How have Berm Peak's Wooden MTB Features Held Up?

We had a full week of torrential rain, 24/7, but were lucky enough to get a break in the weather to do some maintenance. From the bug zapper, to the many planks on Berm Peak's mountain bike features, we give everything an inspection and make sure they're in tip top shape.
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[@jakewess]

“How bored are you?” Well, I watched a guy make random repairs around his house today.

[@PauliG]

…instead of doing them on my OWN house. Lol.

[@rhysball1267]

He’s so good why would u watch him then

[@mikeloamzzz9593]

“Thanks for riding with me… I mean thanks for watching me screw”

[@Eric_Tennant]

Indeed

[@oliverfletcher2188]

Dude, kinda rude ngl

[@youtubeviewer9523]

Hey Seth, I just wanted to say that I love the new direction the channel is taking, but is there any chance we could get some bike hacks for old times' sake.

[@smashyrashy]

What do you mean new direction? What has changed?

[@jeresi]

@@smashyrashy pretty much everything

[@unklekirk]

He said he pretty much ran out of hacks lol

[@damianxavier7343]

@@smashyrashy if you watched Seth's videos from atleast the past two years, it is very clear that pretty much everything has changed.

[@geraldeats]

i agree

[@thomasharvanek2411]

a day before a good rain, consider hit the features with diluted outdoor bleach in a garden sprayer once or twice a year to keep the slime off and slow the organics and degredation.

[@fullerblacksmithing7954]

+1 on this

[@RealMTBAddict]

Or use the whole gallon if you want to kill everything. Lol

[@jrsdiecastcustoms]

Sitting here wondering how one could do that and you come along, you legend lol. Nice tip. 👍

[@Pshady]

Back in my day we would make a yogart and moss mix to put on the side of jumps to make the back and sides grow greenery.

[@gpzjeffrey7974]

Yep, that's how we kill mold and stuff on fences, followed by a pressure wash..then coating the wood again....50/50 mix of recycled motor oil and diesel works fantastic actually....

[@330_Crew]

If I ever stay at the Ranger Station, I'm going to use that massive cog for a post ride charcuterie board.

[@rita-want-sex152]

not hear how sweetly the little🍲🥘🍳🥚🥙🌯🌮

[@rita-want-sex152]

Then just as he was going to 🛒00000000000000000000

[@rita-want-sex152]

so he did not fire↖️⬅️↙️⬇️↘️➡️

[@alexpullen8015]

that sounds like the best idea ever

[@SteadySpin]

That was a tossed around when brain storming

[@JT-hw6mq]

Hi Seth, Love the channel! You are spot on with spacing wood for movement. The other thing you may want to consider, at least on vertical parts of your features, is using nails. Screws are not good at vertical shear force- thats why they snap. This is also why you frame a house with nails and not screws. They do make special screws that bend like nails, but they're expensive. A simple experiment to do is drive a screw half way into a 2x4, and a nail. Take some pliers and bend each of them back and forth. The screw will snap and the nail will bend. Also, I've put Berm Peak on my bucket list. Hope to go there some day. Keep up the great work.

[@andyx7013]

Thank you very much for shaving this, I always wondered this and this makes so much sense.

[@rita-want-sex152]

One day her mother said to her😑☺️😋🤣

[@rita-want-sex152]

will get nothing; and when you👧👦🧒👶🙊🙉🙈

[@rita-want-sex152]

by her grandmother, and there 😏🤩😘😅

[@rita-want-sex152]

The wolf thought to himself🌳🌲🌱⚘🌷🌼🌻

[@davidgerth2276]

Seth: "We've been using 2 1/2 inch screws here, and that's really small." Me: *Cries*

[@RealMTBAddict]

Tmi

[@viktorvaugndoom]

rip

[@ziwuri]

This is like a reality show about Southern farmers, except the host is just a really smart, passionate, genuine guy. Big ups.

[@donovangmike]

the snapped screws are one reason to use nails, tensile strength during regular flexing is stronger in a straight nail then a screw which can break at any place easily

[@malice6081]

However screws work great for recovering bent planks that ripped up their nails.

