Video: Take a Ride Through the Largest Underground Bike Park

120 Comments

anchoricex (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:35)

Wtf look at this place! There is no winter here, just hope they irrigate the dirt nicely. Rainy days cant stop anyone from riding!

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freebord007 (Feb 25, 2015 at 13:47) (Below Threshold)

Is this a natural cavern? Lava tunnel or what?

zephxiii (Feb 25, 2015 at 13:53)

Mining.

mzk1997 (Feb 25, 2015 at 13:54)

Old sandstone mine

scott-townes FL (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:49)

You should see the first PB article about this place opening up. Quite the different tone this time around, haha. This place is such a cool idea.

jaycubzz (Feb 25, 2015 at 15:29)

yeah i remember that, everyone was a skeptic, including myself. i still wouldnt want to be in there during an earthquake though hahaha

richierocket (Feb 25, 2015 at 15:56)

So whats the average temperature down there? It should be quite consistent.

slovenian6474 FL (Feb 25, 2015 at 16:30)

Tell that to the people that had reservations last Saturday and they closed due to weather.

scott-townes FL (Feb 25, 2015 at 17:45)

hahahaha, what kind of weather caused that to close? too high of a concentration of dark matter?

AllMountin (Feb 25, 2015 at 19:15)

I was on my way down Saturday. I rerouted to Ray's Indoor. The weekend before, my second day Underground was cancelled due to inclement weather. Two winter storms in the South in two weekends, but I won't be deterred. It's pretty nice riding temp inside, but it's not completely insulated from outdoor temps. The park runs right up near two *massive* open entrances to the caverns. When it's 10 degrees Fahrenheit outside, that end of the park gets a wee bit nipply. The jumps are smooth and watered often. Gets pretty dusty though, particularly by the main jump lines.

charlieh5816 (Feb 26, 2015 at 7:19)

Its 67 year round it gets a little colder during winter cuz a exit is right by it and the wind blows through

muddered-out-everything (Feb 26, 2015 at 9:30)

"Closed due to Balrog"

Reignonme (Feb 26, 2015 at 13:16)

@L0rdTom that was awesome. Go back to the shadow!

RedBurn (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:40)

At least there s no more dubstep

preach (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:34)

amen sir.

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ryanforsythe360 (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:12) (Below Threshold)

i dont think ill ever go there unless they make some decent sized jumps

kdstones (Feb 25, 2015 at 15:08)

Okay Brandon Semenuk, we'll get right on that...

xbline1234 (Feb 25, 2015 at 19:55)

Are you pro?

AllMountin (Feb 25, 2015 at 20:19)

Do you even Rampage, bro???

Elspecialized (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:49)

Tough crowed now a days. Little kids on bikes apparently cheapen videos for some peeps and if it's not "Post Office" style hucks with Cam in the vids it doesn't make the "cool" cut. tisk' tisk' -Ride Damn It!!! Place looks sick to me.

Pininator (Feb 25, 2015 at 21:49)

You obviously get it.

Pichy (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:45)

Will strava work in there?

poopsmell FL (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:48)

cool idea if you want to teach your vampire children to pump through small jumps

Pininator (Feb 25, 2015 at 21:46)

Bat-boy will finally have a place to ride!

gapos999 (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:25)

Farting is prohibited.....

Pininator (Feb 25, 2015 at 22:04)

Let's hope they install some proper ventilation, otherwise there's going to be some lingering death taking place down there!

slapshot0794 (Mar 2, 2015 at 11:08)

the ventilation sucks I feel like im going to get the black lung

zephxiii (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:52)

They should recreate post office somewhere down there. RIP

5afety3rd (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:00)

Still looks like it's really hard to carry speed through anything.

mddigger (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:22)

Their small jumps, how much speed do you need? This place seems like it is geared more towards the average rider. Not everybody can clear 20 ft doubles yet. I wouldn't make this a destination ride, but if i lived in the area it seems like it would be a good place to practice jumping in the winter, or any season for that matter.

lightningskull (Feb 25, 2015 at 17:01)

they may build a pro line yet

5afety3rd (Feb 25, 2015 at 20:54)

i mean the jumps are spaced too far apart for their size and berms are so long and not pumpable, every video of this place looks like the riders are struggling to keep just enough speed to not case everything too badly

Pininator (Feb 25, 2015 at 21:43)

It was a similar thing when they did the opening of the Burlington Indoor Center up here in WA state (same builder, btw). The jumps seemed slow, etc. the first time out. We came back a month or so later and it was pretty dialed. I'm sure it will be the same in The Cave. Patience, grasshopper.

hillatoppa (Feb 27, 2015 at 15:07)

Worst case- whack a couple extra foot on the in-ramps?

splsce (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:41)

Perfect weather all day everyday! so awesome

dhglei01 (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:14)

The jumps are bigger than they look on the video, the "XC" trail isn't as beginner friendly as they say, and there are a few things I can criticize them on. Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park has more fun stuff at the moment but they are still building in the Mega Cavern. It is fun but very dusty and you do get a bit of exhaust fumes from some of the equipment they have in there working on it. Right now it's not worth the price in my opinion but time will tell how much better it will be.

