Trip Grading

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Fitness Grading

Skill Grading

Terrain Grading

  • Non Cycling exercise: 30 mins once a week. 

    Cycling exercise: You’ve ridden a bike a few times, but cycling is not something you do regularly

    You are very comfortable with the prospect of riding a bike for 1-2 hours on undulating terrain with a few gentle hills.

  • Non Cycling exercise: You exercise for 30 mins twice a week.

    Cycling exercise: You ride a bike 1 - 2 times a month. 

    You are very comfortable with the prospect of riding a bike for 2-3 hours on undulating terrain with a few hills.

  • Non Cycling exercise: You exercise for 30 - 45 mins twice a week throughout the year. 

    Cycling exercise: You ride your bike weekly. 

    You are very comfortable with the prospect of riding a bike for 3-4 hours on undulating terrain with hills.

  • Non Cycling exercise: You exercise for 45 mins - 1 hr twice a week throughout the year. 

    Cycling exercise: You have a reasonable level of mountain bike fitness, riding your bike at least twice a week for one hour or more, throughout the whole year. 

    You are very comfortable with the idea of riding a bike for up to 5 hours a day at a moderate pace with 2-3 moderate climbs. For three days in a row.

  • Non Cycling exercise: You exercise for 45mins - 1hr 2 -3 times a week throughout the year.

    Cycling exercise: You have a good level of bike fitness, exercising at least three times every week throughout the year, for an hour at a time.

    You are very comfortable with the idea of riding a bike for up to 6 hours a day at a moderate pace with 2-3 significant climbs. For three days in a row.

  • Non Cycling exercise: 1 hour three times a week

    Cycling exercise: You have an excellent level of bike fitness, riding your bike 4 or 5 times a week for at least an hour at a time. 

    You are very comfortable with the idea of riding a bike for up to 8+ hours a day at a moderate pace with several serious climbs. For multiple days.

  • Experience: New to mountain biking. 

    Bike Skills: You can change gear and brake and make the bike go where you want it to but have rarely ridden off-road.

  • Experience: Riders with some off-road experience and skills who have ridden off-road a few times before.

    Bike Skills: You can change gear, brake and pedal efficiently. You are happy to ride over small obstacles like roots and rocks that are a few inches high.

  • Experience: Intermediate cyclists/mountain bikers with basic off-road riding skills. Not suitable for beginners.

    Bike Skills: You can brake, use gears and corner with confidence. You have good bike handling skills, and are confident riding rough double track and non-technical singletrack. You tend to get off and walk the more technical singletrack sections.

  • Experience: Proficient mountain bikers with good off-road riding skills.

    Bike Skills: You can brake, use gears and corner instinctively. You are confident riding most technical features in different conditions, such as small rock gardens, small drops and steeper sections. You may get off and walk certain technical features.

  • Experience: Highly technical riding, VERY experienced riders who have considerable experience of riding on a wide variety of technical terrain for extended periods. You can climb and descend comfortably on technical singletrack for as long as required. You are very confident handling all types of riding and obstacles, including drops, rocks, roots, switchbacks, larger rock gardens and sustained technical singletrack.


    Bike Skills: You have excellent bike handling skills, break, use gears and corner instinctively. You can lift front and rear wheels, do small jumps, corner, climb and descend steep trails. You have excellent balance and coordination.

  • Surface: Mostly wider paths and tracks comprising compacted gravel or solid earth. 

    Trail Hazards: Few hazards. There may be loose gravel or mud. 

    Example: Quiet roads, forest tracks and multi-use paths.

  • Surface: Relatively flat and wide paths and trails. The surface may be loose, uneven or muddy at times. May include short flowing singletrack style sections. Trails comprising mostly compacted gravel or solid earth with some flat roots and smaller rocks.

    Trail Hazards: Small loose rocks and flat roots. There may be ruts on grassy paths.

    Example: Fire roads, grass, rough double or single track.

    Trail Centre: Green

  • Surface: Compacted surface which is likely to be a bit rough and loose. Include some specially constructed singletrack and small obstacles like roots and rocks.

    Trail Hazards: Flowy turns, berms (banked corners), rollable small obstacles like roots and rocks.

    Trail Centre: Blue

  • Surface: Expect variable surface types and lots of singletrack. The trails will be steeper and tougher and narrow in places with technical rocky and rooty sections.

    Trail Hazards: These trails include challenging climbs and descents, technical features like tight turns, loose slippery surfaces, larger rocks and roots, drop-offs and narrow gaps (between trees), deep ruts and mud. Trail obstacles may come in quick succession.  

    Can involve routes which are remote and exposed at times, there may be short sections of hike-a-bike.

    Trail Centre: Red 

  • Surface: These trails give a greater challenge and continuous difficulty. Rough unpredictable singletrack which will include large, unavoidable features, steep downhills over variable  terrain. May include exposed open hill sections.

    Trail Hazards: Expect large, committing and unavoidable features such as tight turns, rock gardens, steep chutes and large drop-offs. Expect exposed narrow tracks with drops to the side. These trails will feel remote. Expect hike-a-bike sections. 

    Trail Centre: Black and big mountains.