[Closed] Finding people to ride with

I think you've made a good start, I'm not local to you.

Facebook can be good for this, the STW group is a bit more free and loose than the forum, plus FB generally will usually have a group for different areas, sometimes its easier to join an existing group rather than starting one yourself.

I think some bigger road clubs also have an MTB group. Or try and speak to a few of your local bike shops and see if they are aware of local groups.

Try googling Coggers MTB or Peaks MTB as a couple of groups active in the peaks.

Facebook can be good for this, the STW group is a bit more free and loose than the forum,

I didnt know there was a Facebook group. Is it all roadbikes & left-wing politics like this forum seems to be?

How do you find people to mtb with

Dating sites apparently.

Any advice I’m Hinckley based

Try GT Riders.

http://www.godivatrailriders.org/index.shtml

They are mostly Cov based, but riding regularly around Nuneaton and area.

They also have busy dairy for social and racing events outside of Midlands.

Cheers!

I.

Hinckley Golf club?

Strava is a good place too - see who rides you local trails, give kudos, leave comments, maybe "steal" some KOMs if doable... I met few nice guys that way!

Odd. go riding more. be friendly.

A lot of LBS's have shop rides, worth popping into a few and asking

This forum used to be the best place to find people to ride with so try here 😊

Odd. go riding more. be friendly.

Really?

Has this ever worked for anyone looking to find people to ride with? (genuine question, not being arsey)

If I go riding at my usual trail centre of Coed Y Brenin then even if the carpark is full I'll often only see a couple of people out on the trail.  Often they're in their own groups and aren't keen on chatting, but even if you both happen to be stopped and have time for more than a passing "hello" then it would require a change in riding pace mid-ride from one of you (you've either caught them, or been caught) in order to get past mere pleasantries.

Also, "Hi, I've got nobody to ride with, can I tag along with you" seems a bit needy.  Plus it puts them in an awkward situation if they want to ride at their own pace.

Maybe I'm wrong and it does work.  I'm quite shy when it comes to meeting people, especially groups of people, that I don't know and don't like to impose myself on people.  I guess if someone asked me if they could join me then I'd be more than happy.  I'd be annoyed if their pace was very different to mine and I ended up having to wait around for them loads, but I'd hope that most people would recognise that and say to crack on (or I could make an excuse of having to get back).

I'm in the same situation as the OP, with no riding mates (on or off road).  I really enjoy riding on my own, but it would be nice to have company sometimes.  The simple solution would be to join a local club ride, but as a parent of a 2 year old and a 3 month old I have to fit in my riding on the odd day here or there and certainly couldn't make many weekly club rides.  Also, I'm not keen on the big group thing and prefer riding in smaller groups.

I'll be at CyB on Saturday if anyone fancies joining this billy-no-mates for a ride.  I live on Anglesey if anyone fancies meeting for a ride any other time (road or off-road) and I can get out of childcare.

I'm lucky in that I have some friends that got into riding around the time I did. More importantly they don't mind waiting if I'm slower and I don't mind waiting if I'm quicker.

Would be good to meet up with locals that ride at a similar pace, if only to scope out the decent trails local to me.

Main FB group (*edit*local to me)has a very vocal minority that, judging from what they post, I wouldn't want to ride with. Still looking for a local club or group though so can sympathise with the OP

Up my way, Facebook and the 'Meetup App' seem to be quite big for hooking up riders. I used to ride with my local club at every opportunity, but age, injuries, club politics and folk I thought of as friends turning out to be a right bunch of dicks (not you Barton), put paid to that.

Now I do the vast majority of my riding solo, which inevitably means I don't ride anywhere near as much as I'd want to. For me, riding has always been more about the social interaction than the actual bikes or trails, so without the incentive of meeting up with the gang for a muddy evening, I'm just sitting in front of the telly feeling sorry for myself.

I've joined two local Facebook groups, Stirling Area Mountain Mudders and Central Scotland MTB group. Each group has 750-800 members, although I'd expect that the biggest proportion of those are shared. Even so, it's a vast amount of riders of all abilities and although the Facebook activity seems to be dominated by just a few of the members, the diversity is still there and accessible.

