Old quarry – new trail(building)

Hello.

This is a thread about building a trail that contains lots of images of rocks and muck semi-neatly arranged into piles. I’ve been working on it for roughly a couple of months now and i’d guess i’m about half way done. I say roughly as i’m not 100% sure when i started (not that it matters) but as a visual reminder to keep at it, i haven’t shaved since i started. Current beard level: Geography teacher.

Anyway, here’s a few pics of some of the off-road mountain bicycling obstacles and a brief description of what they are – incase you don’t know 😉

Start. Steep thing

Jump. Hip left. Right hand step-up sometimes suffers from bad cross winds – caution!

Berms. Top right of the pic (looking back up the trail now) you can make out the start hill/drop and below the landing of the first jump. Then a RH berm and this LH berm come muck wallride (and dog)

which leads onto a pump mound, another berm and what i’m calling my ‘trail centre’ jump (’cause it looks a bit like one).

see?

Nice big landing

Next follows a natural undulating rocky section which ends with a small drop

Small (but fast) jump next with a semi-awkward landing that leads to a slightly bigger drop.

Might put a shallow berms on the next bit at some point, but for now there’s a straight bumpy run to another gentle jump (i like jumps :D)

As a side note, it was 28 degrees when i build this jump and landing and i got a touch of the sun that day.

Today i made a little rock garden thing just after the landing and scoped out what to do next (i wish i had a digger).

Flip me, i could have built another jump in the time it took to post this 😀 If it stays dry this evening, i might get a run up with the gopro as it’s far handier.

Not much trailbuilding love then…

Here’s the maiden run anyway

*likes*

Lots of love for this. How long in total?

good work, looks like you still have room and hight to make it nice and long as well

whish i had that and the time to do something like that

Hehe – good work there!

Nice bit of space to do some more work as well

Thank lads. Appreciate the love 😀

I work 12 hour shifts with a weird pattern so i get a fair bit of time off when everyone else is working. So far it’s maybe 350m long with 500m or so til the flat bottom. Then there’s the option of cycling along the base that has a few interesting features already, up the other side and down again (some nice ridge lines to ride down) and back to the start. It’s officially finished when i reach the bottom (that’s when the beard goes) but i’ll see how it goes. I’d love a few more hands but my riding buddies are a bit lazy when it comes to building. No offence – but it’s true 😉

looking good- where in the country is it- may have so building time free

Thanks for the kind offer Rockhopper. County Antrim isn’t that handy for most STWers 😀

ah, yes bit of a commute with a shovel on my hardtail….

Nice! What’s that stuff off to the right near the end? Looks like some epic drop potential…

Chief, the first is probably around 10 foot onto a ledge followed by an 80 foot fall to your death 😀 (i shouldn’t smile really, there’s been a few deaths up there). Near the bottom where i hope to go more gradually, there’s scope for a reasonable drop or two and some bigger jumps 😀

That is pretty sweet looking although prob too gnarly for me in places.
Hat off to you though for doing all that on your own??
Edit-Pah-looks flat in your vid (rofl).

Update:

Mostly work work this last week but squeezed in a few sessions.

From where i left off, rock garden and a bit of bush trimming

Leading onto another rocky path

to a little drop

Hopefully the downslope will generate enough speed to float over this little kicker and into the following berm (still need to sort the drainage on the jump)

The previous occupants kindly left his berm thing which will get some more soil threw at it, but as the second pic shows, go too high on the berm and you’ll fall to your death!

And the first jump/s again, ’cause i’m proud of it 😀

looks really good, is it Magheramorne by any chance?

nice bl00dy work, man.
props.
😀

fab work. What’s the beard status/level now? You at ss level yet? 😀

Thanks lads. No maccabe, it’s a little closer to Antrim 😉

Beard status: Verging on Country Singer with a hint of hobo

my hero*!

Sweet! Like that a lot. Well done you!

Nice,. I like that you’ve left room between the features – there’s stuff I’d like to try near me, and I reckon I’d be ok, but it means committing to doing a whole series so I’ve never had the bottle. If I could do each individually it’d be different, obviously 😀

Sweet!

Might need to raise that kicker a bit if you want be sure of getting over the dog though.

🙂

I like that you’ve left room between the features – there’s stuff I’d like to try near me, and I reckon I’d be ok, but it means committing to doing a whole series so I’ve never had the bottle. If I could do each individually it’d be different

That’s the joy of building your own stuff i guess. I’ve tried to put a quiet zone before each feature to get yourself set – or chicken out.

Our Belle (dog) has already laid a couple of eggs on the trail 👿 then disappears off to roll in the excrement of various wildlife. I don’t think she’ll be back.

