Pump track
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A pump track is a purpose-built track for cycling. It has a circuit of rollers,[a] banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by riders "pumping"—generating momentum by up and down body movements, instead of pedaling or pushing.[1] It was originally designed for the mountain bike and BMX scene, and now, due to concrete and/or asphalt constructions, is also used for skateboarding, and accessible to wheelchairs. Pump tracks are relatively simple to use and cheap to construct, and cater to a wide variety of rider skill levels.
Skateparks experienced a boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, most of them were designed to be used by experienced or professional riders, and thus resulted in some injuries.[2] The first new era pump track in the United States was built in 2004 at The Fix Bike Shop in Boulder, Colorado, by professional downhill bicyclist Steve Wentz.[3]
Track design
Most pump tracks link a series of rollers to steeply bermed corners that bring the riders back around.[3] At first they were built mostly out of dirt, and later concrete or asphalt. Paved pump tracks also have the advantage that they can be ridden by skateboarders, in-line skaters, and foot-powered scooters.[4] The size can vary from 50 m2 to over 8000 m2.[citation needed]
Bikes
Since momentum, or speed, is gained by the rider pumping, such as on the down-slope of each roller, the best bikes to use have no suspension, which would absorb useful energy.[5] Bikes usually have a rigid frame, such as BMX-style bikes, which most efficiently convert the rider's motions into forward thrust. Some bikes have been designed which are custom built for a pump track, with features such as an offset crank, which stabilizes the pedals, and lowers the rider's center of gravity.[5]
