Horsham Mountain Bike Club – See you on the trails!

Welcome to the website for the Horsham Mountain Bike Club (West Sussex).

We are an enthusiastic friendly group of mountain bikers made up of all abilities that love exploring the local trails around Horsham on a weekly basis.

Our aim is to ride the very best single-track, improve fitness; hone technical skills, and most importantly, have fun!

We are a very friendly bunch, and always looking for new riders to join us on the trails. We ride all sorts of terrain, and adapt the routes according to fitness and abilities (and hangovers) of the group riding that day.

If you have any questions then please don't hesitate to ask. Our contact information is in the section below!

When does the club ride?

We aim to have a club ride at least once a week, this is
usually on a Saturday morning starting at 9:30am.

Our weekly ride typically lasts between 2.5 – 3 hours.

We also have a good relationship with the local bike shop,
and commonly go night riding with them on a Monday & Wednesday night at Pitch Hill, starting at 7pm.

Where does the club ride?

We aim to mix up our rides by rotating where we ride. Our usual haunts are Leith, Holmbury & Pitch Hill (Surrey Hills), South Downs, Tilgate and St Leonards

We also plan trips further afield to Swinley Forest, Bedgebury and other trail centres.

What type of riding does the club do?

We aren’t hardcore downhillers, rather cross country riders that enjoy variety and developing our abilities.

We aim for a mixture, whether that’s single track, fire roads, bridleways…varying in difficulty from easy through to challenging. All possible on a reasonable hardtail.

How far does the club ride?

This depends on terrain, though this usually varies between 10km to 30km.

I’m new to mountain biking, will I be able to keep up with the pace?

Most rides require a good level of fitness, and feel confident on a mountain bike. The required technical trail ability varies depending on the ride location (see below).

We aim to put together a ride that suits who is riding with us, so don’t be put off by your fitness or technical ability….we are a friendly bunch!

I have no idea how competent I am!

Drop us a line using the details below and one of our club members will be more than happy to take you for a short ride locally to see what trails best suit your riding.

What if I want to ride more than once a week?

Often members of the club will go out for last minute rides. If so they usually post on the WhatsApp group incase anyone else wants to join them.

Don’t forget we have a great relationship with the Freeborn, the local Horsham shop. They go riding up at Pitch Hill on Monday evenings, Wednesday evenings and Sunday morning. Club members often go along for joint rides.

How do I get involved with the club?

First off you need to make contact using the details below. From that we have a WhatsApp group that most of the rides are planned from. If you do plan on joining us for a ride, its best to let us know so we know numbers and who to expect.

I’m after a new mountain bike, though no idea what I need.

Our club members have a variety of bikes, some hardtails, some full suspension. You’ll be looking at spending £300+ for a hardtail that is built to last.

The guys at Freeborn can help here. They offer testing of their bike range up at Pitch Hill on Sunday morning. They can advise what kind of bike would be best, and you can test ride them up there.

Other than a bike what else should I have when coming on a ride?

A helmet is a must.

Ideally you should be self sufficient, so brunch bars/food. A pump and puncture repair kit/spare inner tube, and drink (water bottle or camelbak).

Emergency contact details are also useful for obvious reasons.

How much does it cost?

Zilch, at the moment the club is free to join.

Please find some links associated with Horsham below:

Bike Specific

http://www.horshamcycling.co.uk – For anyone into local road riding, this is the club for you. They cater for all types of road rider, from leisure cyclist to competitive racer. Five groups meet at the Carfax every Sunday morning, each with different speeds and distances in mind.

http://www.mudtrail.co.uk – This is a great website to help new riders and visiting riders to the South East. We’ll be aiming to visit most if not all of the locations!

Area Based

http://www.horshampub.co.uk – This website is a guide to country pubs near Horsham, West Sussex. It originally developed from an interest in cycling to pubs in and around Horsham.

http://www.westsussex.info – This site simply wants to build the most comprehensive site about West Sussex, packed with photos and information about the culture, heritage and life of West Sussex.