International Bike Park Survey

May 15, 2014 at 9:54
by IMBA USA  
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is seeking your input. Take IMBA's new bike park survey and you can win a set of Mavic Crossmax ST wheels (MSRP $799) or sweet Mavic riding gear. It's a brief survey—only about 10 minutes—and your input really helps us stay informed about the worldwide bike park scene. (International riders apply!)

Press images from IMBA

More of this:
Press images from IMBA
Santa Fe, New Mexico

And this:
Press images from IMBA
Steamboat Springs, Colorado

This builds off of a similar survey IMBA did in 2012 prior to its World Summit. From lift-accessed resort parks to neighborhood pump tracks, we're looking to hear about your experiences at bike parks to better inform us of where they're happening, how they're happening, and what separates the best bike park designs from the worst.

Updated information from both surveys will appear in IMBA's upcoming book, due out this fall, about the planning and construction of large-scale bike parks. Thanks!

Press images from IMBA
Howard County, Maryland

Press images from IMBA
Seattle, Washington

Press images from IMBA
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Author Info:
IMBA-USA avatar

Member since May 17, 2012
6 articles
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108 Comments
  • 204 0
 We need more lift service parks and city pump tracks. End of survey
  • 96 1
 city dirt jumps
  • 12 50
flag cooper95 (May 18, 2014 at 0:13) (Below Threshold)
 I agree. Make em out of a concrete-ish material so they can't be altered though
  • 31 0
 More frequent maintenance
  • 55 13
 stop with pump tracks more jumps and more big jumps there is no progression usually its just small jumps then you go to somewhere good and theyre big .
  • 19 7
 @wuzupjosh I agree with you 100% pump tracks have no progression in them. We need more lift bike parks for downhill, and dirt jumpers need there jumps.
  • 14 1
 City pumptracks are great for working on beginner and some intermediate bike skills, so for bringing people into the sport these are a great start since you can ride them on anything. City dirt jumps can be good or bad depending on planning and maintenance. If they just consist of a line of a few tables with no variations, the jumps can get boring after a few visits. If the builders are riders it turns out great, has more flow, it's more fun and you learn more about riding. Ive seen city built jumps(4 tables, 180° berm, 4 tables) rebuilt by their local trail guy after talking with the owners and it turned out amazing.
  • 8 5
 pumptracks have their place trust me you probly learn more at the pumptrack not pedalling for an hour than at aset of jumps with a mulch at the end but they get boring quick ecspecially if theyre not built properly but lets face it . JUMPS ARE WAYYYYY FUNNERRRRR and yes i count that as a word. take kamloops bike ranch for example its friggin awesome no one can deny it. it also has a little bit of everything and still for some reason when you go to the skatepark none of the rats harly evan know that its their . where you are dictates what trends . bmx is cheap in comparison so more people do it and more people will ride the easy thing and the groomed semi -concrete thing which is pumptracks... jimmy o not saying that your a park rat or anything but thats really not what we need. i live in canmore alberta where we have 3 terrible bike parks with 2 pumptracks . one is just a pumptrack and skinnies , one has small medium and large jumps which to me is small,small,and small and a pumptrack. the other is aswell, you guessed it small jumps . we dont really need quantity we need quality simple as that . bikers will drive to ride good spots. take bike parks for perfect example.it is handy tho to have them close. haha
  • 2 0
 More abrasive, harder marterial to fall on = really bad when you slide on it and more likely to break bones. Yea no thank you.
  • 6 1
 @Jimmy0, You have it nailed.

@wuzupjosh, you have highlighted your own point. People make / would make use of smaller, local riding spots i.e pumptracks so that they are able to progress, and when you are at a level where progression can happen then you go further afield. There is nothing stopping pro level riders riding pump, but a lot stopping novices riding Rampage.

