Sociable Cycling Group (Bristol)

This is a group for those who enjoy cycling and who would like to meet up with others for bike rides (Adults/18+ only). Events, group organisation and all associated activities are hosted by volunteers for volunteers. The meetup platform charges the group £15 per month and this charge is covered by a few generous people in the group. This allows events to be made available at no charge to members.

We aim to post regular sociable rides exploring a selection of routes, generally starting from central Bristol, suitable for most levels of cyclist and aiming to keep to quiet roads and cycle paths.

Our rides are not competitive nor do we ride particularly fast. Most riders use Hybrid bikes, although ebikes appear regularly too. 

We don't ask riders to memorise the route but we do ask all riders not to ride ahead of the leader in order to minimise the risk of anyone getting lost. We stay together as a group to keep the ride sociable and non-competitive.  You should have a plan, in the event that you are separated from the group, to find your own way home.

We ride a mix of distances, speeds and climbs and the description will make this clear along with route details. It’s quite common on difficult climbs for riders to get off and push their bikes.

As an informal volunteer-led Meetup group we operate on 3 main principles that anyone coming on a ride/activity/social accepts:

1. No group liability: All members are fully responsible for themselves and for decisions about whether an activity/ride is suitable for them, whether insurance is required etc. You are choosing to join other individuals, as an individual, and neither the group itself or an 'organiser' is in any way responsible for your health and safety or welfare. The group or ride leader owes no liability to members. At no point are these conditions creating a contract between parties involved. As a group of volunteers running events for volunteers, we are unable to accept responsibility or legal liability for events or activities. 

2. Over 18s only: this is not a group for children, whether accompanied by adults or not.

3. The volunteer ride leaders offer their time for free and do not expect or request payment. Please respect the opinion and judgement of the ride leaders. If you have an issue please use private messaging to the ride leader to find a resolution. Ride leaders can choose to eject disrespectful and disruptive members from rides or the group, and their decision is final.

As all participants are acting as individuals on events, it is important you have a plan for any issue that we as a group can't resolve.  For example, arrange for a friend or family member to come pick you up should your bike be unrideable. Rides can be unpredictable so have funds available for snacks and drinks. Most events will stop during the ride, but please don't assume the stop will be long enough to order a cooked meal. Always check timings with the ride leader first.

We do request event participants have a meetup profile with a first name, surname optional and a photo of yourself (doesn't have to be professional or even in focus). You may be asked to update a vague profile.

We always need more volunteer ride leaders, but you don't need to be the next Chris Froome! Start with short and slow rides, which are especially popular.

If you’d like to get involved in ride leading, please attend 3 rides and chat to the ride leaders, letting them know you're interested in leading at the start of the ride. The next step is to design 5 rides which the ride leaders will post and you will lead. If all goes well your access to the Meetup group will be upgraded to enable you to post your own rides. The other ride leaders will be on hand to support you as you prepare your rides.