Reivers Mountain Bikers started riding in 1997 when founder David Howcroft (aka fatboyreiver) of Morpeth, Northumberland started discovering his local off-road trails and proceeded to find some other like minded souls to share his growing knowledge of the local bridles, trails and byeways.
Rides since then, and presently today take place on Sundays, usualy starting at 10.00am, or earlier for longer rides. Winter rides are 15 - 25 miles and are 4 - 5 hours in duration.
Summer rides can be long epics up to 40 miles and 8 hours duration.
Wilderness mountain biking can be a demanding outdoor pursuit, especialy in the winter months, therefore we take group safety on the trails and the hills seriously. We always recommend that riders come individualy prepared and those riding on a regular basis always carry foul weather clothing, food and water, basic cycle tools/spares and a first aid kit. In this way we can always assure we will have a remedy in an emergency or breakdown situation.
Our rides are mainly classified as cross country and can be described as "social" rather than "competitive", although seeing who can clear a bit of technical rock garden or be first to the bottom of the hill ( or indeed top ) does usually involves some non-serious competition.
Natural trails, especialy the mazy rollercoaster singletrack type is the preferance, but we also pay visits to the man made variety at Chopwell, Hamsterly and of course all of the Scottish Border Seven Stanes Centres. Our home ground is Northumberland, but often ride Co Durham, Scottish Borders, Cumbria and Yorkshire.
Experienced and reasonably fit/able riders are welcome , however we do run novice/taster rides regularly, however all interested riders should initialy contact the ride leader before attending, to determine the severity of that particular ride. Unfortuanately we can not take unaccompanied children, however anyone under 18 is welcome with their parent or guardian.
Group Riding Recommendations.
1. Regroup at all gates – unless we decide first one through shuts the gate.
2. At the top of hills regroup – rest long enough for last rider to recover.
3. When strung out along the trail, make sure you are aware of the rider behind you.
4. If you are assigned last man – your responsibility is to act as anchor. Not all rides will have a last man.
5. Keep your bike trailworthy.
6. A cycle helmet should always be worn.
7. Follow the Country Code.
8. Respect other land management activities.
9. Keep erosion to a minimum, if off road.
10. Be self sufficient - in remote areas carry food, repair kit, map/compass and waterproofs.
11. Cycle within your capabilities. Match your speed to the surface and your skills.
If you decide to ride regularly then a fee of £10 per year is payable to cover replacement of maps, tool kit and spares, first aid kit and Mountain Bothy membership.
For a registration form, please email: gavin.duthie1@btinternet.com
........ hopefully see you out there !
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