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?
- MVP receives the most traffic, followed by Woolastook, Odell Park, the UNB Woodlot, and Penniac. Every trail head has it’s regular riders.
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.
