Bear Necessities Bikepacking

• Location: Starts in Epping, NH

• Route: Bikepacking, mixed terrain, quite a lot of dirt under your tires

• Ride Type: Mixed Terrain

• Date & Time: Saturday & Sunday September 19-20, 2026

• Distance: 70 miles total over 2 days

• Price: $75 per person for bikepacking. $25 for the day gravel ride (no bikepacking included).

• Must be a NEER member to participate (this keeps the price down for everyone since we don’t have to buy extra insurance; become a member!) The bikepacking option is likely to fill up. No charge for those who come for the day of riding.

• Non-Riding family/friend option! See details below.

Description:  Bear Necessities is a great day ride and it’s combined with bikepacking for those who want to camp, test their gear, enjoy spending time with other cyclists of similar interests at camp.

This is a 100% new route that we just developed! We’ve never run this route before and it’s in an area where other rides/events aren’t common so it’s very likely to be almost all new terrain to you, even if you live near this area in NH. It’s an impressive percent gravel/dirt vs pavement.

This is a great way to test your bikepacking setup, enjoy camping with others of similar cycling interests, and share the experience with your friends. Get into bikepacking before the warm season is over!

• Enjoy ~32 miles of mixed terrain riding on Saturday, ~38 miles Sunday

• This is not a catered trip, we’re not bringing stuff to camp for anyone but we do have the basics for fire starting and boiling water which you’re welcome to use.

• We’re buying all of the firewood and keeping the fire warm while we’re enjoying time at camp together.

• We’re providing knowledge and ideas, ask questions and we’ll get you answers.

• Self-sufficiency is important! You are expected to be able to fix mechanical issues or ride with friends who can help each other out.

• We’re providing a comprehensive packing list so you know what to bring and are prepared for this and any bikepacking trip.

Photo from a warm bikepacking trip fire and post-ride feasting/post-ride food coma Saturday night.

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Route Information

• Distance: 70 miles total over two days for bikepackers, 70 miles in one day for the day-gravel riders.

• Territory: Southern NH - Epping, NH start/end

• Gear Packing Options: You must bring your stuff on your bike BUT there is parking at the campground if you want someone to drive and bring your camp gear to you.

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When:

19 & 20 September 2026. Saturday and Sunday.

Where we start & Where we Camp:  

The ride start is in Epping, NH. There’s a commuter parking lot for your car to stay overnight. The parking lot is free and overnight parking is fine.

9am Saturday - Grand Depart - Full group rollout from the parking lot

9am Sunday - Depart from Camp for the second leg of the journey

Why:  

Organized bikepacking trips are hard to find and it’s nice to have the opportunity to test your equipment, figure out how to pack your bike, etc.

Registration:

For the bikepacking trip, please Register at the NEER store!

Questions?Email us at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com

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Who can do the Bear Necessities Ride?

Any fit and competent cyclist with equipment that meets our minimum requirements and who is willing to abide by basic riding safety rules may participate. There are no time cut offs, you’re welcome to take your time. As much as possible, we want people to ride together. However, when everyone has a loaded bike, people tend to get spread out on the route. Come prepared to ride alone and if it turns out that you get to ride with people, great! If you prefer to ride alone, no one will take it personally.

All who register to participate in this ride will receive the following pre-ride:

• Equipment Checklist: This is a comprehensive list of what NEER recommends for participants to have on bike and body. It also includes a list of items we find useful on self-supported multi-day rides for your knowledge and you’re welcome to add whatever you wish for this ride.

• Logistics, Route & Route Notes by 7pm Thursday, September 17: You’ll understand where you’re headed, where to be when, where camping is happening, and more.

• Waiver: This ride is being insured by NEER’s insurance. Your NEER waiver covers your participation on this ride.

All details subject to change, all who register will receive every communication by email.

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Ride with Your Friend Group or with the NEER Super Domestique

We’re happy if you and your friends want to ride together. There’s no need to ride with anyone specifically.

Slower Riders

NEER has a Super Domestique who will ride with anyone who wants a more mellow pace as the Super Domestique is loading a fat bike with fat tires on it. This means that if you’re a less fast rider, someone will very likely be behind you sweeping the route and you are unlikely to be the last rider.

Solo Riders

• Solo riders must have their own GPS navigation device with backup battery to charge the unit if necessary.

• Ride as fast or slow as you wish, it’s a little nicer if you’re a solo rider to head out earlier before everyone else so that you see others during the day and it’s a .

Display your location

We will have ALL riders display their location on the route via Life360 (not necessary to pay for an account for this), it helps us know where everyone is throughout the day for the safety and convenience this offers. This will take a little more battery life from your cell phone, so a backup battery is essential.

Non-Riding Significant Other Camping Option / Bringing your Family

Please let us know if you’ll have someone meeting you at camp. That person should register like a rider, but mention in registration that they won’t be riding. This is the (only) way to get your camp stuff to camp without being a bikepacker.

Spacers are not unlimited, thus we have to charge a non-riding significant other the same as a bikepacker.

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Contact Information - Call 413-461-7433 if it’s urgent

Email us with questions at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.

CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.

Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes. Ring our phone please with urgent anything!!!

