El Gringo

32 minutes ago, cxagent said:

I have a fair amount of 2x4's if you need some. PM me if you need some. I can even deliver given some advance notice and a drop off location.

Thank you so much! If we're able to meet up, I'd be happy to give you a tour of place. PM sent.

17 minutes ago, Yosmithy said:

Thanks so much for all your work out there!

Is there anyone in particular from the church that we can reach out to thank for their generosity to the MTB community?

 

Thanks again!

 

 

Pastor Paul Kemp and Executive Pastor David Keefe. They have been very generous and supportive in making this possible. You can find their email here: https://christ-church.com/about/our-team/

Thanks for reaching out to them in showing our gratitude. As you know, land access is our primary requirement for trail - especially in a city as crowded as City Park!

4 minutes ago, RedRider3141 said:

sub'd to get notified on when the updated Waivers are available. 

Curious as to the entrances. This weekend, I accessed it through a previously closed gate on the East'ish corner of the property. This is technically from SN but not the Northern entrance at the bottom of the jump lines. Is this ok?

Honestly, I'm not sure I'm familiar with that gate. The best guidance I can give is to just respect any "No Trespassing" signs.

Great question! One waiver covers all locations, but because this is a new location, we are updating the waiver for the new location so yes, a new waiver will be required. Sorry for the inconvenience. I will post here when the new waiver is updated.

2 hours ago, RedRider3141 said:

Did we ever settle on a name for this? I reference Boat Launch in another thread because I forgot all of the previously submitted names. @El Gringo, I think I saw you and your wife working on an impressive jump this weekend. Thanks for all of the work you've already put it. I enjoyed exploring a new area in my backyard, even if most of it is overground 2-track, it's still fun!

Thanks! Yes, that was us. I posted a reply about 30 min. ago, but I guess it didn't go through. The time has come to set up a new thread - info will be posted/questions answered here: FREERIDE512 @ Christ Church Cedar Park.

FREERIDE512 is coming to Cedar Park! Christ Church of Cedar Park has graciously given us permission to build freeride mountain bike trails on their land. We've kept the effort quiet while we ramp-up, but word is getting out.

Waivers are required to ride on the land (available at www.FREERIDE512.com at the top right of the nav-bar on the home page) but unlike our other parks, FR512 membership is NOT required because Christ Church wanted this to be free to riders. That being said, we (FR512) appreciate your membership, as that's how we fund resources to build trails. But again, membership is NOT required and we're just happy to have something new for y'all to ride! 

The trails/features are currently under construction, so exercise caution if you ride out there. We're at a point where we could use extra hands to expedite trail development. If you're interested in digging/building, please PM me or shoot us an email at FREERIDE512@mail.com (waivers are also required for work). We could also use hook-ups for wood and if any of you has access to machines, particularly mini excavators (the ground is very rocky, but we can run skid steers in some areas) please let us know!

Also, for those of you who have seen the features, we will (as at FR512 @ RHR) have smaller features. We focus on building progressive lines intended to build rider skills in a challenging and fun environment.

Christ Church is located at 201 Church Park Rd, Cedar Park, TX 78613 and the trails are accessible via the jeep road across from the fire station on Church Park Rd. About 50 yards in, you will see single-track to the right, which leads down to the jump line (Genesis) which is currently under construction. The park is also accessible from The Peddler Bike Shop via Suburban Ninja. The Peddler has a map in their shop.

We look forward to seeing you out there!

-The crew at FREERIDE512

Ugh.  October has been really bad.  I can't count the number of times I've ridden A-Line - the knowledge of risk is always there.  I've had my fair share of broken bones, but honestly, we rarely think about the possibility of death.  Hate to see this happen to a fellow rider:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/mountain-biker-dies-following-a-line-crash.html

So - I've been out of the country, but will be back Saturday night.  The trails being built by us will not have buildings put on them.  The trails linking Christ Church to the Peddler and SN have taken into consideration future development and have been planned so as to avoid/minimize any impact.  When I get back, we'll step up building and (sometime soon) organize a ride to give tour of the network.

Stay tuned...

3 hours ago, circuitbreaker said:

Regarding Gilligan's Playground, not sure if it helps, but here's our ride from a few weeks ago. Seemed like we found most of what's out there, but i don't remember seeing a boat.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2736283130

I really liked the jump line, found it much more approachable than the one behind peddlers.

