West Wallsend Freeride track

bj4x4

bj4x4

Likes Dirt
sammydog said:
The sticks in that ramp will rot and you will wish in the medium to ling term that you used dirt instead (or rock in place of the dirt).

I know its private property, but cutting down or using live trees is pretty poor form.
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Most of the trees used were dead ones that i had found or i think there were a few tea-tress and paper bark trees that were in the middle of the track that i moved and latter on i have plans on doing some replanting in some spots to stop erosion. All the sticks that were used in the ramp were found on the ground, None of them were cut off trees. I'm not really worried about it rotting because even if it lasts 2 or 3 years I'll probably be sick of it by then and we'll just build something else.
 
bj4x4

bj4x4

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FINX74 said:
Dude,
I know this sounds harsh but that double has got DEATH written all over it....... Sammydog is right that timber underneath only 6 barrows of dirt will rot but you won't know until you are landing on it. If you use rock and dirt not only is it safer but you won't spend as much time maintaining it. Same goes for the kicker on the double and if your going to use star pickets sink them further, so there is no impailing factor..... And if you haven't thought of it yet that lander for the ladder drop needs a brace laterally, along the bottom ( to form a triangle ) otherwise it will fold flat like a pack of cards. The ladder drop itself looks great.
Not to diss you buddy but if you are going to put in the hard yards and build the big stuff do a little bit more research on here or in the IMBA books and create something worth slogging your guts out for - that once you've done it right you can ride it for good with just a little maintenance.
Something I have learnt tracks will always need something done to them no matter where they are our how they've been built.... the better the build the less you have to do in the long term. Good luck with it .
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The star pickets are in as far as they'll go, Looking at the picture it sorta looks like one of the star pickets is sticking way out, but there both below the tin so there's no chance of getting impaled. I'v braced one of the sides of the pallet but i ran out of screws so i couldn't do the other side. In the down ramp there's three massive rocks in there, So there's not as many sticks in there as it looks in the picture. I would have liked to build it out of dirt but if i dig more than 20cm down i just hit rock.
This is my first time building any of this sorta stuff and i have pretty much no money to spend on it, so its pretty much trial and error for me.
 
S

sammydog

NSWMTB, Hunter MTB Association
james1 said:
what is wrong with cutting down tree's for use on tracks? I know its bad for the environment but it would be the same thing as buying from the hardware but just without the price?? sorry if im missing somthing.
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Whats wrong with live trees.......

well you nailed it with its bad for the environment. Add to that land managers actually view rotorburn and seeing photos with construction like that paints a pretty bad picture. For those trying to secure legal trails (yes I know this is on private property) things like this do pop up as a reason land managers don't want trails. Long term if we are looking at the trail, that timber in the photos won't be there for the long haul.

Cutting down trees ism not even close to buying from the hardware store, that wood isn't randomly cut down. Its pulled from plantations for the sole purpose of providing timber.
 
FINX74

FINX74

Likes Dirt
bj4x4 said:
The star pickets are in as far as they'll go, Looking at the picture it sorta looks like one of the star pickets is sticking way out, but there both below the tin so there's no chance of getting impaled. I'v braced one of the sides of the pallet but i ran out of screws so i couldn't do the other side. In the down ramp there's three massive rocks in there, So there's not as many sticks in there as it looks in the picture. I would have liked to build it out of dirt but if i dig more than 20cm down i just hit rock.
This is my first time building any of this sorta stuff and i have pretty much no money to spend on it, so its pretty much trial and error for me.
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Mate - it's good you are out doing something and if it is your first time that's great. MTB is taking off practically everywhere in the world and is rapidly evolving - like I said, before you slog it out - take on some more research - have a look around the area and the forums, what works well and what doesn't or what others have done in similar soil types or lack of soil.... "your right" with the trial and error but a pile of sticks covered in dirt is not wrong but there is bettter ways. Like Sammydog has said - It is not only MTBer's on this forum, there are plenty of land managers using it too.
Nutting out the problems you face makes it all the worth while and you will come up with a solution. I am sorry if I came across in your face it sounds like the photo's don't do it justice.
Look forward to seeing some action shots of it soon.
 
