Fox Factory did a feature in the Trail Trust Journal about Tails. Get the details here
News From BUMP
Get your new BUMP jersey!
We are working with Cognative MTB to have some cool new BUMP jerseys made. You can preorder until Oct 21 using this link. The jerseys feature our new branding and are $59.95. Men’s and women’s sizes are available (XS – 3XL).
Once the presale is over Cognative will print the jerseys and ship them directly to everyone who orders one. Get them while you can!
Upcoming volunteer appreciation party (6/18) and trail work day (6/25)
We will be having a volunteer appreciation party at Cahaba River Park next Saturday (6/18/22). If you have come out to help us on a trail work day, helped at BnG, or led one of our group rides come out and let us show how much we love you! We will be meeting at the pavilion closest to the river for a ride (wheels on dirt at 9 a.m., so show up a little before that), and having a cookout down by the river at The Slab afterwards. If you don’t want to ride, but still want to come hang out, show up at ~11:30. Here is a Google maps link to the pavilion.
We will also be having our next trail work day at Oak Mountain on Saturday 6/25/22 at 8 a.m. Meet at the BUMP shed at the South Trailhead by ~7:45 so we can start work at 8. Bring closed toed shoes appropriate for physical labor and gloves if you want them. Also, remember to bring water and sunscreen. You don’t want to be stuck in the woods without them at this time of year.
Enter the BNG 28 raffle to win a set of carbon wheels (and a lot of other cool stuff)!
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We are selling entries to the BNG 28 raffle, which will occur on Sunday June 5th. The prizes this year are really exciting and include a full carbon wheelset from NOX Composites (see the flyer for other great prizes)
We will be selling tickets digitally for $5 a pop, or 5 for $20. Use this link to buy tickets. After clicking next it will ask what the donation is for. Put ‘Raffle’ in that box so that we know the donation is for raffle tickets. We will be doing the drawing electronically on-site using a random number generator.
BUMP x YHC Merch Campaign is Live
You can now get our new logo on t-shirts, stickers, and tote bags through Yellowhammer Creative! This is a short-term campaign that closes on 4/25/22, so get it while you can because it will be a while before we are able to do another run!
A new look for BUMP
If you’re seeing this post you have probably noticed that things are looking a little different around here. We are excited to announce a cool new collaboration with Yellowhammer Creative to update our brand for the first time in over 20 years! You have probably seen t-shirts, tote bags, and posters designed by Yellowhammer all over Birmingham (check out some very cool shirts they have done for Oak Mountain State Park and Red Mountain Park). The package from Yellowhammer includes updated logos (see images above and below text) and color scheme. Merch including the updated logos will be coming soon.
Special thanks to board members Will Abner and Jacob Tubbs for taking the lead on this project and working with Yellowhammer to get this done!
Registration for BUMP N’ GRIND 28 is open!
You can now register for BUMP N’ GRIND 28 happening 6/4 & 6/5/2022 at Oak Mountain State Park. Our new race director Jacob Tubbs and VP Will Abner have been hard at work making some exciting changes to this year’s race format.
First, we are bringing back the omnium! This will allow racers competing in the Super D, Short Track, and XC races to compete for an overall title in their category. Sign up for the omnium at registration and see how all aspects of your riding stack up!
Second, the Cat 1/2 XC course is being modified from previous years to include our new trail Slingshot. This will add 3 miles of fast, flowy machine cut trail that includes a bunch of rippable berms, as well as a couple of significant climbs to thin the herd.
Lastly, we are excited to announce a new collaboration with The Hammies for the kids race this year. Max Klein will be bringing his popular Little Hammies series to BNG this year to get our future shredders some FUN racing experience.
As always, we need YOUR help to put on a great event and really showcase our trails to people from all over the region. If you aren’t racing (or are only racing on one day) please help us out by volunteering at the race. There is a Google Sheets signup sheet linked here. There are still some details lacking as things are still being finalized, but we always need people to help with signup/racer support, course marshaling, and sweep riding. Rumor is we will be hooking those of you who sign up early with some of our new and improved merch, so don’t delay.
Photo by Alejandro Pullin
BUMP’s IMBA Dig In Fundraiser – Success!
At the end of last year we applied for IMBA’s Dig In program to fund the design phase of a skills area at Oak Mountain State Park. We are happy to announce that we exceeded our goal of $10,000 and raised $10,684. We also qualify for an additional $2,000 in matching funds from Shimano thanks to your generous donations! The money raised here will be used to hire a professional firm to work with us and the park to produce a detailed, professional design for a dedicated skills area at OMSP. This process is just beginning, so keep your eyes and ears open for more announcements regarding this in the coming months!
Many of these Dig In proposals fail to meet their fundraising goals, so exceeding ours speaks to not only the generosity of our members and MTB community in the Birmingham area but to the excitement for a skills area at OMSP. We are all really looking forward to moving ahead with this project!
Storyteller – the new double black diamond trail at Oak Mountain State Park
Storyteller was initially planned to be cut at the same time as Thunder. Thunder as it exists now was meant to be the easier of 2 options down the mountain. The rumors circulating at the time were that only a few people would be able to ride the hard line down the mountain. Due to the cost and difficulty of the build the second line was dropped at the time and fell off the radar for several years. However, the dream was kept alive by a few people who saw how special it could be.
In February of 2021 we reflagged and resubmitted the second line for approval to the state park. Approval to move forward was granted July 2nd , and on the morning of July 17th we hit the trail at 730 am and began cutting our new trail. Over the summer numerous volunteers came out to lend a hand digging, moving rocks, and clearing brush. On October 9th, after several hundred volunteer hours and about 30 yellow jacket stings later the trail was completed. The final product is roughly 1 mile long with about 500 ft of elevation drop. This trail is the only big mountain down hill trail in the state of Alabama with numerous steep rolls, mandatory drops, and tons of off camber sections.
The Name
Storyteller Overland is a Birmingham based manufacturer of overlanding adventure vans. They have been sponsors of past Bump N Grind races, and great supporters of the BUMP mission. In their quest to promote community and the spirit of adventure, Storyteller Overland has donated generously to help us continue our work in the Birmingham mountain biking community. We are incredibly appreciative of their support and believe the name “Storyteller” is a perfect match for our new trail at Oak Mountain State Park.
/Written by Chase Draper/
Shuttle day fundraiser at Oak Mountain State Park
We will be shuttling Peavine Falls Road and the Boyscout Road from 10am-3pm on Saturday, September 18, 2021.
Entry will be $35 and will include a meal after. Chef Sean will be putting together some Mac N Cheese Bowls with your choice of topping either 14 Hour Smoked Brisket Chilli or Gojuchang Grilled Chicken Thighs. Cahaba brewing company will be providing a variety of beverages for those of age. All proceeds go to the building and maintenance of our local trails. Attendance will be capped at 100 people. Pre Registration is available at the link below.