Glad to hear! We have more elevation to work with at the church and were able to space the jumps further apart to give the rider more time to set up for each jump.  We usually try to space them at 20'-22' apart to give you time to throw in a peddle or two and set up, though admittedly, you do have to work to clear the jumps.  They will get faster as they get ridden in, but as mentioned earlier, we may put in wood lips to make them faster.

The jumps we put in at Peddler are closer together and thus, a bit more technical because we had less elevation/speed to work with. But once you get used to that, you'll be fine.

1 hour ago, Tree Magnet said:

 

Gringo - we need a name for all this new trail you and your crew (Mrs.) are putting in out there. I don’t think of it as SN and it’s not really part of the clover leaf looking loops by Peddlers. Maybe some sort of nautical theme thanks to the sweet boat? You don’t have to name every feature (despite the precedent) but we need a name to call the general area so we can talk about it.


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The trail that begins at the jeep road by the fire station and ends with the jump line is named Genesis. We have yet to name the drop zone we're working on (Leap of Faith is a contender, but may be reserved for larger drops planned in the future) and the trail that leads into it. We do have a mini slope-style line named Jonah and the Whale that will have a whale-tail feature similar to the one on Sling-shot at Rocky Hill. The entire network is simply, Christ-Church Trails. The trails by the boat are not (I don't think) technically on church land (nor were they our work). I am, however, trying to figure out if that boat was abandoned - we'd love to turn it into an on-off feature, potentially on Jonah and the Whale.

My wife and I were working on the jump line yesterday. We buffed-out and de-rocked the berms, built-up the step down and shaped the lips on the 1st and 2d jumps at the bottom. Did several runs and, while they can be cleared, speed is an issue. We're going to make the transition on the step-down steeper and as the trails gets ridden in, it should get faster. However, we're not working with the best dirt. As such, we're considering installing wood lips, similar to what we've done at Rocky Hill.

Question: This line was intended to be lower intermediate level. I don't want to out anyone, but for you riders out there who are not currently skilled at jumping: Would wood lips intimidate you from riding the line, even if they are rollable (i.e., a dirt table right up to the end of the lip)?

2 hours ago, olddbrider said:

Never mind, I retract the question...  I've never seen this thread go silent for 4 days.

Ha!  No worries at all.  The intent is that the trails will be open to the public - some of them are just not ready for prime time.  Also, I'm not sure I can adequately explain how to ride over there.  Currently, if you're dropping in from the Peddler to SN, right after you cross the second ladder bridge (the one by where the fence stops) you pull off the trail where the fence stops and take the new single track to the left.  From there, it's a mix of jeep road and single track that winds toward the church.  There is a map posted at the Peddler, but I'm not sure it includes the new stuff.  The trails coming from SN are very new and a bit rough, so riders are welcome to help bed it in.  As mentioned earlier, we're in the early phases, so we will be adding more and more features.  As to the trails at the church, just keep in mind that they are a work in progress and need refinement, so ride with caution - however, more tires on the dirt will help pack it in and get running better faster.  As Cafeend said, this will likely take a bit of searching, but once you put it together, it's pretty easy to figure out.

24 minutes ago, McRibs said:

oh shit! that is Dale's stuff he was building. he is back from whistler so he is prolly working on it. Supposed to have a drop zone and tie into Suburban Ninja. did not know it had been done. that is the fire station in Ranch at Brushy Creek and the trails are built on the church's land with its blessing (pun intended). Maybe I go check it out today!

Wow.  I did not know this was going to hit the forums yet.  Yes, we cut in some trail before we went to Whistler for the summer.  The trails are still rough and need work so if you ride, ride appropriately.  Christ Church gave us (FR512) permission to build on their land and we will be adding much more (when it gets cooler - still haven't acclimated back to TX heat).  In the meantime, if you ride there, please be respectful, don't ride/park in the parking lot.  Enter either from Suburban Ninja or by the fire station.  Having trails there is new for them and we want this to be a positive experience for them.  We're still figuring out logistics.  As it grows and we get more features in, we will be doing skills clinics and possibly Wednesday Night Rides with the Peddler.  We have already had machines out there, but we would like to do much more.  If there's interest, we will set up a Go Fund Me to accelerate our building and perhaps organize some dig days if anyone wants to pitch in and help.  There is a lot of potential out there and we're excited to have progressive park-type trails so close to BC.  BIG THANKS to Christ Church for making this available.