Anyway, here’s the latest pics…

Drop to landing to kicker to berm to kicker (the pile of stones in the foreground). Digging that berm out is a killer! It better bloody work!

From the side

Flat landing to another berm

I had to alter my plans for this berm a bit. I had planned to go fairly high up the rubble, but thanks to a dream that i fell over this berm and bust myself, i’ve kept it a bit lower. Should be great though 😀

A nice fast exit then heading toward the top left of the pic.

Planning a berm and a natural-ish descent down some debris with a few more berms onto a nice gradient with giant jump/drop (well as giant as i dare). Nearly there.

Nice work. I probably wouldn’t ride the gaps myself.

Buzz, apart from the 20 foot step-up at the start (which has an alternate, smaller table/hip) the gaps (about 8-15′) are shallow and just need a bit of speed to clear them. I haven’t rode from the rock garden onwards but tomorrow i’ll see if i’ve done my sums correctly 😀

You be careful on that berm to gnar cliff death young man!!

Roger that Jive.

****ing rain **** off you ****!

It lives!!!

After an extended summer break, my spade, my dog and i headed back to the quarry for a bit more digging. No pics due to thick fog, but i managed to finish off the bermy, jumpy thingy that leads onto the berm of death. I swore i could hear weird noises from the far end of the quarry. Rumbly noises mixed with shrieks and wails! Spooked the dog out and had me a little worried too. As the fog lifted slightly, i could make out strange white shapes. Then i twigged. Game of Thrones are transforming my quarry into a winter battlefield!

Just added this thread to my favourites, love seeing it grow.
🙂

not often I read thread like this and think I wonder is it near me…….and it is, haven’t been up there in ages was over run by enduro riders for a while (ktms and Hondas not 650b wheeled fashionistas)

I’m sure I’ve still a stash of rust tools hidden in the woods in a few of your pics

awesome stuff!

haven’t been up there in ages was over run by enduro riders for a while

When i started there were a few trials riders kicking about and doing their best to ruin the jumps. Lately though the owners have been putting in a bit of effort to keep everyone out by blocking all the large entrances, then there’s the rare birds nesting in a cliff face – which if you disturb them, gets you a hefty fine. Seems to have done the trick as there are no fresh tracks about.

I’m sure I’ve still a stash of rust tools hidden in the woods in a few of your pics

If you’ve got a mini digger in your stash, can i borrow it? 😉

You’re more than welcome to have a play next time you’re in the area Simon (same Simon that knows J Doc?) – it’s been built to be ridable in the rainy season.

Just added this thread to my favourites, love seeing it grow.

I’ll do my bestest to keep on keepin’ on 😀

aye that’s me, drive past every day on the way to work but not been on the mtb since june sadly, must get my finger out and get up for a wee look

Forgetting the clock thing meant my planned early start this morning was stupidly early 😳 The Game of Thrones guys are all done so i could crack on.

Looking up the trail to the drop to wee jump to berm to jump…

The heavy rain of late put the drainage holes to the test…

Only a couple of minor puddles have formed along the trail, so job done.

Berm of death (BoD) follows but i’ve had a change of plan for the next bit. I was for heading down a loose rocky scree slope but it was a bit slow and awkward to get to. Instead there’ll be another fast berm after the BoD which will lead to another step-down jump 😆 onto this new landing which i dug this morning. Still needs a bit more work but should generate plenty of speed for the final bit of the trail.

Rocks on the right are a rough indication where the kicker will go.

Top stuff!

Good thread, looks like a fun place to ride 🙂 wish I had somewhere good like that to build.

looks like a sweet place to buil/ride

I have an old unused (very overgrown) golf course near me that has some interesting features I’ve always wanted to build into something… Not suitable for a run as long as that but some fun drops and bridges etc!

This thread is quality! Inspiring stuff, top work that man.

Got a few hours of muck moving this morning before it lashed down. Made a start on the linking berm that follows on from the BoD and leads to the new step down thingy. No point building the kicker for the step down til i know how fast i’ll be hitting it (learned that one the hard way 😀 ).

Marked it out first…

Then, after a few tweaks, added some bulk

Got a good bit of ‘soil’ lobbed on. It’s a pain to excavate but it’s perfect for building. Loads of gravel and various sized crushed rocks mixed throughout which drains and packs down really well.

You can barely make out the two piles of stone that mark out the rough kicker position. Busting to ride it 😀

Couldn’t resist building the kicker.

Just checked the forecast for tomorrow and it’s to be windy but dry. Riding time and i’m very excited 😀