S

sammydog

NSWMTB, Hunter MTB Association
I've seen people prosecuted in NSW for it. But that's not my concern. At a couple of trees you are probably not in any need to worry about prosecution, unless you go cutting down the wrong type of vegetation.

As far as trail building goes, cutting trees down is a very poor technique and form, as is bolting or nailing into trees. The wood doesn't last, its not good for the environment and it looks shit. Private property or not, land managers (Council's, NPWS and State Forests) see threads like this and it paints a very bad picture of what we are about. Suagarloaf is on the edge of a newly created National Park Conservation area, so if they were to search that term on here, this would be shoved in their face. People complain we don't have legal trails like this....well this is an example of one of the reasons we wont get them.

If your going to build structures like that, build it properly and use decent timber and construction techniques. Built well, and there are a lot of examples around, and this sort of stuff can look great, ride even better and last for ever. The stuff in the pictures won't be here long.
 
T

Tombstone

Likes Bikes
camo114 said:
does it really matter if you chop trees down on private property?
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Native veg: Too right it does!

Introduced Veg (pine trees etc): Whatever, get rid of it

We of dubious white bread heritage have managed to completely f**k this country in less than 200 years...crazy, and we should be trying our asses off to preserve what little is left (that is, there is now only 2% of the original vegetation left before said white bread convicts got here - have a think about that...2%...what have we done...seriously that's fucked up).

Big old trees in particular are home for many cool animals like owls, gliders, bats etc. Understorey bush (like waist-head high stuff) is vital for birds and insects, without it you lose heaps of wildlife.

Also, for any other Mexicans reading this, if a tree / veg is over 10 years in age it is covered by the native vegetation framework which means you need to get a permit from DSE if you want to remove it. We always whinge when an old church etc is getting torn down, and I reckon that by removing native vegetation you're effectively removing your own country's natural heritage.

Also, don't go nailing random shit into trees either, especially gal nails / screws, it kills them! Do what I do, go buy treated pine posts and palings from the local timber mill for $12- a pop, they're treated (termites won't destroy your shore handiwork in under a year), they're straight, super easy to work with, they last forever and like Sam said, it's from a renewable resource (i.e, they grow it to be used instead of chopping the shite outta our own increasingly rare native forests) so we should be supporting that and using renewables wherever possible.
 
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bj4x4

bj4x4

Likes Dirt
lol, i've been meaning to do that, but keep forgetting the tin snips :rolleyes: I can't remember if i've mentioned this before but all this is built on private property, Also none of the trees were alive when i cut them down. I would love to be using treated pine to build with but being 16 and without a job its abit hard to get the $$$ to buy it all. BTW i'll change the name of the thread.
 
T

Tombstone

Likes Bikes
bj4x4 said:
lol, i've been meaning to do that, but keep forgetting the tin snips :rolleyes: I can't remember if i've mentioned this before but all this is built on private property, Also none of the trees were alive when i cut them down. I would love to be using treated pine to build with but being 16 and without a job its abit hard to get the $$$ to buy it all. BTW i'll change the name of the thread.
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Yeah I hear ya, it's reasonably exxy (even with a full time job!), but heaps better! I've used hardwood stakes to hold in kickers before, they work well, but the white ants love em so they don't last too long, hence my move to TP posts. I have thought about using steel pickets as you have but have hideous thoughts of impalement if I wash a front wheel on the booter...I know it's prob never gonna happen but it's the psychological side of it that does my head in!
 
bj4x4

bj4x4

Likes Dirt
my bikes out of action ATM so action pics might be a while yet:( prob get up there friday arvo to do abit of cleaning
 
bj4x4

bj4x4

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C

crimrides

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"Cutting down trees ism not even close to buying from the hardware store, that wood isn't randomly cut down. Its pulled from plantations for the sole purpose of providing timber."

The wood that has been pulled from plantations is planted on land that has been cleared. What was once on that land was native flora and fauna, instead what you get is soft pine that has been grown with so many fertilisers that in the long run, nothing but pine can grow their. This rapes our native habitat. This has happened to the point that South Africa has more Eucalyptas trees than Australia. Of any sort. Eucalyptas trees are native to Australia, not South Africa. We have destroyed so many of our native forests for plantations this has happened. If you want to talk about being environmentally friendly in the long run, one or two trees from the forest is better than plantation wood.
cheers, cus this really gets my goat.
 
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