you, so even if you're confident that your friend/relative would never take legal action, that doesn't mean their insurance company won't. A sobering thought. I will look into an umbrella policy and I will definitely have a "no waiver, no helmet = no ride" rule. 

The guys are back this morning for a couple more hours of work with the mini-excavator, so I hope to post some more progress pics tonight! Yay!

DL1030, post up pics of your pump track progress! And yes, the plate compactor is an awesome invention, although those tampers seem to work pretty well too.


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## dl1030 (Sep 3, 2009)

I wasnt going to clutter your thread but since you asked. 

This was the first 10yards of dirt and some basic shaping for experience. Have tore these up and added more dirt for taller berms but kept the line.









got another 20 yards and piled all berms (new and old) 3.5'+ tall. Will try to get a better pic tonight as these dont show the overall track very well. basic 'L' shape track









*I have never built a pump track before (or rode one), lol. learning as I go and having a blast doing it! 1'x10' for rollers, (4) 9' radius berms, (1) 12' radius. i ride 26" bikes, looking for a 24"

as for your track, you are using 20" bikes? that 180 berm must be around 6' radius, that is pretty tight! how tall do you plan to make the berms? height makes a huge difference i am finding out.

drainage is going in after the track?

are you learning/helping as they are building? you are going to have a life time of shovel work, better to be taught than to teach yourself. I wish there was someone local that could teach me some tricks.


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

DL1030, that looks like a great start, keep going!! It's fun to look at what other folks are doing for inspiration. I think the dimensions you list are right on. Most people seem to build their rollers too tall and too close together to get good flow. A one-foot tall roller doesn't seem like much and 10' spacing seems huge, until you ride it and then they look a lot taller and closer together at speed. 

We're riding a 26" bike, but it's a DJ bike and I think it will work well. You're right, that one berm at the end is tight. It's going to get steeper though, height is supposed to help a lot and we'll just have to practice until it gets doable. Other folks have built pump tracks with even tighter berms, so hopefully we'll be OK!

I've been leaving the work to the guys since they bid it as a complete job, but I have no doubt we'll be doing plenty of shoveling later for maintenance, line changes, and building up the features as we get better. All this reading and watching has taught me quite a bit!


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

My guys made some more progress today! Here are a few pics.

They seem happy as long as they have shovels in their hands:










Adding more dirt and starting to shape these berms:










Big progress, very exciting!










Not sure how a pitchfork got involved.










Now it's all covered by tarps and we must wait a few days for it to settle and not be rainy. The weather looks good for Friday and Saturday, so it could be rideable this weekend!


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## cr45h (Jan 13, 2007)

awesome!


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## dirtbiker (Jan 23, 2005)

Nice work, keep us posted on the pictures.


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

I'm jealous, great work.


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

Even better pics!


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## Bobby12many (Apr 28, 2004)

Nice work man!

Looks like a blast


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## FM (Apr 30, 2003)

PM me your address- I live in maple leaf. 
Will bring beer


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## TraxFactory (Sep 10, 1999)

Looks awesome for such a tight space. Did you get some extra drainage in there?


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## michaelsnead (Aug 31, 2005)

*Looks Great!*

Hey Seattle,

Subscribed

Looking forward to the rest of the story!

Take care and Good Luck,

Michael:thumbsup:


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## Kaizer (Jul 19, 2010)

Awesomeness right at the backyard...


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

It's rideable!!! The guys made big progress today and it's practically done! Here are some pics from test riding. Now it just needs to dry out and firm up over the next 5-7 days, then a final day of pimping and it's finished. It's looking awesome, I really like how it turned out!! I find it hard to get around it right now, but it's still pretty soft and should get easier as it firms up. I can't believe I have this in my back yard now when 2 weeks ago it was all grass!


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## mbrick (Mar 11, 2011)

Pretty cool! You should shoot some videos once it hardens up.


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## NWS (Jun 30, 2010)

That looks great!


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## jojotherider (May 20, 2009)

this is a great use of space. really wish i'd done something similar. though, i think your side is wider than mine by a foot or two.


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## yo EDDY (May 22, 2006)

Definite props! And another bonus....no more MOWING!


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## Malibulx3 (Feb 26, 2011)

Thats awesome!


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## wyatt79m (Mar 3, 2007)

That turned out cool !


