FAQ’s

Yes. Upon request, XEN MTB will provide GPX data that can be uploaded to your Garmin or other GPS device.

Please see the Cancellations Policy page.

You’ll need to bring a mountain bike in good working order suitable for the ride you’re doing. If you need a rental bike, click here for a list of shops around Southern California that rent mountain bikes. It is recommended that you have your bike checked out at a local bike shop before your ride to be sure it’s in good mechanical condition. You should also be carrying the following items with you.

Information

• Your driver’s license, passport or other official identification.
• Your health and travel insurance information.
• A note in your wallet that includes your blood type, any allergies, any medications you take, and a list of emergency contacts.

Medication

• Bring any prescription medications you take with you and let your guide know before the trip about them. For example, if your are diabetic or allergic to bees you should advise the guide on what to do if you’re unable to self-administer your medication.

Protection

• A bike helmet (required.)
• Gloves (full finger recommended)
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen (oil-free, scent-free recommended)
• Elbow and knee pads for Advanced rides.

Food and Hydratrion

• A hydration pack with a three-liter capacity at a minimum.
• A water bottle with a hydration mix.
• Food and snacks.

Navigation

• A map of the area you are riding.
• A GPS computer or cell phone with a navigational program loaded. (NOTE: Data services like Strava may not provide real-time topographical data in the wilderness, so you should get a program that enables to download topo data before the ride and which doesn’t rely upon a data connection.)

Tools for ALL Rides

• Tire irons
• Pump
• Allen wrenches for every bolt on your bike
• Tork hex wrenches for every bolt on your bike (i.e. the disc brakes)
• Spoke wrench(s)
• Screwdrivers (both Phillips and Flathead – multiple sizes)
• Chain breaker
• Pliers / vice grips
• Crescent wrench
• A knife / saw
• Long zip ties (at least one foot long)
• Duct tape (best) or electrical tape (OK)
• Chain lube

Buy all your mountain biking essentials on Amazon
http://a.co/2yoUp8L

Spare Parts for ALL Rides

• Tubes (two that fit your rims – even if you have tubeless tires)
• Quick chain links (specific to your type of chain)
• Derailleur hanger

Spare Parts for Long / Remote Rides

• Tube patch kit (adhesive recommended)
• Tube slime
• Brake pads
• Brake cables (front and rear)
• Derailleur cables (front and rear)
• Rear derailleur
• Rim skewers (front and rear)
• Seat post clamp and skewer
• Spare bolts for every part on your bike
• Spare clips / bolts for your clip-in shoes
• Cleaning brush
• Shock pump
• Extra set of pedals

Buy all your mountain biking essentials on Amazon
http://a.co/2yoUp8L

First Aid for Remote Mountain Bike Rides

• Your EPI pen, if you need one and have one
• Large gauze pads
• Israeli bandage
• Compression bandage
• 36″ Sam Splint
• Steri-strips
• Tounge depressors
• Athletic tape
• Tweezers
• QuikClot
• Protective gloves
• A small bag of salt
• Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen and Aspirin
• Benadryl or Diphenhydramine
• Ammonia inhalant
• Hydrogen peroxide

Buy all your first aid essentials on Amazon
http://a.co/00YetjV

For liability reasons, bike rentals and other equipment are not provided. However, XEN MTB will be happy to pick up your bike and bring it to the ride for you. Check the map of Southern California bike shops that rent mountain bikes near you.

Most tours are done on weekends. If you require a mid-week tour, sometimes XEN MTB can accommodate that request. It would be best to contact XEN MTB at least one week before your desired trip to work out the details. Be sure to check availability before booking a tour.

For the past 10 years, your ride leader has had experience with group sizes ranging from a few people to nearly 50 at a time. Smaller group rides with people you know personally are the best rides. So that’s why there’s a four-person guest limit.

Yes, there are dozens of public parks and your guide has experience with just about all of them. But the rides featured on this website are the best among them.

Yes! But the more people you bring (up to four max), the cheaper it’s going to be per person.

For liability reasons, NO, XEN MTB does not provide transportation of passengers as a service.

