What you need to bring
Pedals & Shoes
Your rental bike will come with a set of top notch flat pedals for you to use. All you need to do is bring your favourite shoes and you are off to the trails (Shoe rental is *NOT* available). If you run clipless pedals or cleats, it is recommended that you bring your own pedals and shoes as you will be more comfortable riding in them, unless you want to try flat pedals. Given that some of the mountain bike trails are more aggressive than other riding areas, some clients prefer to ride with flat pedals in Squamish.
Liability waiver & rental agreement
An understood & signed Liability Waiver and Equipment Rental Agreement is required from anyone who wishes to rent equipment from the Archer Adventure Company Inc.
Please review our waiver and agreement here and if you have any questions regarding it, or the rights you are waiving by signing it, please contact us right away. You will be emailed a link to fill and sign your waiver digitally when you book your bike rental. Please follow the instructions in a timely manner to avoid delays on the day of your rental.
ARMOR & PROTECTION
Helmets are mandatory for all participants in any cycling activity. There are no exceptions to this rule. Helmets are *INCLUDED* in the cost of your rental
It is advised that you also bring any body armor that you are comfortable spending the day in. Most riders (including many of our mountain bike guides) will bring knee/shin protection and some will also bring elbow protection. If it helps your confidence and doesn’t hinder your endurance, consider bringing it.
Knee and/or Elbow Protection is available to rent as a kit for $10 per rental.
Gloves & protective eyewear are also recommended. Top quality gloves can be purchased from our retail shop that will make you fit in with the cool kids and keep your hands safe.
HYDRATION & SNACKS
A lot of people underestimate just how much riding (and climbing) they will be doing when riding in Squamish. The climb trail to the top of the trail network is over 1000m (3500ft) of vertical elevation. We sell water bottles and hydration packs in case you don’t have one and they make excellent parting gifts as a commemoration of your trip. If you don’t want to buy something to keep you alive out there, make sure you bring something with you. Our retail shop also sells electrolytes, snacks, bars and cookies to make sure you don’t wither away on your epic day.
UNSANCTIONED TRAILS
While we think it would be awesome for us to be able to take you everywhere that the mountain biking media has featured in our area, the harsh reality is that many of those trails are illegal or non-sanctioned which limits our ability to provide you commercial service on those trails.
However, British Columbia is filled with incredible, legal trails and we would argue that you can have one of the greatest mountain biking experiences of your life without needing to break the rules. If we tell you that we can’t go somewhere and someone else says they can take you, our suggestion is to ask if they have permission to do it. Keeping ourselves legal is paramount to protecting our sport for future generations!
SHUTTLE Laps
Squamish is home to some amazing mountain bike trails and does have a shuttle access in one zone that is limited to advanced intermediate riders. However the climbing trails in those areas are also pretty spectacular and it opens the entire trail network to you – for people without the endurance, just take your time and enjoy the scenery. If you are only here for a short time and you want us to coordinate a shuttle as part of your tour to maximize your riding time, please let us know when you are booking and we will be happy to coordinate it.
Your other option is to rent an E-Bike from us. Squamish currently allows E-Bikes on all sanctioned trails and it is definitely a more eco-friendly option than driving a fossil fuel burning vehicle up the road. Just remember the rules of the trail when riding an E-Bike – It can be easy to speed up the hill but you still need to yield to the other users. Be respectful!
TIPS & GRATUITIES
Like any service industry in North America, tipping is a way of showing your gratitude for the level of service you received. Don’t feel pressured to tip your guide but if you had an awesome experience and your mountain bike guide made your day something special, a tip goes a long way to showing that appreciation. If you are looking for a recommendation on how much to tip, our clients will normally tip their guide(s) between 10% and 25%.
IS BIKE THEFT A PROBLEM?
Sadly, that is a big, fat YES. Leaving your bike unattended, even for a moment is inviting a convenience crime. While you may think chaining your bike to your vehicle or a pole is safe while you run into the brewery for a quick growler fill but these days thieves are so well equipped that any bike lock is a minor hassle to remove. The safest place for your bike is either under you or in your home (or hotel suite). When looking for a place to stay, MAKE SURE the location allows you to bring your bike INTO your room or has a PRIVATE LOCK-UP (avoid shared access Hotel lock ups). Theft is NOT COVERED by our optional damage insurance and you are responsible for THE ENTIRE COST OF THE BICYCLE (read: Mucho Dollars) if it is stolen.
CAMERAS & PHOTOS
If you are comfortable riding with your camera (and the risks of something happening to it) by all means bring it along. There is a risk you might fall while mountain biking and bulkier cameras are more likely to be damaged if this happens. Nowadays, phones are pretty good at snapping pictures and we know all the best places to show off back to your friends at home about what they are missing. If you forgot your phone or camera, our guides are happy to snap a couple shots and send them to you so you can cherish the memory.
MORE THAN 4 DAY RENTAL?
You bet your fanny pack you can! Our online booking tool will only allow you to book a mountain bike rental to a maximum of 4 days. For bike rentals that will exceed 4 days, please contact the office directly to book.
CAN I KEEP IT OVERNIGHT?
For multi day rentals the short answer is Yes, but you are welcome to bring the bike back to the shop each night so we can take care of anything the bike might need. It also lets you sleep better at night knowing we are responsible for the bike while you sleep. For single day rentals, if you would like to keep the bike for some after hours play in the summer months, you can add an overnight extension to the rental which will allow you to return the bike by 8am the following morning. Party laps into the sunset!
CAN I GET DAMAGE COVERAGE?
Absolutely and we recommend getting your rental covered. Our rental bike damage coverage is intended to protect you from the cost burden of fixing or replacing the most common items you are likely to damage while the rental bike is in your care. Your equipment rental agreement will outline common costs for equipment damage that you cause. Bicycle parts aren’t cheap – make sure you understand your responsibility to return the equipment in the same condition it was rented to you in.
