Mountain bikers and BMX riders of all ages are flocking to parks to practice their skills on purpose-built rollers and berms.
By Ben Lilly
Editor’s note: Legend has it that the bicycle pump track was born when BMX riders started crashing skateboard parks. Purpose-built pump tracks, designed as much for mountain-bikers as BMX riders, started appearing in the early 2000s and really took off about a decade ago, with some of the first and best being built over the hill in Santa Cruz. (Read about the “pump track boom” here.) There are a handful in Silicon Valley now, with more on the way.
September 10, 2024—This just might be a new reason for you to get pumped about biking. We’re talking about pump tracks, the all-level-friendly urban bike park that you may or may not have noticed multiplying in recent years. Not only are pump tracks adding a new feature to the landscape of our coastside cities – they’re giving folks a new way to get out on the bike close to home. Here’s what you need to know about the phenomenon that’s got everybody pumping their wheels.
What is a pump track? Think a skate park, but made for mountain bikes (and smaller bikes made for dirt, a la BMX bikes). Sound daunting? Look closer, and you’ll see that unlike the vertical half-pipe features of skate and classic BMX parks, pump tracks are centered around berms (curves) and rollers (bumps or tiny hills) that just about anyone can traverse—though these landscapes are also a playground for those who practice tricks and stunts. Some pump tracks are paved, in which case they can be shared with other wheeling athletes like skaters and rollerbladers. Others are dirt—you could conceivably make a pump track yourself with nothing more than an empty lot and a shovel.
How do you use a pump track? And what does it have to do with this special motion, “pumping”? The central idea behind pump tracks is that you can get around the circuit without pedaling. Instead, you start the top of one of the rollers, grab a first burst of speed, and then rely on a movement skaters have been familiar with for decades: pumping your center of gravity up and down on each roller, thus super-powering each descent and generating enough kinetic energy to travel around the track. (Think of the motion you make to get moving on a swing set when no one is pushing you).
Perfecting this style of movement alone is an addictive way to spend a day on the track. But of course, there are myriad other ways to use a pump track. The main one is practicing mountain biking skills. Catch air on the bumps, practice the way you absorb shock as you barrel over the jumps, and practice taking turns higher and higher on the berms. For those who have trouble getting up to the trails on busy days but want more mountain biking in their lives than just that one free Saturday a week, a nearby pump track is a game changer.
Pump tracks have also been gaining popularity as family-friendly destinations. City parks often aren’t so bike-friendly, yet concerns about traffic safety have been rising since the pandemic. The result? Families are taking to pump tracks as a place to bike with kids who aren’t old enough yet to interact with the rules of the road.
Convinced yet? Scroll below to find the closest address where you can check a pump track out (all these options are free). Happy pumping!
Lake Cunningham Action Sports Park: This long-anticipated community facility opened in early 2024. The $10 daily entrance fee (this is the only option listed here that’s not free) gets you access to a skate park, a dirt BMX circuit and a pump track, plus a pro shop with food, drinks and—the best part—rentals. Want to bring a friend or two to try mountain biking out? You’re not going to match this park’s $10/day price—a way that with the opening of this new park, the city of San Jose is helping make cycling more accessible. Note that parking is an additional $6. (2305 White Road, San Jose)
Calabazas Park: This dirt BMX and pump track on the West Side features a variety of topography and it’s a popular spot for kids. (6852 Rainbow Drive, San Jose)
Flood Park Pump Track: This asphalt pump track features beautifully designed contours, all winding beneath shady redwoods. (215 Bay Road, Menlo Park). This park has an amazing backstory about community kids helping make the park a reality that you can learn about in this OpenRoad episode (watch embedded video below). Note that as of this writing there is some construction at the park, but the pump track is generally accessible.
Quarry Park Pump Track: This track came about when a nearby guerrilla-built park was threatened, and a confrontation between local moms and the County of San Mateo led to a collaboration between the Parks Department and the local mountain biking community. One square-acre area of circuit of rollers and banked turns features a beginner/intermediate track, an intermediate/advanced track, and a perimeter skill-building track. (1195 Columbus St, El Granada)
Bonus: Pump tracks are flourishing over the hill in Santa Cruz. Follow this link to see Hilltromper’s list of pump tracks in Santa Cruz County.
Before you go pump it up on one of these tracks, get pumped with more great articles and events by becoming a Hilltromper today (free e-newsletter).
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