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- Course Grading Explained
- Equipment Lists

Grading

How do we grade our courses, rides & off-road adventures?

To make it easier for you to choose a course, ride or off-road adventure that suits your fitness and current technical ability, each of our events is graded with a Fitness Required and Technical Skills Required rating.

Fitness required

Basic fitness

You participate in formal exercise at least once per week, though not necessarily on a bike
You can ride on flat or moderately steep terrain at a steady pace
You can ride for at least two hours comfortably

Regular exerciser

You exercise at least twice a week and at least one of these sessions is on a bike
You can ride moderately steep terrain at a steady pace
You can ride for at least three hours comfortably

Frequent exerciser

You exercise more than twice a week and at least two of these sessions is on a bike
You can ride steep terrain at a steady pace
You can ride for five to six hours comfortably in a day

Race fit athlete

You participant in a formal training régime
You spend a significant amount of time cycling each week and compete regularly in races
You can ride any terrain at a constant fast pace

Technical skills required

Basic skills required - Level 1

You may have little or no experience of mountain biking
You can already ride a bike and understand the principles behind gear selection
You can already ride comfortably on smooth trails such as tow paths, fire trails and easy bridleways

Rookie skills required - Level 2

You have some experience of riding off road and may have tried green and blue graded singletrack trails before at a trail centre or similar venue
You can already ride confidently on narrow singletrack trails with small rocks, roots and steps

Intermediate skills required - Level 3

You have some experience of riding off road and will have tried red and perhaps black graded singletrack trails before at a trail centre or similar venue
You can already ride confidently on moderately steep, narrow singletrack trails with large rocks, root fans, steps, rollable drop-offs and other technical trail features

Advanced skills required - Level 4

You have considerable experience of riding off road and will be confident on red and may have tried black graded singletrack trails
You can already ride confidently on very steep rocky trails, drop-offs up to 1 metre high and other challenging trail features

Very advanced skills required - Level 5

You have significant experience of riding off road, you are a regular mountain biker (at least once a week) and will have regularily ridden black graded singletrack trails before at a trail centre or similar venue and perhaps tried orange graded downhill race tracks at bike parks
You can already ride confidently on very steep, narrow singletrack trails with large rocks, root fans, steps, rollable drop-offs and other technical trail features

About Singletrack School

Singletrack School provide mountain bike skills coaching, mountain bike technique courses, mountain bike skills weekends, women's mountain bike skills courses, private mountain bike skills tuition, off-road skills instruction for kids and families, guided singletrack rides and cross country bike adventures in The Surrey Hills and beyond.

We also organise and deliver team building and corporate entertainment events for corporate customers, and experience days and social events for schools, clubs, youth groups, stag parties and hen parties.

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