80s style track for south region??

[SEARLE]

just thought it would be interesting to have an 80s style track as part of the south reginals next year? i know mk is meant to be old school,but its still not as flat as a proper 80s track.low jumps,all dirt berms etc.....(and would be kept that way)would give someone who is wanting to race again,a good introduction back to the sport.some of the modern tracks can be very daunting,if you starting out again.and could be used as an old school venue.  

[dialledbikes]

Mark, I assume your wife has given birth and therefore sleep deprivation has temporarily taken leave of your senses 

An 80's style track in 09/2010 would just be a waste of dirt.  New school tracks all the way!

[moley]

I do see his point though!!

A lot of tracks these days are very pumpy with hardly any pedalling apart from the odd crank between jumps

It would be interesting to see a good track that you have to pedal over.

On most tracks apart from the start straight and the odd couple of cranks coming out of berms, I can hardly get a crank in.

And when I do, I'm usually not quick enough to set up for the next jump so I end up wobbly!!

But the yoof today would get bored quickly with a pedalling track.

[dialledbikes]

Dagenham and Hayes are both pedally tracks.  Bournemouth and Gosport as well, to a lesser extent.

I would probably do better on pedally tracks as I have quite strong legs, but I want tracks that encourage jumping more than pedalling.

[moley]

...........but I want tracks that encourage jumping more than pedalling.

If only I could jump!! 

[dialledbikes]

Same here!  Except on my 4X bike.  I can send that!

[tony williams]

well the only good thing about 80s tracks is it suits power rides ..
as for building one im with mike new school tracks all the way i enjoyed chedder so much and i hated it the 1st time i saw it , just hope to be a little more on it next year
tony

[moley]

Cheddar was a hard track but if it was your local track then you'd dial it in easily enough!!

[SEARLE]

Mark, I assume your wife has given birth and therefore sleep deprivation has temporarily taken leave of your senses 

An 80's style track in 09/2010 would just be a waste of dirt.  New school tracks all the way!

mike,yes ive sleep deprivation! from my new daughter! but dont you remember how good it was hitting every straight at full speed,not having to worry about when to manual,and where to pump,or if your going to clear the 4 lots of doubles....in one straight!!

[Twatty]

Got to disagree MArk. Todays tracks are what I would have loved in the 80's, (although they would have been a bit smallaer no doubt). I remember Bournmouth even had a strait with no jump on it. WTF, (as you say).
when I was 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, (17 & 18 things got a bit more diverse), I never used to train doing anything but digging, and jumping jumps, (what happended I hear), but in those days, the more I had to jump the happier I was. Todays tracks, give the more tech rider the edge, and ensure that you need to be fit & skilful to suceed.
Imagine Darren Stock doing well on todays tracks... NEVER.
Matt

[moley]

...............and ensure that you need to be fit & skilful to suceed.

I might as well give up now!! 

[dialledbikes]

Mark, I assume your wife has given birth and therefore sleep deprivation has temporarily taken leave of your senses 

An 80's style track in 09/2010 would just be a waste of dirt.  New school tracks all the way!

mike,yes ive sleep deprivation! from my new daughter! but dont you remember how good it was hitting every straight at full speed,not having to worry about when to manual,and where to pump,or if your going to clear the 4 lots of doubles....in one straight!!

Congatulations Mark.  Hope your Mrs and baby daughter are both doing well.

What drew me to BMX (after "scrambling" for years on wasteland on my Grifter) was the jumps.  For me, if you take jumping out of the equation, it's not BMX any more.  Manualling is a skill, but I would like to see tracks with lippier jumps (rather than rounded ones) which encourage jumping and give the jumpers the advantage.  I don't jump much myself these days, but there's no better feeling and nothing nicer to watch than someone racing and clearing the jumps rather than pumping and manualling them.

I'm with Matt all the way on this one.  I'd hate to see the return of "power" tracks.

[billycrabtreeomer]

  New school tracks all the way. Learn the new way i say  .
   

[motomagII]

i know what ya mean about tracks now they dont seem to havve lips on the jumps like they used to and are harder to jump.but a combination of jump and manual in racing tome shows true skill and i love watching that

[azusakid]

just thought it would be interesting to have an 80s style track as part of the south reginals next year? i know mk is meant to be old school,but its still not as flat as a proper 80s track.low jumps,all dirt berms etc.....(and would be kept that way)would give someone who is wanting to race again,a good introduction back to the sport.some of the modern tracks can be very daunting,if you starting out again.and could be used as an old school venue.  