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by these Rules. Registering for this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Proper Bike & Equipment

There are quite a few bikes and setups that work great for bikepacking and gravel riding on terrain you’ll find on this ride. Your choices will potentially impact your speed relative to others. We don’t care how fast/slow you ride, this is up to you, as long as you are on a safe bike with minimum basics and arrive before sunset on both Saturday and Sunday.

• Required: A bike with 40mm tires or wider. Mountain, gravel, fat, CX bikes are all acceptable. Ideally, the bike will have 40mm knobby tires or bigger.

• Required: Flat pedals or mountain-style pedals should be used, no road pedals/shoes.

• Required: A GPS computer with the route loaded ahead of time if you’re riding solo. If you’re riding with a friend group, the group must have 2 GPS computers among members.

• Required: Backup battery to charge GPS computer and phone during the ride. (There is no electricity to recharge things at camp.)

• Required: Sign-on to Life360 or other service that you share with us so we can see your location you when you’re riding. We’ll share connection info with you in the pre-ride information email.

• Required: A bike that’s in safe working order that has been recently tuned and is free of creaking and squeaking. The chain should be lubed just prior to the ride. Squeaky chains and noisy bikes are unacceptable because it means there is something wrong with your bike and more might be wrong.

• Required: All of the tools for typical mechanicals. These are on the Gear Checklist you’ll receive when you register. Lots of extra “nice to haves” are on the Checklist too!

• Required: Cell phone and a plan to get back to your car in case your bike or body stops working - we cannot offer rides to anyone (per insurance requirements) and there won’t be a vehicle on the route.

• Required: Two full water bottles/other vessel with at least this much water at the start of the ride

• Required: Front and rear lights (do not need to be turned on if visibility is good but available), reflector on ankle or pedal. Visibility is always a good thing for safety regardless of weather or time of day. Lights are important at camp too!

• Nice to have: Extra calories in your pockets to get you to stores where you can buy more.

• Change of clothes to wear after the ride at camp and for sleeping so you’re comfy!

Bear Brook Bikepacking

Riders enjoy time sitting around a fire after a day of great riding!

• Location: Starts in [_______]- route is a loop

• Route: Bikepacking, mixed terrain, plenty of dirt under your tires, some paved roads as well

• Ride Type: Mixed Terrain

• Date & Time: Saturday & Sunday, 27-28 September 2025, 9:30am & earlier rollouts Saturday. Back to the lot by 6:30pm Sunday.

• Distance: ~50 miles each day

• Price: $30 per person. Must be a NEER member to participate (this keeps the price down for everyone since we don’t have to buy extra insurance, become a member!) The cost covers your spot in a campground that offers showers, water, electricity, campfire (NEER buys the wood for a group campfire)

• Non-Riding family/friend option! See details below.

Description:  The Autumn Overnight bikepacking weekend is a two-day and one-night event that covers almost ~100 miles of diverse terrain in New England.  This ride is intended to be fun, give you a chance to enjoy bikepacking with others who love to bikepack, give you a nice way to do it for the first time if you haven’t done it before with a not-too-hard and not-too-climby route at a perfect time of year.  The event is part bikepacking and part adventure ride.

This is a great way to have a full weekend of riding, test your bikepacking setup, enjoy camping with others of similar cycling interests, and share the experience with your friends and family as well.

• Enjoy fun mixed-terrain riding over two days

• This is not a catered trip, we’re not bringing stuff to camp for anyone.

• We’re providing knowledge and ideas, ask questions and we’ll get you answers.

• Self-sufficiency is important! We are not providing mid-ride support. You are expected to be able to fix mechanical issues or ride with friends who can help each other out.

• We’ll teach campfire starting at camp and keep the fire going to stay warm at night and in the morning before rolling out Sunday morning

• We’re providing a comprehensive packing list so you know what to bring and are prepared for this and any bikepacking trip. We’ll email this to all who register!

Photo from a warm 2017 bikepacking trip called Maneha. The fire was hot and post-ride feasting/post-ride food coma Saturday night was memorable.

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Maneha is the ride that started it all.  We first scouted Maneha in 2010. It has evolved over the years and has brought a terrific bikepacking experience to riders of all backgrounds and experience levels together and to cool places. This ride is a close relative of Maneha, the difference being that this ride isn’t catered and Maneha was.

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Overview

The Autumn Overnight is a bikepacking ride on a mixed-terrain route.  We're riding everything from primitive 'goat trails' to good paved roads. There are lots of nice, smooth dirt paths and roads too. Everyone goes the pace that works for each person, some people will be riding loaded fat bikes at the rear and others will have 40mm tires and have a lighter bike setup.

Route Information

• Distance: About 50 miles each day. We’ll tell you the specifics of the route as we get closer to ride time. Be sure you have the fitness and ability to ride an unloaded gravel bike on mixed terrain/gravel 100km without excessive fatigue or body issues. This ensures you’ll have the baseline fitness and readiness for this trip.

• Territory: Central MA, there’s not a lot in the areas where we’re riding either day.

• Riding Options: Two day, Saturday only, Sunday only - if you have a non-riding friend or loved one coming up to meet you, you’re welcome to ride one day up and get a ride home. We are not transporting anyone to the start or from the campsite back to the starting lot. The price stays the same regardless. Just let us know your plans so we’re aware, that’s all you need to do.

