Road trips – there is a reason there are countless movies and books and articles about them, and a mountain bike road trip has got to be near the top of the tree for a ideal outdoor adventure.
Accessible to most and relatively quick to implement, the success or challenges can be determined by good planning, and a little forethought and some good luck on your side.
So what do you need to plan out? Well we have got you covered to get you excited about your next trip.
I love the planning process of trips, weighing up options, getting the gear sorted and roping in a good crew to share the experience.
An overview of the key things to consider include:
- Choosing the destination and the logistics to get there
- What route to take
- Trails on offer and do they match the skill level of the riders
- Where to base yourselves overnight and facilities
- Local town/city amenities
- Weather for the time of year and trail conditions
- Prepping your Bike and Riding Gear
- Bike upgrades that may be required for the location (e.g. Tyres)
- What spares to take
- Bag or fanny pack
- Protection required – e.g. full-face vs trail helmet, kneepads etc.
- Bike Rack for Car, Truck, Van
- Finding Accommodation or Camping
- Camp site options
- Airbnb, stayz/Vrbo
- Hotels/Motels
- Daily Planning
- How many rides/hours per day
- XC/Backcountry rides vs park and shuttles
- Rest & recovery days
- Essentials
- Food and meal planning
- Road-trip stops and supplies
- Maps and Apps for trail finding
- First aid kit and trail riding supplies
- Travel insurance
So lets explore this in more detail to assist in planning out your next mtb roadtrip.
Choosing Your MTB Riding Destination
Well this is the one decision that will set the tone for the rest of the planning, but where to go is the question.
Selecting MTB Friendly Road Trip Destinations
In the US do you choose MTB meccas such as Durango or Salida in Colorado, Moab or Deer Valley in Utah or Whistler in Canada?
In Europe and the UK, is this the bike parks of Afan and Cwmcarn in Wales, the Portes Du Soleil including Les Gets & Morzine in France or the Sierra Nevada in Spain.
In the Southern Hemisphere, what about a trip to Wanaka and Queenstown in New Zealand?
In Australia the North East of Victoria of Bright & Falls creek offer great roadtrip options. The new trail centres of the South Coast of NSW in Narooma, Eden and Mogo are also gaining interest with riders. And the incredible trails in Derby, Tasmania.
Planning the MTB Road trip Route
When you dig into it, there are plenty of good options to craft a roadtrip and get you excited.
Think larger trail networks or regions with multiple trail loops and bike parks within a hour radius, to enable short travel distances between. This gives a good opportunity to explore a couple of different towns and trails, for your trip.
It can also help to look at apps like Trailforks, All Trails or MTB Project, to get a feel for the trails on offer in the selected area, with some having ratings and feedback on trail conditions.
Other map and trail apps like Google maps and Gaia GPS can help with broader, macro level view of the road trip portion, trail center clusters and type of terrain, for planning routes.
Switching to more trail focused apps like Trailforks, Strava or MTB Project can assist with way finding and on-trail specifics.
Weather Considerations & Trail Conditions
Planning out the trip during more rider friendly weather conditions is also a key consideration. For many places, spring, autumn (fall) or early summer, deliver the goods for prime riding days.
Take a quick look at the local riding websites at your destination, to see if any trails are closed or damaged, due to recent weather events.
As with all trips, prepare for the unexpected, with rain gear on hand, and dry back-up riding kit.
Hey, riding in the mud can be fun, wet riding gear to pull on the next day, not so much.
Preparing you Bike and Gear
What’s the saying ‘Happy bike, happy life’ – well something like that.
Given the trip is centred around the mountain bike, you may want to spend a bit of time getting it up to speed, so that it is running as it should.
Getting Your Bike Road Trip Ready
Below is a suggested checklist of maintenance activities & items to consider, prior to the road trip.
- Full clean of the bike
- Do a full once over of your bike and inspect any areas that could cause concern. Pay particular attention to the drivetrain (chain and cassette) for any significant wear or rusty links – it may require a replacement.