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## Kaizer (Jul 19, 2010)

And to turn it into a expert only pump track, plant poison ivy along it's side... ;-)


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## Punkeyboozter (Mar 31, 2009)

Looks great. Now the real work starts to make sure it doesnt go poof in the wind. The hard part will be to keep it in good shape. Just a suggestion, but maybe add a launch ramp for more speed?


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## dl1030 (Sep 3, 2009)

heck yeah! looking great Seattle!


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## skullcap (Nov 4, 2010)

What an excellent use of space, looks great!


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## Blurr (Dec 7, 2009)

great now i have to build one for my yard 
good job. 
Great photo's, for future reference there is no need to actually physically move a plate compactor they should move on their own via your guidence. if the compactor merely vibrates and quits moving simply clean the air filter and uusally that sovles the problem .


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

Thanks for the comments. I've been riding the new pump track a little bit each day for the past few days, although I can't ride it much because it's still soft in a few places, especially the 180 degree berm at the skinny end. The soft spots rob your energy, making it hard to keep up momentum, plus riding on them creates grooves in the track that I then have to stomp down. However, I'm happy to see that it is slowly but surely drying, even though it has been rainy. I keep the whole thing tarped except when the sun comes out. I think it's going to be at least another week until the berm sets up firm.

The good news is I can now consistently do several laps in either direction without getting hung up. It's really fun and I can tell I'm going to love this thing! And as hard as it may be to believe, I already felt a difference in my trail riding when I did an XC ride over the weekend! I was looser and better able to use my body to put the bike where I wanted and conserve momentum. I was psyched to feel a difference already!

Drainage: still needs help. There is a drainage pipe running through the 180 berm and next to the step-down thing that turned into a table/double thing. Those aren't really doing anything. My biggest concern is how the track will hold up to rain. I could see the clay dirt soaking up a lot of water and being soft all winter... but I'm hoping that with time and lots of riding and some sun this summer, it will set up hard and concrete-like. We'll see. 

Maintenance: Again, only time will tell how much attention will be needed here. I added some dirt to a couple of places yesterday and it seemed to bond well with the existing dirt, so I think ongoing dirt additions will be possible without too much effort. One of the builders told me I'll probably need to develop a little routine of sweeping it off and watering it before riding it each day. Hopefully the berms will hold up over time.

Poison ivy at the edges: LOL. There's already a fence, a house, concrete stairs, and numerous rakes and shovels littering the edges, so a certain level of skill is already called for! Of the 5 people who have ridden it, 4 of them have crashed so far.  

Plate compactor: Interesting concept about how it is supposed to just travel along by itself. It seemed more like it wanted to travel DOWNWARD if it wasn't pulled along! Like it would dig itself a hole to China if left unattended! Regardless, it saved a ton of work. 

Launch ramp: I wish we had room! But we really don't. It's OK though, once you get going you're good. I'll just think of the lack of a lanch ramp as a skill builder.  

Still to come: a little bit more shaping work -- the berms could be taller, or at least extended along the edges so you can maintain a high line all the way through. And some of the rollers would be better if they were more like a sine wave. The guys are back for a few hours today, then maybe another half day next week. Then eventually we have to figure out what to do about landscaping, which will be a whole other project of sorts. I'll post more pics as it gets finished.


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## Blurr (Dec 7, 2009)

For trails you will use road mix as it bonds together via clays and such better and will of course stay compact for far longer than regular dirt. For water grade your slope (left to right or what have you) at least 1 percent to allow water to run off.


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## Blurr (Dec 7, 2009)

doublt post


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

What does this road mix consist of? I'm guessing my mix is 50/50 clay/sand or 60/40 clay/sand, screened to 1/4" minus. How does this compare to road mix?


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## storz (Jan 31, 2011)

Very cool


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## Jim311 (Feb 7, 2006)

I'm jelly.


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## Blurr (Dec 7, 2009)

road mix has some 3/4 or less in it.


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## Blurr (Dec 7, 2009)

road mix has some 3/4 or less in it.


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## the_owl (Jul 31, 2009)

Are you Kat Sweet?


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

the_owl said:


> Are you Kat Sweet?


I wish! No, though I know her and she's great.


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## roxnroots (Aug 12, 2010)

Great job! :thumbsup: 

I have a small yard like that. Wish I could do the same but all my elderly neighbors would have an absolute fit. Everybody has to have an opinion even when I plant shrubs or trees on my property.


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

You can do what you want on your property! Who knows, the neighbors might end up thinking it's cool! Last night ended up being an impromptu neighborhood gathering for us, with what seemed like half the neighbors magically converging in our yard! They love it. I think people tend to be in favor of anything that has the sole purpose of fun.

