sk8 park riding...on a DH bike?!!?!

[Buck]

Hey guys,
What's up this past weekend I found the sk8 park in Superior, damn was it fun learning how to ride park, I can ride everything but the spine and the mini ramp(I just can;t boost above the coping) Anyway here are some pics captured from video from Duluth and the Sk8 Park. I kinda wish I had pics from yesterday, b/c I'm way more comfortable on all that stuff now and I was boostin the 1/4 pipe huge!!! hmmm, maybe this will make it to the MORC vid contest????
L8R
Buck

[Standard]

Nice man! I think we're gonna have a few people up in lutsen the 24th-26th, interested in joining?

[Buck]

Hey Mike,
I don't think I have ever met you(???) but I have already been in contact with Tracy, I will be riding with you guys...hopefully you guys decide to stop and rip either Spirit or the sk8 park both of which are good for a couple hours of fun! And i can bust out the cam.
L8R
Buck

[manual63]

I rode the skatepark in Aspen, CO on my P.2. It was fun, but I would rather ride my Freestyle bike. The Tri-City Skatepark accross the street from my house is also much better to ride on a freestyle bike. It must be a wheel size and wheelbase thing. I guess if I am just going for air, not big deal, but for tech, freestyle bikes are much better.

Nice pics.....

[crashnburn]

I'm pretty confident that it doesn't matter what kind of bike I'm riding. I just suck at skate park riding...

[manual63]

I'm pretty confident that it doesn't matter what kind of bike I'm riding. I just suck at skate park riding...
More reason to ride parks more then.....always fun to learn new stuff. Just start of small and work your way up.......FUN...FUN....:)

[noise_is_life]

I rode the skate park in Salida, CO on my XC Hardtail, it was interesting.

[Buck]

Yeah b/c of college I am limited to my DH bike don;t have the funds for other bikes right now, I am lucky though in that I run 24s, which does help, and I can flick that bike around just fine, I just have no idea what I am doing, and with no one to watch, it is a "just go for it" learning method, all though it has made some pain, it has been a blast learning!!! Yeah I saw that park at Vail this summer, they said we couldn't ride in it??? did you poach??? I would have if they weren't standing right there!

L8R
Buck

[Summerinside]

For those "south minneapolis" types here, they're currently underway building a new skatepark in Seward. It's in Bracket park and I literally walk by every day to see how it's comming along (this week they started pouring concrete). It's a free park that I've heard will allow bikes :scream: so let the good times roll.


(I'm going to love living a block away from a halfpipe)

[nigel]

For those "south minneapolis" types here, they're currently underway building a new skatepark in Seward. It's in Bracket park and I literally walk by every day to see how it's comming along (this week they started pouring concrete). It's a free park that I've heard will allow bikes :scream: so let the good times roll.


(I'm going to love living a block away from a halfpipe)
HRmmm a block away......your real close to me!

[Trevize1138]

For those "south minneapolis" types here, they're currently underway building a new skatepark in Seward. It's in Bracket park and I literally walk by every day to see how it's comming along (this week they started pouring concrete). It's a free park that I've heard will allow bikes :scream: so let the good times roll.


(I'm going to love living a block away from a halfpipe)
A concrete halfpipe? Is that similar to the halfpipes on the snowboard hill but made of concrete or something? :crazy:

[Summerinside]

Doug - I think I am pretty close to you... you're just down in Longfellow right? I'm up on the corner of 29th St and 38th Ave. We should get together and bike it up some night (and I'm meaning to come to the MORC maintainance course here at some point...)

As far as the ramps, I cant tell yet if it's going to be concrete or skatelite. They've only poured the sidewalks and some "curbing" around the area but there was a fairly deep hole dug the other day into which they were building a drain into the bottom of. It'd be rad if they were building a concrete park like the YMCA down by southdale - that one's huge, but my guess is that it'll probably be a collection of wooden ramps covered in skatelite (like masonite but weatherproof and $30 a sheet).

[crashnburn]

More reason to ride parks more then.....always fun to learn new stuff. Just start of small and work your way up.......FUN...FUN....:)
Preaching to the choir... I found a little one about a 5 minute ride from my house, been there about every other day. It's always empty though (bike wise), so I haven't had anyone to watch.

