Location: Various starting locations throughout New England
Ride Type: Mixed Terrain
Time & Date: Departs Every Full Moon (or shifted by a day or two), varying start times
Distance: ~15 miles, approximately 90-120 minutes of riding
Price: Free, note NEER membership requirements discussed below after the first ride you do with us
Description: The Full Moon ride takes cyclists all over the trails and back roads of the town where we start.
These rides all have a certain peace and joviality associated with them. There’s no “fast” when night riding; this is the time to really enjoy the ride in a special way with others who come out for these rides.
The Full Moon Ride should NOT be your first Mixed Terrain Ride.
Mixed Terrain is rougher and more technical than gravel bike riding and involves navigating around and over some smaller rocks and roots, sometimes dismounting to clear a downed tree.
Most Full Moon rides are appropriate terrain for gravel bikes of 35mm tires or wider and hard-tail mountain bikes with at least this minimum tire size. Sometimes we’ll do a special edition due to the trail conditions that will necessitate a different tire size so always be sure to check back for each ride to get the details of the best bike for the terrain.
If you are uncertain of your skill level, please email us or attend a daylight mixed terrain ride to get comfortable on your bike on Mixed Terrain.
Full Moon Ride Calendar
A few of the Full Moon rides are shifted from the exact date of the full moon, typically to avoid weekends or days people are unlikely to be able to ride.
Full Moon Calendar: 2024
| Date | Day | Moon Name | Departure Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 March | Tuesday | Worm Moon | 7:00 PM | Rain cancelled |
| 23 April | Tuesday | Pink Moon | 7:00PM | Lexington (Revolution Hall) |
| 23 May | Thursday | Flower Moon | 7:00 PM | TBD |
| 20 June | Thursday | Strawberry Moon | 7:00pm | TBD |
| 21 July | Sunday | Buck Moon | Daytime ride | TBD |
| 20 August | Tuesday | Sturgeon Moon | 7:00 PM | TBD |
| 17 September | Tuesday | Corn Moon | 7:00 PM | TBD |
| 17 October | Thursday | Hunter Moon | 7:00 PM | TBD |
| 14 November | Thursday | Beaver Moon | 7:00 PM | TBD |
| 11 December | Wednesday | Normal Moon - Toy Box Ride* | 7:00 PM | TBD |
Route
We will email the route to everyone who RSVPs by 7pm the evening before the ride. You’ll get the route emailed to you if you register by 4pm the day of the ride but please try not to wait too long to send in your RSVP since we work day jobs and may not have time to send you the route before the ride.
Please load the route in advance, it’s helpful for riders to know when turns are coming, they are numerous.
Pace and Skills Needed
Riders who can average 15mph on a 2+ hour road ride will have the fitness to allow them to enjoy this ride. The average pace of a mixed terrain night ride is usually 6-8mph depending on conditions and terrain. We err on the side of caution and regroup periodically.
As stated above, the Full Moon ride should not be your first mixed terrain ride.
Ride Notes
We have a designated Super Domestique leading the ride and pointing out turns. We don’t have a sweep rider for this ride so only participate if you’re confident in your skill level and fitness – or know your way back. When we have a larger group, we will split into two or more groups. Riders are exceptionally nice on this ride and make sure to not lose their co-riders.
This ride has a kindness vibe to it.
Last Minute Information
We send emails to those who have RSVP’d with anything critical that isn’t communicated on this page that is known to us before the ride start.
Estimated time
Typically 90 minutes to 2 hours. We make winter and snow rides shorter in distance (but not time) since they’re slower.
After the Ride
When we start at a local establishment, anyone who wants to hang out and enjoy food or drinks together are welcome to do that! Sometimes we prepare food/drink for riders post-ride, but we let you know when this is happening.
Contact Information
Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com, Phone - 413-461-7433
Riding Rules, What to Bring, How Our Rides are Different:
All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules.
Waiver: A signed waiver is required prior to your first ride with NEER.
If this is your second or more ride with us, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.
Proper Bike & Requirements for this ride:
Bright front light - At least 500 lumens that will last for 2.5 hours.
Rear light - A steady (not flashing) rear light that will last at least 2.5 hours. This light needs to NOT be BLINDING to other cyclists. Please stare into your rear light, if it hurts your eyes, it will be painful for the rider behind you.
35mm knobby tires minimum for most rides. Wider tires are nicer. Tire choice depends on your riding skill set. In the winter, we will require studded tires when we expect to see ice. Road bikes with 32mm tires or bigger all the way up to fat bikes are all invited and will have fun.
Clipless pedals and shoes. These are important elements of bike control. If you ride with platform pedals you’re likely to be over your head in some of the more technical parts of the ride. If you ride platform pedals and feel you have complete control of your bike because you have many hours of use with them, then they are acceptable.
A bike that’s in safe working order and is free of creaking and squeaking. PLEASE LUBE YOUR CHAIN before the ride.
Higher tire pressure: We recommend starting with higher tire pressure and be ready to let some out if your tires are inflated too much.
First, 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 rides. One of the primary reasons for this is due to higher than average tire pressure.
We do not recommend fenders since sticks and twigs can get caught in them.
When do we host the Full Moon ride? When it is:
Snowing: We ride; it is so much fun to ride during a snow storm.
Snow on the ground: We ride. It doesn’t matter if there’s 1 inch or four feet, we ride. We recommend (and may require) studded tires and/or fat bikes for these kinds of conditions. The only exclusion to snow riding is when there is a state of emergency and we’ve been asked to stay off the road.
Icy conditions: We ride. For this you have to have studded tires in order to ride with us.
Cold: It doesn’t matter what the temperature is, we ride. We’ve held the Full Moon ride at very, very below zero temps in the past and we still get a great turnout!
We DO NOT RIDE if the trails are wet and could possibly be damaged by riding, or we change the route/plan to be on beaches or on fire roads that are not sensitive trails if it’s easy to change the plan last-minute.