[@Jets369]

Deck nails - only maintenance might be hammering them down again occasionally.

[@jamesroscoe7555]

Nails are more ductile, but screws can be sized to accommodate the load also. Deck screws are regularly used to build decks (with few issues) and ramps and MTB stunts are basically decks...

[@jamesroscoe7555]

I think the bigger issue is accommodating wood movement. Whenever you have planks fastened cross grain, you have differential wood movement (much more expansion cross grain than with the grain). If the fasteners are widely spaced across the width of the grain, there is more lateral force on the fastener unless it is in a slotted hole. Undersized nails will bend and undersized screws will break. Use a strong enough fastener and the wood will rip apart instead.

[@jamesroscoe7555]

The solution is to avoid pairs of fasteners spanning wider regions cross grain. Where Seth used timber lock screws, it looks like he only used 1 or kept them close together which solves this. Planks screwed to a wide log have to deal with the wide log expansion if 2 or more screws span the width of the log. Using joists deals with that expansion but doesn't look as cool. Slotting the holes (like one does when attaching a tabletop to its base) is the most permanent solution, but not exactly efficient to build. Predrilling wider thru holes on the planks might be enough though depending on spacing.

[@7hunder175]

Hi Seth! When you find yourself with a clamp not long enough you can combine two clamps by interlocking the upper jaw of the first to the lower jaw of the second so you can reach the end of the piece you need to clamp!

[@hlh172]

Came here to say this! It’s a life saving hack

[@tthomas184]

Never thought of that! Thanks!

[@dylan-5287]

I'm really surprised he didn't do that. I could have sworn I'd learned that tip from him haha.

[@sapinva]

Just get some pipe clamps. They are any size you need.

[@tthomas184]

@@sapinva Sometimes it's best to use what you already have.

[@03gade85]

Great video! I've been wondering about this especially as you have been making more features out of wood from your property. This should be on the main channel.

[@BingoBangoBabyInc]

Seth really got me with that "Grease your wheelbarrow" thing. I was like, oh God!! I've never done any maintenance on my wheelbarrow, how didn't I know!?!!!?!

[@Will10987]

Some do have grease zeros on them. My wheelbarrow does.

[@Will10987]

Zerts

[@peterknight7880]

Seth, I've heard that splitting rather than milling timber for wooden features makes it more grippy on tyres. Can you test to confirm or disprove please? If true it would make a great trail building hack. Thanks 👍

[@mtbsaga3063]

Thank you Seth for getting me into mountain biking teaching me the basic showing me how to bunny hop thanks for being the dad my dad wasn’t able to do for me

[@ProximusNL]

At 5:03, with that music, i straight up expected Shawn James to come out and help you with some nice hand tools.

[@marcuscolding-jrgensen4071]

Hey Seth, I am a Danish carpenter. When I am choosing screws I mostly go bye a rule of thumb, that says you screw should minimum be three times longer, the items thickness you are screwing down. I really like your videos❤️

[@TALLPaul67X]

Seth, you should consider making a Wall of Shame for Ranger Station guests to screw their broken parts to that they suffered during their stay. They can sign and date next to the part, and maybe leave a quick msg about how it broke and what trail it was on. That would be cool. Start on left side of the wall, and move to the right, while outlining each yr/season. It'll be a great historical 'guest book'! You channel rocks. Glad you are back in the mends. I miss you building features. That is my fav content. Glad you used the deadman suggestion for the teeter. It'd be cool to see you yell DRAMA when you ride past his burial spot. He was HUGE part of your content. Love Osc too! Props on you new daughter, and keeping her off camera. ✌🏻

[@cracked_kitty3223]

I love your vids man just can’t wait to see next vid already!, keep up the good work

[@kotieerwee2593]

This guy can literally post a video of anything and make it entertaining. I just watched him doing chores for 10min and yet I still want to see more.