• Gear Packing Options: There are no options: if you want it to eat, to sleep on, to wear, you’re carrying it with you! You are expected to have everything you need for a long-day ride on you where it comes to fixing mechanicals. This said, there is a nice place farm with food, drinks, woodfired pizza about a mile from the campground so you could cheat and grab dinner there. But be sure to bring it back to the campfire to enjoy the group dynamic with everyone!

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When:

27 & 28 September 2025.  Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s Grand Depart happens at 9:30am. Riders are encouraged to arrive at the start (a parking lot at a train station) no later than 7:15 so there’s time to deal with all of the stuff on the bike prior to 8am. Starting on time is important!

Sunday’s ride back begins when riders want to get moving, this will probably be around 9am though this will be discussed around the campfire prior to everyone heading off to slumber land.

Where we Start:

Wachusett Train Station. There is overnight parking offered here.

Train Schedule:

The outbound train from Boston leaves North Station at 7:45am and picks up riders all the way west, arriving at the Wachusett lot at 9:21am Saturday.

The inbound train to Boston from Wachusett picks up at 6:25pm, arriving back to North Station at 8:01pm. The last train Sunday is at 8:55pm though we expect all riders will have ample time to get to the 6:25pm train. The next earliest train is at 4:25pm for faster riders.

Where we Camp:  

We have campsites reserved together for riders in the Lamb City campground in Philipston, MA. NEER buys wood for a fire/fires everyone can enjoy.

There are showers, picnic tables, electricity to recharge your electronics, campfire rings, a campground (small) store if you forgot something.

Why:  

Bikepacking trips are hard to find and it’s nice to have the opportunity to test your equipment, figure out how to pack your bike, and isn’t it fun to get two big days on the bike with nice people also out for the same? It’s important to do it while it’s still possible with the weather and campfires sure feel amazing at this time of year!

How:

Register at the NEER store!

Questions?  Email us at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com

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Who can do the Autumn Overnight ride?

Any fit and competent cyclist with equipment that meets our minimum requirements and who is willing to abide by basic riding safety rules may participate.  Riding 50+ miles of mixed-terrain feels about three times that amount of road riding. If your bike is loaded, it feels even further. There are no time cut offs, you’re welcome to take your time. We do want you to be in to the campsite before dark.

All who register to participate in this ride will receive the following pre-ride:

• Equipment Checklist: This is a comprehensive list of what NEER recommends for participants to have on bike and body. It also includes a list of items we find useful on self-supported multi-day rides for your knowledge and you’re welcome to add whatever you wish for this ride.

• Logistics, Route & Route Notes by 7pm September 25: You’ll understand how the ride is being run, where you’re headed, where to be when.

  This information will help you prepare your bike, mind, and spirit for the adventure ahead. It includes recommended food and rest stops along the route. The information also includes tips on how to navigate difficult trails.

• Waiver: This ride is being insured by NEER’s insurance. Your NEER waiver covers your participation on this ride.

All details subject to change, all who register will receive every communication by email.

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"The staff did a remarkable job on a complex event. I can't wait until next year!" - C.B.

Ride with Your Friend Group

You can ride this ride as a solo rider or with a team/self-organized friend group (AKA team) ahead of the NEER-led group.  All of these ways of participating are fantastic and your choice.  Solo riders and slower groups will be encouraged to start earlier than 9am so there’s some cross-over during the day. It’s early and understandable if people don’t want to start earlier than this!

The last group to depart will be Super Domestique-led, and the Super Domestique will be riding a loaded fat bike so it won’t be fast, but steady.

• A team consists of as many riders as you want to assemble to take this on together.

• The team must have at least two people with GPS units for navigation along with backup batteries for the GPS units.

• The team members commit to riding together and finishing together.

Solo Riders

• Solo riders must have their own GPS navigation device with backup battery to charge the unit if necessary.

• Ride as fast or slow as you wish, we just want you to be at camp no later than 8pm.

• We prefer if you start earlier (we will be at the start very early so it’s possible to leave earlier and have a send-off committee). It’s nicer to be solo in a rider sandwich somewhere rather than off-the-back solo for safety and all of the positive psychological benefits as well! We usually have all paces show up to our rides so there’s a good chance your pace will be similar to that of others.

Display your location

We will have ALL riders display their location on the route via Life360 (not necessary to pay for an account for this), it helps us know where everyone is. This will take a little more battery life from your cell phone, so a backup battery is essential.

Non-Riding Significant Other Camping Option / Bringing your Family

Your non-riding spouse or significant other is welcome to join you for the weekend at the campsite at no additional cost as long as you’re sharing a tent. Please let us know if you’ll have someone meeting you at camp.

If you’d like this to be a bigger family affair, we’ll ask you to make a reservation with the campground on your own and we’ll credit you for the campsite space you won’t be occupying. Email us separately if this applies to you and we’ll figure it out.

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Sunday After the Ride back at the parking lot/train station

We’re expecting riders to arrive back at their cars/train at various times. Most people will be tired from the long weekend and just want to get home. There is no food there so bring some with you or have it in the car awaiting you for the few moments after you finish.

Contact Information - Call 413-461-7433 if it’s urgent

Email us with questions at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.

CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.

Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes. Ring our phone please with urgent anything!!!

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by these Rules. Registering for this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Proper Bike & Equipment

There are quite a few bikes and setups that work great for bikepacking and gravel riding on terrain you’ll find on this ride. Your choices will potentially impact your speed relative to others. We don’t care how fast/slow you ride, this is up to you, as long as you are on a safe bike with minimum basics and arrive before sunset on both Saturday and Sunday.

