Mountain Biking

Shifting Gears’ Mountain Biking programs are weekly group rides with an inclusive space to explore mountain biking on the lovely local trails of Bellingham.

We practice skills, familiarize ourselves with trails, meet new ride friends, and have fun!

When

Our weekly mountain bike rides are on Mondays from 5:30-7:30pm, from May 2026 through September 2026 (except holidays). The rides are on a sliding scale, from free to $30 depending on your ability to pay, and we require you to register beforehand, see the link found below (donations are always appreciated). ​

*Rides are rain or shine, but we will cancel them if conditions are unsafe!

Where

We’ll explore the beautiful trails of Galbraith Mountain and Lake Padden together! Depending on the week, a group may meet at the North or Southside of Galbraith or Transition Outpost for our Demo Days (learn more below!).

Who

The rides are for all women (18+), regardless of riding experience, body size, and biking anxiety. With a maximum of 8 riders plus two Shifting Gears' Leaders in each group, it is a no-drop ride, and we will focus on having fun and supporting each other.

FAQs

  • Participants must bring a mountain bike*, helmet, water bottle, snacks, and clothing they feel comfortable biking in.

    *Bikes are provided for Transition Demo Days!

  • Ideally, you would have a full-suspension mountain bike or a front suspension (hardtail). Town, road, or gravel bikes are unsuitable for our mountain bike rides. We follow WMBC’s E-Bike Policy, and class 1 e-bikes are allowed on Galbraith as of March 2024.

  • We’ve partnered with Transition Bikes to offer a monthly Demo Day where we’ll meet at Transition Outpost, get suited up with bikes, and go for a ride! Learn more about these monthly Transition Demo Days below.

  • Please review ROAM Fest Skill Levels to determine your skill rating. Our rides are no-drop, and we always go at a steady and chill pace.

    That being said, our Beginner Rides are considered for Levels 2 and 3, generally sticking to the green trails and easy blues at Galbraith (such as Lost Giants, Cowbell, Art’s, Cedar Jumps, Dog Patch, Breax Zone etc).

    Our Intermediate Rides are for Levels 4 and 5 and would venture to the blues and occasionally dabble in a black if the group is up for it (think Unemployment Line, Double Vision, Blue Ribbon, SST, Air Chair, Mabels, etc.).

    Our Advanced Rides are more occasional and are for Level 6+. This might be Double Black/Double Down in the Chuckanuts, Cougar Ridge, Brown Pow.

  • We encourage brand new mountain bikers to sign up for the “True Beginner” Rides on our Transition Demo Days, which is the first Monday of each month. Learn more about our Transition Demo Days below.

  • Pre-registration is required to ensure that we stay within our group capacity. Registration for each ride opens two weeks in advance and can be found below.

  • On transition demo days (first monday of each month), you will sign up for a ticket based on the demo bike you are requesting. Make sure to check their size chart before you sign up for it.

    Then, in the questions, you will choose whether you would like to be in the “True Beginner” or “Begintermediate +” Group. Both groups are aimed at getting folks the skills they need to enter our typical Beginner and Intermediate groups on any other day. True beginners have never ridden mountain bikes before, or want a thorough, slow entry into mountain biking. Begintermediates are ready to go up on the mountain but want a slower introduction to blue trails (think Unemployment Line, 911, Mullet, Atomic Dog).

Upcoming Mountain Bike Programs

  • Beginner and Intermediate rides every Monday from 5:30-7:30pm, May through September 2026

  • Transition Demo Days: First Monday of each month

Select a date on the calendar below to register

Transition Demo Days

The Details

We have partnered with Transition Bikes to offer a group ride on specific dates throughout the summer. Rides start from the Transition Outpost with complimentary mountain bikes provided by Transition! You will register by demo bike and size in the ticketing. If you do not want to demo a bike and will bring your own, select “I don’t need a bike!” as your ticket.

Folks will also choose which group they want to be in, which is a little different on Transition Demo Days. They will choose between “True Beginner” for folks who have never ridden a mountain bike before, or a very new and want a thorough intro and “Begintermediate” which is for folks who feel confident on the greens and have dappled in the blues, but want a little more support.

Registration Required

Registration for each ride can be found in the event details below. It opens two weeks before the ride. Please register in advance, no later than two days before the designated meeting time at Transition.

Demo Bikes

We have demo bikes available in size XS-L, and they come from Transition Outpost. Some E-bikes are available in size S-L. Here are some examples of demos available (not all models all the time). Please make sure to check your size before registering.

2026 Mountain Bike Program Dates

Coming Soon!

All Upcoming Programs

Select a date to learn more about specific programs and register to participate.