[@_Encie]

i had just watched most of the building videos for these features last week. It's so nice to see how they held up. Feels like a time machine :D

[@toddeyster7557]

On the airbag you could set the blade depth on a circular saw and cut grooves between the planks

[@leocard6799]

Hey Seth would love to see some More 90s MTB Restorations or take them out to the trails. Love your videos so much they make my day

[@nicotineupnext]

I have never seen such an epic bug zapper cleaning montage

[@alfieboyd3196]

this is literally a guy doing repairs but is the most interesting thing ever and is so easy to watch to the end. like WTF!!!!!

[@AlexGarcia-lo9hx]

Thanks for the video Seth! Love the content as always!

[@Stuntman2304]

I have used a wheel barrow all my life and grew up around farming and agriculture and I’ll admit at 7:30 you got me Seth. 😂

[@steventorres-ferrer3608]

Thanks for the heads up on butting them planks together

[@aasimmons]

Hey Seth, being a long time construction guy, I highly recommend using GRK brand deck screws & construction screws for your wood features. They are significantly stronger than most other deck screws and you will have much less screws snapping from wood movement or over torque-ing during installation. My local Home Depot and Lowes both carry the GRK brand.

[@stevezeeTee]

I have a little bit of carpentry experience.. take a 3” screw and equivalent nail then drive them both in about half way- hammer them sideways back and forth until they break and you’ll see why homes usually use nails since as you said, wood changes in time.. not saying I’m an expert but id like to see how they test against the timber lock ones you mentioned.

[@hardcodedsoftware4212]

Couldn't agree more, screws are absolutely not meant for sheer forces. Also 100% recommend looking into truss/rafter fasteners

[@jamesroscoe7555]

This is a common layman explanation of why not to use screws, but when you screw two pieces of lumber together the loads applied are different than hammering side on. Yes, nails are more ductile, but regardless, you need to use a fastener sized appropriately for the forces involved. Building ramps and MTB stunts is closer to deck construction than house framing, so it is completely reasonable (and in many respects preferable) to use screws. Appropriate sizing is important, and properly accommodating wood movement is essential as Seth noticed on the airbag jump.

[@mikeznel6048]

This isn't a house though, it's a mountain bike trail... The planks need to be sturdy and not move. The opposite of what a nail would do.

[@jamesroscoe7555]

@@mikeznel6048 To be fair though, galvanized spiral nails would hold it together fine and not break, but modification and repair would make a big mess. Sometimes when building you need to tweak things to get the feel right and pulling all those twisty nails would suck and the process would destroy things compared to screws...

[@kilianortmann9979]

Screws are only designed to hold in tension, because that is the only force they should ever have to experience. Screw joints should not rely on the sheer strength of the screw. A properly fastened screw clamps the two materials together, so that friction can take all the load.

[@mikehoman693]

Good to see your features held up keep it up love ur vids

[@JorgeDiaz-bu5sk]

Love the behind the scenes maintenance. Curious how the RC’s are doing? Keep up the great work!

[@jimmypereira830]

@1:18 One more bug on lamp housing watch out! lol Good work! All nice things need caring for!

[@thebikeguys6874]

Finally a update on the trails thank you Seth

[@snbsmtb]

Don't take the 'BEAGLE' at the end was sooo 🤣🤣😂😂😆😆

[@Vsm_integra]

Always enjoyable to watch your videos I thoroughly enjoy every one of them👍

[@hench_wrench_repairs]

I recently got some trp brakes and they are by far better than the shimano crap i had before. I'm so glad i found out about them from you. Thanks!!

[@bcauv21]

Absolutely love seeing my notifications for your videos!

[@sk8xaq]

BEST bug zapper montage I've EVER seen!!!

[@J35TR93]

G'day Seth, great video. Keep up the awesome work.

[@howietbond1]

Seth how is it that you manage to make what would boring chores so entertaining?! I’m sure if you did a video of you taking out the garbage (rubbish here in the UK) you’d manage to make it interesting! Keep up the great work.

