Today we are proud to introduce Sam Bosence, Emily, Greg, MJ, Lydia, Lauren & Lindsay from Be Rad Adventures. A company to empower you to seek adventures and introduce you to mountain biking while developing your mountain bike skills. Biking is a great opportunity to explore new roads, make friends and discover the Maritimes.
Be Rad Adventures will make trip plans for you, adjust your training, and motivate you in a safe environment. They will help you build trust, provide encouragement, and improve your wellbeing. Be Rad Adventures is a great place for beginners and seasoned riders to enjoy mountain biking.
What is Be Rad Adventures?
Be Rad Adventures Company is a guiding company based in New Brunswick! Our team includes a wicked crew of certified Mountain Bike Instructors, Wilderness First Responders, and Trail Guides who are here to help you develop your skills and empower you to be your raddest self!
Together, our team offers single and multi-day mountain biking adventures, and private and group mountain biking lessons called Skill + Ride Sessions!
Our home trail network is Rockwood Park in the port city of Saint John. We are also working with our partners and friends in other trail communities across New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia to offer you all some rad mountain biking experiences! Some of our Be Rad MTB Adventures are weekend experiences that include guided mountain biking rides, trailside lunches, accommodation, and aprės-ride fun!
How can I get into Mountain Biking?
Find a riding buddy you feel comfortable with and invite them out! Sometimes all it takes is for someone to have a friend give them a little nudge to try something new.
Follow your local cycling/mountain bike association as these platforms often welcome new members with open arms and you can find out when organized rides are or post when you are looking for a buddy to ride with.
Lydia says she was lucky enough to have Sam as her gatekeeper to mountain biking! New to mountain biking, Lydia would recommend coming out to one of our skills sessions or adventures to dip your toes into the sport. The atmosphere and people alone will be enough to get you coming back for more!
Do you have any beginner Mountain Biking tips?
Practice operating your controls. You will benefit from knowing how to change your gears and use your brakes properly when you are navigating singletrack trails! This way, you can concentrate on your riding and avoid distraction. Practice on a flat section of your road or a trail, and then move to a hill.
Emily recommends getting your bike tuned up at your local shop before you ride for the season. There is nothing more frustrating and distracting than having a bike that is not working properly.
Proper positioning is also important for beginners as this is the foundation to success. Being too far forward or backwards can land you in a dangerous scenario and can impact your confidence in your ability.
Lydia recommends that you keep biking! It can feel very intimidating at first, but the more you bike, the faster your confidence will grow. It might even start to feel a bit easier (but don’t worry, still lots of challenge and room for progression).
Lindsay benefited from biking with a group of other ladies to gain confidence on the trails. Biking with Sam and her crew created a positive and welcoming environment to improve her skills!
What do you love the most about biking?
The meditative state of mind, community we ride with, and the amazing feeling after riding the trails for a few hours. We really love the high-fives and woots on the trails when you see a friend try a section of trail they have been avoiding. Greg always says it’s about the smiles not the miles 🙂 We are also huge fans of the après-ride pint and pizza!
Emily enjoys having a couple hours to be outside and to think about what line to pick and just be in the moment. It’s a great way to clear the mind.
For Lauren, nothing beats the feeling you get when you finally get that tricky climb you’ve been working on!
Tell us about trails to explore in Atlantic Canada?
As a guiding company, we look for fully sanctioned trails that our local friends tell us we need to ride! We also use the ECMTB forum and mtbatlantic.com for ideas on the best trail communities to visit.
Here is a tour of the Maritimes we have done and plan to again!
Explore the nearly 60km of singletrack in Edmundston just minutes from town (and the local brewery)! Ride some Sugar at Sugarloaf for the DH experience! Indulge in the Acadian culinary experience while exploring MFB Chaleur in Bathurst and Club plein air de Caraquet in Caraquet! Find your flow on the famous PEI dirt at Brookvale! Shuttle up and bomb down Keppoch Mountain in Antigonish! Ride the wall at the Railyard in Truro! Chase the Kentville Canada Cup route at the Gorge and then go explore wine country! Explore the gypsum at Irishman’s Rd in West Hants! Ride the granite at McIntosh Run in Halifax! Fly down Whitetail in Fundy National Park! Take in those Bluff views in Sussex! Enjoy some techy fun in White Rock! Check out the emerald hues in Minto and ride the ridges of the old coal mine! Find out why Rockwood is called Rockwood in the port city of Saint John!
What kind of equipment and clothing do we need?
Check out our Gear List! Our team is often asked this question, so we emptied our bike gear boxes and trail packs to make some suggestions!
Do you have weekly scheduled rides? Where could we find your upcoming schedule of events?
For the month of June, we will be offering our 1.5 hour Skill + Ride Lessons in Rockwood Park on Thursday evenings.
We will be releasing our single and multi-day dates and locations across New Brunswick soon!
Follow us on Instagram and FB for announcements, and check our events page for registration details.
Do tires make a difference?
Yes, but depending on where you are riding and the conditions you are riding in. Your tire size, tread and width can be a personal choice.
How does a rider recover from a crash?
MJ usually has treats in her bag for the team, so we usually look to her for some sugar after a fall!
We encourage our students to get back on their bikes as soon as they feel mentally ready and have healed. We all have a crux on our local trails. Eventually, we can master what trips us up, but only if we are truly motivated and are equipped with the proper knowledge and skillset.
Do you have any fitness tips (ride preparation/recovery)?
Cardio! Like many other sports, mountain biking requires endurance and bursts of power. Trail running in the shoulder season or when it is too wet to ride is a fun sport and helps to maintain your fitness level. Lindsay loves trail running! She also wrote a nice blog post for us on things you can do to stay active when you’re not riding.
In the off season, mountain bike specific plyometric and some weight training can make a significant difference in a riders strength and power. Consequently, this helps to build confidence as well. Various types of squats, lunges, shoulders and triceps exercises are important strength training activities to concentrate your efforts as they are some of your most powerful muscles – quadriceps, core and that gluteus maximus used in the sport! You’ll thank yourself on those long descents and punchy climbs.
Can you leave us with some safety tips?
Although many mean well to provide advice, there are some pointers that we recommend our students abandon in favour of our skills based teaching learned through our certification. Understanding that you are in control of your bike is the first step to really knowing how to ride it. Emily and Sam can help you navigate some of the advice you have been given and help you identify what will keep you safe, and progress your skills.
Keep your mountain bike in good condition, and complete a bike check before each ride. The air temperature and trail conditions influence your bike’s response, so you’ll want to check your tire pressure and make sure your suspension is on point.
Do you have a mountain bike idol?
Sam recently chatted with Olympian Catharine Pendrel for a feature on Mountain Bike Atlantic, for which she is the Project Manager. That was pretty rad!
Although we idolize the pros, we definitely look to local community leaders who are working toward the inclusive mountain biking community that we want to be part of in Canada’s East. There are some really rad men and women here and we are proud to call them our riding buddies!
Thank you Be Rad Adventure Company for the Interview.