Think of it in education terms. It would be amazing if everyone was educated to University level, and there was an A* University in every town, but if there aren't any junior schools, then the universities are pointless
  • 4 0
 again one park with everything is better than 5 with the same shit. and how stoked do you get whn there is 15 people at any given time training it up on pump tracks or jumps? a hell of alot better than rolling up with me ,myself and i on dusty stuff that no one cares about or maintains. riders will maintain it if they feel its worth it thats why you dont see people shoveling out a 2ft kicker everyday . more gnarly stuff = more expeirienced ,serious riders. but instead they stay in the shadows and make their own illeagal ones to get torn down
  • 6 0
 I'd be happy if we had at least one lift service bikepark in Ireland... Frown

PS: And we don't have post codes.
  • 2 1
 we need more skinies in a bow tracks and more rollercoaster tracks,. end of the line my fantasy may never be true....
it would be great to ride some kind of rollercoaster track
i like drops step ups ravine gaps and rollercoaster etc just to give you some ideas i would like to win those rims mine are bend ..]
  • 2 0
 Like those Mavic wheels!
  • 7 0
 No progression in pumptracks you say?

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Video-Tour-de-Pump-in-Zurich-Switzerland-2013.html
  • 2 0
 Wuzupjosh.... you make a lot of great points. I am currently the volunteer park operator for the cottage grove bike park, we just won the bell built grant and we are looking to build a bad ass dirt jump section at our park. We will totally build progression into the jumps but we want to focus on providing something for the advanced and expert riders as we have two pump tracks and a 4x/bmx track for the beginner and intermediate riders. What do you consider big enough? Are jumps with 5-6 ft lips with 15-18 ft peak to peak distance considered advanced and expert level dirt jumps?
  • 2 1
 yes. advanced and expert id say haha . look at somewhere like fernie or kimberly bc, they have a range of stuff NOT JUST CHEESE WEDGES . drops and hips etc. its nice to make it a line with versatility id say . ex. drop at the start to make speend followed by a nice gap jump like yeah prolly 6ft lips or so 8ft if you want . i prefer wooden lips because you can move them back/forward if needed then hips going both ways "2 jumps identical but mirrored on each other then a mulch or resi to top it off . "resi/mulch wtvr should be hitable from a few dirrections to learn tricks on what would be all jumps left hip,right hip,possibly evan a full on quarter hip from the back of the landing if that makes sense :s" but you have to build with what you have so its probably not possibly as extravigent as it works in my head haha
  • 6 2
 Enough of your long drawn out opinion. Go ride your bike and stop typing. Ride where ever you like the best and don't worry about the rest.
  • 1 0
 Sounds amazing but I don't think you will ever see kamloops or fernie replicated in a free public park in MN.... we for sure want to provide diversity and options. Not just a "jump line" it will be the first of its kind in MN when its complete.... cheers
  • 2 0
 @wuzupjosh. New bike parks are slowly getting built around small town Alberta. Canmore has had it's for a while, I suspect they will be upgrading them sooner or later to keep up the MTB prestige. The small towns are "slowly" getting it right. The question here is what is wrong with the big cities of this province, and why they don't seem to give a damn about MTB (except for trails you can find baby strollers on).
  • 1 0
 Amen Brother! (www.pinkbike.com/u/the-dirt-farmer) I've watched this video 10+ times and it excites me as much as the thought of going to Whistler for the weekend. This Pump track in Switzerland is a brilliant masterpiece. The creative geniuses that build these wonderful playgrounds should start a company that would go from city to city building for the good of the communities.
  • 1 0
 dude i know so many paths thorugh the woods and dumb stuff we dont need a pretty place that secluded from houses . if u wanna take ur baby somewhere get amoby wrap and hell you can evan bike with those things hahaha
  • 2 0
 More small town pumps, and DJ's. Someone I know told me something that hit very close to home for our sport. If you don't build pumps and jumps for kids to start on, they won't start riding and our sport will die. Too many people sign their kids up for soccer, baseball, etc.. while they go ride their bike. It's hard to find a spot where I can bring my kids to ride a pumptrack, and I can hit more progressive lines, it's one or the other majority of the time.
  • 1 0
