Get involved and get inspired from the 7-9 March in Bristol, as a healthy riding scene is starts at the grass roots.
The Reframing MTB Conference is returning for 2025, but this time it’s headed south to Bristol on 7-9 March. The conference will be co-hosted by Ride Bristol, a local trail group. Tickets are on sale now until 21 February.
Last year we spoke to Manon Carpenter about the second Reframing MTB event in Sheffield, where she identified some of the themes from the conference, and how exactly Reframing MTB plans to help change the image of mountain biking in the UK.
Manon Carpenter is one of the co-founders of Reframing MTB
For this year, however, the three themes for the workshops, speakers and other activities are as follows:
- Creating mountain biking environments that appeal to more people
- Towards a stronger mountain bike sector
- Promoting sustainable mountain biking
Reframing MTB is keen to attract anyone with an interest in mountain biking to attend, especially trail associations, journalists, brand managers and those interested in “the future of the sport.”
A series of talks and workshops is set to take place on the Friday
What is the 2025 Reframing MTB Conference schedule?
Friday 7 March
The entire event takes place over three days, from Friday 7 March to Sunday 9 March. Friday is primarily for gathering the MTB community to hear from inspirational speakers as well as taking part in workshops to share expertise and ideas across the three themes outlined above.
The conference will be taking place at M Shed in Bristol, which has close links to the railway network and there are places to store your bike(s) inside the venue.
If you head to the event, you can expect to hear from people like Andy Davies from Dean Trail Volunteers, Dom Ferris from Trash Free Trails, and speakers from Limitlass and Gowaan Gals.
Hopefully this year’s edition won’t be quite as wet as the last…
Saturday 8 March
Saturday is where the conference hits the trails and opens up to the community – so all are welcome on Saturday onwards. There are on-bike workshops, where you can ride around Ashton Court and discuss things like inclusivity in mountain biking, as well as dig sessions hosted by Ride Bristol.
The UK MTB Trail Alliance will also be there with Campbell Coaching, offering a trail training workshop which will include trail maintenance training needs.
After lunch (we’ve heard there will be nachos), Ride Bristol and the UK MTB Trail Alliance are back with a session on ‘building your trail association community,’ before Bristol Shredders kids’ MTB club host a ride with the Trash Free Trails team.
For the adults, there is then a Bristol Showcase Ride around the local trails.
Everyone with a vested interest in MTB in the UK is welcome to attend
Sunday 9 March
Sunday is more of a bonus day, with rides taking place from the Forest of Dean. The UK MTB Trail Alliance will be back with the Dean Trail Volunteers and Adaptiv Sports who will be running an adaptive trails workshop ride.
Afterwards, there will be a ride-and-talk tour of the Forest of Dean centre’s trails, centred on techniques for trail builders who want to make their trails more accessible to adaptive bike riders.
Finally, there will be a social ride at the Forest of Dean.
Tickets are on sale now, with discounted tickets available for those who volunteer for a trail association, informal trail group or a non-profit bike park.