Glad it was helpful!

Yeah. In the MTB community we call that, “Rake and Ride”. It’s a solid approach if you don’t have steep prevailing slopes.

Yep. Anything but WD-40.

Somebody has to get out there and find a way before anyone does any digging.

The old rim tape if it’s still there. If it’s gone I’d wrap the electrical tape around a few times. Wouldn’t recommend it for road bikes or high pressure tires.

Boy you ain't gonna clean that up later. Who you lyin' to?!

From your channel name I thought you were along the AT trail somewhere. But Pit Vipers? Where are you playing?

I was in Borneo when I recorded this video. Lived there for 3 years. I’m currently based in East, TN.

My first and middle name is Adam Thomas. I was in Southeast Asia for awhile and started the channel when I was there. I condensed the original video and fixed the audio to remove all the jungle noises. Now I’m in Tennessee, still doing trail work in and around the area.

Haha, that would be no bueno for sure!

Yeah, that's why I don't suggest the textbook "Partial Bench" because those can cause lots of headaches. A Full Bench won't consist entirely of loose dirt, so if it's dug correctly with the tread pitch towards the outslope ever so slightly, and if there are grade reversals every so often then it should do just fine. Even the best built trails will need maintenance but not nearly as frequently as a poorly built trail with bad drainage. You shouldn't have to go out there and fix something every time rains. Just after a season or a bad storm.

@A.T.TrailWorks awesome! Thank you. I just want a different trail at the house. I already have it cleared, but its on a fairly steep hillside so I want it flat(ter) so I'm not slipping everywhere when it's not ideal conditions. It's only about 500ft long but it's going to be a LOT of work with an adze and flat shovel, so hoping it doesn't become nothing soon😂

Get yourself a Rogue brand hoe (a bit pricey but totally worth it). Garden hoes aren't strong enough to blast through roots and stuff. It will be a lot easier to dig out your tread with a beefy hoe than a shovel.

Get yourself a Rogue brand hoe (a bit pricey but totally worth it). Garden hoes aren't strong enough to blast through roots and stuff. It will be a lot easier to dig out your tread with a beefy hoe than a shovel.

@@A.T.TrailWorks ive been using the hoe end of a vintage FSS True Temper Pulaski axe. Does a hell of a job on roots, but it gets stupid heavy after a while lol Edit: I really like the looks of those! Now to get just the hoe, or the hoe/rake combo tool lol

Glad you found it helpful!

@ yes

When I made this video I was managing a bike job and tour company in Southeast Asia. I'm back in the States currently doing trail design part-time but primarily doing media & marketing for a handful of non-profits.

You'd be happy to know that I wear more PPE these days.

Whoops

Noted.

Whatever gets the job done.

I did what this guy did the first day I had it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aH68l4iHe9dpiZIfeature=shared

Every part of it moves independently. A Park tool stand will move the truing arms towards center at an equal rate. This one leaves it up to you, so you have to double check that you're actually keeping it centered either with a ruler or a dish tool. Taking the hop out of a rim should be the same though. It would not be the easiest stand to learn on is all I'm really saying, but once you know what to do it is a great truing stand.

Thank you for the kind words.

Thanks. I appreciate it!

I get that discomfort sometimes. I switch between digging right handed and left handed so I don't get too worn out. Towards the end of the video I switch to left handed and I also do it in the timelapse logo sequence at the end. I used to switch hit when I played baseball so it came naturally to me when I started digging but it's something I'd suggest trying to do so that you can get more work done. If I was digging for longer than this video I'd be wearing gloves.

Affirmative.

@@A.T.TrailWorks which part of Borneo?

Brunei

I did venture into Malaysia on a few occasions but I only ever built trail in Brunei which is where I was living at the time. Been doing trail design Stateside off and on since 2021 and it has it's own challenges but it's nowhere near as difficult as the tropics.

I’ll have to give that a try as well.

Heat before sanding? it will cool down and become hard again. kinda like race car tires?

Thanks. I think I'll make an updated version now that I'm no longer digging trail in the jungles of Southeast Asia. It's much quieter outside in East Tennessee.

@@A.T.TrailWorks yes please!! I’m doing trails in the temperate rainforest of Alaska and would appreciate any additional info on erosion or drainage. Really appreciated the tip about making sure the tread goes towards the outslope to help with erosion!!

Every 10' to 30' depending on how steep your hillside is, you'll want a piece of trail to dip downwards for a little bit. This is called a grade reversal and it gives the water a chance to go across and out of the trail instead of flowing right down the tread. Having the tread pitched towards the outslope also gives the water a chance to move off the trail but grass and other things can dam up the side of the trail and grade reversals help to insure that water is given a chance to escape.

Everything I know I learned from the International Mountain Biking Association's book called "Trail Solutions". Lucky for you they've made a free digital version with some updates. www.imba.com/resource/guidelines-quality-trail-experience

@@A.T.TrailWorks this is a great resource thank you!! I’ve using this dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aktrails/aktrailmgthndbk2015.pdf and Lightly on the Land by SCA 🙏🙏🙏

I was in Southeast Asia when I made this and I was using a grub hoe, which was the best tool we could find locally. Here in the states I use something similar made by Rogue Hoe. They aren't cheap but they are incredibly strong and worth every penny.

