How to Create and Operate a For-profit Bike Park, According to a Teenager Who's Done It

Rhett Jones is a high school mountain biker living in the Austin, Texas area. He's the founder of Station Bike Park, a new private park he developed on 150 acres of former ranchland northwest of Austin.

Singletracks first shared Jones' story in a November feature article on our website; this interview adds more detail and dives into the economic and operational aspects of running a for-profit, private mountain bike park.

• How long have you been riding mountain bikes? 
• Tell us about the free bike, public bike park you built in 2022. How did that get started?  
• Are there many places to mountain bike in and around Austin, TX? What is the mountain bike scene like in the area? In the state?
• How much money did you raise, and how did you raise it? Were you able to stay on budget?
• Are bike parks good businesses? Were you able to use any successful bike parks as an example?
• How do most bike parks actually make money: tickets, rentals, repairs, or sales? 
• Was getting insurance a challenge? 
• Is there a benefit to being close to a more established bike park like Spider Mountain Bike Park?
• What are the economics of a fixed lift system? Is the cost feasible for the average bike park?
• What's your favorite part of owning a bike park?
• What are your plans for the bike park and for yourself in the future?

Find out more at stationmountain.com.

Photo provided by Rhett Jones.

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