The track is pimpy now! The guys made rollers bigger and more sine wavy, the berms taller, and it's just killer now. Here are some pics from last night, and a video. The one 180 berm still needs to firm up a bit, but other than that it's running just about perfect.























































And a video:

https://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb167/blckbrn/Pump track/?action=view&current=MVI_1592.mp4


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

I'm beginning to see that the thing that is so cool about a pump track is that anyone can have fun on it. Our neighbor across the street is over 50 and was wearing clogs and hadn't ridden a bike in a while, and she gave it a shot. Our next door neighbor was in pajamas, with no off-road bike experience, and ended up being one of the best riders there. The guy who lives next to him is also over 50 and did several laps, plus another neighbor from 2 houses north put in a nice effort, and me and my partner who aren't very good at it yet, and then my 4 builders who killed it of course... we had every skill level represented and every single person found it both fun and challenging. Even the little kids had fun just running madly around it! I'm starting to think everyone should have a pump track. Imagine how neighborhoods would be brought together, how much fitter suburban America would be, how much more fun it would be for families to ride bikes together in their back yard on a summer evening instead of watching TV or surfing the net. This thing has turned out cooler than I even imagined. Anyone thinking about putting one in should totally do it.


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## henry9419 (Nov 18, 2010)

i want to build one, but i have a feeling my mom wont like the idea of me building it on our nice green lawn...


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## trboxman (Jul 7, 2010)

henry9419 said:


> i want to build one, but i have a feeling my mom wont like the idea of me building it on our nice green lawn...


She must not have to cut the grass....


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## monkeywrenchMoose (Feb 23, 2010)

Cool! Subscribing.


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## rcmaster1029 (Nov 1, 2005)

Nice job on it and great job on getting the neighbors into it. Makes me want to build one.


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## dieselfuel (Mar 5, 2011)

nice! we have a 35x75' one in my brother's backyard but we use it for RC cars. maybe i should try riding a bike on it.


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## henry9419 (Nov 18, 2010)

trboxman said:


> She must not have to cut the grass....


nope me and my dad do...but she thinks the grass is pretty...or something like that...


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## trboxman (Jul 7, 2010)

henry9419 said:


> nope me and my dad do...but she thinks the grass is pretty...or something like that...


I bet she'd feel differently if she had to cut it...


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## henry9419 (Nov 18, 2010)

yeah....and if she found out how much fun mountain bikes are...she rides a street bike...on a trainer in front of the tv...gotta get some DH helmet cam footage for her to watch while on the trainer...


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## scrublover (Dec 30, 2003)

A girl from Seattle said:


> I'm beginning to see that the thing that is so cool about a pump track is that anyone can have fun on it. Our neighbor across the street is over 50 and was wearing clogs and hadn't ridden a bike in a while, and she gave it a shot. Our next door neighbor was in pajamas, with no off-road bike experience, and ended up being one of the best riders there. The guy who lives next to him is also over 50 and did several laps, plus another neighbor from 2 houses north put in a nice effort, and me and my partner who aren't very good at it yet, and then my 4 builders who killed it of course... we had every skill level represented and every single person found it both fun and challenging. Even the little kids had fun just running madly around it! I'm starting to think everyone should have a pump track. Imagine how neighborhoods would be brought together, how much fitter suburban America would be, how much more fun it would be for families to ride bikes together in their back yard on a summer evening instead of watching TV or surfing the net. This thing has turned out cooler than I even imagined. Anyone thinking about putting one in should totally do it.


Awesome! We just bought our place last September. A large garden is going in, but we'd still have a good bit of room left... Hell, between a garden and pumptrack/"skills area" we'd have far less work to do. Well, just as much, but going towards fun stuff, or things to eat.


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## Ted_R (Feb 21, 2011)

My Gosh....that looks wonderful  Those guys did a great job !


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## jojotherider (May 20, 2009)

any videos yet?


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## mbrick (Mar 11, 2011)

jojotherider said:


> any videos yet?