You are expected to be able to work on your own bike and have all the tools and supplies you need with you on the ride. That said, in an emergency, your guide can assist with most necessary trail repairs like flat tires, broken chains and even some catastrophic failures. But that shouldn’t be an issue if you had your bike checked out before riding!

Yes, that’s perfectly fine! Your guide is slow too. But just be sure your buddies are OK with that! And remember, there’s no shame in walking. But that said, you shouldn’t try a ride that you know you’re not physically or technically able to do. When you contact XEN MTB, your guide will discuss your experience and recommend rides suitable to your abilities.

We ride as a group and stick together for safety and camaraderie. It’s just more fun that way! In the 10 years that your ride leader has been doing tours, nobody has ever been left behind. Of course, as a courtesy, please don’t leave the leader too far behind! We stop at every trail intersection to make sure people don’t get lost, at the top of every climb, and the bottom of every descent. We also take breaks as often as needed to let people catch their breath and to eat once an hour on longer rides.

Your ride leader is not an emergency medical technician and can only render basic first aid assistance. If you need more than basic first aid, your ride leader will make sure you get the help you need from trained professionals.

If you don’t mind, it’s a good idea to bring a trail “sweep” along with us (a person who will always stay at the back). But that’s up to you. There’s no extra charge for bringing a trail sweep with us.

It’s highly recommended that you ride with people who have equal skills and endurance. But as long as your buddies don’t mind, if some people want to push hard, your guide will advise you where it’s safe to sprint ahead to the next stopping point.

Your guide will always stay with the slowest person in the group. If you’re waiting longer than 10 minutes at the next rest stop, turn around and rejoin the rest of us at the back! Do that a few times, and you probably won’t be sprinting up the hills anymore.

If you miss a turn or stopping point or leave your guide behind, you may find yourself alone in the great outdoors. So pay attention!

A Fuel Charge is added to the tour price as a transportation cost. The charge is based upon the amount of fuel that will consumed from the John Wayne Airport area to our tour destination and back, cost for insurance, wear and tear, etc..  Transportation fees are non-refundable.

Some rides require a shuttle company to drive us to the top of the mountain. In most cases, these fees are separate from the fees charged by XEN MTB.

Some areas we ride in require a permit to park, entry fee, etc. In most cases, these fees are separate from what XEN MTB charges.

XEN MTB believes that e-Bikes (electric bikes) should be allowed on any trail where human-powered bikes are allowed.  However, due to over-reaching laws in California, electric bikes (those having a battery-powered motor) are not allowed in most of the areas that XEN MTB serves.   

XEN MTB does not maintain an exhaustive list of all the regulations surrounding electric bikes and will always choose the side of caution, which is that they are not allowed unless you can prove otherwise.   Bring that proof with you should you choose to ride an e-Bike.

IMPORTANT: If you choose to ride an e-Bike, and are then told to leave an area by an official representative of any government-owned or privately-owned land, even if that area that should be legal, YOUR TOUR FEE WILL NOT BE REFUNDED and WILL NOT BE RESCHEDULED. 

XEN MTB is not responsible for any legal repercussions you could suffer, including but not limited to: fines, arrest, seizure of your property and imprisonment.  XEN MTB makes no legal representation as to whether or not electric bikes are allowed anywhere.  You are solely responsible for your use of e-Bikes in every regard.

For your reference, the full text of California Assembly Bill 1096 which authorizes the use of e-Bikes of certain types in certain areas is viewable here: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1096

Additional opinions and reference: https://www.electricbike.com/california-ebike-laws/

Yes, your child can join you on a ride that you book with XEN MTB.  There is no extra charge just as there is no extra charge for three adult guests (a maximum of four people, total).  Minors cannot ride by themselves.

XEN MTB does not provide a shuttle service. We use licensed and permitted third party operators throughout Southern California.

Yes we have rental bikes available for people who have booked a tour with us.   We do not rent bikes without a confirmed tour.  Collateral is required to rent a bike (passport or driver’s license, credit card, signed collateral form).

See our list of available options here: https://socalbiketours.com/product-category/bike-rentals/