My biggest complaint is that my son couldn't come with me. He's 5 and the age minimum is 7, which I was alright with. However, I saw a couple of kids his age in there. Granted those kids were ripping pretty good, my son loves riding the BMX track at EP Tom Sawyer Park and would have loved the Mega Cavern. I know the kids I saw were his age because he has ridden with them at the BMX track. I thought the double standard and high price combo was enough to keep us away for a while.

AllMountin (Feb 25, 2015 at 20:14)

I think it's a lot better place for a novice jumper to progress their skills than Ray's. Lots of rollers and small tables- on up to the bigger stuff. And it's all dirt vs concrete and wood at Ray's. They have nothing to compare with Ray's skills features, though. Each park is very different from the other, and both have their place.

Pininator (Feb 25, 2015 at 22:02)

Ray's has also been in business for 10yrs, so they'd BETTER be better than Mega Cavern at the moment.

nohyphens (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:05)

Are there actually trails here, or is this just dirt jumping only? Cool regardless, but just want to be clear on what this is.

mullen119 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:23)

There are actual trails, they just never really show them for some reason. My friend went last weekend and said its ok, but he got bored after a few hours. Im going next weekend so I hope its better then he described.

anchoricex (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:00)

^ mullen119, if your friend got bored here he's doing it wrong

mullen119 (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:03)

I guess I will find out in a little over a week.. He said it was huge but that the trails are uneventful. I live 20 minutes from Rays MTB, so we are a little spoiled. I'm still excited to go.

slovenian6474 FL (Feb 25, 2015 at 16:31)

@mullen119 I'll be there Saturday if they don't close.

Biocoug1 (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:38)

On the MTB bucket list for sure. Would suck if you hucked it into a bottomless pit.

uglyguy (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:30)

Just think of all the barspins you could do.

orastreet1 (Feb 25, 2015 at 13:56)

I hope they don't unearth a Balrog like in Lord of the Rings.

smoranc (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:30)

This is where the next Red Bull Bike event will be held... for sure. Rad place.
Cheers, beer:

RedBurn (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:41)

For sure? There s nothing big I don t see why Redbull would come there

smoranc (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:46)

No... not for sure!!! hahaha. Cheer up man.

orastreet1 (Feb 25, 2015 at 13:41)

I was able to go the very first day it was open. In fact my buddy and I were the first paying customers. I really like the place but wish they would change a few things - first of all, if you have a full suspension MTB - don't bother bringing it. Bring a hard tail if you want to jump. I was not used to the steep faces of the jumps, that and having a suspension bike, wasn't as fun as it could be. But that is not the fault of Mega Caverns. I did exhaust myself trying to get over the jumps on a Tracer 275.

The XC "trails" they call them are really just short sections that have fun features in them. However, I wish they would have just strung together a 1 or 2 mile trail with some fun flow in it instead of the short "feature rich" trails they have. I think things will get tuned up and it will continue to get better. For us in the South, it is a God send given the limited winter riding season.

bishopsmike (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:16)

Really? You're in the South and complaining about a limited riding season? Here, we have about 5 hours per year where there's no snow AND no black flies. :-)

whitebullit (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:37)

^you should move.

5afety3rd (Feb 25, 2015 at 20:56)

limited winter riding? come to nj buddy

Pininator (Feb 25, 2015 at 21:56)

He built the jumps in a similar fashion up here at the Burlington Indoor Center in WA state. Definitely favors hardtail/slopestyle full-susp/bmx bikes. That being said, there is a solid bmx showing at Burlington. I find that to be awesome, as both the 26" and 20" crews finally have a place they can call common-ground. The vibe there is rad, to say the least.

jacktibby FL (Feb 28, 2015 at 13:53)

Australia mate

woolin (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:37)

They are still building trails and adding on. New pump track should open soon and they will have 2 more areas they are still building.

dhglei01 (Feb 27, 2015 at 4:30)

To the guy that said it's more exciting than anything above ground in Louisville, you didn't even try looking. There are a few places to build skills but they are generally well known with locals yet kept a secret. We have quite a few areas with the status quo trails and a few with jumps and man made stuff. As a local I would recommend getting with locals and finding spots. If you want to hit the Mega Cavern for novelty reasons do it during riding season. Take a few days or a week, hit the local trails as well as the cave. If you come during Derby you'll have a blast, the whole city is a party for a couple weeks. Point being, don't make it a destination if you have a long way to travel, you'll be disappointed. If you make it one stop out of many you'll have more fun.