Although, from what I gather, I ride up the quarterpipe, turn and then go down again ;)

[Kingbozo]

Yeah I saw that park at Vail this summer, they said we couldn't ride in it??? did you poach??? I would have if they weren't standing right there!



Are you talking about the one on the top level of the parking ramp?

[Buck]

yeah actually I am
L8R
Buck

[Buck]

Heck yeah, I learned one handers, and a bar hop variation today, damn was it fun!!!! yeeehaaawww!!!!
L8R
Buck

[crashnburn]

This is sort of a dumb question, but how do ride a quarter pipe correctly? Any suggestions on good ways to start? Even when I try to ride up and just turn, I still crash. There's no bikers that go to the park by my house, so I don't have anyone to watch....

Seems like it should be a simple concept or at least similar to riding it while skiing, ride up, pop a bit at the lip, look over the shoulder and ride down, but it doesn't seem to be happening like that... When I ride up, where should my weight be?

I feel like I'm going to go flying out of the park when I hit it, so is my weight to far forward? I'm not sure how many times I can crash in front of 8 year old skaters and still retain my dignity... Thanks.

[Buck]

ok, hmmm, here is what I am thinking right now...ok, you want to boost the lip, then do the whole look over the shoulder, but you have to lead the bike into it also, turn the bars, table top, do something to get the bike turning. I guess I never had a problem doing them, I just did it??? But that is kinda what I do, I try to bust the biggest table top I can for style, but that seems to make me turn automatically...oh and make sure you don't hit the ramp head on, you kinda want to hit it at an angle to the direction you are turning... hope that all works...Then you should be golden, you still on for next Friday???

L8R
Buck

[manual63]

For those "south minneapolis" types here, they're currently underway building a new skatepark in Seward. It's in Bracket park and I literally walk by every day to see how it's comming along (this week they started pouring concrete). It's a free park that I've heard will allow bikes :scream: so let the good times roll.


(I'm going to love living a block away from a halfpipe)

Sweet!!

Another concrete bowl!!

They are coming back. How can I get older.....it's not gonna happen.....I won't let it......:)

[manual63]

This is sort of a dumb question, but how do ride a quarter pipe correctly? Any suggestions on good ways to start? Even when I try to ride up and just turn, I still crash. There's no bikers that go to the park by my house, so I don't have anyone to watch....

Seems like it should be a simple concept or at least similar to riding it while skiing, ride up, pop a bit at the lip, look over the shoulder and ride down, but it doesn't seem to be happening like that... When I ride up, where should my weight be?

I feel like I'm going to go flying out of the park when I hit it, so is my weight to far forward? I'm not sure how many times I can crash in front of 8 year old skaters and still retain my dignity... Thanks.

Start out slow at first. Ride up to the ramp starting at one side, whichever way you carve (for me it would be the right side), then go only about 1/3 the way up and turn as you go so you will come back down going forward. You don't get any air, just ride up and then back down doing a big carve. Once you feel comfortable, go a little higher up the ramp, like 1/2 way, and then come back down. Keep going higher as you feel more comfortable. Once you get past 1/2 way, you will start to feel lighter on the ramp because you will be getting closer to vertical. Now you can start pumping. Pumping is hard to explain and it's totally a feel thing. You just bend your arms and knees as you go into the transition and then as you come down you can push you arms and legs out to gain speed. Watch a skateboarder and see how they keep up their momentum by pumping the transitions. Once you get the ability to carve around the ramps, now you can try going for some air and less of a carve (turn on the ramp). You don't need to be above coping to start getting air. All you have to do is slightly bunnyhop when you are at the highest point in your carve. You will feel that it is super easy to do because you are almost weightless.......so don't bunnyhop hard. Now try to do less of a carve, but at the peak of your air, try to rotate a little. It just takes some practice and feel to get it. It helps to know how to do good bunnyhops and even flat 180's, but it's not required.

Have fun...... Oh.....and for this....wear a helmet! I do swear by helmets when riding a skatepark. Yes, I have slammed on my head hard a few times and was glad to have the Tard Lid on my Dome.......:)

[crashnburn]

Have fun...... Oh.....and for this....wear a helmet! I do swear by helmets when riding a skatepark. Yes, I have slammed on my head hard a few times and was glad to have the Tard Lid on my Dome.......:)
Yeah, helmet is must must, especially when you have, uh... special skills like me.... Thanks for the advice.