• Required: A bike with 38mm tires or wider. Mountain, gravel, fat, CX bikes are all acceptable. Ideally, the bike will have 40mm knobby tires or bigger.

• Required: Flat pedals or mountain-style pedals should be used, no road pedals/shoes.

• Required: A GPS computer with the route loaded ahead of time if you’re riding solo. If you’re riding with a friend group, the group must have 2 GPS computers among members.

• Required: Backup battery to charge GPS computer and phone during the ride. (There is no electricity to recharge things at camp.)

• Required: Sign-on to Life360 or other service that you share with us so we can see your location you when you’re riding. We’ll share connection info with you in the pre-ride information email.

• Required: A bike that’s in safe working order that has been recently tuned and is free of creaking and squeaking. The chain should be lubed just prior to the ride. Squeaky chains and noisy bikes are unacceptable because it means there is something wrong with your bike and more might be wrong.

• Required: All of the tools for typical mechanicals. These are on the Gear Checklist you’ll receive when you register. Lots of extra “nice to haves” are on the Checklist too!

• Required: Cell phone and a plan to get back to your car in case your bike or body stops working - we cannot offer rides to anyone (per insurance requirements) and there won’t be a vehicle on the route.

• Required: Two full water bottles/other vessel with at least this much water at the start of the ride

• Required: Front and rear lights (do not need to be turned on if visibility is good but available), reflector on ankle or pedal (this is now required per MA law at dusk and later). Visibility is always a good thing for safety regardless of weather or time of day. Lights are important at camp too!

• Nice to have: Extra calories in your pockets to get you to stores where you can buy more.

• Change of clothes to wear after the ride at camp and for sleeping so you’re comfy!

Saturday Adventure Mixed Terrain Ride - Dragon’s Tail!

• Location: Start and end at Revolution Hall near Bedford, MA

• Ride Type:  Mixed Terrain Ride for gravel bikes

• Date & Time: 9am, Saturday, August 29, 2025

• Distance:  48 miles

• Price:  Free; see NEER membership requirements discussed below after the first ride you do with us

• RSVPs: Required, see bottom of page for RSVP form

Details

This mixed-terrain ride takes cyclists to many roads, back roads, plenty of dirt paths and single-track trails for a total of 48 miles. It’s probably 50% paved. The dirt sections are numerous and fun (and slower so they occupy a good amount of time!)

Any gravel bike with ~40mm tires or bigger is suited for the terrain. The terrain is not that technical where it’s off-road, expect (as always on mixed terrain): dirt, some sticks, rocks to roll over and around. There’s never any shame in riding these more slowly or walking something that you’re not comfortable riding.

Pace

We’ll split people into 2 groups based on bikes and speeds that are likely to result. Moderate Plus for those who want to zip along a bit more quickly and Moderate Endurance.

We have a designated Super Domestique leading the last group to depart which will be rolling at a steady endurance pace. If you can maintain a 15-16mph average pace on the road (on a road bike) for 3+ hours, you have the fitness you need for this ride. This group’s pace will be much less than 15mph (probably more like 8-10mph average).

Start, Distance & Estimated Ride Time

Please be ready to ride at 8:55am. We’ll start the safety talk at 9am and then roll out.

The ride is 48 miles in length.

Allow 5ish hours for the ride.

Parking

Across the street from Revolution Hall. DO NOT park in the Revolution Hall parking lot.

Address for your GPS: 10 Maguire Rd., Lexington, MA

Exact spot to park: https://goo.gl/maps/DXJyjgRdjp6BCqcA8

Route

The route will be emailed to all who RSVP no later than 7pm the night before the ride. Here is what it looks like, it’s a great mix of terrain and feels like plenty of dirt and the pavement comes at good times too:

Route Notes

A mixed terrain ride is rougher than a “gravel” ride on the dirt sections. We ride mixed terrain because it’s fun, gets us off of roads, makes us better bike handlers, and there is always so much more to see and experience when hitting the trails and back alleys!

After the Ride

Anyone who wants to enjoy a drink or food at Revolution Hall is invited to hang out and enjoy social time together! The ride leader will stick around for awhile post-ride.

Last-Minute Information

We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news.

Contact Information

Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions about this ride anytime 1 hour or more prior to the start of the ride.

CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.

Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. RSVP’ing to this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Waiver

NEER requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.

If this is your second or more ride with us, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.

Proper bike & Equipment

• 40mm knobby tires minimum.  Wider tires are nicer! Tire choice depends on your riding skill set. We expect to see mostly gravel bikes, likely some hardtail mountain bikes too.

• Clipless pedals and shoes.  These are important elements of bike control. If you are an experienced cyclist who has used platform pedals and sticky shoes extensively, this is acceptable. Note that mountain-style pedals/cleats are significantly better than road-style. We strongly discourage road pedals/cleats on a mixed terrain ride. You can possibly get away with road pedals/cleats on a gravel (dirt road) ride, but not a mixed terrain ride.

• A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes.