29 minutes ago, Anita Handle said:

Regarding that insurance, they say they've covered 8000 adventure days. At 10 bucks a day, that's only $80,000 to cover all that risk. Estimated, of course. That won't pay for very many broken arms, once you subtract operating costs and such.

They're not carrying any risk.  This is re-packaged accident insurance.  It covers any accident (falling off your roof, etc.):

"Buddy’s accident insurance is provided through National Specialty Insurance Company and State National Insurance Company, Inc., A.M. Best "A" Excellent Rated insurers, and is reinsured by Lloyd’s of London."

On an annual basis, they're at a 56% premium to a gold plan through United Health Care.  On a daily basis, they're at a 700% premium.  Not a bad idea, actually.

I'm kind of confused here . . . This type of insurance has been available for years.  I usually use it for going to Canada, just avoid any complications with the "awesome" healthcare system there (they will not treat you w/o a credit card up front - I've had more than one friend who's had to travel back to the US with broken bones to get treated - in one case, they wanted to run $30K up front and his card limit wasn't even that high).  Maybe just a new approach on marketing, but this stuff has been around for years. 

2 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

About half of the people moving to the Austin area are moving from other parts of Texas.  Californians are a tiny minority of people who have moved here in the past decade or so. It's a fun stereotype, but the idea that "Californians are invading Austin" is fake news bullshit that placates the Fox news know-nothing narative. Give it up.

Ha!  Check your facts, dude.  My wife's a real estate agent, and the VAST majority of her clientele are relocating here from CA (particularly NoCal), IL, NY, and NJ.  I moved here with my ex-wife (NoCal) and met my current wife (from Santa Barbara) here, and her brother moved here from Santa Ynez.  The very first cul-de-sac I moved into (2005) had 7 houses:  3 occupied by Cali ex-pats, 1 from NY, 1 from from OH, and 2 from TX.    I couldn't care less about your politics or where you get your news from, but get real with yourself:  It's not a narrative (and yes, that's how you spell it), it's a fact.  Let me Google it for you . . .

Where is this new trail?

You've got it, man - I turned in 31 laps the year World Cup was the course for Final Descent (though a few of those were recovery laps on Diesel).  THAT is why I couldn't care less if I ever see that trail again.  You'll have an advantage with the race being in June.  Final Descent was in October, so the last 2 hours or so were at night.  Pretty sketchy.

Yep, they're out.  Was digging trail today and nearly stepped on this guy:

Jumps are G2G.

2 minutes ago, Barry said:

When I came through there yesterday I was surprised that it didn't look closed at all... especially with the fresh tracks through it. Maybe some caution tape next time?

We stacked logs neatly and horizontally across the entry.  If that doesn't stop stupidity, I doubt caution tape will.

And to make matters worse, whoever the probable Barney was dragged their brakes into the first jump and rutted it out.  Seriously - get clue.

On 4/9/2019 at 10:47 PM, El Gringo said:

As to Suburban Ninja, PLEASE stay off the jump line at the top.  We were doing maintenance/revisions on Sunday.  The step down is dope now, but the second jump is still under revision.  We're making it lippy-er to give better flow, but I had to bail and am now in Australia.  My son and wife should fix it within the next couple days, but please respect the closure in the meantime.  Thanks!

And...someone moved the logs to roll through.  Context clues, people.

We only did the jump line.  Kudos go to Peddler and others for the other stuff.  Good stuff going on out there.  BTW, make sure you show Peddler love - AJ is really involved in making things happen - and you can enjoy good beer while you shop/get your bike worked on.

4 minutes ago, GreenMTBrider said:

99% certain it’ll be good to go. Even Peddlers was rideable yesterday and given the warm temps and sun today the remaining tacky spots should dry out quickly. 

As to Suburban Ninja, PLEASE stay off the jump line at the top.  We were doing maintenance/revisions on Sunday.  The step down is dope now, but the second jump is still under revision.  We're making it lippy-er to give better flow, but I had to bail and am now in Australia.  My son and wife should fix it within the next couple days, but please respect the closure in the meantime.  Thanks!