The Bike Park, sponsor lineup, and second YouTube channel

It’s a new year and there are a number of new things going on with this YouTube

channel

. So today, I’ll bring you up to speed so you know what to expect in 2020. The first thing is a huge, long term project that part of this audience already knows about. That is, a free public

bike

park

that my Patrons and I are spearheading. To be clear, this is something entirely different than berm peak. Let’s start from the beginning. Some of you are familiar with Patreon, which is a site where fans

can support creators. I was charging $2 per month on my Patreon in exchange for bonus content and podcasts, and people really seemed to enjoy it. But then last Spring in a moment of insanity, I decided to put all of that monthly revenue towards building a free public

bike

park

—eventually. So until we can do that, the Patreon money is going to continue accumulating. Since last Spring that total has grown to $25,000. A single patron even pledged another $25,000 himself, and a few companies have

expressed serious interest in helping with the project as well. So, we’re well on our way to solving the most difficult part of the puzzle, the money. But the location, the plans, the details, and the city we’re working with is all still in the works. Before I tell 1.6 million people anything, we have to get the details worked out. So, I’ll answer what questions I can. First of all, what do I mean by

bike

park

? I mean a family friendly progressive jump

park

much like Valmont in Boulder

Colorado, or The Railyard in Rogers Arkansas.

Park

s like these only take up a few acres, and can be enjoyed by families and riders of all skill levels.

Second

question, where will it be? It will be in the Asheville, metro area so that I can oversee and document the construction on this YouTube

channel

. Right now we have a site in mind which I’ve been showing clips of here, but until certain things are set in stone I can’t say much more about it. Which brings us to the third question… When

will we start to see videos about the

Bike

Park

? I’m aiming for Spring 2021. By then the land should be ready to build on, and we should have accumulated enough funds to actually get started on something. If things go really smoothly and we can start sooner, then we’ll have a money problem and I’ll need to put up the difference myself. So, I welcome the delay to some degree. Last question, what will the

park

be called? We have yet to come up with a name, but for now we’ll code name it

Vapor

park

, because by the time this project gets rolling some will have given up hope. But vapor

park

is most definitely not vapor, it’s gonna be made of dirt and wood. Expect another update sometime before the end of Fall 2020. Now, on to today’s

sponsor

, League of Dinosaurs for IOS and Android. In this multiplayer strategy game, you’ll command a battalion of tankasaurs to fight the evil galactic pterosaur cartel.—I’m just kidding. Thanks to my actual

sponsor

s, I don’t need to

launch into league of dinosaurs ads mid video. Diamondback

Bike

s, Box Components, and Slime sealant have supported this

channel

for years now, and they’ve been amazing partners. But this year, I’m taking a step back. This

channel

has always been about storytelling, and I’d like to think we’ve gone even further in that direction with the story of Berm Peak. Of course, all of these stories are bicycle themed and so it’s easy to incorporate a

bike

sponsor

into them. But bicycle components

present a challenge because in order to incorporate them into a video, we need to get really specific and technical. With a broader audience than ever, this it’s challenge to make this interesting. Furthermore, the only time we do talk about components and accessories is during 10 product reviews videos, in which I like to feature products based purely on their entertainment value. So at the time of this video, Diamondback Bicycles is this

channel

’s only

sponsor

. This year we’re gonna tell

the story of Berm Peak, go amazing places, and meet remarkable people. And just as we have for years now, we’re gonna do it aboard a Diamondback bicycle, and that gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. But parting with my old

sponsor

s was not a decision I took lightly. Box and Slime have been nothing but supportive partners, and although I’ve decided that having fewer

sponsor

s is the right decision for 2020, I’m very happy to have had the privilege of working so closely with these two brands.

The last item today is my

second

youtube

channel

, it’s called Berm Peak Express. A lot of things happen around Berm Peak that some of you might find interesting. For example, we installed a winch on the Gator the very morning we started working on the Snake Pit skinny. We filmed that with no voiceover, script or storyboard, and my assistant producer was still able to make it into a very entertaining video. I’m not sure what this

second

channel

will become, but for now we’re using Berm Peak

Express to experiment with new types of content. One more quick item, thanks to all of you who bought merch during the holidays. Not only does this help keep the

channel

running, but it’s also a morale booster to know that so many of you want to rep Seth’s

Bike

Hacks and Berm Peak. Thanks for hearing me out on these updates. January has historically been a mudpocalypse around here so I’m using it as an opportunity to get some things done off camera. Expect a return to normal weekly videos

soon. Thanks for riding with me today and I’ll see you next time.