There's one video at the end of her posted photos above. But more videos would be awesome :thumbsup:


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

Thanks everyone! There is a video at the end of post #55 and I will try to get another one soon! The problem we've been having here in Seattle is that it's been raining almost nonstop for a couple of weeks now. We did get a couple of good dry days and the track dried out like concrete as we'd hoped, if you can tell in this pic:










After that I felt I could get away with taking the tarps off, so I did. But I was awfully nervous when it rained hard today, wondering what I would come home to! Here is what I found:










It's perfect! The rain actually helped its condition, erasing some of the cracks and beat-down appearance. Most importantly, it didn't get soft or slippery, which is what I was worried about. So I'm pretty happy about the whole thing. The guys are going to come back one more time to put a layer of dirt over everything, and then maintenance should be pretty straightforward from there on out.

I learned you can do a test to find your soil composition. Soil is composed of sand, silt, and clay (with possible organic material as well). To find out how much of each you have, you put soil and water in a jar, shake it, and let it sit for a day or two. When it settles, the bigger/heavier sand particles are on the bottom, the silt is in the middle, and the clay is on top. Here is what mine looks like:










In this pic, the top layer is water, then clay, then sand at the bottom. So our soil appears to be about 65-70% sand and only 30-35% clay. I would have guessed the opposite since it seems like there is a ton of clay in it! No silt or organic material that I can see. Very interesting (to me at least, but I'm nerdy). I guess a little clay goes a long way! I think our dirt is pretty perfect for our application.


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## monkeywrenchMoose (Feb 23, 2010)

Cool! Looks like you got yourself some perfect dirt! Mind if I ask a couple questions?

-Where did you buy/get it? 
-Do they have different compositions of dirt for sale?
-How much did it cost?
-How many dumptruck loads or cubic yards?


Thanks!


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## dl1030 (Sep 3, 2009)

-Where did you buy/get it? 
lots of local places will sell dirt, call around for pricing. I searched for top soil 

-Do they have different compositions of dirt for sale?
yes, if you dont know what you are buying over the phone ask to stop over so you can inspect their dirt. my dirt guy had probably 6 different types of dirt he sold, fill, top soil, screened, etc.. once you are on site, make balls of it in your hand, you will know the good stuff when you find it. my guy calls it 'gold clay', but was completely confused on what i wanted it for. told me no one ever buys it and had to rip it out of the ground

-How much did it cost?
dirt is cheap, it is the delivery fee... $100/10yards delivered is what I paid. Could have got it cheaper if I called around more but I cant complain. 

-How many dumptruck loads or cubic yards?
I did 10 yards at a time as I was working solo. 30 yards total. 
this build was 28 yards, two loads of 14

-how much dirt will you need?
more than you think! you will find a use for it!

-is it worth it?
YEAH!


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## GDubT (Apr 13, 2010)

Very nice!! Looks like a lot of fun in the backyard! That's one of the things on my to-do list when I buy my new house. 

I might try to work some wood into it as well.


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

I would echo most of DL1030's responses above.

-Where did you buy/get it? In the Seattle area, we got ours at Gerrard Recycling. Another place, Pacific Topsoils I think, said they had a 50/50 clay/sand mix they thought would work well. You have to call around and tell them what you want. If you say topsoil, they may be misled into thinking you want a garden-type soil. You don't want too much organic material. I hear baseball diamond clay is also good, but expensive. 

-Do they have different compositions of dirt for sale? When evaluating different soils, I agree with DL1030 that the ball test is a good one. If you take slightly damp soil and close it in your hand, it should remain in a cohesive ball when you let go. If it crumbles apart, find something else. 

-How much did it cost? $5 per cubic yard for the dirt plus several hundred bucks for delivery. 

-How many dumptruck loads or cubic yards? We used 2 dump truck loads. A standard dump truck load is 12 CY but we think we had more like 14 CY per load, so ~28 CY total. Of that, there is still perhaps 5 CY left. Some of that will go on the track next week and the rest will be a "borrow pile" for future repairs/changes.


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

GDubT said:


> I might try to work some wood into it as well.


That would be sweet, I seriously considered making one of the berms into a split-cedar wall ride!


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## JefedelosJefes (Jun 30, 2004)

Backyard pump tracks are always sweet! Some advice: if you make your berms 2 to 3 times larger and make your rollers not so peaky but more rounded the track will flow much better for you and you'll be able to carry much more speed. You've got a great start, looks fun.


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

JefedelosJefes said:


> if you make your berms 2 to 3 times larger and make your rollers not so peaky but more rounded the track will flow much better for you and you'll be able to carry much more speed.


I completely agree!! I'm trying to go in that direction.


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## rydbyk (Oct 13, 2009)

Look at you Seattle people all hopped up on coffee gettin' stuff done


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

OK, here's a better video now that it's running faster:

https://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb167/blckbrn/Pump track/?action=view&current=MVI_1751.mp4

And some photos of the new and improved track. Berms have been getting bigger!


