Pump track

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pump track course near Werbach in Germany

A pump track is a specially created Mountainbikestrecke ( Engl. Short track ). The goal is to build speed on the bike without pedaling by pumping the body from the depths.

A pump track is usually made of earth or clay as a circular course . The approximately one meter wide " bike trail " is provided with waves and other elements such as steep bends or jumps. It can be driven in both directions as it is built on flat terrain. Newer variants of pump tracks are designed with hard surface materials such as asphalt or concrete. The solid surface has advantages in terms of maintenance and the diversity of user groups. Asphalt and concrete systems can also be used with skateboards, mini-scooters and even inline skates. Many municipalities are discovering pump tracks as a good way of promoting physical activity.

In order to be able to accelerate a bicycle efficiently by pumping pressure , it requires a specific distance between the individual waves , which represent sine curves, for example, as well as specific curve radii. The difficulty arises from the speed of the driver. A pump track can be ridden with any mountain bike, advanced riders tend to choose small and unsprung mountain bikes.

Pump track Gerlingen

The pump track is intended as a training area and skill center and enables a very playful driving experience.

history

The first pump tracks were created in the USA between the 1970s and 1980s, at the time of the emerging BMX sport. However, these are still to be understood as rudimentary BMX routes.

In 2003, the first pump tracks in the modern sense were created in Australia . These were built by professional downhillers as their training tool . Pump tracks became well known in the media in 2005 with the mountain bike film Earthed 2 , in which professional downhiller Mick Hannah drove a pump track in his garden. At the same time, Steve Wentz , also a professional downhiller, set about building a pump track in the USA. This gave rise to the group around Lee McCormack , which are today considered to be important pioneers in pump track construction. McCormack earned himself a lot of respect in the pump track scene with his guide to building a pump track from 2006.


Pump track Quito

See also

literature

  • Lee McCormack: Welcome To Pump Track Nation - How To Build And Ride The Best Pump Track On Earth - Yours . July 2008, ISBN 0-9745660-1-2 . (English)

Web links

Commons : Pump tracks  - collection of images, videos and audio files