I'm actually hoping to meet up with a bunch of them tonight, if my commute permits. I posted up on the Facebook group and one of the guys responded. If I can catch up with them I'll see what happens. If I can't, well, the fact is that I'm actually talking about going out on my bike, rather than planning what I'm going to watch on Netflix.

I'd have a search on Facebook, see if there's any groups near you. If not, download the Meetup app and do the same...although I never really got on with that. It just seemed to go pinging off like mental as I couldn't figure out how to filter the messages!

Look for some local shop rides too, there's bound to be a regular Saturday/Sunday morning rideout, unless it's a city centre shop.

Odd. go riding more. be friendly.

Really?

Has this ever worked for anyone looking to find people to ride with?

Yeah, a bit. It's either that, FB or via this very website (either on the forum or buying and selling stuff sometimes leads to arranging a ride).

I find it really hard to find new people to ride with, most people I do ride with are either family members or people I've known a long time - not because it's hard to be friendly, but because everyone has such different riding styles. I'm more of a winch and launch kind of rider, I absolutely cannot be arsed doing anything but spin up hills, enjoy the view at the top and then descend and maybe stop to section bits of trail and dos around. I find it easier to ride with people up around Sheffield as this is what the local scene is like.

Down sarf, people want to smash out lots of miles around the surrey hills and ride up as fast as they can and they'll do full runs on the descents even if they make mistakes. So my riding style just doesn't fit, I end up just pissing people off and getting pissed off myself.

Also, “Hi, I’ve got nobody to ride with, can I tag along with you” seems a bit needy.

I rode solo in the alps this year, what surprised me were the amount of solo French and German riders who would spot this, get chatting and then link up to descend together. Totally different attitude out there from non-brits. The friendliest lads were by far and away the German riders.

Another vote for strava as per what @medoramas says.

I've tried the FB route.  The only local group that I've found is NWMTB.  Problem is that it seems to be populated by 1 guy on his fatbike (no issues with fatbikes or him, but that type of riding doesn't fit with my idea of a good time), complete novices, and a bunch of old guys that arrange rides for over 60s.

You'd think that in North Wales it wouldn't be hard to find someone who wants company for the odd ride that likes a similar style of riding and is of similar ability, but 3 years after moving here I'm still billy-no-mates on the trails.

I'm under no illusion that this is largely my fault and I just need to put myself out there more and be open to riding with a wider range of people - I can't just expect to just find the perfect group to ride with.  Part of the problem is that my opportunities for mountain biking are so limited at the moment due to family commitments that when it comes down to it I'd rather ride by myself but where and how I want than risk having a mediocre day out on the bike.

Don't know what my point is, other than sympathies to the OP and a cry for help!

Also, “Hi, I’ve got nobody to ride with, can I tag along with you” seems a bit needy.

Dunno, I do it all the time!

It's that or you end up in that awkward overtake, be overtaken, overtake, be overtaken, try to hang back just far enough to be polite, overtake, bust a gut trying to make it stick whilst they hang back trying to be polite, get overtaken, etc.

Equally whilst riding local stuff people ask "where did that trail come from" as you pop out of the hedge and then that leads to showing them round some stuff.

Really?

Has this ever worked for anyone looking to find people to ride with? (genuine question, not being arsey)

Yes. All my life. I'm not needy in the slightest though so wouldn't say phrases like "“Hi, I’ve got nobody to ride with, can I tag along with you” I'm just confident and friendly and have always spoken to everyone I've ever met out in the woods/hills. Conversation tends to flow easily as you already have something in common. Being a decent rider with good trail knowledge probably helps too. If passing another rider (particularly on a climb) it's only natural for me to chat as we pass. Same if someone else happens to be at the top of a climb before the next descent. I speak to strangers all the time in most situations. It's just how I am.

