Looking back at 2014.

Well, first up an apology.  When we started this blog it was my intention to post up a bit more regularly than we have managed so far.  But WOW, what a year we have had.  This has been our busiest year yet, we have been all the way to Thurso at the top of Scotland and down to London, well you know where that is.

 In June we had our biggest challenge so far, what we like to call our Tour of Yorkshire.  On the way to East Yorkshire we called in at Witton Park, Blackburn for a Pump Track day before making our way across to Driffield and our home for the week.

Beech View near Nafferton.

We were to be working for East Riding of Yorkshire Council as part of the Cycle 4 Life Challenge.  The seven days were book ended with public events at Bridlington and Goole.

Sewerby Hall.

Bikes for everybody.

During the week, we visited nine schools in the five days.  Luckily they were close together as we only had about two hours to pack everything up, drive to the next school and set up again.  Everybody worked really hard, Tara and Lynsey were in charge of the van which contained the features and bikes whilst Martyn, Elliot and myself were in charge of the Pump Track.

Typical set up.

Improvised bike rack.

Running repairs.

Although hard work, the quick turnover times made us much more efficient and as all the schools were fairly close to where we were staying at least it meant the days weren't too long.  A big thanks goes to the owners of Beech View near Nafferton who couldn't have been more helpful and made us very welcome.  The hot tub was a big hit.

Next big job of the summer was at the Great Yorkshire Show at Harrogate.  The team were in good spirits as some of them were already down in Yorkshire for the start of the Tour de France.  Driving towards Harrogate we got an idea of the scale of the Tours visit, the local car dealers had adverts for camping behind the showroom.  Once we had stocked up on food, the local Sainsburys closes during the show to provide car parking, we had to find our spot on site.  We had already been down to the showground for a couple of events previously but this was something else.  Although the site is 250 acres, it is full to the brim and with access not allowed at the weekend most people were trying to get in and set up at the same time as us.  Our space was on a grassy terrace, next to the marque for the Tri Nations Butchery competition and a Blacksmith on the other side.  With a wall on one side and a steep slope on the other we got some fencing to secure the site and then set about laying out the features.  We had a bit of negotiating to do with organisers of the butchery competition to get as much space as possible, the relatively narrow space didn't give us much scope for different layouts.  So we settled on a nice simple loop with a see saw and skinnies in the middle. 

The Great Yorkshire Show is just over that hedge.

Ready to go.

Testing.

The three days went very smoothly and included our first Royal visit, well almost.  The Countess of Wessex passed through which meant we had a member of her Police escort come over and ask us to clear a path for her.  Maybe next year we can get her on a bike!

It's not just for kids.

Another happy customer.

 One of the other highlights of the year was spending a week in Glasgow during the Commonwealth Games.  We were part of Glasgow Life, an opportunity for local children to try out a variety of activities for free.  Everyday for a week we were at a different leisure centre or school.  Kids could try out activities like table tennis, badminton and gymnastics indoors, whilst we were outside along with the portable climbing wall from Gecko Venture.

 

Fun for all.

As ever we were keen to get everybody on a bike, officials included and we were a big hit with all comers.  

 With all ages and abilities coming along to have a go the features were a good choice, something for everybody and the flexibility to set up in some fairly small sites.

More satisfied customers.

Even Clyde the Games mascot came along to check us out.  

So there you have a few highlights from the last years work.  It's been a busy year and we've been everywhere from Thurso to London and quite a few places inbetween.  Thanks to everybody in the team for your efforts and to everybody that has booked us, hopefully we'll see you all again in 2015.

And we're back.

We've been very busy since our last post.  At the beginning of April we were through in Glasgow at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome for the Scottish Bike Show.

As you can see from the pictures we had been allocated quite a large space, room for the pumptrack and a selection of our features.

We had enough room to put in several see saws which the kids love, as well as rollers, skinnies, limbos and the kicker/table top/ramp combo.  These were set up in a way that gave the participants lots of space and options, it's important that they have the chance to try the easier features first and build their confidence or go round them if needed.  