- Check chain, dry after the clean and apply lube. Select wet or dry, depending on the trail conditions
- Check cabling is lubed and not frayed. If running wireless, ensure battery is charged and spare battery is available.
- Inspect Contact Point (Pedals, Seat/Dropper, Grips) are secure and working as they should.
- Check Tires and add fresh sealant if tubeless and consider swapping out tubes for new, if running it old school.
- Check bottom bracket to see if there is any ‘play’ or movement, side to side
- Check brake pads to see there is enough pad remaining and replace, if necessary.
Also dial in your tyre pressures, which will be dependent on the terrain, bike and rider weight and wheel/tyre size. This is always a bit of a dark art around selecting the ideal tyre/tire pressure, but there are a number of calculators, including this one from SRAM, which are helpful.
MTB Gear for your Roadtrip
Once you have the bike checked, cleaned and lubed, its time get your gear in order. While this is not an exhaustive list, the items below will ensure your road trip starts on a great footing.
- Helmet
- Shoes
- Socks
- Eye Protection
- Gloves
- Knee Pads
- MTB Trail Pants
- MTB Trail Shorts
- Chamois/Bib
- Jersey – Long & Short Sleeve
- Rain Jacket – Packable/lightweight
- Backpack or Fanny/Hip Pack
- First Aid Kit
- Luggage/ Kit Bag
- Hydration – Bottles – Bladder
- Trail Pump
- Floor Pump
- Shock Pump
- Trail Tool with Chain Breaker
- Supplements
Bike Racks for your Road Trip
Given this article is centered specifically on road trips, transporting your bikes by car, truck or van requires a solid solution.
A couple options to consider.
Roof rack bike racks like Thule or Yakima have been solid performers for many years. The classic Pro-Ride rack from Thule seems to be everywhere and continues to be a popular rack for bike transport.
With the increase of eMTB’s on the trails, we are seeing more hitch mount racks given the weight of the bikes. This style makes it easy to mount and dismount, although storage when not in use needs to be thought through.
The upright racks are also super popular where you can get a raft of bikes on the back of your vehicle. Many have 4, 5 and 6 bike options. There are several companies making these, from Yakima, to local (AU) outfits such as Shingleback, and US and Canadian brands such as VelociRAX and Panache.
Do your research, particularly around the hitch and securing the rack, to prevent excess wobble/movement, when the bikes are in transit.
Finding Accommodation and Camping Options
Finding accommodation can be a challenge, particularly if you are looking to do the road trip during more popular holiday and long weekend periods. Booking well in advance, is the name of the game for those periods.
However a long weekend outside of those more popular holiday and vacation timeframes, can be planned a lot closer to your departure day.
Hotels & Holiday Rentals
More hotels and holiday homes are specifically targeting riders with bike/rider friendly facilities. This includes secure storage, bike wash facilities, local trail knowledge and even menus planned for epic ride days.
These bike focused hotels and home stays are prevalent in towns and villages that are centred on riding. They often flag these ‘property enhancements’ on their site or in their accomodation description.
Home stays & holiday rentals work well, particularly with a larger group, enabling self catering and a central point to return and relax to, after a day of riding. Check out sites like AirBnB or Vrbo/Stayz.
Car Camping and Caravan Parks
If you have the gear then car camping is a solid, affordable option. Particularly staying at caravan parks with on-site facilities. After a day of riding, you want the evenings to be easy. Quality facilities (showers, toilets and cooking), maybe close to town for restaurants, bars and supermarkets make for a good selection.
Planning Out Your Daily Rides
- How many rides/hours per day
- XC/Backcountry rides vs park and shuttles
- Rest & recovery days
How Many Rides / Hours per Day
Each group is different with various riding abilities and fitness levels, so choosing your road trip crew, and taking into account these parameters, helps to then plan out the days.
XC/Backcountry Rides vs Park, Shuttle Runs
Maybe choose a couple of epic trails early in the trip and if the location allows, book in some shuttles or park runs for a day, with some scattered rest periods throughout.
