River Valley Cycling

Supporting Cycling In and Around Fredericton

Survey Results 2022 – What Riders Told Us

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Hey Riders,

A few weeks ago we asked you take a few minutes and give us some honest feedback through an anonymous survey. We made the survey as easy as we could and we provided you with space to tell us what you thought about RVC’s programming, trail building, and our efforts at maintaining rider access to our trailheads. We crossed our fingers and hit ‘launch’… hoping that we’d get a few dozen responses.

We got 160. One hundred and sixty!

Riders of all skill levels answered. Members and non-members answered. People had a lot to share with us – and it was constructive. Thank you!

While it will take us a while to process everything we’ve heard there are a lot of golden little nuggets we wanted to share with you now. Read on if you care about biking and you like graphs! (if you’re not into graphs and data maybe you’d like to check out our New Merch!)

Tell us about your riding Ability?

  • A majority of riders feel confident on our trail network and we have a healthy beginner base to build on.  

Tell us about where (and how often) you ride around Fredericton?

What’s most important to you when you go riding?

  • Almost everyone said trail flow was important.

What do you think of RVC’s programming (rides / races / clinics)?

  • Large majority of members see value in this year’s programming and want it to continue. 
  • Advanced and expert riders are looking for clinics, rides and races tailored to their level.
  • Some of the barriers identified were the time of the week, people not being aware of an event until it was too late, and some people just aren’t ready for social events. 
  • Riders want tours, particularly of the lesser used trail systems. 
  • A few suggestions for more social events with coffee / beer.
  • The most common suggestion was to bring back easy format fun races (both xc and enduro).

How has RVC been doing with acquiring / maintaining trail access?

  • Many members don’t realize that landowner outreach is a big part of what the club does.  
  • Most members recognize that despite challenges, access is getting better overall. 
  • Many members, even those who are satisfied, raised that RVC should be doing more to restore access to trails lost in recent years.

(Note – this question could have been more clear. A few readers interpreted ‘access’ to be finding the trailhead or being able to park near it. We meant ‘access’ as a term meaning securing landowner permission to use the land). Oops!

RVC supports and organizes trail work. How have we been doing?

  • Most members recognize that RVC is doing great work.
  • The most common open-ended feedback to see more brushing and buffing on existing trails.  
  • Trail signage and difficulty in navigation were also a recurring theme. People don’t want to check their phones constantly while they ride. 

How do you want to get info from RVC?

  • Facebook still remains the most popular medium, and more people are getting news directly from RVC rather than reading shares.  
  • Email and website are surprisingly more effective than Insta!

RVC relies on volunteers to get things done. Tell us whether you’re willing to get involved?

  • Many members told us that they are looking to get more involved. 
  • The majority of members would consider opportunities that are a flexible commitment. 

RVC’s current membership fee is $30 or $60 for a family. Tell us how you feel about this?

  • RVC memberships are value-priced!

If RVC could figure out a smooth system, would you be willing to auto-renew your annual membership?

  • Way more people are willing to auto-renew than we expected.
  • Riders want membership reminders!

RVC is going to be considering all of this feedback over the winter months. This isn’t even all of it – so many people took the time to write out thoughtful ideas in the survey. We’ll report back at our annual general meeting what actions that we’re going to take in response. One thing we learned for sure is that you’re willing to give us feedback when we ask… so don’t be surprised if we ask again sometime.

Thanks again,

the RVC exec.

New Merch!

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If you’re already convinced, click here to go right to the online shop!

Hey riders! River Valley Cycling is excited to bring you a fresh design from a creative process. We worked with Christina Tracy, a local rider and marketing/branding professional, who volunteered to lead us to something with visual impact that reflects who we are. We wanted elements that let you know we’re about bikes, singletrack trails, and the beautiful river valley that we ride in. After considering many options, we’re proud to share this design with you that folds all of these elements together with clean lines and lots of colour.

Bikes, sunset, trail, and the woods of Wolastoq’s valley.

We’ve linked up with a local Fredericton business and we’re offering both men’s (actually unisex) and women’s cut quick-dry tees as well a trucker hat for before/after the ride. The tees are black and the cap is navy so the design pops. We asked for high quality fabric and construction.

Unisex fit -$25
Trucker cap -$20
Women’s fit -$25

We wanted to keep the price reasonable and we’re hoping that club members are as exited to wear this as a we are. The money we make on sales is going to be re-invested in recognizing the hard work of RVC’s many volunteers. We all see them, we appreciate them, and we’d like to give them something. More on that later.

We’re going to keep the order form open until November 13th. The company has given us a 10-day turn around time for orders, and we’re going to offer an option to ship to you in the mail, or to pick up your merch at a few pick-up points once it’s in. Everything will be in your hands well ahead of the holidays.

Place your order online here!

RVC Applauds City Progress Towards Killarney Lake Park Master Plan

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We’re guessing most of you don’t stalk the agendas of city’s Council-in-Committee meetings. Sounds about as exciting as watching CPAC or reviewing your travel insurance policy. However – last night there was a big win tucked away in a budget table on page 26 of Fredericton’s agenda.