[@borrisbone4445]

Great vid Seth love it

[@fehrsoldier16]

I like when you fix up bikes, extremely interesting not gonna lie. Hope to see more from you and im happy you're posting more often now

[@jameshenry8628]

LOVE THES VIDEOS SETH!❤️🎊🎁

[@potatovalo5117]

I binge watch to your old vids, their so nice

[@RealMTBAddict]

They're

[@potatovalo5117]

@@RealMTBAddict sorry

[@iankoval2585]

Seth, If you ever need to clamp wood like that Ranger Station plaque together but don't have quick grip clamps wide enough, you can link two together, almost like an "S" shape, where the top 'jaws' of each clamp grab each other over the middle of the board, and the bottom ones span the board and grab the edges. It's a little janky but it gets the job done. Cheers!

[@chrisdenes2929]

I really don’t get why people dislike his videos, he makes really great videos

[@tylerobrien5416]

Seth, you’re teaching me so many things I can’t wait to put to use. It’s like a life survival guide!

[@ecopennylife]

Cool seeing behind the scenes, got me with the wheelbarrow grease 😂 I've made a wooden plank base for my outdoor water pump - yes put spaces between planks (video will be on my channel in a few weeks). ✌️

[@lewiswilton3251]

This is so class this man can make boring things fun

[@Thoughmuchistaken]

I was just out on a local trail yesterday, and a bridge has 5 or 6 holes where planks have rotted, and overall the bridge structure is rotting. It's a very robustly built little walking bridge, but there are no spaces, so water sits and sits and absorbs into the timber rather than flowing through and drying quickly.

[@JoaoPauloSoares61]

Gosh! Just yesterday I was thinking about the maintenence on the planks! What a coincidence

[@dav1d629]

When seth uploads you know it going to be a banger! 🤟👍👍👍😎

[@jaytrock3217]

Great video, but I do have a wheel barrel with zerk fittings. It does need to be greased every couple years.

[@limitededitionaddiction3618]

I like the bug hiding in plain sight at 1:19. Holding on tight hoping not to be spotted as all his dead friends just dissappared

[@TwitchyNick]

The art looks good. You must have hung this right after we stayed. I loved all of the MTB/channel touches throughout the Ranger Station. Already looking forward to our next visit.

[@kalebaiken3477]

We use timberlocks on rough cut post and beam style buildings we build. Its always amazing how strong those screws are, and how they pull bowed boards in tight.

[@scottgerstenberg9551]

I recently watched a video about how nails move with wood and screws sheer, it was neat to see that in application.

[@VlogEpicness]

When your wife wants you to redo the deck: Sorry I gotta go put new screw in my MTB features 👍🏻

[@dalewilliams1924]

This is ME!

[@GAIJIN_83]

Hi seth , the cauae of snapped screws is side movements of the Plancks in which screws are weak so try using nails because they are flexible a bit

[@TheLotroNerd]

Broken screw heads normally mean you got cheaper screws. When cheaper screws are thrown into a block of wood too fast the heat will change the molecular structure of the screw to where it is brittle. Other than purchasing premium screws you can also dip your screws in fastener wax. When screwed in the wax melts dissipates some of the heat but also allows the screw to twist and slip better into place. Once it cools down the wax stays in the wood and prevents some moisture from rotting around the screw head, and might even help keep the screw from rusting/corroding. @Berm Peak Express

[@justinlambertoutdoors6313]

The point you made about spacing the planks is a good one, raw lumber overtime will hold water and swell resulting in the issue you had, think like your pouring concrete when placing planks you need room for expansion

[@jenniferpayne7631]

All your videos are great you encouraged me to go bike riding with my daughter

[@alexnelson9803]

"Hornets are plentiful" haha, got stung 5 times at the top of Black Mountain trail in pisgah... they must have thought they heard their brethren in my i9 hub. Great vid!

[@luisalejandrocalvogalindo471]

Hey Seth, more bike hacks and products reviews... Nice video by the way...

[@texasracingsindicate]

Always fun to watch your channel the rc’s brought me to your channel but watch all of it now very beautiful dog too

[@chrisrielly1739]

Nice one Seth I have a wooden box jump and it is wood and has no problems

[@insidemind6742]

love the video seth

[@andylimb]

It is always a good idea to space outdoor boards. Seasonal swelling and shrinking will take a toll on the boards if they are placed where they are touching.