 Great point... the more diversity we can provide the more user groups we can attract which means the spot is more popular which means more people interested in the sport and more aweness of the sport. Hopefully that leads to more riding spots. That is our goal at the cottage grove bike park something for everyone and room to grow and develop
  • 2 0
 We need anything where I live
  • 38 5
 word of advice..... everyone lie about your age if your under 18 or it just finishes the survey . kids ride the parks too u a*sholes "sorry to say but we have good information too considering we dont have jobs or assets to think about when we go huck a jump" we also have more time to do it . so maybe if you want good information get it from everyone cuz everyone rides the parks.
  • 21 1
 Just had the exact same problem, kinda pisses u off knowing that they don't want to listen to the people that are the future of the sport.
  • 11 1
 thank youuuuu
  • 7 0
 Since there is a price involve, it goes with most country laws. There is some shit going on about winning stuff if you are under 18... :s
  • 3 0
 We need legal downhill and free ride tracks. I can't speak for the rest of the country but in Vermont, there's so much single track but the minute you mention a downhill trail. It's shot down right away. Tell me imba. Why is it that all the hipsters and stava dicks can have basically unlimited trail networks but downhillers have to either dig illegal tracks or spend hundreds on a lift pass and just as much in gas to get there over the course of the season when there could be a legal, shuttle able downhill run/runs in the state park up the road? I get that Dh tracks can not be sustainable if built wrong but so can single track. This is my rant for the day: Beer
  • 1 0
 It isn't by choice of IMBA, it's contest erg's. Stupid, but true. Don't worry guys, the survey was horribly assigned and won't provide much useful information anyway
  • 1 0
 We need city pumptracks/dirt jumps, more freeride and Dh trails and some more lift assissted.
  • 1 0
 Don't go legal Potthead. Burn it all to the ground.
  • 1 0
 potthead, we agree on many levels. and given your name, perhaps a few more
  • 18 0
 Bike Parks in Australia! we can ride all year around
  • 4 0
 yes, why is there next to no facilities in Australia? Being from Canberra there is of course Stromlo, good XC/AM but the downhill gets hardly any attention. Thredbo has a pathetic selection, fun as the few trails may be. Mt. Buller seems to be the only park worth mentioning IMHO, although I have never been able to venture to QLD. DJ parks are scarce and pump tracks? What are those? i Wouldn't/shouldn't have the slightest clue!! MTB here is growing and i fail to see any progress.
  • 15 1
 More Emily Batty!!
  • 7 0
 If PB put more Emily Batty they would have to change the url to www.somebikesbutmostlyemilybatty.com
  • 5 0
 That's not a bad thing, talk more cup size than wheel size for a change
  • 1 0
 That's cool with me as long as it includes bike washing "technique" videos
  • 1 1
 yeah, those are some modern non sexist comments right there. well in lads, I didn't want any more women riding anyway
  • 2 0
 Well you are talking to someone with the username sewer-rat.... As for myself, yeah.... That was pretty bad to say, I just find her extremely attractive and she isn't an object, but an extremely nice person while also very talented on the bike.
  • 1 1
 men find women attractive and enjoy looking at them!?!?!? those sexist bastards!
  • 6 0
 I would be happy if my city would just allow building trails and not destroy everything one has built. When I build a jump somewhere in the woods that doesn't destroy the nature or a farmers's field why does it have to get plowed? Also I would like to see more Indoor places like the burlington bikepark or the airdome to ride. It rains quite much here and there are close to no indoor places and if there is one it is filled with kids riding scooters. Some more Foampits would be sick too. It's really hard to learn certain tricks without them. 4-5 years ago Munich was a good place to ride but all the spots got plowed or shut down. We got some new ones as well, but it isn't even half as good as it used to be.
  • 5 0
 Less jumps, and more steep, technical downhill trails. Jumps and "flow trails" are like XC, sure it is fun, but at the end I don't have the same adrenaline rush as when I am riding downhill.
  • 1 0
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^what he said
  • 7 0
 more beer.
  • 6 0
 Simply...A park in Tasmania!
  • 1 0
 +1 for that! I need an excuse to go overseas ;-) Honestly though - Tassie has some awesome spots.
  • 3 0
 There is so much potential here but there's just not the population of riders to do anything. There is that much xc going around where I am. 0 dirt jumps and maybe 1 downhill trail within an hours drive which hasn't been fixed for years. I just build my own trails in my paddock.
