There are some costs involved with high school racing which vary year to year depending on sponsorships and donations received.  For the 2022 season, here’s what you are looking at:

Items	Costs	Notes
NICA + NorCal  (That’s the league we race in)	$110	This is paid in Pit Zone, a portal run by NICA. ($60 for NorCal League, $50 NICA)
Beasts Team Fee	$270	$200 for Middle School kids
Team Jersey	$70	Jersey is required by the League for League races.
Team Shorts	$70
Optional Costs
CCCX Race #1	$30	Paid at the race or on-line
CCCX Race #1	$30	Paid at the race or on-line (optional)
NorCal Race #1	$50	Pit Zone
NorCal Race #2	$50	Pit Zone
NorCal Race #3	$50	Pit Zone
NorCal Race #4	$50	Pit Zone
NorCal Race #5	$50	Pit Zone
Max Total	$830

Note: The Pit Zone website is where everyone is registered and agrees to the League & Team Rules. It is also where Registrations fees and race entry fees are paid.

Financial aid is available. Depending on need, cost can be as little as $0.

The first 3 items are due at the start of the season, December 1.

All riders also must have a bike in safe riding condition, helmet, race jersey and other bike accessories listed here. Again, there are scholarships and financial aid available to help cover costs. Please speak to your Head Coach, we do not want cost to be the reason you are not riding with us.

What do my Team Fees Cover

• Basic coaching support at weekly practices
• Team liability and injury insurance.
• One weekly spin classes & instructor throughout the entire season
• Race day food (we’re there for 6 hours and provide breakfast and lunch for parents and athletes – it’s a fun day out supporting all riders).
• Race support (Nutrition education, warmup education, pitzone support, race timeline & start support)
• Coach training subsidies (Wilderness First Aid Training, CPR, MTB101, background checks, risk management training)
• NICA member benefits (30% – 50% off bikes & parts)

Choosing a Mountain Bike

The biggest mistake is buying a bike with too much suspension. These are heavier so take more work riding up hills – it’s not fun always being the last up the climbs. There is nothing we ride that needs a lot of suspension, even Downieville and Brail at Demo can be ridden on 100mm of travel.

Less travel will make you a better rider. Why? Because with more travel you can get away with just pointing your bike in a straight line over features in the trail. With less travel you need to pick your line and be better at moving your bike around. If you don’t learn those skills you will eventually hit a feature on the trail that your big suspension can’t cope with and there will be a crash. You’ll be going faster due to that the false confidence that big suspension gives and the result is broken bones and concussions. We’ve seen it often enough and it’s a drag filling out the accident report forms and seeing the kids miss practice. When you’ve mastered skills at slower speeds on a bike with less travel, and you build the fitness to power a heaver enduro bike up the hills, then you’ve earned your right to ride one with the team.

We race as part of NICA in the NorCal league. The courses are deliberately chosen to not be super technical, to be inclusive to newcomers and don’t require the more expensive and heavier full suspension bikes and for most a hardtail is fine.

The alternative to a full suspension bike is a hardtail. Hardtails, as the name suggests, do not have a rear suspension. That makes them lighter (about 3-4lbs), cheaper and simpler to maintain. Full suspensions are fun but with the extra pivots and moving parts there’s a lot more that can go wrong and need taking care of.

Full suspension bikes come in 4 varieties:

1. XC which mean cross country. Typically 100mm of travel. Highly recommended.
2. Trail which is about 120-130mm of travel.
3. Enduro which is about 150mm of travel. Not recommend.
4. Downhill 180-210mm. Not appropriate.

As you go down this list the bikes get heavier as they are intended for progressively more rugged terrain with jumps and drops requiring the bikes to be stronger. Downhill bikes are only intended for riding downhill. They do not have gearing for riding uphill. They are heavy. You DO NOT want one of these.

New bikes, like new cars, depreciate fast. If you are patient and look around you can get good deals on 1 year old bikes on Pinkbike, ebay or Craigslist, typically about half the manufacturer’s listed retail price. Older hardtails are a safe bet because the technology is more mature and there’s less to go wrong. Borrowing from what another high school team says, we suggest spending at least $1000 on a used bike or $1500 for a new one. That would be a 29-inch hard-tail.

It’s possible to spend a lot on a bike. My philosophy is that until you reach a certain level it’s the rider that makes the most difference and not the bike. What’s that certain level? In my book it’s being on the podium (top 5). To illustrate, here’s the bike the leader of the D1 division freshman was riding. If you are that good, and you can’t afford a really light bike for the big day, we’ll find one for you to borrow.

