We know many people experience a variety of barriers getting into mountain biking. At Transition Bikes we want to do our part to break those barriers and welcome more folks into the sport. To help achieve this goal, we created the "Barrier Breaking Rides".

These no-pressure group rides are open to everybody (experiencing barriers or not) and are led by a team of inclusive, patient, and enthusiastic employees and allies. We are offering free demo bikes to folks who don't have access to a bike, so come an hour before the ride to get set-up (we will need to hold an ID and credit card while the bike is out). These no-drop rides are 1-1.5 hours in length and end with a post-ride hangout at The Outpost.

We hosted our first ever Brrier Breaking Ride in August, 2022, and had over 25 folks join us for the ride! For the majority of folks, it was their very first mountain bike ride ever. We met at the Outpost, and everyone who needed a bike got set up on a demo, along with a helmet, pads and shoes. We were excited to have April Katz from the AIROW Project as our first ride leader; an active member of the biking community here in Bellingham, helping increase access to the outdoors for all.

We got ourselves to the Galbraith mountain trailhead right up the street from the Outpost, and pedaled up Galbraith Lane to ride the south-side green trails. Ride leader Tara taught a few essential skills along the way, like braking tips, cornering advice, and dismounting techniques in case of a crash.

After a few hours of cruising around and enjoying the trails, we all headed back to the Outpost to share some high-fives and beverages together to celebrate completing the ride. Everyone made it back safely, and the stoke and energy after the ride was incredible!

Having the opportunity to lead folks on their first mountain bike ride is an amazing experience and helps us fall even more in love with the sport. It reminds you not to take the ability of experiencing the outdoors freely and safely for granted.

Our service lead, Parley, said it best, “These Barrier Breaking rides take me back to my own roots and finding the freedom two wheels can give you.” 

Our ride leader, April, shares her impressions from the first ride: “When I mention 'RIDING IS FOR EVERYONE' it's not only geared toward folks who need adaptive bikes. We had a woman who's lived in Whatcom county for 30 years that rode for the first time up in Galbraith, who mentioned we are creating a safe place for the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community. We had a mom who's an empty nester, and she wanted to check out a new sport. We had a couple who just moved out here who wanted to see what the hype is all about with mountain biking. We had a young individual who fell in love with mountain biking, however, has no one to ride with on Galbraith. Breaking Barriers rides are creating access to biking and the outdoors for EVERYONE.”

Outpost Bike Shop & Transition HQ

5090 Samish Way

Bellingham, WA 98229 USA

(360) 325-7072

info@transitionbikes.com