• High enough tire pressure to prevent pinch flatting and burping your tires.  We recommend about 80% of maximum rated tire pressure. Sometimes this is much too high, ask us if you’re not sure where to set your tire pressure. We like you to have more than enough air for these reasons:

  • We want to minimize flats on the ride; waiting for someone to change flats is not why we ride.  We typically see zero flats on our ride.  One of the primary reasons for this is due to higher than average tire pressure.

  • You can easily take it out, much harder to add it in.

• Be sure you have supplies necessary for all common mechanicals including extra derailleur hangers, a multi-tool, quick chain links, tubes, CO2 or hand pump, etc. You are responsible for you and your bike.

RSVP to Participate in this Ride Now!

Please RSVP only after you’ve made sure you can attend. It is inconsiderate to RSVP prior to committing to attending since it affects the experience of the other cyclists in attendance. We understand that things come up last-minute. Be sure to email us if you can’t attend: connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.

Mighty Squirrel Mixed Terrain Night Ride!

• Location: Mighty Squirrel, Waltham, MA

• Ride Type:  Mixed Terrain Ride for gravel, hardtail mountain & fat bikes

• Date & Time:  Thursday, August 13, 7pm start time, done by 9pm

• Distance:  2 hours of riding, ~15 miles-ish

• Price:  Free; see NEER membership requirements discussed below after the first ride you do with us

• RSVPs: Required, see bottom of page for RSVP form

Details & Pace

This is a more playful route and ride than our night mixed terrain rides that start at Revolution Hall. Less technical riders should ride mountain bikes (hard tail mtbs are appropriate) or fat bikes, technical gravel riders will have fun on the route!

There are rocks, roots, boardwalks, road crossings, and short sections of road to ride.

We have a designated Super Domestique leading the group. New-to-mixed terrain riders should try our weekend rides in the daylight first prior to coming out to any of our night rides and this route is not appropriate for new-to-gravel or new-to-mixed-terrain riders.

It doesn’t mean much to talk about the average pace of a mixed terrain ride since it sounds a lot slower than it really is. We keep moving at an endurance pace and ride together.

Distance

~15 miles

Parking

Address for your GPS: 411 Waverley Oaks Rd, Waltham, MA 02452

Pin of the exact spot to park in the lot - it’s not next to the Mighty Squirrel since that’s for their customers: https://maps.app.goo.gl/7EWmn2YTh66Nj2Xj6

Route

Please download the route on your GPS computer, it makes ride navigation much simpler to execute for all: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48988774

Pre-Ride Email - Only sending if these details change

There will NOT be a pre-ride email sent out to RSVP’ers for this ride since all information you need is contained here on this page UNLESS there is more/new information to share!

Start time, Estimated Ride Time

Start: 7pm, be ready to roll by 6:55pm

Ride time: Expect this to take close to 2 hours.

Route Notes

We discuss these with you prior to rollout. Note that a “mixed terrain” ride is rougher, twistier, and slower than a “gravel” ride. There are roots, rocks, a few boardwalks, etc to navigate. If you’re concerned about your ability to ride mixed terrain, do one of our weekend rides first.

After the Ride

Some riders may enjoy hanging out and enjoying food/drink at the Mighty Squirrel. It’s a Thursday night so it’ll be hopping there. Invite your family to come join you post-ride!

Last-Minute Information

We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news.

Contact Information

Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions about this ride anytime 1 hour or more prior to the start of the ride.

CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.

Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. 

RSVP’ing to this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Waiver

NEER requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.

If this is your second or more ride with us, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.

Proper bike & Equipment

• 40mm knobby tires minimum.  Wider tires are nicer! Tire choice depends on your riding skill set. We expect to see gravel bikes, mountain bikes, and fat bikes at this ride, the majority of bikes will be gravel bikes.

• Lights, front and rear. Bring both front and rear lights to be seen - this ride is early enough that lights shouldn’t be necessary, it’s always a nice idea to have them.

• Concerning Rear Lights: A super bright and/or flashing rear light will blind the person riding behind you and it actually hurts that person’s eyes and can make it hard for that person to see. Please look into your rear light. If it burns your eyes, get a “group ride friendly” light such as the Super Flash ($25) - it has a steady mode and isn’t too bright.

• Clipless pedals and shoes.  These are important elements of bike control. If you are an experienced cyclist who has used platform pedals and sticky shoes extensively, this is acceptable. Note that mountain-style pedals/cleats are significantly better than road-style. We strongly discourage road pedals/cleats on a mixed terrain ride. You can possibly get away with road pedals/cleats on a gravel (dirt road) ride, but not a mixed terrain ride.

• A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes.

• High enough tire pressure to prevent pinch flatting and burping your tires.  Ask us if you’re not sure where to set your tire pressure.

• Be sure you have supplies necessary for all common mechanicals including extra derailleur hangers, a multi-tool, quick chain links, tubes, CO2 or hand pump, etc. You are responsible for you and your bike.

RSVP to Participate in this Ride Now!

Please RSVP only after you’ve made sure you can attend. It is inconsiderate to RSVP prior to committing to attending since it affects the experience of the other cyclists in attendance. We understand that things come up last-minute. Be sure to email us if you can’t attend: connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.

Saturday Adventure Mixed Terrain Ride!

