FAQs
What is Bristol Shredders?
Bristol Shredders is a British Cycling affiliated Go Ride club for children up to the age of 13 that provides opportunities for safe, social, fun off road cycling. We are a mountain biking club focused on social riding. We are open to all children, and ensure we offer an inclusive, supportive, social environment on all our rides. We are volunteer run.
What different rides do you organise and how do they work?
We offer three types of ride.
• HUB rides are free social rides for families, and parents ride with their children and remain responsible for them at all times. These are not led rides, but experienced parents will help groups stay together and make sure no one gets lost. We split into smallish groups for the rides, so kids can get to know each other (and parents too!) These rides can be in Ashton Court, Leigh Woods or sometimes the Forest of Dean. The details will be on SPOND, when the bookings go live. They are free but please book. Hub rides are great for teens and we have a growing group of bigger shredders joining in the fun.
• SPOKE rides are led rides, in small groups. These take place in Ashton Court. There are three groups – beginner, intermediate and advanced. SPOKE rides are for paid up members, who have filled out the registration form (on our website). This is important because it includes the admin required by British Cycling. SPOKE membership costs £15 (lifetime – no renewal). SPOKE rides costs £9, bookable on SPOND. The dates are all on the website.
• Shred Up! coaching sessions. These are fun coaching sessions held in Ashton Court once a month. Anyone can book in, even if you’re not a SPOKE member. Parents don’t join. They’re an hour long. Booking on SPOND.
Once a year in the summer we also put on ‘Shredfest’, a fun mountain bike festival focused on children. It includes loads of fun riding activities like obstacle courses, treasure hunts and a ‘hot lap’. Follow our social media to find out more. It’s an important fundraising event for the club.
How much do the rides cost?
Hub rides are free. SPOKE rides cost £9 for 90 minutes. Shred up! Coaching is £10 for an hour. Plus a tiny bit extra for SPOND fees.
Is there free bike hire?
We offer a 20% discount code on Pedal Progression bike hire for all shredders and their grown ups on hub rides – use the code SHREDDERS20 to book one. You need to organise this yourself. If you need the whole cost covered, please just ask and we can do that for you. We never want the cost of equipment to get in the way of having fun on bikes on the trails.
What trails do you ride?
On SPOKE rides we stay in Ashton Court. It’s traffic free and the trails are maintained by Ride Bristol (if you want to help them out on a dig day or with a donation please visit https://ridebristol.org/). We might go to Leigh Woods or the Forest of Dean for the Hub rides. It’ll say where we meet on SPOND. For the coaching, it will most likely be in Ashton Court but might be in Leigh Woods occasionally.
Who leads the SPOKE and Shred UP! coaching rides?
Everyone at Shredders is a volunteer. The SPOKE ride leaders are British Cycling trained, have outdoor first aid, safeguarding training, and are British Cycling members (for insurance). All ride leaders and parent volunteers are DBS checked. Coaches have a British Cycling coaching qualification, first aid training, safeguarding training and are DBS checked. If you’re interested in joining the team, please get in touch! bristolshredders@gmail.com.
What happens on the SPOKE rides?
On SPOKE rides we split into three groups, with 7 kids in each group (max). There’s a parent volunteer and a qualified ride leader. We ride in Ashton Court (no road crossings) for 90 mins. There will be stops, playing and games. We’d prefer no snacks because it is quite disruptive (unless absolutely necessary). We always do a bike check, helmet check, introduction games and a warm up. Parents take the ride leader and volunteer parent’s phone numbers and stay local for the duration of the ride. We have a ‘shredder of the day’ award at the end for the child who has best lived up to the club values during the ride’.
What are these club values then?
• We ride for fun: our own and other people’s
• We challenge ourselves and celebrate our own and other people’s successes
• We take it in turns and learn from each other
• We listen to the ride leaders and take responsibility for our own behaviour
• We respect the environment and enjoy being in nature.
What happens on the coaching sessions?
Our coaching sessions introduce kids to the basics of mountain biking – body position, braking, gear selection, cornering, drops, wheel lifts. We teach these skills through games (drills to you and me, games to them kids). They are static coaching sessions so we stay in one place. We use equipment like ramps, poles and cones in these sessions.
Does the Shredders team get paid?
No, everyone’s a volunteer. Our ‘income’ all gets spent on covering new ride leaders and coaches to get trained, and to cover the free bike and helmet hire we offer for any kids or adults taking part in club activities who can’t cover that themselves, don’t have a bike, or can’t get their bikes to the trails.
Can I get involved as a volunteer?
Absolutely. We have a team of volunteers who help out on the SPOKE rides, and on the HUB rides as group wranglers. Just email us and we’ll get your DBS sorted and invite you to the volunteers Whatsapp group. Volunteers do not have to pay for their children to ride in SPOKE rides.
Is there Shredders team kit?
