Q: When do we meet?
A: We meet every Tuesday at lunch in Mr. Yeh’s room, rm. 40. If you’re considering joining, stop by! We usually have snacks.
Q: How often do we ride?
A: We practice four times a week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The weekday practices happen right after school at the Bike Room, rm. 10B, and go from 4pm to 6pm. Weekend practice starts at 9am at Chabot Regional Park, and goes until 12pm. It is mandatory to attend at least two practices a week.
Q: What do I need?
A: Three things are mandatory: A mountain bike, a helmet, and a water bottle. The bike must be a mountain bike, NOT a hybrid or road bike. Additionally, full-finger gloves, breathable non-cotton clothes, and padded biking shorts are all heavily recommended.
Q: What type of bike do I need?
A: You need a mountain bike with front suspension, disc brakes, a quick-release or thru axle system, and 27.5″-29″ tires.
- Front Suspension: Trails can get bumpy, rocky, rough, and have various obstacles that could jostle you. With a front suspension system, or fork, there’s a little something to mitigate the impacts. This improves control as well as speed dramatically.
- Disc Brakes: While fairly new to biking, disc brakes are much stronger and more reliable than other forms of braking. For this reason, they are required to both ride with us and race with NICA. If possible, get hydraulic disc brakes, which are easier to actuate using one finger.
- Quick Release or Thru Axle: This is a way of securing the wheel to the bike that uses an Allen key to tighten and loosen, rather than a nut. Flat tires, broken chains, and other mishaps with tires happen all the time. If your wheel is secured to your bike via a standard nut, we will not be able get it off to make repairs while on trail.
- 27.5″ – 29″ Tires: Bigger tires mean less slipping, more traction, less flats, and more control. If you are over 5’8″, you’ll want 29″ tires anyway, to find a bike that fits you.
Q: What if I don’t have a bike with those things?
A: NICA offers scholarships to new riders without bikes called Pathfinder. It includes a bike, a water bottle, helmet, gloves, and the team uniform. Even if you don’t get chosen, we have a couple loaner bikes that you can ride for the season!