  • 1 0
 Hobart has it great but Launy sucks!
  • 3 0
 I genuinely feel sorry for you Tasmanians... it's bad enough on the mainland!!
  • 1 0
 Thanks man Smile just come over and help dig some real trails for us!! Razz
  • 5 0
 More bikeparks with proper uplifts in England
  • 2 0
 i think there needs to be more of a push in all aspects of the sport. More accessibility for everyone, accommodating everyone, all for the best cause; to enjoy an active lifestyle and hang with friends!
  • 1 0
 As someone who has built everything from beginner pump tracks to advanced/expert dirt jumps and many styles in between, I would say there is no set formula for what parks and features need to have in common. Thats the beauty and challenge of building trails: There is no single element (dirt, slope, vegetation, rider contingency) that one park site will share with the next. I have found the most effective way of building a successful park is to get in touch with the core riders in the area, get a feel for the general skills & preferred style in an area and then cater the progression based on that- Whistler, BC's definition of expert dirt jumps would understandably be more advanced than a park in Houston, TX. Just like trails that are too easy will turn off an expert, the opposite is true of progressing riders and the only way our industry stays healthy is if it continues to attract new riders and their finances. Without being too long winded, my final point would be ensuring that experienced, knowledgeable, professional builders are involved as much as possible with a project. Volunteers and newcomers are awesome and I was once one myself, but there seems to be a surge in passionate yet inexperienced people diving headfirst into the industry, project bids, and construction. Many of whom simply don't have the knowledge and understanding to turn out a safe, sustainable and successful product. It doesn't matter how quickly/cheaply you can bid a park construction if meanwhile you risk driving down wages for the hardworking professional builders, delivering substandard product, and ultimately selling everyone short by providing a poor example of what benefits a well designed, properly built bike park can bring to a community.
  • 4 0
 More natural features on trails and if you're going to build a berm, build it so you can lay bar.
  • 4 2
 Flow, flow, flow, flow, flow, flow. And larger tables until you get up to more gnar gaps, drops but with b lines for noobs. Ex. A-line. Ps......A lil closer than a 7hr drive would be nice too, but hey its whistler right?
  • 5 0
 A bike park would be good
  • 1 0
 More trail centre's will help gain popularity in the sport in the UK and Ireland, by having more accessibility for places to ride , then hopefully the demand for parks will follow in a couple of years. All council's should look to create pump tracks and dirt jump spots at any unused waste ground they have available and they should work closely with forestry commissions to enable the building of trail centre's at local forests. The more people that gain an interest in the sport, will help push to get the facilities we all want. You don't have to travel more than 10 miles in Northern Ireland to get to a forest of some sort. These might not be the largest forests or have the steepest hills but if every council tried to create something in their district on some scale then we would be spoilt for choice. Would also help bring visitors to the area to check out what trails we have to offer. I would love to see more purpose built bike parks too. Once people have built up their skill level riding trail centre's for a while then they will want to progress to the parks, so they will need to have those facilities too.
  • 1 0
 Never enough of places to ride. Any places for any type of riding. If you want to know wchich discipline is more popular - check the number of photos uploaded on Pinkbike in each cathegory. Perfect bike park should be close and easily accesible, should be cheap to use, should not be interfering with non biking part of society, but close to them to stay in contact, should be changing and rebuilding attractions so that everybody can find their path there. Classifying trails isn't a good idea in my opinion. Chicken line option is way better. Skills change depending on day and mood. If you feeling under the weather you can crash even if being pro and normally using black trails.
  • 5 0
 A TON OF SWEET 4X TRACKS!!!!!!
  • 3 0
 You have a point. It'd be fun to race your friends down 4x tracks.
  • 2 1
 More rider involvement in local trail design, rather than a book of standardization. While certain techniques for trail building might be the same across the board, what works in one place, might be the best idea for another. Hopefully the book is a collection of suggestions, and not more IMBA "Guidelines".