Some Examples

One rider rode a 2003 Specialized Stump Jumper Pro hardtail when in grades 7 and 8. It cost $400 on Craigslist, had 80mm travel, was light and he did the Junior Sea Otter on it. Moving into his Freshman year he bought a Scott Spark 700RC. Scott made their bikes in 27.5-inch and 29-inch versions. The smaller wheel version have an extra 20mm of travel which was a compromise to have more fun on rougher trails and jumping, plus, it didn’t hurt that world champion Nino Schurter was winning races on it. This bike retailed at $7000, we found a year old one for $2900. I said that if there was in a chance to podium at the State Championships that we could beg steal or borrow a light hardtail, which we did.

Another rider started off on a relatively heavy trail bike. Mid-season he borrowed a coach’s old 2010 Specialized Epic S-Works. Old school 26-inch wheels but race proven. Over the winter he researched bikes, found a used 20lbs hardtail for $2000 and a trail bike for more fun for $2000.

Bicycle Upkeep

1-2 chains ($50 each), and some key bearings ($100), depending on how much rain northern California gets during the season. If chains are changed sufficiently frequently then the rest of the drive chain should last 2-3 years. Front fork many need annual servicing ($200) or do it yourself ($40 for new seals). Mileage will vary according to your rider, weather, and bike, but these amounts get you in the ballpark.

To reduce maintenance, after every ride clean the bike. The stanchions, that’s the part of the forks that go in and out, should be wiped, especially clearing any dirt near the seals. If dirt gets in the seals it will start wearing the stanchions and then you’ll need a new fork which is expensive. If you’ve been out in the rain power wash the chain to get any dirt out. Dry with a cloth, oil and the wipe any excess oil off. Oil attracts dust which abrades the chain, wearing them out faster so resist the temptation to over oil. Fort Ord is the venue for the early season races; it’s very sandy, often wet, and thus very hard on the bike.

Clothing

At a minimum, each rider must purchase his or her own Woodside Beasts mountain bike team jersey. Team jerseys are required for racing in the Norcal league.  Matching shorts are around $70. Shorts are worn next to the skin, no underwear as the point is to not have any seams chafing between the skin and the saddle. We do an order once a year though sometimes can do another later in the season depending on the vendor and numbers.

During the season, riders will likely need multiple sets of other cycling-specific clothing like jerseys, shorts, gloves, light wind and rain proof jacket, arm warmers, leg-warmers, socks, etc.  In general, it is usually a good idea to get a new pair of $30 gloves for your Rider every year, though in a pinch a $7.99 pair of construction gloves from the hardware store will work just fine if you are not too picky.

Winter clothes are important. Sometimes we end up on skyline so a minimal windproof jacket is vital to carry in the winter months. Sometimes it will rain so a rain jacket is even better. Also useful for wet cold winter days are waterproof/resistant gloves; they make a big difference in keeping warm.

Avoid cotton as they don’t wick or dry when they get wet. Synthetics and layers are ideal.

A word on gloves. They are not there to provide padding when you hold the handlebars, though they do. They are not there to keep your fingers warm, though they can do that. They are there to protect your palm when you fall from the bike. Instinct means a falling rider will put their hand out and if there’s gravel there’s nothing worse than grit stuck in the palm of the hand. So we recommend gloves at all times. Some even say long fingered gloves for complete protection but I find that a bit warm for California except in the winter.

Helmets

Even wily old cycling veterans replace their helmets every two years. Helmets degrade over time, and to maximize safety and take advantage of the latest technologies like MIPS, we recommend a new helmet at the beginning of the year, and a new one again two years later.

Pedals

Clip in pedals will give the most efficient connection to your bike. It allows you to pull up on the pedal stroke as well as just pushing down. This engages more muscle groups for more speed or just to rest the quads. SPDs are the most common standard and are what’s available on the spin bikes we use.

Pictured above, three popular pedal brands; Crank Brothers, Shimano, Time.

There’s an argument to spend some time on flats to develop bike skills such a bunny jumps. This is because when clipped in riders pull up on the pedals to get the bike over obstacles rather than shifting weight. The downside of flats is that riders do not develop a smooth pedaling action, they have a tendency to only push down on the pedals rather than a full more efficient circular motion.

Starting with flats and later switching to clips is typical. Some riders may choose to switch during the year, experiencing the learnings from both formats.

Shoes

Any shoe that works with the pedals will do though racers tend to go with those with a stiffer sole rather than those that look like comfortable walking shoes. Every rider will fall over at least once when transitioning to clip in pedals. After a week or two clipping becomes a reflex action and falling rarely happens. Shoes cost anything from $100 to over $250. The good news is, unlike running shoes, they last several years.

Lights

We highly recommend always having a rear light. These are now very low cost, very small, and USB rechargeable. You never know when you are going to need one so having it always on the bike means you don’t have to think about it.

There will be times we ride on the road, especially in the Sunday rides at Skeggs. At times it can get foggy up on the mountain. Some kids ride to and from practices and as the days get shorter in the fall it is easy to get caught out. Just make a habit to have a light.