$1.5 Million for Park Plan Implementation.

A part of that money (we hope a big part), will go towards starting to implement the Master Plan for Killarney Lake Park by developing mountain bike trails. This is great progress, and if passed by council, it will enable some real action.

Killarney Lake has some interesting challenges today… but we see so much more potential!

During the development of the plan RVC members and the RVC executive engaged with the city to let them know how important this was to us.

Killarney Lake has a huge potential:

  • Its a big area, 645 hectares – when Alpine Bike Parks looked at the area in 2016, they described potential for 50 km of singletrack.
  • Its got lots of good terrain that is located within a close ride or short drive for many people on the north side.
  • Its got secure access with the stability of a partner like the city.
  • Its got existing facilities like a lodge and parking that make it ideal for events and programs.
  • The potential is there for year-round riding.
A study commissioned by the city several years ago saw huge potential in the Killarney Lake back-country.

Since the park plan was released, RVC has been continuing the discussion with City staff and we expected to see this budget request for 2023. We’ve developed good relationships over the past year walking the ground at Odell together and workshopping new trail development methods. We’re ready to help them move ahead with developing single track at Killarney Lake and they’ve committed to engaging with us.

This isn’t passed the finish line yet but it’s moving in the right direction. We’re going to let City council know that the riders of this city support this move, and the obvious benefits that it will bring. Vibrant outdoor trails create opportunity for a healthy community and a growing economic impact.

Like this. Share it. Talk about it.

2022 RVC Feedback Survey

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Membership Survey is now closed following a weekend of really strong engagement. Thanks RVC folks!


This morning we have a favour to ask of current, former, and future RVC members – give us your honest opinion of how we are doing as a club.

To make that easy we’ve developed a quick survey. It should only take you 5-10 minutes to complete, and your answers will be collected anonymously.

Why are we doing this?

During the pandemic we know that bike sales surged as many people looked to get outside and enjoy the trails. At the same time it challenged RVC’s ability to operate and offer value to our members. As a result, our membership numbers fell off. This year, RVC has been working really hard to build the club back up to where we were before. We had ~600 members in 2019, but we’re sitting at about ~400 now. RVC has posted some big wins this year… but that’s not enough.

So for those of you who are here with us now – tell us how to keep you psyched on RVC!

For those of you who’ve recently put us on pause – tell us how to win you back!

Take the survey: Click Here!

Thanks. The RVC Exec

Fall Wednesday Night Rides

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Hey riders – back due to popular demand is the RVC night ride.

We start this week and we’ll be riding every Wed unless the trails are wet. Expect things to be a hoot. We’ll host at least two groups each week starting at the same time at the same trailhead. We’ll have a pack of ‘Party Pacers‘ that will be approachable for anyone who’s looking for a relaxed social ride. We’ll also have a group of ‘Trail Chasers‘ who are looking to cover a little more distance, and ride a little faster. Nobody will be dropped – regardless of the group. These are social rides and you’ll have more luck getting an Instagram post than a KOMs, QOMs, or any other speed record.

Night riding is a whole new experience. There’s something very satisfying about being in the middle of a long snake of light twisting through the dark forest as the leaves are falling. Trails you’ve ridden before feel different and everything feels a little faster than it really is.

A few tips about riding lights if you’ll be shopping to get one for the first time:

  • Light power output is measured in Lumens and 500 would be the bare minimum for singletrack. You can get away with less power in groups because you’ll benefit from riders behind you and in front of you who are lighting your way. 1000 lumens is plenty to ride solo at night.
  • Bring your helmet to the shop to make sure the light’s mounting strap is a good fit for your particular helmet design. You want it to sit flat and securely on the top of your head. A little wobble in the shop means that your light beam will be all over the place on bumpy singletrack.
  • A helmet mount has the benefit of putting light in the place where you want to look where a handlebar mount puts light strait ahead. The downside is that you need to remember you’ve got something sticking up on top of your head. If you’re used to ducking under branches don’t get caught. Also, if your light is heavy your neck will feel it at the end of a long ride.
  • Buy a reputable brand from a reputable shop. While there are plenty of cheap lights on eBay you might live to regret your choice if it has a wiring fault and just cuts out dead some night in the woods kilometers away from your car.

In addition to a light you’ll need to make sure you bring whatever you need to fix a flat tire and keep yourself happy on a 90 minute ride (water, snacks, whatever). Don’t forget to join RVC if you haven’t already done so this year.

The fall schedule:

  • Sept 21 – UNB Woodlot
  • Sept 28 – Woolastook
  • Oct 5 – Penniac
  • Oct 12 – MVP
  • Oct 19 – Odell Park
  • Oct 26 – MVP

Our Oct 26th night ride will be ‘member appreciation night’ and we’ll make it special! Rides start every week at 7:00. Stay connected to RVC on Facebook for the latest updates.

Proud Members of: Velo New Brunswick

Canadian Cycling Association

International Mountain Biking Association