When I was just a pup, my father took me aside and said, "Jim,
just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not
out to get you." That was right before he drove his Town
Car into a crop circle and disappeared forever. Now, I may be
paranoid, but sometimes people or organizations really are out
to get me. Here's an example. Did you ever notice that most recording
artists arrange their songs on CDs so that you get a loud song,
then a quiet song, then a loud song? That's not the way I'd prefer
to hear them, but the record folks figure that's what will keep
your interest. Radio stations often work the same way.
Yup, it sure is annoying being manipulated with a continual up-and-down,
bouncy-bouncy variety of music, or anything else for that matter.
However, since this manipulation appears to work, we will try
it ourselves here at BMX Basics . Last month we talked
about Big Rides---long, involved, solitary methods to get to know
your BMX bike. This month, we'll talk about the exact opposite
of a Big Ride---trails.
If you don't live within riding distance of a track, chances are
that your first exposure to the wonderful world of 20" cycling
occurred at some kind of homemade jump or trail. For those of
you who have never heard of trails---yes, both of you, all the
way in the back there---here's the Boswell's Dictionary Definition:
trail n. A place
where people build their own jumps and get rad.
Some folks, though, would like to replace the all-purpose Boswell's
definition with something else, so let's look in their dictionary:
trail n. A place
consisting of nothing but enormous doubles; an area where beginning
riders are strictly discouraged; a chance to test one's manhood.
Hmm... I prefer my definition to theirs.
I have seen some pretty outrageous trails in my time, featuring
huge "Chasms of Death", rhythm sections consisting of
seven sets of six-foot doubles, even one jump that requires you
to jump four little chasms before coming to the big double, in
which a lightning-stricken tree has been placed. When you look
on the bottle of Tylenol in the morning and it reads, "Do
not operate heavy machinery while on this medication"...
I believe that jump is the kind of thing they had in mind.
The audience at super-trails like these consists of three kinds
of riders. There are the Bad Boy Jumpers, who love these big jumps
and believe that Heaven will consist of seventeen full-vert, mud-encrusted
doubles in a row. Following the Bad Boys down the trail, and gripping
their bars so hard the steel is about to crumple beneath their
AXO gloves, are the Cowardly Lions, who hate these circus jumps
but are afraid to show their fear. Last, and probably least, by
the side of the trails you will see the Jim Boswells, who have
no intention of ever attempting those bicycle stunts, but hang
around the trails because there's nowhere else to go.
These top trails are pure pleasure for the most advanced jumpers,
and are far more rewarding than any sanctioned, insured, and competition-ready
track could possibly be... if you can do the jumps every time.
How do you know if you're ready to jam on these bestial mounds
of dirt? Duh, I guess you just got to pedal real fast and hold
on. Then you'll find out if you're ready or not. The funny thing
about the super trails is that I never see any young riders using
them to develop their skills. In a way, super trails are like
professional heavyweight boxing: there's no learning curve. If
you can't do it right the first time, you will be beaten to within
an inch of your life.
Super-trails have an extremely limited audience because they are
digital trails. What? Digital? What am I talking about? Okay,
okay, let's slow this down. In a digital system, like a computer,
there are only two ways to be: 0 or 1. Zero is turned off; one
is turned on. Computers put all those 0s and 1s together to make
big numbers, but a computer can't understand anything but 0 or
1. A big pair of doubles is a digital jump, because you either
make it (1) or you bail (0). There's no in-between. Simple enough.
What's the opposite of a digital trail? An analog trail. In an
analog system, you have a larger number of values to pick from.
The new Nintendo 64, for example, has an analog joystick. Instead
of giving you just eight directions to pick from, you have a near-infinite
number of ways to go. That's cool, because you have choice.
A tabletop is an analog jump. When you hit the front of it, you
have an infinite amount of choices about where to land. You can
decide to not jump at all. You can jump a little bit and land.
You can jump a medium bit and land. You can clear the whole thing
just like it was a set of doubles. No matter what happens, you
have a choice. Analog jumps are safer because "missing"
the jump doesn't guarantee that you will be injured, the way missing
a big digital jump will.
No matter how old or how proficient you are, imagine with me for
a minute that you are a young, inexperienced rider. Which kind
of trail would be safer for you to jump---a trail with nothing
but big, fat doubles, or a trail with big, but safe, tabletops
or step-downs? Which kind of trail would get you interested in
BMX if you didn't know anything about it? Which kind of trail
would you be better able to ride if you were trying to recover
from an injury, or if you had just switched to a new frame?
The answer is, of course, the analog trail. If you have a piece
of land to build trails on, I would advise you to very strongly
consider a set of trails consisting of tabletops and step-downs...
and if you want to throw a big set of doubles in at the end, go
right ahead. I don't have any beef with big jumps. The best trails,
though, have something for everybody.
There used to be a great set of analog trails a couple hundred
miles away from my house. It was built on the side of a large
hill, and featured big step-downs, fat doubles, and five or six
"warm-up" tabletop-style jumps. Generally, I'd take
an hour or so to jump the small tables, get completely warmed-up,
and try some of the bigger jumps. It was both fun and safe having
small jumps to try new variations on. I practiced my speedjumping
on the small tables, and got super-tucked on the step-downs.
Not only were the trails fun for me, they were so packed with
kids that we had to adopt a system of "calling" jumps
to prevent collisions. Any time the sun was shining, you could
go to these trails and find a jam session in progress. I'm not
ashamed to admit I put nearly ten thousand miles on one of my
cars going back and forth to these trails.
By 1994, however, the top locals had started tearing out the small
jumps to make room for rhythm sections and bigger chasms. There
were enough small tables and steps to justify driving to the trails,
but I didn't go as often... and I didn't see very many kids there,
either.
I paid my last visit to these trails a couple of weeks back. The
old jumps had been wiped out completely, replaced by a system
of berms designed to help riders get more speed. There were twenty-seven
sets of doubles or step-ups on the trails. There was one tabletop,
which had been placed between two sets of doubles. There was one
dirt hump which could serve as a jump, as long as you could hit
your brakes after landing to avoid, you guessed it, another set
of big doubles.
While I was there, a rider in his late teens demonstrated for
me how to jump one section consisting of three sets of doubles,
each five feet high and seven feet across.
"Could you add another set to these?" I asked.
"We can, and probably will," he replied.
"Are there any kids around lately?"
"Nope." For the top rider, having no young kids around
to get in his way is a good thing. For the young rider who wants
to work on his jumping away from the track, super-trails are not
the answer. I waited around the trails for two hours. Nobody showed
up.
I think I've belabored this point enough for this month. If you
are building a new set of trails, especially if it is on public
land, try to build something for everyone. You will draw people
to the sport, as well as providing yourself with a potentially
safer environment. In the future, we'll provide some instructions
on how to build your trails so they will last nearly forever,
but for now, here are a couple of Dos and Donts
to consider:
Do build as many different kinds of jumps as
possible.
Don't put them too close together.
Do use logs and other materials to give your
jumps bulk.
Don't forget to put at least four inches of dirt
above that stuff.
Do throw in a set of doubles or two to keep things
interesting.
Don't put those doubles right in the middle of
other jumps.
Do invite local kids to get acquainted with BMX
using your trails.
Don't let them ride the wrong way over the jumps!
And remember, winter is a great time to build trails. Just don't
forget to check your heart rate. Shoveling dirt can be as exhausting
as the last straight of the Grands, if you're doing it right!