How to Find a Mountain Bike Club in the UK (and Pick the Right One)

The quickest way to find a mountain bike club in the UK is to search two directories, British Cycling's Club Finder and Cycling UK's local groups, then ask at your nearest bike shop. Before you pay for anything, go on a taster or trial ride. A club is only worth joining if you like riding with the people in it.

The groups I've ridden with in the Forest of Dean grew up informally. That works brilliantly until it doesn't, which is why a proper club, with set rides and someone organising them, is worth a look. Here's how to find one and how to tell whether it's for you.

Where to search for a mountain bike club

Start with the two big directories:

• British Cycling's Club Finder. Search for mountain bike clubs near you.
• Cycling UK's local groups. Cycling UK has over 900 member and affiliated groups across the UK, offering thousands of rides and events. Read each group's page to see whether it rides off-road.

To see what a typical club looks like, take Newforce MTB Club in the New Forest. It runs Sunday rides, Tuesday and Thursday evening rides, plus trips and events, and it's affiliated to Cycling UK. Weekend rides, a midweek evening or two, and the odd trip away is a common shape for a club.

Then go local. Ask in your bike shop who rides from there, and look out for posters and social pages at your nearest trail centre. For women's groups there's a dedicated directory, which I cover below. And for every other way of finding a ride, from shop rides to guided rides, see where to find mountain bike rides.

Can you ride with a club before you join?

Often, yes. Cycling UK says its members can ride with any member group, and non-members are welcome to try out riding with one of its groups. Some affiliated groups may ask you to book first or join before you ride, so check the group's page.

Some clubs make it easy with a taster ride. Bigfoot MBC, in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds, aims to host a taster ride once a month for potential new members.

Whichever club you try, message the organiser first so they know you're coming. If it's your first group ride of any kind, read how to join a group ride before you go: it covers what to bring, what to ask and how no-drop rides work.

How much does it cost to join a mountain bike club?

Club fees vary, so check each club's own page, but as an example, Bigfoot MBC's membership is £25 a year for a single rider or £40 for a couple, running from April to March, and £18 or £25 if you join from September (checked September 2026).

National memberships are separate from club fees. British Cycling's individual membership is £52 a year for Core and £82 for Premium (checked September 2026). Prices change, so check the British Cycling membership site before you buy.

Do you need insurance to ride with a club?

It depends what you mean by insurance, and it's worth being clear before you rely on any of it.

• Cycling UK affiliation covers club officials, ride leaders and event organisers against claims made against them as a result of their negligence. It protects the people running the ride. It isn't cover for your own injuries.
• British Cycling membership includes third-party liability cover for claims against you of up to £20 million. It has exclusions, including claims by one member against another in a race, time trial or timed event.

Read the policy wording of anything you buy, and check what, if anything, covers your own injuries and your bike.

Women's mountain bike groups in the UK

SheRides calls itself the ultimate guide to women's MTB groups around the UK. It lists groups right across the country, including a monthly social ride in Gloucestershire.

British Cycling's Breeze rides are free for women. They go at the speed of the slowest rider, with Breeze Champions making sure nobody is left behind, and you register in advance. If you're worried about turning up alone, Breeze says more than 80% of its riders come on their own and meet people along the way.

How to tell if a club will suit you

Directories tell you a club exists. A ride tells you whether you'll enjoy it. Before you join, find out:

• What they ride. Some clubs cover everything. Bigfoot MBC, for example, rides XC, CX, gravel, trail, enduro, downhill and jump bikes. Others stick to one kind of riding.
• When they ride. Weekend mornings suit some people, weekday evenings suit others. Check the ride days fit your week before you pay.
• How fast, and whether they wait. Ask if rides are no-drop. A club that's honest about its pace is a good sign.
• Whether e-bikes are welcome. If you ride one, ask. If you don't, ask whether you'll be riding with them.
• How it feels. The best groups I've ridden with brought different ages and abilities together, everyone coached each other, and the banter was great. If nobody says hello, tells you the route or waits for you on a ride billed as social, try another club.

Clubs aren't the only way: informal crews and apps

Plenty of riding happens in informal crews that aren't listed anywhere. When the ones I rode with drifted apart, the rides that were left were scattered around Facebook, and that's what gave me the idea for Plus1. You post a ride with its level and discipline, riders near you tap to join, and everyone gets a reminder. Active now shows who's out riding right now, roughly within a 1 km square and never as an exact pin, and you can keep a list of riding mates. It's free, with no ads, on iPhone and Android. It's new, and it only works when riders are on it, so it sits alongside clubs rather than replacing them.

However you meet riders through Facebook, Strava or an app, make the first ride a safe one. Meet at a public trail centre car park, ride somewhere you know, and tell someone your route.

Clubs and groups near the Forest of Dean

If you ride in Gloucestershire or the Welsh borders, a few places to start:

• Bigfoot MBC covers Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds, rides everything from XC to downhill, and aims to run a taster ride once a month.
• SheRides lists a monthly women's social ride in Gloucestershire.
• WyeMTB in Monmouth isn't a club, but it offers British Cycling coaching for all abilities, plus guiding. A coached session is a good way to build confidence before a club ride.

Wherever a group rides in the Forest, Forestry England asks riders to use stone-surfaced forest roads, formal waymarked cycle trails and bridleways, and creating your own trails or features is illegal. Harvesting and forestry work can close trails and move meeting points, so check Forestry England's trail status before a group ride.

For the local picture, see my guide to Forest of Dean group rides, and if you're visiting for the first time, start with mountain biking in the Forest of Dean.