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Rental Bikes
If you prefer to rent a bike for your holiday we have an excellent range from which to choose.
For mountain biking in the UK most rental bikes come from Specialised. They are always fitted with front suspension, good components and hydraulic disc brakes. We will always supply you with a bike that is the right size, however short or tall you may be, provided that we have enough notice to buy in a new bike should the right sized ones already be fully allocated to other clients.
For road cycling in the UK we can offer a range of options from the more upright hybrid style “street bikes” to regular drop-handlebar road or touring bikes. For families we can also provide a range of options for children such as smaller bikes, tag-a-longs and trailers.
When travelling to other parts of the World the bikes we rent will always be selected to suit the terrain. If you’d like to know exactly what is available and at what price please just contact us, or review the detailed itineraries which can be downloaded from this site.
Tours with a range of grades
Often we run trips that are flexible and might suit a range of people. For example, we may have a number of guides leading on one holiday, each covering different levels, there might be vehicle support for those who want to rest, or we could have some optional cut-outs or tough sections.
In these cases we try to give grades according to the whole range of people that might enjoy the tour. If you do have any concerns or questions always feel free to get in touch with us. Our office team have a very detailed knowledge of the trips and will be able to give you the advice you need.
For more information on our ability grading system  click here
Staffing on Tours
However well prepared a tour is, getting the right team to run it is vital if the trip is to be a success.
At CycleActive we believe in professionalism in all aspects of tour leadership. This is why we were the first UK operator to fully adopt the British Cycling standard award for leaders – The Scottish Mountain Bike Leaders Award. Our guides are experts at what they do, they’re used to managing groups, leading people through fun times and troublesome times, fixing bikes and simply getting things done right.
We do not believe in using unqualified or inexperienced cyclists who are simply keen riders as a cheap alternative to expert leaders. Where guides in different countries do not hold our benchmark qualifications we still ensure that the same exacting standards are met before they can run our holidays.
But when you’re in a different country you also want a good local guide, not necessarily a biker, to act as your window on the culture, the history and the geography that surrounds you. For this reason we always work in partnership with the best local operators.
To have a multi-lingual guide with you, qualified as a safari guide or cultural guide or whatever else is most appropriate to the trip you’re on, can add a whole new dimension to your holiday. These are also the people who can make things happen through their local contacts, local knowledge and understanding of how “the system” works in their home country.
For more information on our guides click here
Travelling solo
Our holidays are very popular with men and women who choose to travel alone. We get a good mix of people on our trips, and the very nature of cycling seems to attract people who are adventurous and keen to be sociable and make new friends.
We never charge single supplements on our tours unless you specifically request single occupancy. Provided that you are happy to share in a twin room with a person of the same sex you’ll just be charged the standard tour price (even if, due to the mix of people, you end up in your own room anyway).
Our leaders are used to looking after all kinds of groups, so if this is your first experience of solo travel you are in safe hands!
Group travel
Cycle clubs, groups of friends, families or clients who met on one tour and want to travel together again – all have benefited from our excellent group offers.
If you want your own tour, perhaps for a large group or just so the dates suit you, then we can work with you to plan the perfect trip. Unlike some operators who rely on local agents to do their planning, we know all of our tours inside out. You tell us the level of riding, type of terrain, type of accommodation and time of year you want to travel and we’ll create the right holiday experience for you.
Pre-travel advice
For every trip, whether it’s a weekend away or a longer journey, we’ve put together a tour-specific pre-travel pack. This contains everything you need to know about what to bring for you and your bike, what medical precautions to take (with links to relevant websites), the paperwork you need, what pre-travel reading might be useful, and a useful step-by-step guide on how to pack your bike up for flights. However, there is no substitute for personal advice, which is why our office team are always there to help you.
SMBLA
SMBLA stands for Scottish Mountain Bike Leaders Association, the official body which looks after mountain bike leadership qualifications for the Scottish Cycle Union (SCU), which in turn falls under the umbrella of British Cycling (BC) – our national cycling governing body.
The two awards that are issued by the SMBLA are Trail Cycle Leader (TCL) and Mountain Bike Leader (MBL). All of our guides are qualified to MBL level, which means passing an assessment of their coaching, leading, group management, emergency managements, navigation, bike handling and a range of other skills. They must also have a Rescue and Emergency Care first aid certificate to hold the MBL award.
In fact our standards are higher than the MBL award demands. Many of our leaders are the tutors who coach these awards for the SMBLA and who are shaping the development of leadership training with both the SCU and BC.
Financial Security
In the Uk there are very strict regulations in place to protect the money you pay for your holiday. These are laid out in the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tour Regulations 1992, which is available from any branch of HMSO.
In effect this says that all tour operators, such as CycleActive, must protect client money either through insurance, bonding or use of a trust account. The outcome of each is the same – if the company becomes insolvent and cannot run your holiday the payments you made are returned to you.
We have chosen to use a trust account and all moneys paid by our clients, except insurance premiums, are held in that account, which is controlled by a trustee acting on their behalf. These moneys are not released to the CycleActive until their holiday has been completed or, in the event of a cancellation, the contract has been completed in accordance with the booking conditions.
Insurance
For any holidays outside of the UK we insist that clients have holiday insurance that does cover them for all activities included in the holiday itinerary. We do not want you, or us, or our guides to be in a position where there is an injured person who cannot be rescued or treated due to the lack of suitable insurance.
If your policy is not clear on what is covered please ask your provider to put a confirmation in writing – without this you cannot be sure of receiving treatment abroad and we cannot let you ride on your trip until suitable cover is confirmed.
By law we are obliged to offer a suitable insurance policy to our clients and we do have a good and reasonably priced option available if you need it. |
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