Radical Roots MTB proudly welcomes all skill levels, ages, abilities, interests, and wheel sizes. We humbly strive to create spaces that feel safe, inclusive, and welcoming for all people. Some of our programs/events/offers are labeled as “Women’s events/programs/clinics” or “Ladies Nights” as these are open to riders who self-identify as WTFN-B (women/girls, trans, femme, and non-binary), or gender non-conforming.

Our programs/events/offers for junior riders have historically been designed to serve riders who self-identify as WTFN-B (women/girls, trans, femme, and non-binary). However, we pride ourselves in prioritizing fun safe spaces for ALL riders and therefore will not turn anyone away who is interested in joining and contributing to these safe, inclusive spaces for all humans, regardless of gender.

About 90% of our coaching staff identifies as WTFN-B but we do have a few male-identifying coaches and assistants and each season we see more and more male-identifying riders join us and we are happy to welcome them. Please reach out if you aren't sure if this program is for you/your rider, we are happy to help. 

Discrimination and hurtful comments, attitudes, or actions will not be tolerated.

Scholarships are available, to apply click here

We can guarantee that if you practice what we teach you, you will indeed improve. Mastering complex mountain biking skills and techniques comes from both the tools and the feedback that your coach(es) give you plus the work and effort you put in. While we can’t guarantee that the skills you are taught during a lesson will be mastered in our short time together, we do stand by our coaching, giving participants the tools needed to understand and opportunities to practice the skills being taught. Our Radical Approach provides participants with plenty of “fun homework” in the form of a skills recap and study guide to continue their growth outside of their time with Radical Roots MTB.

Our cancellation policy depends on the item purchased. Find our Terms and Policies here.

As a women-owned small business, we plan our classes and programs months in advance, secure permits, and hire skilled instructors who rely on this work. Small class sizes are part of what makes Radical Roots MTB special — but they also mean that late cancellations have a real impact. Our cancellation policies are designed to be clear and fair while helping us operate sustainably and support the team who makes these experiences possible.

Thank you for supporting a local business and riding community.

Hailing from Bellingham, WA; our coaches share with confidence that we have faced just about all conditions Mother Nature has to offer. We pride ourselves in our ability to adapt. Heck, we admit that we even enjoy a sloppy good time, so long as we are practicing a conscious effort to maintain safety and conserve trail conditions. However, learning in extreme conditions can be uncomfortable, distracting, and even dangerous at times and we really want you to get the most out of our time together. If conditions prove to not be ideal as the event approaches or if the forecast is looking bleak, we may reach out to see how you would like to proceed or to make an alternative plan.

Absolutely! While tips are never expected, they are always appreciated. Our coaches take great care in preparing and setting up for each class they teach but aren’t necessarily paid directly for that time. If you want to bring cash for a tip to your session, radical! If you want to send funds through Venmo or another cash app, feel free to ask your coach(es) for their account or send us a message and we can track down that payment information for you. If you purchase a private lesson your invoice will come through Quickbooks with an option to add a tip and we will be sure to pass the full amount on to your coach(es).

We love E-bikes! Okay, we love all bikes, to be honest. Plus, now that E-bikes are welcomed on the trails of Galbraith Mountain (where most of our lessons take place) it’s totally cool with us.

Yes, you can absolutely come to your lesson on an electric mountain bike. If you are booking a private or small group lesson with us, be sure to let us know that you will be doing the lesson on your E-bike so we can book you with one of our coaches who also rides an E-bike.

If you are attending one of our Group Lessons, you are welcome to come on your E-bike as well. Just note that it’s very likely the other riders in the session will not be on E-bikes so just be prepared for a possible difference in your climbing/pedaling speed. Many of our sessions, especially those that take place in a grassy field at a local park, don’t require a ton of pedaling/climbing so you might prefer a lighter weight bike (like a non-e-bike) to learn your new moves (like wheel lifts, etc). If you aren’t sure about what bike to bring, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

If you are booking a private or small group lesson in Bellingham, you will have a choice in this. 

If you are joining a Group Lesson, you will be sent exact meeting instructions after you are registered but you can expect to meet at one of the beautiful local parks or a familiar local trailhead.

Our events and clinics are designed to accommodate riders of all skill sets and learning styles, unless otherwise noted. For our weekend-long training camps or multi-week programs we do send an intake survey to everyone who registers to learn more about each rider’s goals and expectations. We then use that information to split participants into groups of similar riders. We pride ourselves on having coaches who are also well trained at handling ability-splits so even if the group you are in isn’t a perfect match, we are confident that you will get just what you need

We throw darts at a board and hope for the best… Just kidding! We have actually put a lot of thoughtful effort into designing our intake and sorting process and spend a great deal of time honing the art of group-sorting. With over 20 years of experience hosting group training events we like to think we’ve had a decent amount of practice but it is an ever evolving process as we discover and experiment with better ways of doing it. We’re also pretty flexible and realize that we don’t always nail it. So if you end up in a group that you don’t feel you mesh well with, just let us or your coach know and we will see what we can do to make you more comfortable.

