Hey Lee -

The Colorado School of Mines cycling team recently gained permission to build a ds course, pump track, and stxc on a fairly large patch of land owned by the school. I need to present them with a diagram of both the ds and pump track prior to construction. A diagram similar to those you put together would fit the bill perfectly. What software do you use? Any tips?

I really appreciate the help,

- Brandon

Sample layouts from Welcome to Pump track Nation.

Hey Brandon,

Right on! That is awesome.

I use a graphics program called Macromedia FreeHand. It is a lot like Adobe Illustrator. Both of these are serious professional tools, and they take some knowledge to operate. I’ve been using FreeHand since 1989 — back then it was version 2; now it’s version 10.

There are several consumer/beginner graphics programs that might be easier for you to mess with. You do not want a “raster” program like Adobe Photoshop, in which the images are made of pixels. You want a “vector” program, in which the images are mathematically generated shapes. Vector programs are easier to edit, and they hold resolution at any size. Perfect for that huge poster.

A reader recommended Google’s Sketchup. You can download the basic version for free.

See also: Software for diagramming tracks

Remember: It’s not about the tool; it’s about the brain running the tool.

For detailed advice on building pump tracks, check out the ebook Welcome to Pump track Nation. I did the layout and drawings in FreeHand.

Very cool. Tell me how it goes,

– Lee