That said.... Steeper trails, turns, drops and tech.
  • 5 0
 Cheerleaders. At the top and bottom.
  • 2 1
 More Green and Blue runs. High quality stuff, not just a bang it together trail. I ride with my wife, and newbies from time to time... You have to start somewhere, and with high quality entry level trails - that rider will quickly build the skill set they need to tackle anything better.
  • 2 0
 More progressive jumps, pumptracks, and more stuff nearer between one and other, in the case you get bored you just go to the other park...
  • 4 0
 We need more LaPoma's! No question about it
  • 5 1
 Anyone notice the "international" survey is for the USA only?
  • 6 0
 Haha, good old baseball world series syndrome.
  • 6 0
 cough> ROUNDERS/cough>
  • 1 0
 Well technically there are Canadian teams that play in the World Series...so it's not only the USA Wink

But yeah, f*ck baseball
  • 1 0
 atleast around here less stuff for the kids and more bigger jumps. the bike parks here are made for kids pretty much they have more than enough stuff to ride and a small set of jumps can keep them busy for hours anyway
  • 2 0
 More steep singletrack that requires a big bike! Flow is great, but my dream trails work more with natural features to create it. I'd take steep over flowy any day.
  • 3 0
 More rock gardens. But we didn't get options for what we want to see on trails....
  • 1 0
 Yes! Well said wuzupjosh! And OzMike- you're a star! Time to go fit some new pads and pedal in the local forest & finish off with a BBQ and beers this avro. Smile ride on
  • 4 2
 That feeling when your whole country has one lift access mountain bike park...
  • 6 0
 its one hell of a lift access park though.
  • 8 0
 Trust me mate, NZ has to have way better riding than Aus!
  • 9 0
 That feeling when your country has zero...
  • 1 0
 I'm not saying its bad! Its bloody good lol
  • 1 0
 Wish there was a bike park in Mallorca! A lift service would save you dying of heat stroke in the summer,35-40 degrees C combined with a minimum of 400m climbs is a killer!
  • 4 0
 more queenstowns!!!
  • 2 0
 I entered my age and clicked next, and it told me i was done. I feel as if i missed something...
  • 2 0
 we need pumptracks in populated cities, whenever im traveling and i find a pumptrack, its almost in the middle of nowhere
  • 2 0
 Well, *starts survey* age.. OK 17 *clicks next* " thank you for completing this survey..." Huh
  • 3 1
 Don't tell IMBA anything, they will take what you love and make a bunch rules to follow...
  • 2 1
 Amen. IMBA does great things for access and making it something that everyone can enjoy, but that shit is boring as fuck.
  • 2 1
 People need to stop worrying and investing so much in beginner-intermediate trails. Places like trail side in park city would be so much sicker if they did that.
  • 1 0
 what we need is less familists walking their kids and dogs on the track and less a*shole cops (sorry for the pleonasm) preventing urban freeride sessions.
  • 4 1
 Less IMBA
  • 2 1
 I back that !00%
  • 1 0
 The closest bike park is two provinces over so iv never been to one. How about build us something in Manitoba!
  • 1 0
 Small parks -- just a few jumps --scattered throughout our cities and towns that are right on the sidewalk
  • 4 2
 no enduro! more dh thats it!
  • 3 0
 more of everything!
  • 2 0
 Didn't let me do it due to my age, bloody unfair
  • 2 0
 Apparently the opinions of 14 year olds don't matter... Fuckers.
  • 3 1
 No more "flow" trails. You a-holes are ruining mtn biking.
  • 1 0
 woooooooo! well said that man
  • 1 1
 In places like Vancouver we need parks that are covered from the elements so they can be utilized year round.
  • 1 1
 There needs to be a lift off the 133 for Tell on Nicks and 27.5 specific trails. Wink
  • 2 1
 More raw lift access trails!
  • 1 0
 I put in my age, and then it kicked me off
  • 1 1
 I will stick to the trails in the woods that no one knows about but a select few.
  • 1 0
 Grand Rapids, Michigan you call that a bike park i call it a pumptrack!
  • 1 0
 Dirt jumps and street
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