Cam McCaul Signs with FlowForm Ramps
FlowForm ramps are pleased to announce our new partnership with Cam McCaul. The goal of getting Cam on board is to utilize his pro rider expertise. The development of his signature ramps helps us reach our ultimate goal of having a whole line up of rider-inspired products. Cam’s research and building techniques will help us get there. The signature ramps will be part of a full line up of specialty ramps that we offer. We asked Cam a few questions about the ramp and his take on public jump parks:
What factors went into designing your own signature ramp?
The most important part of designing a ramp is making sure you know what the application of the ramp will be. There’s no one magic ramp dimension for all gap sizes or setup speeds, so with Flowform we first decide what we want to do with the ramp and then work backwards from there. When Flowform said I could design a signature ramp, I thought it would be really cool to come up with something that’s perfect to practice tricks at about an 18 foot gap. From there, its all about choosing a height, radius, bottom length, and ending angle that will be smooth on entry but give the right pop and trajectory at the end to make tricks feel effortless. I think we have something really fun in the works!
We’ll be will be offering different sized jumps, based on your dimensions. What will this do to help kids learning to ride?
Riding jumps that flow properly for the speed you have is the biggest factor in keeping things safe and being able to progress quickly. I’m stoked to be able to share what I’ve learned from years of riding and building all kinds of different features. It will be fun to see how much the learning curve can be shortened when kids ride stuff that flows right.
What’s your take on the growing presence of publicly funded bike parks in communities?
I was lucky enough to grow up in a town where the environment was supportive of kids building dirt jumps in an empty lot. The “post office jumps” started out as a full DIY type of thing, but the park has survived for 15 years because the community recognized the positive impact it was having on kids in the area. The idea that more communities are about to experience the same thing is so exciting. When I go ride the post office jumps these days, I’m riding alongside people I grew up with, people who moved to town because of the park, and kids who are 10 years younger than me, but 1,000 times better than I was at their age. Its now truly an all ages attraction, and if that formula can be duplicated elsewhere it will bring nothing but good things.
What are the advantages of rider-inspired features in public bike parks?
I think the best part is that it will enable kids to start riding quality obstacles at a younger age instead of having to wait until they are big enough to handle a shovel and experienced enough to know what to do with it. Everyone who rides the park will be able to focus on the riding rather than the building... You know, the fun stuff.
Cam McCaul Signature Ramps are just one addition to many new FlowForm trail features for 2014. These include a new legging system, easier installation, progressive bends, precast grom lips, log ride kits, the new double bubble step-up series, and much more! Stay tuned for a more detailed update on FlowForm’s future projects. 2014 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for us and you can expect to see Cam’s Signature Ramp debut at Sea Otter.
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And I love Cam and I know he is probably stoked on this deal, but digging has always been a major part of dirt jumping, and he should be helping to keep that legacy alive. 'no dig no ride' is going to turn into 'no buy no ride.' :/
1. Money. They do this for a living. They travel year round. Compete. Train. It costs money to do that and actually live. No sponsors... no mortgage.
2. It opens up the ability to set up combos hits that you can't really do with dirt and in places you might not have access to huge amounts of dirt. And/or are legally able to permanently alter the landscape. They can set these things up, do a shoot/video part. Bounce. No permanent damage. On trails. They can set them up and tear them down. It's not legal to dig up the trails around here.
3. Anyone that has paid attention to slopestyle and rampage should be aware that most of it is man made (metal/wood) not dirt these days. At least the take offs. So this allows him to get his hands on some things to practice with that he doesn't have to come out of pocket with. And it allows him to have certain things built specifically for him and specifically for events like Rampage.
4. If he wants to put together his own comp (like he has in the past at PO hits) he can use these because the Post Office has been threatened for years and it's only a matter of time before they're plowed and an apartment complex gets put on top or some crap. With a sponsor like this they can help him put together an event.
5. Why the hell not. Guys get sponsored by all kinds of crap that has nothing to do with nothing and no one give them crap.
The dude has spent his time building. I was one of the guys that started building up the first 4 hits at the Post Office back in the mid 90's. That's all it was for year. Just a couple huge roll in hits and 1 double. Then this young grom came along and started expanding it. The dude is a key holder for reason. He and his boys transformed that from a simple dirt lot to a world respected set of dirt jumps. He knows what he's doing with a shovel. Hell... he built a series of them coming out of his garage back in the day. T-Mac has the benefit of growing up under Cam and those guys. He started younger and what Cam is talking about... being able to ride before you know how to build... that's why Tyler is what he is. He got to ride the hits Cam and his friends were building while they taught him how to do it himself. And now he and his generation are continuing the work.
It's pretty hilarious that people neg propped me over that. Cam must be their hero, and they must not have much of a sense of humor.