Here is a list of things that are *NOT* covered by our damage coverage plan (You will be on the hook and liable to repair or replace the bicycle/equipment): Theft, Damage greater than $200CDN (parts & labour), Damage from Intentional Abuse, Damage from Misuse, Damage from Transporting the bike on or in a vehicle.
WHY ARE THE BRAKES BACKWARDS?
In North America, we run our front wheel brake on the left and our rear wheel brake on the right. By default, this is how our bikes will be set up. This is backwards for our friends from across the pond. Thankfully, we use SRAM brakes which don’t care left from right so we can easily flip them around for you – just let us know *before* you ride away! 🙂
WHAT SIZE BIKE SHOULD I RENT?
Our Norco & Devinci Rental Bikes have a standard fit (we call it “Just Right”). While there is no hard and fast rule for what size you must use, we have a chart in the images section of each bike in the booking system. You can use the chart to estimate what size rental bike you should reserve. If you are on the border limits of a particular size, choose the smaller size if you like a snappier feel in the corners, and choose the larger size if you want more stability at higher speeds. If you don’t know, ask us and we’ll give you some suggestions based on what trails you want to ride.
CAN I GO TO THE BIKE PARK?
Unfortunately no, and here’s why:
Whistler Bike Park is notorious for being very abrasive on equipment, in particular: Tires, Wheels & Brakes (and that is when you keep it rubber side down). Being able to take a chairlift to the trails maximizes the amount of abuse you can put a bike through. We don’t rent Long-Travel DH bikes and those bikes are particularly well suited for Bike Park use and many of the rental shops in Whistler have equipped the bike to deal with that abuse accordingly. We ask that you ride our bikes and treat them as if they were your own. Whistler is also a crazy hot spot for theft. Riders taking our Rental Bikes to Whistler take full responsibility for any loss, theft, damage or excessive wear that occurs. If you are planning on staying in the corridor for a few days and stopping in Whistler to ride the bike park, let our staff know and we will try and hook you up with a rental deal in Whistler through our rental partners.
LIABILITY WAIVER & RENTAL AGREEMENT
An understood & signed Liability Waiver and Equipment Rental Agreement is required from anyone who wishes to rent equipment from the Archer Adventure Company Inc.
Please review our waiver and agreement here and if you have any questions regarding it, or the rights you are waiving by signing it, please contact us right away. You will be emailed a link to fill and sign your waiver digitally when you book your bike rental. Please follow the instructions in a timely manner to avoid delays on the day of your rental.
WHAT ABOUT THE WEATHER?
Unlike a lot of other riding areas, coastal British Columbia is actually a temperate rainforest, which means it rains – a lot. But alas, that also means many of our trails were designed to deal with the rain. Also thanks to an incredibly dense canopy even though it may be slashing rain outside, under the canopy is pretty well protected from the harshest of the elements. So do we ride mountain bikes in the rain? Yep. If the weather is going to be a safety risk (ie. Lightning, Windstorms), we will look to reschedule your mountain bike lesson. If you are a fair weather rider only (not that we are judging you!) and you want to cancel or reschedule our normal cancellation policies will apply. Remember, #itsalwayssunnyinsquamish
WHY ARE LESSONS EXPENSIVE?
But are they? Everyone’s perception of value is different and if you shop around for Mountain Bike Private Lessons or Skills Clinics with other operators you will actually see that we are very competitively priced – but when you add all of the experience and certifications that we bring to our programs, our exceptional client reviews and our commitment to excellence, it’s no brainer. Now think about this – how much does it cost to have a shop change both your tires and set them up for you? For about the same price, you can get a lesson that will do more for your riding than new tires ever will. #investinyourself
WHAT ARE ALL THE CERTIFICATIONS?
Recognized globally, there are two Mountain Bike Skills Instructor certification paths. The PMBI is the Whistler Bike Park standard and has been adopted by many bike parks across Canada and throughout the world and is based in Whistler BC. The BICP was born from the original CMIC (Canadian Mountain Bike Instructor Certification) program. It is recognized worldwide with a heavy focus on trail riding and is now headquartered in Bellingham, WA. Both programs provide certifications that are recognized around the world for Mountain Bike instructors. The interesting thing about these programs is that they are *VERY* different but both are very valuable. Our head instructor has been certified in *BOTH* of these certification programs allowing RideHub to develop a coaching curriculum and protocol that is entirely unique and draws on the best parts of these two global certifications. The NCCP is a Coaching Certification program that is sport agnostic which focuses on how to be a coach, not specifically teaching Mountain Biking skills and we have staff certified through this nationally recognized organization.
DO YOU USE VIDEO ANALYSIS?
Video is one of the best ways to see what you are doing, which is especially helpful for visual learners. In group clinics we don’t typically use video due to the time it takes to review, but it does happen occasionally. When we are working with a client in a Mountain Bike Private Lesson, we can shoot High-Speed footage in our practice area or on trail to slow down what you are doing and to analyze what is happening. From there we can determine a more specific correction to help improve your riding. When we are done with your lesson, we can upload your videos to a private shared folder where you can watch or download the videos for review later.
PRIVATE LESSONS OR SKILLS CAMPS?
Do you like meeting new people? Do you like saving a bit of money? Are you OK sharing your instructor with a few other strangers? Booking a camp or clinic with other riders is a great way to get some focused skill development and it’s great bang for the buck. Now if you are looking for the absolute best investment of your training dollar, Private Mountain Bike lessons are hard to beat. You get one-on-one time with an instructor and we can tailor the lesson to focus on the key areas you want to develop and we can skip the rest. All of the attention is on you and your riding.