orastreet1 (Feb 25, 2015 at 13:43)

And by the way - the jumps are huge. The Videos don't do it justice. I imagined I would be running all over that place hitting all the jumps, but when I got there, I was very intimidated. But there are 3 different lines that you can get used to before you graduate to the next.

kymtb0420 (Feb 26, 2015 at 6:41)

This is a 2 parter:
I feel I must give some of these commenters the correct info about what's really going on with this "bike park". First I want to thank Joe Prisel for what he has built in the Megacaverns and everything else he has built--as it has given me joy and taken me places I never thought I'd actually see......BUT Joe has nothing to do with how this place is run and that's where the problems start. This place was built as an attraction to the megacaverns-kind of like a rollercoaster is to Disneyland. Also, the dirt was free and they only employ like 5 people for the bike park.

The hours of operation are 10-6 during the week and 10-8 on weekends....They do not offer season passes......what you see in the video is what you get. The 4-5 jump lines are super dialed and a ton of fun-but as for anything else (pump track, dual slalom, xc loops, etc...) it's just not there "yet". I say that as, they had plenty of time to build features and plenty of experience to pull from--I just don't think the owners wanted to pay for that-and am skeptical of the future.

kymtb0420 (Feb 26, 2015 at 6:41)

With the absence of said pump tracks, slalom, etc., Louisville again has no place to train and really help kids build the skills needed to enjoy the bike parks (closest one is 6 hours away) that are popping up and adding serious money to small local economies. Not to mention all the physical and emotional skills that are built from challenging ones self on pumps, jumps, and berms.

Now, I've lived in Boulder/Wheat Ridge and got to experience Valmont bike park in all its glory and Barnum park, so I may be a little bias, because it's so awesome-with being free and open dawn til dusk. So, I expected to pay for this "bike park" but I did not expect them to deny local rider access as they have (i.e, hours and prices). I could probably write another 2-3 pages on how disappointed for the local kids I am-and all the benefits to local communities having pump tracks,bike trails, etc....But I'm just going to look forward and hopefully will not be disappointed with a proposed outdoor bike park (FREE) called Turkey Run--which is "supposed" to have pump tracks and progressive trails--but so was the MegaCaverns.

Thanks for reading if you made it--and kudos to you--I feel better that it's all expressed and out there...Support local KYMBA and the Parklands so Turkey Run happens

kymtb0420 (Feb 26, 2015 at 6:42)

Respect to Dan and the crew for getting everything dialed with limited water resources and man power....oh and little Foxy

flipoffthemonkeys (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:51)

it's way more exciting than what's above ground in louisville KY. ok, there's the distilleries...pretty boring town, otherwise.

riggadon (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:15)

This is where I go after the apocalypse

garrettstories (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:38)

I see two future rippers coming from the Porter clan in 10-15 years.

Ltsauve (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:17)

100x better than the first video they had, just missing a "Big Boys" line.

charlieh5816 (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:55)

I would be riding it this week but I slammed and broke my nose and dislocated my shoulder pretty bad now i cant ride for a nother week or so

Pininator (Feb 25, 2015 at 21:49)

Healing vibes!

charlieh5816 (Feb 26, 2015 at 7:14)

Thanks hope to be back on the bike in a few more days

owl-X FL (Feb 25, 2015 at 13:04)

toledo joe the park building pro!

#rhyme

blowmyfuse (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:53)

Next winter, when it is all built out and worth a long distance trip out of Pisgah in the winter, I'll have to take my kids there.

BikeGeek11 (Feb 25, 2015 at 20:34)

Does anyone know if this is the place is finished or if they are still building? Cause it looks like there is more space not being used

Pininator (Feb 25, 2015 at 22:04)

Work in progress.

maxmiddelhauve (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:29)

This Place looks awesome!

BMXican99 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:38)

Soil-tac is gonna be needed. Quite dusty.

poundsand FL (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:00)

Such a cool park!

g-roy33 (Feb 25, 2015 at 22:09)

hahaha this is shittier than Burlington! good one Joe. Such a joke. jump trails might as well be for five year olds

Pininator (Feb 25, 2015 at 22:09)

While you haters be hating that, I'll be hitting that. If I ever get out to Kentucky, that is.

dwkozeluh (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:37)

Anyone ride here yet? Looking to maybe swing by this spring...

charlieh5816 (Feb 26, 2015 at 7:16)

If you like jumping its great but the trails are boring

santacruzrider98 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:47)

Bet it is going to be packed with NAHBS comin to town.

mullen119 (Feb 25, 2015 at 18:07)

Only 100 riders per day. Reservations required.

