MTB Trailbuilding How-To: Work Smart, Not Hard
If you’ve been following the Singletracks.com series on trailbuilding, you’ve read Choosing Your Line Part 1 and Part 2 and Trailbuilding 101. Congratulations, you’ve learned a lot about trailbuilding and you’re almost ready to head out and start digging. But you need something to dig with and some friendly people to help, right? Otherwise you’d just be that crazy guy digging alone in the woods with your hands. This article goes over the most useful trailbuilding tools and gives you strategies to expand your network of slave labor, er I mean friends.
Gather Tools and Building Supplies
Always use the right tool for the job to increase efficiency and reduce the chance of injury. Here is a list of tools I often use; I’ll provide details about what tools are needed for specific tasks in future articles.
1. Spade
2. Square shovel
3. Buckets
4. Wheelbarrow
5. Cutting Mattock
6. Pulaski
7. Chainsaw with sharpening and filing tools
8. Hoe
9. Rake
10. McLeod (pictured above)
11. Axe
12. Hammer
13. Battery powered hammer drill with 3 batteries
14. Folding saw
15. Pruners
16. Gas powered trimmer
17. Dakine Trailbuilders Backpack
It’s always a good idea to use protective gear when building new trails. I wear long pants, 8” steel toed boots, safety glasses and gloves whenever I build because you never know when or where you’ll encounter a nasty thorny bush, poison ivy, poison oak or just plain crap falling on you.
Find Building Partners
Contact your riding buddies and let them know that you are building a new trail. In all likelihood they’ll be stoked and will want to help you build. Many hands make light work and it’s always good to have company on those long trail building days (plus there’s safety in numbers). Friends can also help you brainstorm new trail ideas too. Having others to bounce thoughts off of will help you decide which ideas to embrace and which to kick to the curb. Just make sure you bring along creative, positive helpers!
If you don’t know many people who ride, don’t worry! Just by getting out there building and riding you will meet people. Get the contact info of people you meet on rides and expand your network. Social networking sites like Facebook can help organize your contacts. Don’t be shy about talking to other riders on the trails. Mountain Biking is a sub-culture where the passion for riding breaks many social barriers and there’s always something to talk about when you’re with other mountain bikers. At the beginning of the season, I didn’t know most of the people I ride with and build with now. I regularly plan build and ride sessions through Facebook and expand my circle of friends nearly every time I ride. The Singletracks.com Facebook page might be a good place to start finding local mountain bikers in your area.
Friends help make trail building more fun and it’s up to you maintain the positive vibe. Keeping the conversation light and positive helps the time pass more quickly. Ideally you will establish a core group of friends that can bring their own tools and will help you build regularly. Be sure to clarify your plans for the trail and ask them to consult you before they make modifications to the plan. When people work on your trail they are investing time and effort so they should be likely come back to build or ride because they have invested “sweat equity”.
Call Before You Dig
The last thing you want is to cut through a fiber optic cable or be electrocuted while digging. You don’t know what lies underground until you call 811 (United States only) or your local “call before you dig” hotline. This is especially important if you live in an urban area.
What’s Next
Now you’ve learned to:
- Gather the Right Tools and Building Supplies
- Tell Your Riding Buddies What’s Up
- Expand Your Network
- Call Before You Dig
Now you’re ready to start learning how to build!
Stay tuned for the next article in the Singletracks.com series on trailbuilding. Next article will outline perhaps the most useful method of trailbuilding: benchcutting.
About the Author
Kevin Johnstone is an avid mountain biker from Ontario, Canada. He has been building trails across Canada for 4 years. He has worked with the worlds #1 bike park builder, Jay Hoots, to build a mountain bike park on the Sunshine Coast of British, Columbia, Canada. He spent 2 seasons improving the trails at Kelso Conservation Area in Milton. He is currently building downhill specific trails. Kevin can be reached by private message at Singletracks.com.
*Disclaimer*Kevin Johnstone and Singletracks.com will not be held responsible for the consequences of illegal trailbuilding. Always get permission and build legally.
Related posts:
- Mountain Bike Trailbuilding How-To
- MTB Trailbuilding Essentials: The Benchcut
- Singletracks Trail Work Day @ Lake Hartwell (GA): Sat. April 23, 2011
- MLK Day of Service: Trail work
- Bike to Work Day Tomorrow
Tags: Building, canada, imba, Trail, trailbuilding
January 5th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Hey Bob, just to let you know I am really enjoying this series of write up’s. Very thorough and informative buddy. Keep them coming!
That McLeod is the handiest trail tool I have used yet, Ive looked at the generic hardware stores in my travels but havent found one yet, someone suggeted to look into where they sell fire fighting tools but Im still looking- where do you suggest?
January 6th, 2010 at 11:14 am
Google “mcleod” and you will find some. I’d get one without a bolt on the bottom. ZAK tools made the best ones. I heard they came back, but can’t find them.
I’d also find someone with a skid steer, trackhoe, or Sweco to be on my team.
January 6th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Yea I like the Skid-steer idea!
I will keep checking for the McLeod, Im on the road so cant really have one sent to me right now, Ill find one eventually.
January 6th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
AK_Dan, I’m surprised you haven’t been able to find one in your travels! Around Vancouver Canada there’s a couple of forestry supply stores that sell them, maybe there’s a similar outfitter in Alaska? You might be able to find it at a firefighting supplier as you said. You could order one from the internet but then you pay shipping which can cost $$$. Or you could make one!
If none of these things work then you’ll have to bring a hard rake AND a hoe with you instead of just a McLeod.
seenvic, yes yes yes I love building with skid steers and backhoes! However even professionals like myself use hand tools far more often than machines for building. Sometimes it’s a cost restraint, other times it’s that you want to build singletrack and most machines only build doubletrack/fireroad width trails.
April 5th, 2010 at 10:08 am
[...] you’ve been following the singletracks series on trailbuilding, you’ve read Trailbuilding: Work Smart Not Hard, Choosing Your Line Part 1 and Part 2, and Trailbuilding 101. Now you’re ready to put your [...]