In Bristol there are a group of guys from here that meet up and cycle. Someone noticed my posts and reached out to me (sorry - corporate term that gets bandied about loads) and we now have a WhatsApp group. It was Wednesday night rides most weeks but now it’s more as hoc. If someone is going out riding they put a message on the app so if anyone else is around they can join. Works pretty well.

Second the strava idea, found a female mtber to ride with that very way and now we go riding together fairly often and she didn't take offence that I took her trophies off her!!

It’s a complicated world. All my usual riders have bought ebikes so my little gangs gone. Rode with lad from work on Sunday. Took him round Degla, he loved it his first time at a trail centre.I think I’m quite chilled to ride with as happy to wait for people as long as we’re all having fun. He's up for future rides so alls good.

qtip try Snowdonia MTB on Facebook. Never had chance to ride with them yet but they seem quite busy. There’s no perfect group just ones you can have a laugh with. Any Lake District groups about as I ride up there a fair bit on solo rides.

Facebook groups and Meetup when I was getting into it a looking for folks to ride with. Also chatting to folks when out in the woods, as geex says a good knowledge of the trails help as you can show people round, I wouldn't know if being a decent rider helps! Get out and ride with people even if it's not the ideal group as that way you meet more people and some of them might be into the same sort of riding as you. The first steps are the hardest, once you get out there into the 'community' you meet loads more people, friends of friend coming on rides etc and the social riding circle soon expands, get added to whatsapp groups etc.

@Marin - can’t seem to find Snowdonia MTB on Facebook. You got a link?

I've made riding friends directly through strava as there weren't many women on it at the start we messaged each other after being the only ones on the leader board. My partner has made riding friends through single-track when he was new to the area. They are the nicest people you could have for riding buddies!

I do about 45% of my riding with family, 50% alone and only a tiny bit with groups.

No idea how I would change that

Use this forum to meet people for rides.

I'm riding in the Forest of Dean Sunday, if anyone wants to join me, send me an email.  It will be a mix of XC, Winch & Plummet, cheeky Pixie built trails with a good dollop of exploration thrown in for good measure.  20-40 km, perhaps a 1000m of climbing, grub at the end.

I’m in the FoD with no one to ride with - I have no idea how to get an email from this forum, but I’ll come with you.

None of my friends ride so I have been in a similar position, this was especially so when I moved out to HK 8 years ago. I found the local FB groups were the first place to start and then from there you gradually get added to Whatsapp groups as groups form around ability/type of riding etc.

I'm not much of a fan of big group riding, with lots of stops for pics and talking (I should stress I'm no Richie Rude), which tends to be a thing out here so still ride 50% of the time on my own or with small groups of 2-4 people where possible.

Most mountain bikers generally are friendly but the Whatsapp groups can sometimes be a little '<span data-dobid="hdw">cliquey</span>' but give it time and just keep riding, out on the trails are where the riders are.

It’s MTB Snowdonia riding Club.

No idea how to put a lick up sorry.

Supernova - my email was in my profile, its now gone.  Not sure why.  Anyone else know how you put it back so others can contact you ?

There's a PM function now Trimix.

Have a lovely ride you two.

🙂

Why not just ride on your own.  You'll meet people on the trail if you actually talk to people.   I generally ride on my own but when ever I'm at a trail centre I'll end up following people down trails or at least chatting to people.  I do however prefer riding on my own.

Eh ?  A PM function ?  Excuse my luddite tendency's, but what and how do I use this ?

@Marin - cheers, found it

Click on Supernova's name on his post, then click "private message".

Right, Supernova and I have made a date 🙂

Thread will be resurrected after the weekend for us to slag off each others riding / banter / ability etc

*Bookmark it now*

This thread was the boot up the self pitying arse that I needed. I posted up on a local Facebook MTB group's page and was invited out on a ride on Monday night. Couldn't make their meeting time, but I caught up with them and was warmly welcomed into the group.

Plan to meet up with them again as soon as they're out near me again.

I too, shall keep you informed!

Ive met Trimix and he is a thoroughly nice man!