If both these style of trails are on the cards, then bike selection will also need to carefully selected, for a bike capable of doing both.
These epic or backcountry trails have been defined as intermediate to advanced trails that are over 20 miles (32km), with the bulk being singletrack and in stunning environment.
As the official list by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) is very US centric, any long, XC/backcountry singletrack trail could be considered.
Park riding with shuttle or lift assisted access can also be a great focus for a roadtrip. Many places that have these options also have good base facilities with a village or town close by and many bike friendly businesses to cater to riders.
Another consideration for those that have not ridden one is to hire an eMTB and see how these handle the singletrack. As we get older, while we would love to continue riding traditional bikes, eMTB’s do open up access for when the body is not quite keeping up.
Rest & Recovery Days
Depending on how long your road trip is going to be, scheduling some rest days or half-days is great for recovery and resting those weary legs.
Again with good venue selection, many towns have non-riding options for rest days. It could be actual physical recovery like massage or just a couple of good breweries to hop around the afternoon.
It’s your road trip, so choose fun/challenging trails that you think would work well with the group
MTB Road Trip – Essentials
Road trip essentials include all the things that make these journeys great. Side trips to some small town that has a great café or brewery. A surprising truck stop that does a burger that gives city burger places a run for their money. Or a more scenic route, getting off the freeway for a bit.
Food & Meal Planning
Are you cooking all your meals, eating at cafes and restaurants or a mixture of both? A quick plan and consensus with the group on how to approach this helps with daily planning, splitting the load between cooking/prepping tasks and managing the costs.
For evening restaurants, it is recommended that these are booked in advance, as small town restaurants get booked out early, particularly during peak holiday season.
Maps and Apps
Get your required trail maps for pre-review. Hard copies are always good for pouring over and planning out. Most key mtb destination have them on their website.
When on trail the Trailforks app is very useful. I have use this on trail with phone and a quadlock mount and has worked vey well to assist with way finding. Much easier than stopping and pulling out the map at every crossroad, particularly at new locations.
First Aid Kit
Have a good on trail first aid kit that you ride with, as well as a more comprehensive one back at your base. Brushing up on some first aid skills would also help.
Spares, Snacks and Trail Riding Essentials
Having a couple of bike spare items is also helpful. This can also depend on where you are going and if there are already bike shops available for some of these requirements.
- Derailleur Hanger – Most are specific to particular bike brand frames, which many need to be ordered in advance. Having this as a back will keep you riding, should this snap out on the trail.
- Tubes – Even if running tubeless, if the sealant isn’t working or tyre not sealing, a spare tube can keep you riding.
- Cable Ties – The great fixer of many bike problems. Have a couple of different sizes and lengths to MacGuyver you way out of trouble.
- Snacks & Gels – Spread the love with some different ones, ideally flavours that you have tried previously, for some back up trail food and fuel.
- Tools – Trail tool with chain breaker, hand pump and/or CO2 canisters, tyre levers.
Travel Insurance
Mountain biking is prone to falls and crashes, so having travel insurance is a smart option to avoid a large medical bill, particularly in countries where medical costs are very high.
Some credit cards have insurance included when you purchase travel specific items such as accommodation and flights – check with your card provider on the specifics. Then check the included policy that mountain biking is covered. In many cases, this activity is an added extra.
There are also plenty on online insurers that you can purchase for the specific period you are away. Do your research and get yourself covered.
Final Thoughts – MTB Road Trip Planning
Traveling to a new mountain bike destinations is one of the great joys of mountain biking. Exploring new trails and having friends to share it with combine two great exploring activites – riding and travelling.
Road trips can take many forms and you may need to fly and then set up a hire car/van to get you to the trails. It’s all doable, and with some base planning, the journey can be just as interesting as the destination. Clichéd, yes, but there is some truth in it.
So what’s next? What are some destinations that you are thinking of, for a future road trip?