Sounds like you re yearning to become a cycle speedway rider 

[big kev 40]

jumps beat pumps  any day new tracks all the way  just wish i could land one now and again 

[kevin (A.K.A) kai riviere]

forget the 80's style tracks, we ( the rider) & the sport must progress but it must be a suttle balance between what you call "lippy jumps" & ones that can be manualled, like mentioned earlier, not forgetting the younger riders who if given too hard a time getting round just won't want (or be able) to do so. seems a little unfair, even wrong, that if you can't jump 500 feet high & 800 feet long that it makes it virtually impossible to be able to compete & enjoy it. remember, the gifted elite make a very small percentage of the total amount of riders, it's the rider that can be attracted & introduced that are the lifeblood of the sport. think back to when you were 1st getting into bmx & got on a track for the 1st time, if you took your bike on a track that almost killed you it could have very well had the opposite effect on where you are today. mine was buckmore park & the fact that you could go (what you thought was fast) & also jump the jumps made you feel good........& return week after week for more. so, after all said, we should concentrate on ensuring a fine balance between the two.......jumps that can be jumped but also maualled/riden too & andover has (for me) about the right mixture. 

[billycrabtreeomer]

just thought it would be interesting to have an 80s style track as part of the south reginals next year? i know mk is meant to be old school,but its still not as flat as a proper 80s track.low jumps,all dirt berms etc.....(and would be kept that way)would give someone who is wanting to race again,a good introduction back to the sport.some of the modern tracks can be very daunting,if you starting out again.and could be used as an old school venue.  

 Your luck is in mate , they've got one at Littlebourne ,   

[wolfybmx]

just thought it would be interesting to have an 80s style track as part of the south reginals next year? i know mk is meant to be old school,but its still not as flat as a proper 80s track.low jumps,all dirt berms etc.....(and would be kept that way)would give someone who is wanting to race again,a good introduction back to the sport.some of the modern tracks can be very daunting,if you starting out again.and could be used as an old school venue.  

there is one......... hersden bmx track!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

[billycrabtreeomer]

 there is one......... hersden bmx track!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 , Aaaar! disagree, you can pump a pedal less lap at Hersden,  no can do on OS. tracks.

 Apparently OS tracks wher all pedal n power.  Dose need redoing at hersden thou

[mr.magoo]

nowt wrong with Hersden.....personally think if more tracks were like Buckmore, plenty to power and nice sized doubles and hernebay, again nice straights and nice jump into pro section  and back in the day peeps had problems jumping the step up in last straight, and i could clear the whole jump. think then we'd have a nice mix, but would seem a little tame to the more technical rider....but as Kev says would encourage new blood into the sport.

[Cashy]

 there is one......... hersden bmx track!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 , Aaaar! disagree, you can pump a pedal less lap at Hersden,  no can do on OS. tracks.

 Apparently OS tracks wher all pedal n power.  Dose need redoing at hersden thou

You're right, you were able to 'RACE!!!!'

Mike, just wondering what you get out of riding yourself? I'm becoming more annoyed that I don't jump much, have tried but just crap. Have speed but that's where it stops. The thought of riding a track and rolling through everything fills me with as much excitment as having my nuts cut off. BMX racing for me isn't what it used to be in terms of what constitutes a race. It is a good spectator sport once you've got the 9 - 10 yr olds out the way, or 99% of them. BMX should for me test individual differences in all riders, not riders using one variable and all using the same technique. The sport has become faster, but oh so preditable.

[kdubbmx]

Wouldnt a pedalling race be much more predictable!!!!

The fastest pedaller would always win.

How many times does the fastest pedaller hit a jump less well than the smooth guy behind him and the smooth guy passes.

Thats racing.   

[Cashy]

Wouldnt a pedalling race be much more predictable!!!!

The fastest pedaller would always win.

How many times does the fastest pedaller hit a jump less well than the smooth guy behind him and the smooth guy passes.

Thats racing.   

It's just on many tracks riders slow down to cope with jumps, even small ones (been to Bristol in last 7 months?? 3rd Straight madness)

Do get your point, guess that's where the sport has changed. I'm not so sure for the 100% better. RAther see the whole ( riders hammering it rather than following each other over jump after jump with no real chance of overtaking.

[dialledbikes]

Mike, just wondering what you get out of riding yourself? I'm becoming more annoyed that I don't jump much, have tried but just crap. Have speed but that's where it stops. The thought of riding a track and rolling through everything fills me with as much excitment as having my nuts cut off. BMX racing for me isn't what it used to be in terms of what constitutes a race. It is a good spectator sport once you've got the 9 - 10 yr olds out the way, or 99% of them. BMX should for me test individual differences in all riders, not riders using one variable and all using the same technique. The sport has become faster, but oh so preditable.

Good question, Dave - not sure what I get out of racing, other than just enjoying being on my bike and racing against other guys.  I do find it frustrating a lot of the time as I can't beat and never will be able to beat about 75% of the people I race against.  I suppose the racing bit is fun, but the lack of skills is the frustrating part.  I actually enjoyed the 2 4X races I've done this season more fun than the BMX races as I can ride a mountain bike better than a BMX bike and the jumps are designed to be jumped, not pumped or manualled.