BP Blaster Red Grease. I buy the canister that you're supposed to use with a grease gun but I use a piece of scrap cable housing to apply it to seatposts, threads, etc.

Happy to help!

I should, you're right. They're a massive pain to hoof them a mile into the woods just to make 2 or 3 cuts. There are cutting techniques I don't use unless I'm wearing chaps. But accidents happen and it's best to eliminate any margin of error.

So you dont wear a seatbelt if yer only going a mile or so to the store for just milk and bread?....because its a massive pain?

@@rjdevitt I appreciate your concern for my safety. My apologies for not doing it according to the book. There are cutting techniques I’m not going to do, teach, or mention without chaps because the leg or body would be in the path of a thrown chain or a freak movement of the tree. But the saw itself (unless you put on a bigger bar than the factory did) is designed to not murder the user in those scenarios. The placement of the handle in relation to the end of the bar is done on purpose so that the chain shouldn’t reach your arm. There’s also the bar brake and should be engaged if the saw kicks back as long as both hands are on the saw. You can see in this video, even with those safety features, I’m never directly behind the bar because I don’t have chaps. There is no law that says I need to wear chaps so that’s comparing apples to oranges. I made probably 7 cuts that day. A total cutting time of maybe 2 minutes out of the 3 hours it took to drive to the trailhead, hike in and out, clear the trees, and repair the tread. If you can properly assess a fallen tree, know where the tension and compression points are, and know how to use a saw, you can take care of it without any issue. Yes there are freak things that happen but I think sometimes wearing all the gear gives you a false sense of competence that could lead to the mistakes that necessitated the safety gear in the first place. I’m not saying go out there naked but have respect for tool and the scenario and you’ll survive. Get cocky or overly confident and that’s when you get nipped in the bud. Anyway, that’s my position and I don’t expect everyone to agree with it. My biggest saw mistakes were made while I was fully geared up. I can’t fully refute the driving analogy because there aren’t a bunch of incompetent people cutting trees down near my legs at the same time for a mile. If that were the case… I’d sleep in chaps.

Great idea.

Glad I could help!

Stihl has some other settings that would make it easier to start in hot or cold weather, without having to flip around the air restrictor near the filter in the Echo (their choke is open or closed, nothing in-between). I've never used mine in freezing temps here in TN so I've never needed to mess with it, but in other places the air/fuel mixture will need adjusted based on temp and altitude.

Is that pull on it 20 times and throw it into the ground? Nother like a "new" saw

You should look up how ocean tides work.

They do sell a handful of good ones but you're right, you usually have to tune them up and check every bolt before going for a spin. You could also spend the same amount on a used bike shop brand of bike and do the same amount of work... but have a higher quality bike by the end of the day. I have several 90's MTB's that I use for road, gravel, and greenways and I've never spent more than $100 for one. They are bombproof and will probably outlive me. My issue is that some of these bikes are made to look like capable mountain bikes but there will be a sticker on it that says, "Not for Off-Road Cycling". They sell a couple legit bikes but they are hardtails (which is what I ride) and still cost about $300.

@@A.T.TrailWorks i have gone to several local bike shops in my area and all of them sell used 90-2000s bike and not one of them are below $350-400 and the paint is usually shot and you can tell they didn’t even re-lube the hubs or bracket. I am not spending that kinda of money on 40 year old bikes. I’d rather go on Marketplace / OfferUp and buy a used bike and tune it up myself. Or buy a well put together department store bike.

I hear ya. I never spend more than $75 for an old MTB, but I'm usually trying to flip them. I've only ever sold a used MTB north of $200 once and only because it was in immaculate condition. I'm usually reselling in the $80 to $150 ballpark with my bike flips... which give me razor thin margins but it also keeps me from getting too much money tied up in a bike I don't intend to keep.

You’re welcome! Glad you were able to glean something from it.

I agree, I'm not a huge fan of wasting things either. I'm also not into over charging people, when I could do this and bring something back around. It really takes just a few seconds to try and a few dabs of lube isn't going to make you bankrupt. Build trust with customers on the small stuff and they'll bring you their bikes for the big stuff and/or buy their next bike from you.

I always try this before replacing cables or housing and I also do it after I replace cables and housing.

Yeah, it's not cheap. Dakine makes one as well, it's a bit smaller and the cheapest I've seen theirs is $180. I've used mine a lot and it does make those long treks or rides to downed trees much more tolerable. It's never fun to be already worn out before you start cutting.

Yeah, people who are always trying for KOM's are the ones giving other trail users bad experiences and makes us all look bad. I'm equally annoyed by riders that blast music on their Bluetooth speakers while they ride. I didn't come outside to get run over and have to suffer someone's terrible choice in music too.

I used a little grinder bit that fits on a standard drill chuck, like someone else had suggested, and it worked really good too. The concrete is good if you don't have anything else around to rough it up.

Squealing brakes are quite common and the issue is almost always solved by towing the brakes. Towing the brakes simply means to angle the pads so that the front of the pad contacts the rim first. In other words, the pads should be very slightly "pigeon-toed"

Glad it was helpful!

Good idea. I have bits like that but for a normal drill. I’ll have to give that a shot sometime. Thanks for the tip!