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## storz (Jan 31, 2011)

That is so damn cool!


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## jojotherider (May 20, 2009)

so awesome.


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## berrywise (Jan 15, 2004)

First off awesome job. My wife gave me the go ahead to do something similar in our backyard this summer so I'm starting to design my layout. I've got a 25'x75' rectangle along the back of our place to build in.

Now that you've finished yours for the most part if you did it over what things would you change? My biggest concern right now is drainage.

Thanks again for the great documentation!


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## kwrides (Oct 12, 2010)

That is so freaking cool. You rock!


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## Sim2u (Nov 22, 2006)

Hey that is just great... Very envious of you to have made a pump track in your back yard! Sweet! 

You have to get real low into the bike more and really push hard on the backside of all the various rollers etc...to get more speed and flow. It's great to have a couple of jumps in there too (which you kind of have already) because it helps improve jump ability long term. 

Really nice track man, keep up the great work and the vids, thanks so much for sharing. It's motivated me to get my arse on the saddle for some more trail time...


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

berrywise said:
 

> Now that you've finished yours for the most part if you did it over what things would you change? My biggest concern right now is drainage.


The main thing I would change is to make the berms bigger right from the start. Getting them to the height I want is going to take some work at this point. Drainage is a concern too, but not as much as I thought it would be. It seems like if you get the right dirt and pack it hard, the track can take a lot of rain, as last weekend proved. We got almost 2" of rain in 2 days, and I only waited an hour or two after it finally stopped raining and was able to ride the track no problem! Puddles do form in the low spots, but somehow they get absorbed pretty quickly and the track has stayed hard. It would be a good idea to make sure every surface on your track is sloped very slightly inward or outward though. It hardly takes any slope to keep puddles from forming. I'll probably be adding some slope in a couple of places.

Other than that, I can't think of anything I would change, except maybe to buy a house with a bigger yard!  Good luck and let us know how it goes!


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## alpinestar31 (Jun 23, 2011)

Wow thats a awesome track. The town i live in had a company come in a build a killer pump track if you were ever looking at rebuilding yours i would highly reccomend them. I am probly going to hire them to come build one on our family farm this fall.


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## Punkeyboozter (Mar 31, 2009)

I want to see what it looks like now


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## zmu98 (Jun 23, 2011)

I definitely wouldn't mind having that in my yard. Are those intrigued neighbors of yours into biking? You should charge people for using it  you can run your own biking amusement park


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## BacDoc (May 31, 2011)

Awesome!
Lawns are way overated and bad for the environment!


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## jojotherider (May 20, 2009)

any update on how this is shaping up?


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## dirtwrx (Aug 3, 2011)

Nice track - how is it holding up?


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## Tam Tours (Nov 8, 2007)

Living the dream!


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Man, I am so jealous! I am the main rider at the house though my twin daughters both have 24" mtbs and my wife has a 26 (basically all my XTR components from my old xc bike since I went SS). I have asked about a track on several occassions and she shot down the idea. Finally I managed to add in a little line at the back of our yard that simply has a couple of little rollers (basically, I just started riding it and dug out a little and piled dirt up making the rollers). One day I saw our daughters on it and then the wife came out and hopped on it on her bike. We were all stoked and having a blast. About two weeks later, we got a letter from the damn HOA stating that we did not have a permit for a track and that it was against HOA rules! Hell, it's not even a track, its just a straight line about 30' long with a couple of 18" rollers in it! And who the hell complained???? My neighborhood sucks! On a good note we do have a pump track but it is about 10 miles away from my house but about 500 yrds away from my daughters practice soccer field!!!

Keep riding and enjoy that bad boy!

On a side note, I got to go out to Seattle a few years ago for a conference. Great city! I missed the football game because I was sitting in Jimmy's (or Johnny's-can't remember the name for sure) Tattoo shop for about 5 hours getting a tattoo done! I would love to live out there! Funny, there are coffee shops on every corner like we have 7-11's out here on the east coast. No one drinks Starbucks out there either (which as guest visiting from MD, I found all too commical as folks out here survive off it).


