The goal of the Technical Rating is to understand the ability of the rider as it pertains to obstacles, conditions and trail design. This means it has nothing to do with your physical endurance, but is instead strictly a measure of your technical ability. Making sure you accurately rate your Technical Ability will ensure you have an exciting ride, while remaining within your ability level to keep you safe.
Rating: 0
You have never ridden a bicycle off-road before. Maybe you are a roadie, or a spin instructor and you thought this whole mountain bicycling thingy looked cool, or you have some mountain biking friends that grind your gears daily and keep pushing you to come out riding with them. Either way, this will be your first introduction to the world of Mountain Biking
Rating: 1
You are still new to mountain biking, but have ridden off-road a few times before. You are comfortable on trails approximately 36 inches wide that are firm and stable. You are comfortable traversing unavoidable obstacles such as roots and rocks that are up to 2 inches tall and you are comfortable riding over open bridges that are 36″ wide
Rating: 2
You have been riding a mountain bike off-road for a season or two. You are comfortable on trails approximately 18 inches wide that are mostly stable with some variability. You are comfortable traversing unavoidable obstacles such as roots, rocks and logs that are 8-10 inches tall and you are comfortable riding over open bridges that are 24″ wide
Rating: 3
You are a confident mountain biker and have been riding technical single track for at least 2 years. You are comfortable riding on trails approximately 12 inches wide that vary greatly in their stability and may be unpredictable including loose rock. You are comfortable regularly traversing unavoidable obstacles such as roots, rocks, logs and drop offs up to 15 inches tall, and some obstacles encountered may exceed that. You can traverse open bridges approximately 24 inches wide
Rating: 4
You are an expert mountain biker and have been riding expert level trails for at least 5 years. You are comfortable riding on trails of any width that are highly unstable and are completely unpredictable including loose rock. You are comfortable regularly traversing unavoidable obstacles such as roots, rocks, logs and drop offs well over 15 inches tall, and many obstacles encountered will exceed that. You are comfortable riding any technical trail features that may be present on the trail
Rating: 5
At Ride Guides, we reserve Level 5 for our Level 4 Expert riders who are also gap-clearing legends. The only reason you have called us is that you couldn’t afford the entry fee to RedBull Rampage. You don’t need a trail to get down, you just need gravity and frankly feel that you should be required to have a pilot’s license based on the amount time you spend in the air. You also know that in order to go down, you must pedal up and can handle any trail conditions or obstacles identified in Level 4
The goal of the Endurance Rating is to understand the ability of the rider as it pertains to overall physical endurance. Riding on the road or in “Spin Class” is great and all, but mountain biking is a completely different animal (ask anyone who has made the switch). The reason being is that the terrain is changing every second, which forces your entire body and your mind to be involved in the exercise process. This exertion will cause exhaustion to set in a lot quicker than you think. Be sure you read the descriptions carefully because we want you to have fun out there, not think this is a form of cruel and unusual punishment.