What is actually made by hand these days? Not a great deal it would seem.
I'm not against technology by any means, but there is something more personal and emotive in seeing something that has been made with the dexterity and skill of a craftsman. Whether it be hand-blown glass, a bespoke kitchen or the cakes in the local bakery, some things are somehow better than their mass produced counterparts. In the world of riding we all benefit from machine based production through the bikes we buy but the trails we ride are still largely built (or at least finished) by hand.
You'll need the nailbrush when you get home.
Random hills in the middle of nowhere, quiet unused patches of forest, even a spot of wasteland can all become known across the globe due to nothing more than what a group of friends have done with their bare hands and a few shovels. Take the Post Office trails in Aptos for example: Just a spot of dirt by the side of the road that if left alone would have remained unremarkable. However, the crew there ended up building part of MTB history. When they were demolished people from across the world were genuinely saddened to see them go.
Monty the dog looking at Will thinking that pump looks a bit steep!
This little spot in England formed in the standard way- a single jump became two, then three and so on. For over a decade it has grown and evolved into the home of a solid group of mates that continue to work together each winter to maintain what they have done and build even more. Every Sunday you can hear the slapping of shovels on dirt, Tom's girly giggle and the whistle of the kettle over Neil's random mix of music. It might be too wet to ride but there's no better place to be.
Impeccable timing with this shot of Bob from Mzed.
Tom won't drink from any other mug. Bless. Photo: Mzed.
Before you know it, fresh leaves are sprouting in the trees and the days are getting warmer. The trails are hardening up and basking in the spring sunshine. Then someone asks, 'Are we getting our bikes out then or what?'
This was filming day (you can see the line of the cable cam in the trees). I squeezed in a few cheeky runs during a tea break and good friend of the crew Martin Zielinski managed to snap this beauty. We were both so stoked when it made POD.
To keep the place open the group have to maintain the site and cover the cost of assessments and insurance. It's for this reason we'd like to keep the location quiet so we can keep up with the damage they sustain. The purpose of this video is to inspire others to create their own spot or to help maintain their current trails (with permission of the people running the spot). It's an incredible feeling to be part of a group with a common goal. Somewhere in the world right now people are out building trails, slapping a lip while envisaging the next berm. Cheers to them.
Blog photos courtesy of @Mzed
Great work from the trail bosses (diggers/riders) and the video grapher
Easily the best trail video seen for many years.
In bishops Stortford they were supposed to build a pump/bmx track by the beginning of this year but are yet to even start the project and they ripped down the old skate park to put in a cheap shoddy and tiny skate park that is crap and was funded by locals raising the money for it.but look into Essex and you see skate parks and bmx and pumptracks allover the place.