FAQ
Membership
What is '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 club sponsors. The NSRide membership is $60 and it is good from January 1st to December 31st.
What is the NSRide 1-week Guest Pass?
The NSRide 1-week Guest Pass 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 (7 days) only, from date of purchase. After a week, you can upgrade your Guest Pass to a full membership.
Why do you have to charge for the membership?
NSRide is a not-for-profit club; however, in order to responsibly and safely operate, oprating insurance is required. We use our revenues for Ride Leader first-aid training, after ride celebrations, industry nights, sponsoring trail days and other administrative costs to keep the club running. All our Directors and Ride Leaders are dedicated volunteers.
Are the membership fee pro-rated?
Unfortunately, we cannot pro-rate our membership fees.
Do I have to register online?
Yes please! The club is run by volunteers and it takes lots of time to process a manual (hard copy) registration. Online registration reduces paperwork for our volunteers and it is very easy and quick to do.
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 on the website. You can click here to register.
How do I get the membership card?
Upon receiving your registration, we will mail you two registration cards, one plastic and one paper. Please attach the plastic membership card on your riding pack and present the paper card to receive perks offered to our sponsors when redeeming discounts.
I have not received a membership card yet. Can I still ride?
Yes, just show your registration receipt (print out or on your phone) to ride leaders until you receive your card.
Bike & Gear
What kind of bike do I need to bring?
You should bring a mountain bike with front suspension at minimum. If your bike has rear suspension, that is an added bonus. The bike should have at minimum disc brakes (your hands will thank you). Semi slick or slick tires while ideal for commuting are NOT safe for trail riding. Make sure that your bike is in safe working order and fits you appropriately.
We recommend you use flat or clipless pedals, as long as you are comfortable with using them. Due to an abundance of steep terrain, your bike should have a quick release lever on your seat post, at minimum, or a handlebar activated dropper post to raise and lower your saddle during a ride.
Please note: Due to the nature of our ride groups, NSRide is not able to cater to e-bikes (pedal assisted electric bikes) at this time. As the e-bike market evolves, NSRide may revisit this policy as needed and in consultation with trail advocacy groups and land owners.
Should I bring my full-face helmet and armour?
That is up to you and your personal preferences. However, our insurance coverage requires that bike helmets are worn at all times. As a general rule of thumb, if your bike helmet is 5 years or older, it's time to buy a new one. Most helmet material breaks down over time with exposure to sunlight.
What else do I need to bring?
Please read What to Bring page. Your pack should contain the essential items on the list, at minimum. Each member is responsible for bring their own food, water, clothing and repair equipment (spare tube, pump, tools).
Rides
When do you ride?
Our regular riding season starts in mid-April and lasts until mid-September. During the regular season, we have weekly group rides: Tuesdays are women only Girls Night Out and Co-ed Beginner Rides and Thursdays are Co-ed Rides. We also hold approximately two Weekend Rides, per month during the regular season. Weekend rides give us the opportunity to explore trails outside the North Shore, such as Squamish, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler, Burke Mountain, etc.
Night Rides start in mid-October and run through the winter months until March depending on weather. Night rides may be cancelled due to heavy rain, snow or other conditions.
Where can I find the ride schedule?
Our ride schedule is posted on the NSRide website for the regular season and on the NSRide forum for the winter season.
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 on a monthly basis to give more variety and to take advantage of the longer days in the summer. Weeknight ride start times are: April & September: 6:00 pm, May & August: 6:15 pm and June & July: 6:30 pm. Weekend rides start at 10:00 AM, unless otherwise stated. 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 weekday evening ride. Sometimes they run longer if we have more daylight in June & July. For a weekend ride, the average ride is around 3 hours depending on the group level and weather conditions.
After a ride, we typically meet at a local pub to re-fuel and re-hydrate. Meet us at Seymour’s Pub after the Tuesday and Thursday weekly rides. Weekend locations are posted with the ride in the schedule.
What types of rides does the club offer and do you offer groups in different levels?
Due to the terrain we frequent, the ride types are of the Trail and All Mountain variety, depending on the group level. We try to offer all levels (beginner, beginner-intermediate, intermediate & advanced) as long as the general terrain of the ride permits. During Tuesday and Thursday evening rides, we offer multiple groups to provide a ride for almost every level of rider.
Which group should I ride with?
That can be a tough question to answer. First, take a look at the Riding Level & Trails page and see if you recognize any of the trails. If you can ride most of the said trails, you are probably OK to join that group. We usually recommend joining with a level lower than what you think. Your decision can be evaluated with the Ride Leader at the end of the ride.
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 instructors, 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. If shuttle is needed, it is organized by the Ride Leaders and members using 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.
Winter Night Rides
Where can I find the schedule?
Our winter night ride schedule is posted on the NSRide forum only. This is to allow us to change or cacel the ride in case of questionable weather. Rides will be cancelled by 4:00 PM at the latest if weather is nasty. Please check the forum!
What level is offered?
The winter night rides are offered for intermediate/advanced level only and they are 'All Mountain' rides. Due to the lack of daylight, the use of lights, and wet weather, the risk and difficulty are higher as compared to a regular season evening ride. Riding time is also limited due to battery run times for each riders lights. Please make sure that you are familiar with the scheduled riding trails. Winter night rides are NOT ideal for learning to ride.
What kind of lights do I need?
You will need a proper lighting system with the absolute minimum 400 lumens that can last at least 60 minutes. A flash light or commuter bike light as your main light is not sufficient. Be sure to fully charge your battery before every ride. Please bring a Petzel head lamp as a back up and for climbing if your system lasts less than 90 minutes. Remember, this is one time when it is polite not to look at the person you are talking to, as you have a blinding light on your head. ;)
What else do I need to bring?
Beside the list on What to Bring, make sure your bike is in good working condition and carry an extra jacket and gloves. Fixing a bike in the dark is more difficult than you can imagine!
Ride Leaders
Remember that all Ride Leaders are volunteers. We try to be as helpful and as accommodating as possible, but ask the same of members. Find out more about our Ride Lleaders and how to become one here.