He certainly is, he gave me a guided tour of his home turf when I happened to be down there!

The problem I find is timing, I have a good mate who I ride with but it's harder and harder to get out these days. Evenings are our only option and I like to ride from home. At it's peak it's once a week but it probably averages out to be once every 3 weeks over the course of the year

Also, “Hi, I’ve got nobody to ride with, can I tag along with you” seems a bit needy. Plus it puts them in an awkward situation if they want to ride at their own pace.

I do that. Possibly a bit more subtle than that. Pick a smallish group when they are stopped, pull over and ask for route advice, more often than not the reply is 'we're going to do this, want to come with us?'. Helps if you are reasonably quick, much easier to be polite if you are the fastest and they aren't waiting for you, works for me on the climbing and fast singletrack stuff, much less so on the scary steep stuff where I tend to mince very slowly but usually the folks who can leave me for dead in the techy stuff are the folks who like to regroup for a chat at the bottom, which is why they were stationary having a chat when I found them....

Reverse also works, on your local stuff anyway, pick some lost looking people, ask if they are lost and if so offer to show them around.

I moved to Lancaster 12 years ago and knew very few people. Joined a club, the Bogtrotters and met Simon Barnes who along with others showed me round the Lakes and Dales. Along the way way I've made lots of friends. It's not prefect but nothing is and you have to appreciate the differences in life. I mostly ride on Wednesday night rides with a great bunch of lads. Was out last night and we got caught in fog at 700m and rode tight to keep together until we were out of the cloud.

When I started Uni I joined the MTB club and made friends for life and memories of daft rides that will stay with me til I die.

Join a club is my suggestion. Get involved and enjoy group riding and being social.

Also, “Hi, I’ve got nobody to ride with, can I tag along with you” seems a bit needy.

I go and find a tree so I'm obscured from view where I know people will cycle past and as they do I pull out and go hell for leather joining them and heading up to the lead rider and ask as above.

I usually find this works best wearing a batman cape and Dracula fangs with blood running down your cheek, a machete strapped across your chest and a slightly vacant lopsided look and a tick thrown in as well ... never had one say no to date but can't understand why they don't ask me again????

That’s a first for me qtip helping someone with technology. Maybe see you on a ride been bit busy of late with stuff and trips but should be back in N Wales soon.

Ask PostieRich for tips on being able to invite anyone on a ride and also invite himself on anyone's ride. He is the master of cheek and generosity when it comes to rides.

This is a good thread.

I never thought about it before.

I guess I always knew people who wanted to ride as well.

I also am very happy to go out on my own anyway.

I think I just talk about it wherever I am.

Work, out with friends etc and start chatting about it with people you like.

Before you know it you are meeting up for a ride.

I started back again recently, out on my own, exploring and strengthening up.

Chatting about it at work, and have hit lucky, going most weeks with a guy who is very like minded.

There are now others at work who are also interested in tagging along.

I agree, I also think that is the hardest part (finding like minded people) . Some people want to just power along on the flats, some just love trails, some like to explore and muck about.......

in various riding groups and still find it hard to initiate a "let's ride" chat, hence often just head out on my own for an explore or wander...

I’m always looking for people to ride with in FOD tomorrow at 8:30, if anyone is looking for someone to ride with?  Think it’s only me and my mate out (late 30’s/40’s) ride off piste stuff probably around 18 miles stop for a cake halfway round or at the end.

Well I had a good time with Trimix and co.

They're a bit above my skill level, but I think I just about managed to keep up.

Recommended company for riding!

Yup, that was a bloody good day out, lets do it again soon.  I'm still giggling about that drop-undercut thing I did by accident.  Such an adrenaline shot, a little bit of wee came out.

Not sure about you just keeping up, I was maxed out at the end.  Each time it went uphill you started to pull away.  We only had you on the downhills because we are from the more gentle Chilterns, so we found the steep bits a novelty and forgot to brake 🙂

If you fancy exploring the Chilterns let me know, we can show you our favorite bits in return for the cool stuff you showed us.