Not a Rail Trail Cycle Tour FAQs

Fitness is a fairly subjective issue on these trails and depends a lot on how fast you want to ride and whether or not you intend to ride the entire trail or take advantage of the support vehicle to miss out hills and some of the more difficult sections of trail. You should be of at least average fitness to enjoy these trails whist on a supported tour and, ideally, above average fitness if you are riding unsupported on the longer trails. When they’re described as fairly easy cycling, it means the trails are usually wide and fairly smooth but you still have to cover the distance by your own leg power. If you want to ride an entire trail and enjoy it to the full, we’d advise the following fitness levels. Remember, these relate to bike fitness:

Average Fitness: Be able to ride 40 to 50km a day on loose surfaces and easy, flat terrain, in less than 5 hours and able to do this for several days in a row.

Above average Fitness:Be able to ride 40 to 50km a day on loose surfaces and undulating terrain, in less than 5 hours and able to do this for several days in a row.

High level of fitness:Be able to ride 40 to 50km a day on loose surfaces and hilly terrain, in less than 5 hours and able to do this for several days in a row.

But what does this actually mean?

Many of our clients have trained on the road and were unprepared for the extra effort required for loose surfaces. Many clients only trained on the flat and didn’t appreciate how tiring it can be to ride up and down small hills. Many clients only ride once or twice a week and didn’t appreciate how sore your bum and sit bones can get riding several days in a row. Many clients didn’t train at all and spent more time than they thought in the van! So, prepare for the trail surface, distance, number of days and terrain you will be riding. You’ll have a much more enjoyable holiday.

The Around the Mountains Trail is graded 2 (40%) to 3 (60%) which means it is fairly easy but you should be able to ride a mountain bike on loose surfaces (including gravel) up and down small hills and be confident riding around sharp corners. We provide quality mountain bikes with either 27.5" or 29″ wheels and disc brakes and there is time on each trip to get used to the bike and to have it set up so that it fits you well.

Absolutely! We often have tours where a non-rider stays with the guide in the van. From the feedback we’ve received, the non-rider usually has a fantastic time, they get to learn more about the area whilst still meeting their friends at regular intervals throughout the day. We ensure they’re included in every part of the trip except the cycling.

That’s where the support vehicle comes in. Our guides know all the best places to pick you up and drop you off to miss out the hills or harder sections of trail. We also have regular stops to make sure slower riders have time to catch up so, for safety and everyone’s enjoyment, the group never gets too spread out.

Alternatively, if you know lagging behind your friends will spoil your holiday, upgrade to an ebike. Let us know well before your tour and we'll invoice you for the upgrade and make sure we have an ebike available for you.

Our trips tend to attract sociable people so, as a single traveller, you’ll make new friends. Unfortunately, as these trails get busier, we have to book rooms further in advance and usually don’t have the option of being able to get an additional room for a single person. In peak season, this means that taking a single person limits our tours to only 9 people which means there is either a hefty supplement, or we offer to find someone to twin share with.

GRADE 1: Easiest

Trail Type:

– Off-road trail surface is either firm gravel or sealed (e.g. concrete or asphalt) and is wide enough for 2 people to cycle side by side for most of the way.

– On-road trails generally follow quiet roads with little traffic.

Suitable For:

– Novice cyclists, families and others seeking a very easy cycling experience.

– Any bike is suitable for riding Grade 1 cycle trails, including touring bikes, single speed bikes and children’s bikes.

GRADE 2: Easy

Trail Type:

– Off-road trails are predictable, i.e. no surprises and mostly flat with some gentle climbs.

– The surface is either firm gravel or sealed (e.g. concrete or asphalt).

– The trail is wide enough for 2 people to cycle side by side at times and may include sections where cyclists will have to ride single file.

– On-road trails generally follow quiet roads with little traffic.

Suitable For:

– Beginners, occasional cyclists and families who have limited cycling experience.

– A multi-geared bike with medium to wide tyres is recommended, such as a comfort bike, touring bike or mountain bike.

GRADE 3: Intermediate

Trail Type:

– Off-road trails can be narrow and may include hill climbs, steep drop-offs and small river crossings.

– The trail surface is mostly firm, but may include muddy or loose sections.

– There may also be obstacles such as rocks or tree roots to avoid.- On-road trails have moderate traffic levels (up to 1000 vehicles per day) include hill climbs and possible gravel sections.

Suitable For:

– Regular, experienced cyclists with a good level of fitness and over 12 years of age.

– Children should be accompanied by an adult.

– A mountain bike is recommended for off-road trails.

– On-road trails that include sections of gravel will require knobbly tyres. Road racing tyres are not recommended.

New Zealand has a maritime climate, which means that we generally get warm (but not hot) summers and cool (but not cold) winters, with a relatively narrow annual temperature range. But, and it’s a big but, because of our latitude and absence of other close land masses, a change in direction of the wind can change the temperature by over 20 degrees within an hour! A Southerly wind blows directly up from the Antarctic bringing very cold weather, a North Westerly wind blows over the warm Tasman Sea bringing heavy rain to the west and strong warm, dry winds to the east.

Consequently, as the Around the Mountains trail follows several valleys and passes through an alpine environment, the weather is variable and highly dependent on the wind direction.

There is no right or wrong time of the year to ride, it really spends on your backcountry biking experience and preference for temperature, crowds and daylight hours. We will operate tours from November to the end of April because most people find the months outside of that time too cold. The local shuttles also only run during this time. But, if you don’t mind the cold, have great gear and are experienced in the backcountry, the trail is empty and the scenery breathtaking when the mountains are covered in snow.

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees concerning the weather :)

We’re determined to ensure that riders ride the bike most suited to their ability and the surface and gradient of the trail that they’re riding. For, the gravel, loose surfaces and stream crossings on this trail, we recommend a mountain bike (or eMTB) with at least front suspension, larger wheels (27.5 or 29" and off road tyres.

If you're riding an ebike, there are some things to consider:

• It should have off road tyres at least 2.1″ wide
• There are 2 stream crossings so we recommend making sure the electrics are fully waterproof
• There is no where to charge the bike between Mossburn and Walter Peak Station so make sure you have enough battery or leg power to cycle the 60km undulating distance
• If it breaks, there’s no where to get it fixed.

There are public toilets in all the small towns you pass through and new shelters and toilets have been installed at regular intervals from Walter Peak Station to Mossburn. This means that you should always have a toilet when you need one!