Corktown neighbors turn abandoned lot into bike track for the neighborhood

**torbusto** · November-19-09, 09:59 PM

http://tinyurl.com/detroitpumptrack

A video feature on a neighborhood in North Corktown where last Saturday engineering students from Wayne State and residents took 20 yards of donated dirt to build a pump track in a abandoned field.

Similar to a BMX track this track has many hills that when done right allows riders to go around the track without having to pedal.

http://tinyurl.com/detroitpumptrack

**reddog289** · November-20-09, 12:44 AM

Thats a good idea, If I had only bought the house behind me with that giant lot. I would build my own.

**Dieseldog** · November-20-09, 12:51 AM

Good for you! And for everyone who participates. A recent news report I have listened to says we are too fat. Obese is the political name that they used. Its good to see an area for the kids and ect... to use for the purpose of exercise. This area IF maintained properly has the potential to combat fat kids from getting fatter, active kids from getting into trouble, and keeping those post-high school children from another night of boredom. I hope that this will be kept up and the idea expands. In my neck of the neighborhood we have the rouge park trails.

**Malcove Magnesia** · November-20-09, 02:05 AM

did anyone else look at this posting and think "so that's how Navin Field finally ended up?"

Toolbox · November-20-09, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by Johnnyrocker

I'm guessing this track is fixed-gear freindly.

You are kidding, right?

This is a BMX type track, one big rhythm section.

Take your track bike to Bloomer for the fast action.

**Dieseldog** · November-20-09, 02:03 PM

The trails in Rouge park are great for mountain bikes. If gear jammin is your thing. Last year someone made a nice ramp. It was good to see some of the garbage that got dumped put to good use

**g-dub** · November-21-09, 04:24 PM

Toolbox, I think J-Rocker was joking a bit re: hipsters and their fondness for fixies. Maybe I'm wrong...

Retroit · November-21-09, 04:37 PM

"Brad and Angie are not coming. We have to do it OURSELVES!"

Amazing what you can do without a $250,000 federal grant!

**Cooper** · November-22-09, 06:21 PM

There was a similar story on Fox 2 recently about a group of students who turned a vacant lot into a place to play horseshoes. I like these kinds of stories because they show how simple and cheap it can be to reclaim a little bit of the vacant space in Detroit. Obviously, this doesn't solve the whole problem -- there's at least 70,000 vacant lots in the city -- but it's not a bad way to start.

http://thinkdetroit.blogspot.com/200...cant-lots.html

Toolbox · November-24-09, 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by g-dub

Toolbox, I think J-Rocker was joking a bit re: hipsters and their fondness for fixies. Maybe I'm wrong...

I can never tell if a bike as a fashion accessory person is asking the question or it is a little sarcasm. When I think track bikes I think of Cinelli, Eddie Merckx, Colonago, Paramount and Campagnolo parts labeled Pista and not a dayglo orange painted shitty Varsity frame with a bottom bracket lockring holding a gear on a standard freewheel hub.