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## A girl from Seattle (May 3, 2007)

Thanks for the recent comments everyone! A couple of people have asked for an update, but there isn't too much new to report at the moment. Maintenance has continued to be very easy, I get the occasional weeds and grass trying to grow up through the track but I either pick them or spray them every 2-3 weeks (takes like 10 minutes for the whole track) and that keeps them under control. The track remains hard and concrete-like with no obvious signs of deterioration, though it does get dusty and slippery in the summer if I don't water it from time to time. 

Next step: make the berms bigger and maybe introduce a slight slant to the inside all the way around the track to facilitate drainage and help reduce "flinging off into the fence" incidents. I hope to get to that sometime this winter.

1SPD, what a bummer about the HOA and nosy neighbors. I guess we are lucky. Our neighbors continue to think it's great and have been asking when we're having another pump track party for the neighborhood! At least more and more folks seem to have a pump track somewhere near their house that they can go play on, even if it's less convenient than having one right in your back yard. 

And 1SPD, yep, most Seattle folks think Starbucks is crap! We have so many good coffee houses that roast their own and do it right. Glad you liked Seattle, we really like it here too. It's getting crowded though because everyone keeps moving here. I might have to move north to Bellingham someday. They have big lots up there, so I could put in a HUGE pump track!!!


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## LuckyDucky (Oct 10, 2011)

Wow that is AWESOME! How much do you think it cost to make?

Forgive me for being new but is a 'pump' track one where you should be able to make it around without pedaling after you get some momentum?


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## Mendobikesprite (Nov 19, 2009)

This is the kind of energy that drives our sport,passion! You ROCK!


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## Tekmo (May 28, 2012)

*So rad! I live in Bellingham and I just put a pumptrack in my backyard!*




A girl from Seattle said:


> Thanks for the recent comments everyone! A couple of people have asked for an update, but there isn't too much new to report at the moment. Maintenance has continued to be very easy, I get the occasional weeds and grass trying to grow up through the track but I either pick them or spray them every 2-3 weeks (takes like 10 minutes for the whole track) and that keeps them under control. The track remains hard and concrete-like with no obvious signs of deterioration, though it does get dusty and slippery in the summer if I don't water it from time to time.
> 
> Next step: make the berms bigger and maybe introduce a slight slant to the inside all the way around the track to facilitate drainage and help reduce "flinging off into the fence" incidents. I hope to get to that sometime this winter.
> 
> ...


 Thanks for all the details and pics


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## bunnymun (Apr 5, 2009)

Love the project, need some pic of the track in use!


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## L3ONNOEL (May 29, 2012)

I wish my parents would let me do this!!!!!


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## muzzanic (Apr 28, 2009)

This is cool


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## singlesprocket (Jun 9, 2004)

awesome! great thread, just bought house with a backyard big enough for a pump track.... hmmmm!?


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Hell, my back yard is easily big enough but my HOA would shut me down! I half way thought about doing a lot of landscaping so that it would be somewhat hidden from the street or path behind the house but then I run into issues with my wife (no way in hell will she let me have a track taking up the bulk of the back yard. Still a nice dream though.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Thread ressurection. We wrote an article and this awesome track popped up in our search.

Feature: The Backyard Pump Track - Introduction | Mountain Bike Review

Any updates to this track?

fc


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## Slonie (Sep 27, 2006)

Still no updates? He must be too busy riding the track...


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## Hoosier_Gal (Aug 19, 2014)

This is so cool. I've just recently gotten into the sport with my son and now daughter and I've considered adding some single track to our "yard." We have 7+ wooded acres of old growth trees with a couple of decent climbs. Now, I want to also add a pump track-I think my kids would love it! Hoping the op can come back and let us know how it is holding up. I'd also like to get an estimate on manpower costs to supplement our labor.


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## muzzanic (Apr 28, 2009)

Sounds like a cool back yard.



Hoosier_Gal said:


> This is so cool. I've just recently gotten into the sport with my son and now daughter and I've considered adding some single track to our "yard." We have 7+ wooded acres of old growth trees with a couple of decent climbs. Now, I want to also add a pump track-I think my kids would love it! Hoping the op can come back and let us know how it is holding up. I'd also like to get an estimate on manpower costs to supplement our labor.


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## bikerjay (Sep 16, 2007)

Just found this thread, totally stoked. I am now a homeowner and my wife thinks this is a good idea!

I will be getting a copy of pump track nation and getting rolling on the planning phase.


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## Indy21 (Sep 25, 2009)

This is just awesome, have so many ideas running through my head, we've got about a 80'x60' fenced in backyard, should be plenty of room for something like this.....well my half...almost forgot I promised my wife that garden first.


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