No, but there is a rad t-shirt. They can be ordered through SPOND or by email – just drop us a message. They’re £10 for kids and £12 for adults.
Do we need fancy mountain bikes to take part?
Not a fancy bike, no. It’s more important for kids to have a robust bike with working brakes and gears than an expensive mountain bike. That said, off road tyres will help. If you’re in any doubt, you can ask at Pedal Progression to check the bike over, or hire one from Pedal Progression. We offer a 20% discount code for all shredders – use the code SHREDDERS20 or if you need the whole cost covered, please just ask and we can do that for you. We never want the cost of equipment to get in the way of having fun on the trails.
How old does my child have to be to join in?
There’s no official lower age. For HUB rides you are responsible for your own child so if they come on a teeny tiny bike or a balance bike that’s fine – you stay with them. On SPOKE rides we say a minimum of 20 inch wheels. Sometimes we have 18 inch wheels – just ask if you’re unsure. The upper age limit for the club is 13 but we encourage teenagers to join in with the HUB rides with their parents. We will split people into groups of similar age and experience level.
How do I know when rides are?
SPOKE ride dates are all on the website. HUB rides and SHRED UP! coaching is timetabled in a slightly more ad hoc way but made available at the beginning of the month. All rides will be launched on SPOND. The code to join SPOND is WJZWK.
How do I become a member?
You can join the SPOND group any time with the code WJZWK. That will allow you to join the HUB group and book onto coaching. To join the SPOKE rides, your child needs to be a member and you need to sign the registration form. This costs £15 (one off). You can download and complete the registration form here (https://forms.gle/B4B9WH6NRaqHMkx57). When we have received the form one of the committee will send over the payment details for a bank transfer and welcome you to the club!
How can I see photos of the club?
We have an Instagram account so do follow us on that… @Bristolshreddersmtb
How do I get in touch?
Either use the contact form on this website or email us on bristolshredders@gmail.com
What if I have a welfare/safeguarding issue to raise?
Please don't hesitate to get in touch with our welfare lead (Oli Cain): oliver.cain79@gmail.com
How good does my child need to be?
We’re a social club not a racing club. All your child needs is the enthusiasm to be there. For HUB rides, there is zero expectation – just come along. Same for coaching. They are there to allow any child who’s interested to dip a toe into mountain biking and develop their skills and enjoyment.
For our SPOKE rides the ‘level’ of riding is a little bit higher. We generally split into three groups:
- Level 1: These are for "newer riders" and are suitable for anyone who can ride a bike on a flat path/road. You don't need any experience of mountain biking to join us. We will teach the basics required to ride safely off road. Ideally, 20 inch wheels or above.
- Level 2: Our rides for "more experienced" riders are suitable for people with a bit more riding experience that ride with confidence on off road terrain. 24 inch wheel or above.
- Level 3. These are the speedier ones. They are up for a good ride around the trails and have decent stamina. 24 inch wheel or above.
Is everyone friendly?
We think so, but you'll have to come along to see for yourself! We are all just so excited to be able to share our love of mountain biking with people new to the sport. All the ride leaders and coaches are regular mountain bikers.
What should my child bring?
They will need a fully working bike suitable for off road riding. That means it is safe, with working brakes and inflated tyres. Your child will also need a helmet that is in good condition and fits properly. We check this and have a supply of spares if there’s a problem. Please also bring clothing suitable for the weather (this often means a water proof and something warm), and a water bottle (not a metal one as they don’t fit in bottle cages very well). Gloves are essential. Some kids ride in knee pads but it’s personal choice.
What if the weather isn't good?
We make every effort to ride whatever the weather and wear warm and waterproof kit. However, there may be some times that it would be necessary to cancel the ride. If we do have to cancel a ride we will let you know as soon as we can.
Where do you meet?
We will tell you on SPOND. When we’re in Ashton Court, we meet by the miniature railway. Look out for the feather flags.
What if I'm late?
Our rides will start and finish on time.
How can I support the club?
If you work for a company that has volunteering days and funding opportunities please let us know! We are always looking for funding to support our activities and train more ride leaders and coaches.
What if I don't want photos taken of my child?
That's no problem! Please just let us know if you would prefer to not have photos taken of your child.
Club policies
We follow British Cycling guidance for safeguarding and data privacy. Please email bristolshredders@gmail.com if you would like to be a sent a copy of any of our policies.
Who is on your committee?
We have an amazing team:
Ollie Cain – safeguarding lead and club overlord
Fi Wilson - Membership Secretary and Treasurer, Ride Leader and Coach
Emma Hills - Volunteer coordinator, ride leader
Natalie Weaden – SPOKE coordinator, ride leader
Justin Marshall, Carla Tonks, Dan Summers, Rob Tadman and James West - Ride Leaders
Ross Grimmett – HUB coordinator
If you would like to be part of the club as a committee member, ride leader or volunteer parent, please get in touch!
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