Joining a MTB club
- Thread starter Soup890
- Start date
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Mr Haematocrit
msg me on kik for android
- Location
- Out of the saddle
Same as a road club typically (but off the black stuff).. The do social rides, training rides, competition, club kit etc
Stu Plows
Coming soon: Bonking on a hill near you!
- Location
- Sywell, Northampton
Thought this was a wind up.
Just message a potential club and ask them if there are any requirements.
Just message a potential club and ask them if there are any requirements.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
MTB riders don't tend to be quite as "club-oriented" as road riders. Yes, there are clubs which have MTB rides, but most of the clubs I know are predominantly road or CX oriented with a weekly MTB ride thrown in for those that fancy it.
By its nature, mountainbiking is great as a solitary or group thing, but the ethos rarely extends to the level of organisation or commitment that clubs entail. You're far more likely to find groups of people meeting at a particular pub on a Monday night, or riding on a Saturday from a selection of meeting points, taking it in turns to lead or sort out a route.
Singletrackworld.com is the spiritual home of several bands of folk, admittedly mostly Northerners who ride MTB in all its many forms. The Monday Night Pub ride guys meet at a pub near Manchester and ride to work up a thirst for example.
The Sweary Northerners are a bunch of enthusiasts who ride in the Pennines on big hit trail bikes and appear to specialise in riding down stuff most of us would struggle to walk up. The Bogtrotters organise day long epics in the Lake District and Dales, as do the South Lakes crowd.
My advice would be to go to a bike shop that specialises in MTBs and ask if there are any local group rides suitable for novices.
As for a bike, well, decide what sort of riding you want to do first. Have a browse through here or other MTB forums, speak to people in bike shops and be realistic about what you want to ride. No good getting a flat-out XC race bike if you want to ride down Jacob's ladder, and no point getting a 150mm travel AM bike if you want to ride the canal tow-paths.
By its nature, mountainbiking is great as a solitary or group thing, but the ethos rarely extends to the level of organisation or commitment that clubs entail. You're far more likely to find groups of people meeting at a particular pub on a Monday night, or riding on a Saturday from a selection of meeting points, taking it in turns to lead or sort out a route.
Singletrackworld.com is the spiritual home of several bands of folk, admittedly mostly Northerners who ride MTB in all its many forms. The Monday Night Pub ride guys meet at a pub near Manchester and ride to work up a thirst for example.
The Sweary Northerners are a bunch of enthusiasts who ride in the Pennines on big hit trail bikes and appear to specialise in riding down stuff most of us would struggle to walk up. The Bogtrotters organise day long epics in the Lake District and Dales, as do the South Lakes crowd.
My advice would be to go to a bike shop that specialises in MTBs and ask if there are any local group rides suitable for novices.
As for a bike, well, decide what sort of riding you want to do first. Have a browse through here or other MTB forums, speak to people in bike shops and be realistic about what you want to ride. No good getting a flat-out XC race bike if you want to ride down Jacob's ladder, and no point getting a 150mm travel AM bike if you want to ride the canal tow-paths.
To echo Cubist's advice, a lot of rides seem to be organised informally. Near me, there's place in Delamere who do a ride every Thursday evening and the local bike shop did the same. I'm not sure I know any clubs that are specifically for mtn biking, it seems to get pinned on to other things, like road clubs or mtneering clubs etc...
Colin B
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Manchester
I've looked far and wide for a group of old farts who like to MTB around my area , but I love just getting out on my jack and having a laugh
