The Path to a Bike Park:

“Bike parks are a micro ecosystem when done right. They cultivate and grow the riding community in many ways and all skill levels. They can even sprout new interest in on-lookers, growing them into riders. It’s more than just jumps and turns. It can be a life changing place for all ages!”
–Jeremy Witek, Global Action Sports Solutions, Trail Builder

 

Do you aspire to build a bike park in your community? The Saris Foundation is committed to supporting bike parks across the globe. To do that, we need champions, people who can dig their heels into their local government and get the conversation started.

Where should you start? For us, it started with an idea…more kids on bikes, less time on screens. From there, we started laying the groundwork on how to get a project like this off the ground.

Our goal is to share this knowledge with you on what worked, what was difficult, and what are some of the biggest barriers you will have to break down.

 

 

Visioning:

Do your research to see what types of bike parks there are and seek input from all stakeholders to create a vision that fits your community.

Assembling the team:

Invite parents, parks and recreation leaders, engineers, government leaders, city planners, community members, youth organization representatives, and bike park design experts to be on your bike park team.

Selecting the site:

Considerations for the site include: access and connectivity, the amount of space needed, costs, location, and sustainability.

Bidding and designing:

Select a qualified bike park builder through a bidding process.

Building:

Invite community members to participate as appropriate, so the creation of the park belongs to everyone it will benefit.

Activating:

Create programs and activities that appeal to all ages to ensure long term engagement.

Measuring:

The greatest measure of success for your bike park is the number of kids it impacts positively.

Make this an ongoing activity:

Fundraising, public support and advocate: Most bike parks are funded by a mix of sources including businesses, individuals, governments, grantmaking organizations, private donations, and associations. Compile a list of potential partners and make the ask.

 

 

BRING A BIKE PARK TO YOUR COMMUNITY TODAY

THE SARIS FOUNDATION envisions a world where every kid has a safe and energizing place to ride their bike. We are actively investing in building bike parks worldwide.

The grant application is easy an straight forward. Accepting applications until January 31, 2022. Sart it today!