Age Guidelines
Our group classes are designed for adult riders, and most participants are adults. Capable teen riders (generally 13+) are welcome if they’re comfortable riding independently and participating in an adult learning environment. Riders who may benefit from a more youth-focused experience should check out our Radical Ripper junior programs. If you’re unsure what’s the best fit, feel free to reach out—we’re happy to help.

For our private lessons we’ve had clients as young as 3 (though we think 5 or 6 is a great age to start) and clients as old as 82. We really do try to reach students at any age.

Our Women’s Weekend events are for riders who are 18 years or older.

Our Radical Ripper After-School Junior Programs are for riders ages 8-18 and our Radical Ripper Summer Camps are for riders who are 6-16 years old. For options for junior riders, check out our Radical Ripper offerings here.

Each skills clinic and group offering is a unique experience and are priced based on the location, duration, coaching and staff needs, and all the extras like food, bevies, transportation, etc. Some of our events are fundraisers and some of them are sponsored by radical companies like Transition Bikes and SRAM/RockShox who cover some of the financial costs, essentially giving a scholarship to everyone.  We do our best to find a balance between keeping the wheels rolling (and the lights on) and making sure our offerings are accessible to as many people as possible. If the cost of an offering is a barrier to you, please feel free to fill out our scholarship form and we will see if there is anything we can do to reduce your cost. Occasionally, we get generous donations from members in our community and can help cover registration costs for those who need it most. If you would like to donate you can do so here.

First, we recommend bringing your bike in good working order. If you aren't sure about the condition your bike is in, be sure to take it to your local mechanic for advice and a tune-up. You’ll also want a good fitting helmet that is in good shape (not beaten up or broken) and any additional pads or protection you like (gloves, eye protection, knee pads, etc). Depending on the time of year or weather forecast you may consider bringing some extra layers of clothing for warmth and protection from adverse weather conditions. You’ll also want to come with an open mind for learning and a positive attitude. Oh and snacks, always bring snacks. ;-)

See further recommendations on how to prepare for you lesson here.

Sessions at lift-assisted bike parks will require full-face helmets. If you've had your helmet since the 80's (or even just a few years), if it's been in a crash or two, or if you've noticed that it doesn't fit you well, it is time to replace it. We are going to add to the already vital information contained in your noggin, please don't risk losing it! See our recommendations for preparing for your lesson here.

We have found that flat (aka: platform) pedals, a pair of knee/shin guards, and sturdy flat-soled shoes make it safest to learn and practice during the skills sessions so we strongly encourage this set-up. We will give you tips and strategies for safely riding on flat pedals but keep in mind that everything we teach you on flat pedals can be translated back to your clipless (aka: clip-in) pedals. If you think that being on flat pedals for the trail riding portion of the clinic will hold you back from trying new things then we recommend starting the lesson on flat pedals and bringing your clipless pedals (and compatible shoes) so you have the option to switch pedals for the trail riding portion of the lesson.

It depends on the event, but most of our weekend-long events include lunches on both Saturday and Sunday and an optional family-style dinner on Saturday night.  For the lunches we typically offer a make-your-own sandwich bar with options for all kinds of dietary needs (gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, etc) we also often have a DIY Trail Mix station so you can personally customize a bag of trailmix to take with you for the trail ride after lunch. If you have any strict food allergies, you will be able to let us know in the pre-event survey you fill out. Dinner is usually set-up to accommodate all dietary needs as well but if you have a lot of restrictions you are always welcome to bring your own food and still join us in eating (just let us know if you have refrigeration or heating needs asap).

Spots are limited and we typically sell-out our events, so we recommend enrolling as soon as possible. If you are trying to register for a sold-out event, please add your name to the waitlist because it is common to have spots open up and if the waitlist is long enough, we will try to add more coaches and therefore increase our capacity.

Registration for our Group Lessons will close withing 24-48 hours of the class start time to ensure we have the proper staffing to handle the group size.

Transition Bikes generously donates the use of their sweet demo bikes to a number of our events. Ideally, we will have a demo bike for everyone who is interested but our availability is somewhat limited, especially in smaller sizes. We will do our best to fill all requests but if you currently have a mountain bike that you could use for the weekend, you should plan on bringing it and perhaps you can try a demo bike for part of the weekend so we can spread the bikes around. If you don't have a bike, let us know that so we can prioritize your request. We will inquire about your demo bike needs in the pre-event intake survey we send then we will be in touch with you prior to the weekend about the status of your demo so you can plan accordingly.

For private and group lessons we recommend booking demo bikes (here from Transition) or rental bikes from a local shop far in advance to secure a bike in time. We start our lessons after 9:30am specifically so riders have time in the morning to get a demo/rental bike if needed.