Are you looking for some quick answers? Here are some of the most common
questions that we get about the club and about the rides.
Membership
What is the NSRIDE membership?
The NSRIDE membership allows you to participate in all the group rides led by first-aid trained
ride leaders and receive preferential rates on goods and services from NSRIDE sponsors.
The NSRIDE membership is $50 and it is good from January 1st to December 31st.
What is the NSRIDE temporary membership?
The NSRIDE temporary membership is ideal for anyone out of town looking for rides or
for anyone wanting to try out the club before purchasing the full NSRIDE membership.
It is good for 1 week only. After a week, you we offer an option to upgrade the
temporary membership to a full membership.
Why do you have to charge for the membership?
NSRIDE is a not-for-profit club; however, in order to operate the club, we need to
have liability insurance. Besides, we use the remainder for ride leader first-aid
and safety training, after ride parties, industry nights, sponsoring trail days and
other administrative costs to keep the club running smoothly.
All the directors, ride coordinators and ride leaders are dedicated volunteers.
Are the membership fee pro-rated?
Unfortunately, we cannot pro-rate our membership fee. We wish we could offer
everyone a full-year membership based on the date of purchase, but our insurer
dictates fixed dates on our policy.
What is the profile of the membership?
Our membership profile is a fairly even split between male and female. The
majority of our members are aged between 25 and 44 with almost half of the
members being in their 30’s.
How do I join the club?
The membership registration is done online through Karelo.com. You can click
here to register.
Rides
When do you ride?
Off-season rides start in mid-October and run through the winter months until
March. The rides during the off-season are weather dependent and they maybe
cancelled due to heavy rain, wind or snow.
Where can I find the schedule?
What time do the rides start and where do I meet the group?
The meeting time and place are posted on the schedule. Click
here for directions
to the meeting places. For weekly rides, we change meeting places and times monthly
to give more variety and to take advantage of the longer daylight time in the summer.
Be sure to check the schedule at the beginning of the month.
How long are the rides?
We ride about 1.5 hours to 2 hours on a typical weekly ride. Sometimes
a little longer if we have more daylight. For a weekend ride, the
average ride is around 3 hours depending on the group level.
After the ride, we meet at a local pub to re-fuel and re-hydrate.
Meet us at Seymour’s Pub after the Tuesday and Thursday weekly rides.
What types of rides does the club offer and do you offer groups in different levels?
We offer both XC and DH rides as long as the location of the ride permits. During the
regular season, we offer multiple groups to provide a comfortable ride for every level
of rider.
Which group should I ride with?
Take a look at the scheduled rides and try to cross-reference with trails that
you have ridden. If you aren't sure, err to a lower-level ride and see where
you fit. Also ask a ride leader, they will be able to help you decide.
Do the ride leaders provide instruction?
All ride leaders are experienced riders and are willing to help out with some tips and
tricks to improve your riding. However, we are not certified coaches, so we cannot
provide mountain bike “instruction” during group rides.
There are several excellent instructional courses in the Vancouver area, including
Endless Biking and
Dirt Series.
Does the club run shuttles?
No, the club does not run shuttles. The shuttles are organized by the ride leaders and
members with their own vehicles.
Does the club organize carpool?
No, the club does not organize carpool, but you are welcome to use the
Carpool
section of the NSRIDE Forum to organize your own carpool with other members.
Equipment
What kind of bike do I need to bring?
You need to bring a mountain bike with at least front suspension. If you have rear
suspension, that is an added bonus. The bike should have, as a minimum, v-brakes
although disk brakes are recommended. The semi slick or slick tires are not
recommended. Make sure that the bike is in good working condition and fits you.
We recommend you have flat pedals; or clipless pedals as long as you are very
comfortable with them. Having a quick release on your seat post is also very useful as
you may want to raise and lower your saddle during rides.
Should I bring my full-face helmet and armour?
It really depends on the ride that you are doing. Normally XC rides don't see a lot of
full-face helmets and armour but you should wear what you are comfortable with.
On more DH oriented rides it is highly recommended that you wear a full-face
helmet and armour.
Our Ride Leaders
Please remember that all ride leaders are volunteers. We all try to be as helpful
and as accommodating as possible.