The team did a fantastic job getting everything set up, we had to use trolleys to bring all the equipment into the arena.  That took us most of the Friday afternoon but with all the rest of the team there on the Saturday morning we got the finishing touches done before the public arrived.  From then on we were very busy for the whole of the weekend, the features were a big hit, especially with the younger ones and the set up enabled us to get more people on bikes then ever before.  We did give some of the younger members of the team some time off to go and meet a local hero.

They were happy to be there, honest.

Whilst some of us were busy at the Scottish Bike Show, other members of the team were busy finishing a pumptrack for London BMX.

This was a slightly different build to normal as they wanted something similar to our original pumptrack but with a bit of versatility and highly portable.  With this in mind Rich and the team used a similar construction to our forest track but in a pumptrack style.

 We supplied them with rollers, kickers, ramps and table tops so they could set the track up as they wanted.

Here you can see the track with rollers and the kicker/table top/ramp combination.

Here you can see it all packed away into their trailer.





The next couple of weeks are going to be really busy, we are in Blackburn on Saturday, then through to East Yorkshire for just over a week.  As well as that we are going to be in Perth and Alloa this weekend and Bolton the following weekend.  Be sure to look on our Website or our Facebook page for upcoming events.  And when we're not on the road we'll be building another pumptrack that has just been ordered.  Exciting times.

Scottish Bike Show

This weekend sees our biggest date of the year so far.  This is the fourth year of the The Scottish Bike Show and the second one to be held at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.  We were at the first one at the SECC and are really looking forward to seeing how it has changed since then.  At the first one we had a Forest Track.

This time we are going to be taking the Pump Track and a selection of our smaller features and using a layout like this.

It's good when going back to an event to be able to do things differently and with a fresh take on things.  The above layout should allow us to get more people on the bikes, offer a more varied experience while still being a lot of fun.

We were at the Velodrome last year at an event for summer holiday activities for school children.  Unfortunately we were unable to see the Velodrome itself so hopefully we'll get the chance to see it up close this time.  We might even manage a spin round it at one of the taster sessions.  Along with the taster sessions there will be interactive workshops, demonstrations, talks by cycling experts, enthusiasts and manufacturers in the SBS theatre throughout the weekend, displays by The Clan and plenty of other things to see and do.  Lots to inspire you to get out on your bike, so hopefully we'll see you there.

First Aid

Just over a week ago I spent the weekend doing an Outdoor Emergency First Aid course with BASP, the British Association of Ski Patrollers.  I have to do this course so that I can work as a Mountain Bike Leader and so you can rest assured that you are in safe hands if you hire us, or are at an event that we are at.  Now that I have done a couple of these courses I firmly believe that it is something I would do regardless of the need to do it for work.

Luckily I have never had to use my first aid skills in a serious situation but it is comforting to know that I have the skills if needed.  And they're not just for bike related injuries, we are as just as likely to use these important skills in everyday situations.  One of things that was stressed to us was the importance of not being afraid to use First Aid if required even if the thought of it might be quite daunting.  Being able to put somebody into the recovery position is a fairly straightforward task but one which saves lives.

So if it is something you are considering doing, what are you waiting for?  And if you've never thought about it before I hope this makes you think about doing one soon.

Hello and a big welcome to the Bike Track People.

We are a small company based in Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders, which is about 25 miles south of Edinburgh and in the heart of some of the best mountain biking terrain in the UK.  We design, build, develop and hire bike tracks and features of all shapes, types and sizes.  This might be the hire of a portable pump or timber track, the design and build of individual features for your school or club or the complete design and build of a pump track or timber track or trail for you.

Features.

Forest Track.

Pump track.

 Bike Track People was started by Ben and Rich after Ben came back from a year in British Columbia at Whistler and the Sunshine Coast and had the idea of building a wooden pump track.  Using Rich's skills as an engineer, Ben's experiences in Canada, a load of timber and a bit of trial and error, the first pump track was born.  Since then the design has been refined and we have produced tracks for other people.  The first pump track garnered a lot of attention and was soon being transported around the country to events and schools.  It was at this time that I joined the team, helping to pass on our enthusiasm for riding bikes as well as the skills needed to successfully ride the track.
  Over the coming weeks we'll be looking to give you a better idea of what a pump track is and how to ride one, more information on our other products and upcoming events that we'll be appearing at.

Steven.