[@mahennaiker5072]

Awesome stuff👌

[@dvs620]

Got the Fooker pedals after seeing how well they held up in your “1 year” video. Haven’t slipped a pedal since.

[@stevehassler]

I you left a comment some time ago about leaving a gap between boards to shed debris and let air circulate. good stuff. :)

[@TB-lk2gm]

Watching this from the Ranger Station. Great place!

[@markbrown2450]

I just watched you doing random bits. You really got us here.

[@mtbville]

Awesome video 👍

[@kertoiglas8201]

Good tip. Do a good old 50/50 trick. Use 2 nails and 2 screws. the screws tighten tight but the nails gives way as the wood expands with moisture and moves when you ride over.

[@devster12]

Just a tip. You can hook the ends of 2 bar clamps that are too short around one another to make 1 thats big enough. It can be a little tricky, but most times it works in a pinch.

[@Felix533]

Very nice vids thanks you 😊

[@carnsoaks1]

Stumpy Nubs did a review on screws vs nails. Screws snap under shear, which is why those boards were on the jumps, getting loaded and pushed against the wheels, were snapping loose. Olde Worlde nails (tapered) will work better and just need reseating quarterly.

[@jesseprevost142]

Love his videos I’ll always be a Supporter

[@collin_sullivan7905]

Love ur vids keep it up

[@dylman5744]

Hello Seth i have a idea for the teter canon. Principaly add something at the bottom on teter to make it a normal jump that you can properly train it!

[@anon5387]

Best my friend keep going like this support from me only love and happiness to all people and never give up i wish the best to all people and we love you mr Seth !!

[@NorthernSkiAndCycle]

Seth is a genius. Profiting on doing chores. Super enjoyable to watch when eating LOL.

[@Shreyo.69]

Epic video love them, sending my love for Oscar 😂

[@PhilTaylorPhotog]

Seth, deck planks have grooves cut along them so water beads off instead of soaking in..I imagine the same would work for your features. Perhaps on the next build, do a long term test by grooving some of the planks and leaving others without...check each year. Another thing to try would be to use the Japanese technique of show-sugi-ban - charring the timber to prevent rot. Would love to see the difference.

[@kww1966]

Glad you are getting back to your old self!

[@TheUncleRuckus]

Seth, I really like the memorabilia board idea! 👍👍 You should think about making wall sized version, where Guests could hang a broken bike part as a kind of Guestbook.

[@scoto1976]

Another great video. Screws snap. Nails bend.

[@randall3786]

I learn so much when watching

[@tinkieklan4009]

more of this!

[@davidgordon9048]

Love all the content. Are you heading back to Sedona for the festival? Keep up the great vids.

[@micahhowell225]

Hey Seth, screws are prone to snapping where something is going to have some movement and flex where as a well placed nail will flex and move with the wood. That's why when building they use framing nails to put structures together and not screws.

[@B0BDERBAUMEISTER]

love ur vids man

[@Pwn3dbyth3n00b]

Man there will be a time there's a Berm Peak video but it's going to be something like replacing the Snake Pit Skinny, Whale Tail or the Mame Frame

[@cheeseeater7785]

Yo Seth keep up the good work bro 😎 also you should make a second airbag jump that’s bigger and better

[@drumsxo]

Lol, there was a Stink Bug on the ceiling of the garage as you were reinstalling the bug zapper, and you picked one up on your sweatshirt as you were repairing the driveway jump, and he was with you for quite a while.

[@cohenbarker6703]

I love your videos Seth I have been watching them daily and when you lived in Florida

[@gregcavanaugh6259]

so of those "bults" are really nice!

[@jeffbrownstain]

After all the toxicity I willingly exposed myself to on youtube today, this video made me unreasonably happy.

[@triatheletewolf7279]

OH BOY...Frisbee time with the Beagle Ring!!!!!

[@samroman1226]

Drying the wood. 😯 you blew my mind lol