• Location: Weston, MA

• Ride Type:  Mixed Terrain Ride ideal for gravel bikes (or bikes with tires 40mm or bigger)

• Date & Time:  Saturday, August 15, 7:00am start time

• Distance:  50-60 miles

• Price:  Free; see NEER membership requirements discussed below after the first ride you do with us

• RSVPs: Required, see bottom of page for RSVP form

Details & Pace

This is an adventure for your gravel bike (or hardtail mtn if you prefer it for your mixed terrain riding)!

This route hasn’t been vetted recently (it is an awesome route) but there could be some workarounds necessary. Bring your sprit of adventure and it’ll be a whole heck of a lot of fun!

We have a designated Super Domestique leading the “endurance” paced group. We are likely to have two paces: a faster-moderate and endurance with endurance folks keeping a ~16ish mph average on roads and much, much less on trails and mixed terrain.

This is a winding route from Weston south and then back, a loop of all kinds of terrain!

Distance

50-60 miles

Parking

Most likely at a T-Station in Weston. All RSVPers will get parking instructions.

Route

Will be emailed to all who RSVP by 7pm Friday night.

Start time, Estimated Ride Time

Start: 7am, be ready to roll by 6:55am

Ride time: Expect this to take 6-8 hours depending on ride pace and time spent at food stops

Route Notes

We discuss these with you prior to rollout. Note that a “mixed terrain” ride is rougher, twistier, and slower than a “gravel” ride. There are roots, rocks, a few boardwalks, etc to navigate in addition to plenty of paved roads connecting the trails and other interesting sections.

After the Ride

It’s a long day out there! Bring a snack to enjoy before you drive home.

Last-Minute Information

We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news.

Contact Information

Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions about this ride anytime 1 hour or more prior to the start of the ride.

CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.

Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. 

RSVP’ing to this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Waiver

NEER requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.

If this is your second or more ride with us, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.

Proper bike & Equipment

• 40mm knobby tires or wider.  Wider tires are nice! Tire choice depends on your riding skill set. We expect to see gravel bikes, mountain bikes, and fat bikes at this ride, the majority of bikes will be gravel bikes.

• Clipless pedals and shoes.  These are important elements of bike control. If you are an experienced cyclist who has used platform pedals and sticky shoes extensively, this is acceptable. Note that mountain-style pedals/cleats are significantly better than road-style. We strongly discourage road pedals/cleats on a mixed terrain ride. You can possibly get away with road pedals/cleats on a gravel (dirt road) ride, but not a mixed terrain ride.

• A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes.

• High enough tire pressure to prevent pinch flatting and burping your tires.  Ask us if you’re not sure where to set your tire pressure.

• Be sure you have supplies necessary for all common mechanicals including extra derailleur hangers, a multi-tool, quick chain links, tubes, CO2 or hand pump, etc. You are responsible for you and your bike.

RSVP to Participate in this Ride Now!

Please RSVP only after you’ve made sure you can attend. It is inconsiderate to RSVP prior to committing to attending since it affects the experience of the other cyclists in attendance. We understand that things come up last-minute. Be sure to email us if you can’t attend: connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.

Mixed Terrain Night Ride

• Location: Revolution Hall near Bedford, MA

• Ride Type:  Mixed Terrain Ride for gravel, mountain & fat bikes

• Date & Time:  7pm start time, Thursday, July 23

• Distance:  ~17 miles, around 2 hours of riding

• Price:  Free; see NEER membership requirements discussed below after the first ride you do with us

• RSVPs: Required, see bottom of page for RSVP form

Details & Pace

This mixed terrain ride takes cyclists to many interesting trails with roads connecting them.

The route is a mixed terrain route so any bike with 38mm tires or bigger is suited for the terrain. Faster riders are always welcome to go ahead, but it’s night so riding too fast isn’t advisable. We discuss pace before the ride starts.

There are some easy-to-ride boardwalks on the route, it’s pretty well ridden so not hard to navigate after dark.

We have a designated Super Domestique leading the main group. New-to-mixed terrain riders should try our weekend rides first prior to coming out to this ride.

It doesn’t mean much to talk about the average pace of a mixed terrain ride since it sounds a lot slower than it really is. We keep moving at an endurance pace but it’s not fast given the waning sunlight.

Distance

~17 miles

Parking

Address for your GPS: 10 Maguire Rd, Lexington, MA 02421 - DO NOT park at Revolution Hall, parking is across the street at the business.

Pin of the exact spot to park in the lot: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ebJ1c1ufZA3bL4ZR7

Route

Please download the route on your GPS device, it makes it easier for everyone to know which turn is coming next. This is what it looks like!

Start time, Ride Time

Start: 7pm, be ready to roll by 6:55pm

Ride time: Aiming for 2 hours, done by 9pm.

Route Notes

We discuss these with you prior to rollout. Note that a “mixed terrain” ride is rougher, twistier, and slower than a “gravel” ride. There are roots, a few boardwalks, etc to navigate. If you’re concerned about your ability to ride mixed terrain, do one of our weekend rides in the daylight first.

After the Ride

Some riders will enjoy post-ride food and drink at Revolution Hall if we arrive back before 9am (food stops being served at 9). Feel free to join in having food and hanging out afterwards if you’d like!

Last-Minute Information

We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news.

Contact Information

Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions about this ride anytime 1 hour or more prior to the start of the ride.

CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.

Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. 

RSVP’ing to this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Waiver

NEER requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.

If this is your second or more ride with us, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.

