(This story first appeared in our September ?02 issue)
Learning to jump your mountain bike comfortably and confidently may be the single most important skill you can develop for reaching new levels of riding proficiency. A well timed jump will help maintain your momentum by clearing a mud hole, avoiding rocks, circumventing a downed tree or setting you up better for the next section of trail.
You can spend time practicing your jumping skills where the terrain permits, but this is not always so easy. You have to be aware of other trail users, and if your jumping skills are still shaky, the real world can be intimidating (if you don?t make the jump, you crash in the rocks). So if you can?t go to the jumps, there is only one thing left to do. Bring the jumps to you. Say what?
Launching Pad Building your own jumps is the safe and sane way to improve your jumping skills in the privacy of your own backyard. Did we remember to say it is a lot of fun too? A well-designed jump is not a pile of dirt. There is an art to building jumps. So, we asked the Superheros, all renowned jump artisans, to share their jump building techniques with you. These are the tips for building a launch site in your backyard.
Location
First, and most important, get permission before you begin excavation. Nothing will get you grounded (or divorced) faster than having your mom (or wife) come home to fined the rose garden transplanted or missing.
Once permission is granted, choose a spot near some trees rather than in direct sunlight. Trees provide shade, and there is usually better soil around them. It is ideal to have water available for softening the earth and molding the jumps face. Tools
Go down to your local rent-it-all location, get your Gold Card out, ask the nice man to rent you a John Deere 450H dozer, trailer it home and you?re ready to go. Short of that, gather the following tools: ? one rake ? one flat-head or square shovel ? one round-head shovel
Decisions
You need to make a couple of decisions before you start digging. Jump location: You need enough space in the front of the jump and behind it to get up to speed and then scrub speed off. You don?t want the jump too close to immovable objects, because if you should fall, they hurt. Number of jumps: You can start with one, but the real fun begins when you build a series of jumps. If you have the space and a strong back, consider a series of jumps rather than stopping at one. The jump size: There is no such thing as building a jump too small if you are just beginning. Building your first jump too tall or too steep may make it tougher for you to learn the basics. Your first jumps should be modest in size. The type of jump: There are many jump designs (the tabletop, doubles, the step-up, the step-down and the hip jump to name a few). We?ll get you started with a single jump. Sweat Equity You?ve got permission, have the tools, know the location where your jump will be and have an idea of how big you want it, lets get started. 1. Dig a hole on the inside of where you want your jump to be. Take the dirt from the sides and keep piling it in the center to form your jump 2. When it comes to shaping and packing the jump, it is much easier to move wet dirt?even if it is heavier. Wet dirt packs harder after it sets and your jump will be more durable. 3. Pack the take-off and landing with your feet. The more you pack it the longer it will last. Wait at least one to two days to let the jumps set and get hard before you start riding. 4. The lips of the jumps determine how high you will go. The steeper the lip the higher you go. BMX jumps have steep lips and landings. The means if you ?re jumping them on a mountain bike, you need to nose dive a lot to make the next one. Mountain bike jumps should be a little less steep and a little further apart because the bikes are bigger. The Payoff
You now have your own jumping area and the admiration of every kid in the neighborhood. Be smart, work up to doing tricks and always wear protective equipment.