AllMountin (Feb 25, 2015 at 20:31)

That's not true. Notice that the number of available slots jumps up as the date gets closer. I think they start at 100 to get people to sign up early. They were expecting ~200 the day I was there, and will allow as many as 500 once it's fully open.

mullen119 (Feb 26, 2015 at 11:25)

Interesting, When I called to reserve my spot they said 100 max. Now I see you are right as the online reservations available are over 100 left.

kevinhickey7 (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:35)

They look way to small.

simooo (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:43)

This is the fucking sickest shit I've ever seen

Scotj009 (Feb 25, 2015 at 13:07)

only in america

Pininator (Feb 25, 2015 at 21:51)

Actually, didn't Red Bull or somebody run a race down some cave in Europe somewhere about 5-or-so years ago? That one looked really mental, as-in low ceilings and pretty dark mental.

dirtyknobbies (Feb 25, 2015 at 21:32)

Bad ass! Original and just bad ass!

ktmlover07 (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:51)

Where is this?

zephxiii (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:54)

Louisville, Kentucky

mikk3 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:05)

Wonder what those tunnels used to be? I bet they didn't dug this large tunnels just for a bike park..

hetfield1 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:20)

Limestone mine/quarry

mullen119 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:24)

Limestone mine.

Edit: Hetfield beat me too it

toddball (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:29)

It's an old limestone mine. There's all kinds of stupid shit in there nowadays.

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Cavern

Christmas lights: www.google.com/search?q=louisville+mega+cavern+lights+under+louisville&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=1075&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=OiLuVNn-PMORyATmhIDQCw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg#imgdii=_

mikk3 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:44)

Oh, so it's just a small part of the whole area.. Thanks fellas!

skandy26 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:56)

really impressive !! And what about when they turn off electricity ?

bigburd (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:51)

Solar panels!

kickstand1 (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:19)

$40 a day to ride.

RedBurn (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:21)

Is that the real price ??? :O

kickstand1 (Feb 25, 2015 at 15:27)

Yup. $40 for a day pass. www.louisvillemegacavern.com/attractions/6/mega-underground-bike-park

EliteSparda (Feb 25, 2015 at 15:40)

For $40 they better throw in lunch and a blowjob... f*ck that.

ctmtb98 (Feb 25, 2015 at 17:11)

it'll probably come down as they get more business, but I bet this place was expensive to build.

dirtchurner (Feb 25, 2015 at 14:01)

bury me here!

DieSwartKat (Feb 26, 2015 at 10:51)

Ha! Gaaaaaay!

shuttlebabe27 (Feb 28, 2015 at 11:59)

@danthepirate

RedBurn (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:50)

UNBELIEVABLE !! THE BIGGEST JUMP must be like .... 10ft.

poundsand FL (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:02)

Looks like a great place for people of all skill levels to enjoy. Beginners dont want huge jumps. Just because it may be small to you, doesnt mean that 100 others won't enjoy it. I think it looks awesome

charlieh5816 (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:53)

The jumps are actually pretty big idk the the # but they are big and that just shows a few lines

orastreet1 (Feb 25, 2015 at 13:45)

A 10 foot high jump with a almost vertical face is pretty big to me.

krankedbikes10 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:08)

Dat k-rad though.

loserkid0407 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:06)

meh..

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ryanme (Feb 25, 2015 at 10:51)

really doesnt look as awesome as i was expecting, the jumps dont look half as good as they could do, those long berms just looked boring and a waste of space!

taletotell (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:41)

it's brand new. Give it time.

el-nombre (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:45)

Yeah there's potential there but to be fair, those are actually about my size of jump anyway. but yes, those berms look like they could do with being about half the radius.

nismo325 (Feb 25, 2015 at 13:01)

At the start of the video I was like this is going to be nuts! then half way threw the video I was thinking about how un impressive it was. dope that its in a cave but it needs some work for sure.

Wuddii (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:05)

why do all of these videos feature kids lately? It just seems like something cooler to watch could be put in place of the kids. Don't get me wrong, it's cool to see little rippers, but not all the time. It just seems like out of nowhere it's suddenly "look at this kid." "ooh, look at this one too!", and "have you checked out this kid!" I'm so glad to see kids involved in the sport and having a good time, but let's not act like this is suddenly good riding to watch. i came here to check out what the rad mega cavern jumps look like, and ended up just seeing some kids in the beginner section.

bikemonster2 (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:10)

probably to make people feel like its a fun place to bring their whole family

dmacrostie FL (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:14)

They are trying to show that kids can ride there too. Trying to encourage the whole family to come out and ride. I'm also pretty sure you got to see some good riding on the advance lines as well...not "just seeing some kids in the beginner section."

taletotell (Feb 25, 2015 at 11:37)

A lot of riders have kids now.

uglyguy (Feb 25, 2015 at 12:39)

Girls refuse to make babies with me. I wish I could figure out why!