Proper bike & Equipment

• 38mm knobby tires minimum.  Wider tires are nicer! Tire choice depends on your riding skill set. We expect to see gravel bikes, mountain bikes, and fat bikes at this ride, the majority of bikes will be gravel bikes.

• Lights, front and rear. Bring both front and rear lights with battery power to stay lit for a 2.5 hour ride. Correct, the ride is 1.5 hours, but if there’s a mechanical or if you accidentally set it too bright, then you want to still have enough light for the duration of the ride.

• Concerning Rear Lights: A super bright and/or flashing rear light will blind the person riding behind you and it actually hurts that person’s eyes and can make it hard for that person to see. Please look into your rear light. If it burns your eyes, get a “group ride friendly” light such as the Super Flash ($25) - it has a steady mode and isn’t too bright.

• Clipless pedals and shoes.  These are important elements of bike control. If you are an experienced cyclist who has used platform pedals and sticky shoes extensively, this is acceptable. Note that mountain-style pedals/cleats are significantly better than road-style. We strongly discourage road pedals/cleats on a mixed terrain ride. You can possibly get away with road pedals/cleats on a gravel (dirt road) ride, but not a mixed terrain ride.

• A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes.

• High enough tire pressure to prevent pinch flatting and burping your tires.  Ask us if you’re not sure where to set your tire pressure. We like you to have more than enough air for these reasons:

  • We want to minimize flats on the ride; waiting for someone to change flats is not why we ride.  We typically see zero flats on our ride.  One of the primary reasons for this is due to higher than average tire pressure.

  • You can easily take it out, much harder to add it in.

• Be sure you have supplies necessary for all common mechanicals including extra derailleur hangers, a multi-tool, quick chain links, tubes, CO2 or hand pump, etc. You are responsible for you and your bike.

RSVP to Participate in this Ride Now!

Please RSVP only after you’ve made sure you can attend. It is inconsiderate to RSVP prior to committing to attending since it affects the experience of the other cyclists in attendance. We understand that things come up last-minute. Be sure to email us if you can’t attend: connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.

Saturday Mixed Terrain Adventure Ride for Gravel or MTBs

• Location: Start and end in Needham, MA

• Ride Type: Gravel or Mountain bike ride for gravel bikes with 45mm tires or bigger or hardtail mountain bikes - 50% road, 50% every other kind of terrain!

• Date & Time:  Saturday, June 25, 7:00am start

• Distance:  84 miles (ways to cut shorter if too long)

• Price:  Free; see NEER membership requirements discussed below after the first ride you do with us

• RSVPs: Required, see bottom of page for RSVP form

Details

This mixed terrain adventure ride leads cyclists to every kind of terrain and these are connected by paved roads. SE NEMBA President, George Lester, developed this route so we’re riding it and having a great day of adventuring on it!

Those who like to be a bit underbiked at times will be fine on gravel bikes and 45mm + tires. Those who like to be overbiked on roads but have appropriate tires for the terrain should come out on your hardtail mountain bikes. Some trails could be overgrown this time of year. Use bug spray (or bring it)!

Distance

The ride is 84 miles in length in total if not cut short.

Parking

Directions to free parking will be shared with all who RSVP. We’ll start in Needham, MA

Route

The route will be emailed to all who RSVP no later than 7pm the night before this ride. Earlier RSVPs will receive the route earlier than this (like 7pm Thursday for those who have your RSVPs in by then).

Estimated Ride Time

~5-8 hours depending on lengths of stops at resupply and riding speed, easy to cut mid-ride. Roads will move along quickly, trails will be slower.

After the Ride

Some of us are likely to find food in Needham center prior to heading home.

Route Notes

This route offers a wide variety of terrain and trail types. Expect roots, rocks, pavement, and smooth dirt single and double track. If you’re not certain about riding something, walk it, it won’t be any slower to walk than to ride anything like that anyway! The route hasn’t been vetted in its entirety for many months so expect anything and if something doesn’t work, we’ll figure out a way around, nothing in this area isn’t not circumnigatable (is this a word?) :-)

Last-Minute Information

We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news.

Contact Information

Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions about this ride anytime 1 hour or more prior to the start of the ride.

CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.

Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. RSVP’ing to this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Waiver

New England Expedition Riders requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.

If this is your second or more ride with us, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.

Proper bike & Equipment

• 40-45mm knobby tires minimum.  Wider tires are nice!

• Clipless pedals and shoes.  These are important elements of bike control. If you are an experienced cyclist who has used platform pedals and sticky shoes extensively, this is acceptable. Note that mountain-style pedals/cleats are significantly better than road-style. No road pedals/cleats.

• A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes.

• High enough tire pressure to prevent pinch flatting and burping your tires.  

• Be sure you have supplies necessary for all common mechanicals including extra derailleur hangers, a multi-tool, quick chain links, tubes, CO2 or hand pump, etc. You are responsible for you and your bike.

RSVP to Participate in this Ride Now!

Please RSVP only after you’ve made sure you can attend. It is inconsiderate to RSVP prior to committing to attending since it affects the experience of the other cyclists in attendance. We understand that things come up last-minute. Be sure to email us if you can’t attend: connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.

Sunday Mixed Terrain Adventure Ride

• Location: Start and end in Lexington, MA

• Ride Type: Mixed terrain appropriate for gravel bikes or any bike with 38mm or bigger tires

• Date & Time:  Sunday, July 19, 9:00 start

• Distance:  44 miles but easy to cut short if you have time for less than this distance

• Price:  Free; see NEER membership requirements discussed below after the first ride you do with us

• RSVPs: Required, see bottom of page for RSVP form

Details

This mixed terrain ride leads cyclists to many trails, back roads, and random places all within a fairly short distance. There are lots of twists and turns starting in Lexington center, spanning only the closest towns so it’s easy to cut short if your schedule doesn’t allow for you to be out there for the ~4-6 hours this ride will take in its entirety.

Distance

The ride is 44 miles in length in total if not cut short.

Parking

Public lot in Lexington center or on side streets. Details will be sent to all who RSVP by 5:30pm Saturday evening prior to the ride.

Route

The route will be emailed to all who RSVP no later than 5:30pm the night before this ride.

Estimated Ride Time

~4-6 hours depending on lengths of stops at resupply and riding speed, easy to cut mid-ride.

After the Ride

Enjoy social time together at Rancatores for ice cream in Lexington Center where we eat, drink and chat about riding bikes and all subjects tangential to riding bikes!

Route Notes

This route offers a wide variety of terrain and trail types. Expect roots, rocks, pavement, and smooth dirt single and double track. If you’re not certain about riding something, walk it, it won’t be any slower to walk than to ride anything like that anyway! This is not that technical of a route, but if riders have not ridden their gravel bikes on anything but “champagne” gravel roads, this ride might be a bit much for a first mixed terrain ride. Gravel is not mixed terrain, these are different kinds of riding. If you’re wondering about the differences, email us at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com

Last-Minute Information

We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news.

Contact Information

Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions about this ride anytime 1 hour or more prior to the start of the ride.

CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.

Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. RSVP’ing to this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Waiver

New England Expedition Riders requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.

If this is your second or more ride with us, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.

Proper bike & Equipment

• 38mm gravel tires or wider.  Wider tires are nice!

• Clipless pedals and shoes.  These are important elements of bike control. If you are an experienced cyclist who has used platform pedals and sticky shoes extensively, this is acceptable. Note that mountain-style pedals/cleats are significantly better than road-style. Please don’t come with road pedals/cleats.

• A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes.

• High enough tire pressure to prevent pinch flatting and burping your tires.  

• Be sure you have supplies necessary for all common mechanicals including extra derailleur hangers, a multi-tool, quick chain links, tubes, CO2 or hand pump, etc. You are responsible for you and your bike.

RSVP to Participate in this Ride Now!

Please RSVP only after you’ve made sure you can attend. It is inconsiderate to RSVP prior to committing to attending since it affects the experience of the other cyclists in attendance. We understand that things come up last-minute. Be sure to email us if you can’t attend: connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.

Saturday Early Morning Mountain Adventure Ride

• Location: Start and end near Carlisle, MA

• Ride Type:  Mountain bike ride for hardtail or dual-suspension of 2.1” tires or bigger

• Date & Time:  Saturday, June 18, 7:00am start

• Distance:  50 miles

• Price:  Free; see NEER membership requirements discussed below after the first ride you do with us

• RSVPs: Required, see bottom of page for RSVP form

Details

This mountain bike adventure ride leads cyclists to many single-track trails starting in Carlisle. Back roads and some pavement connect the trail sections.

This is a route in two parts, it’s possible to join for the first ~25 miles and return to the car (or just return to your car to refuel water/food from your stash) before taking on the next ~25 miles.

Distance

The ride is ~50 miles in length in total if not cut short.

Parking

Directions to free parking will be shared with all who RSVP.

Route

The route will be emailed to all who RSVP no later than 7pm the night before this ride.

Estimated Ride Time

~5-8 hours depending on lengths of stops at resupply and riding speed, easy to cut mid-ride.

After the Ride

Enjoy social time together at Revolution Hall where we eat, drink and chat about riding bikes and all subjects tangential to riding bikes!

Route Notes

This route offers a wide variety of terrain and trail types. Expect roots, rocks, pavement, and smooth dirt single and double track. If you’re not certain about riding something, walk it, it won’t be any slower to walk than to ride anything like that anyway!

Last-Minute Information

We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news.

Contact Information

Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions about this ride anytime 1 hour or more prior to the start of the ride.

CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.

Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.

Riding Rules

All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. RSVP’ing to this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.

Waiver

New England Expedition Riders requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.

If this is your second or more ride with us, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.

Proper bike & Equipment

• 2.1” knobby tires minimum.  Wider tires are nice!

• Clipless pedals and shoes.  These are important elements of bike control. If you are an experienced cyclist who has used platform pedals and sticky shoes extensively, this is acceptable. Note that mountain-style pedals/cleats are significantly better than road-style. No road pedals/cleats.

• A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes.

• High enough tire pressure to prevent pinch flatting and burping your tires.  

• Be sure you have supplies necessary for all common mechanicals including extra derailleur hangers, a multi-tool, quick chain links, tubes, CO2 or hand pump, etc. You are responsible for you and your bike.

RSVP to Participate in this Ride Now!

Please RSVP only after you’ve made sure you can attend. It is inconsiderate to RSVP prior to committing to attending since it affects the experience of the other cyclists in attendance. We understand that things come up last-minute. Be sure to email us if you can’t attend: connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.