Getting a bike and shuttling in Derby

Derby is a mountain bike rider town, which means not only are there lots of great trails for riding but also lots of great options for buying, repairing and hiring bikes in town. In this post we give you an overview of the options for hiring a mountain bike bike in Derby and booking a day trip or shuttle to ride the Blue Derby trail network.

The Black Stump drop off point is the start of many great trails in Derby

Put simply a MTB shuttle is transport which takes you to the highest vehicle accessed part of any given trail. Depending on which trail you ride, the drop-off point will either be at the start of the trails down or you may have to ride up a bit more before you start doing the fun bit (descending).

In Derby the main drop off point for riders in town is called Black Stump it sits above the town and your accommodation in Derby. From this point you have a number of options, from beginner (green) to advanced (black). If you haven’t ridden the trails in Derby before its always worth having a chat to your shuttle driver when they collect you at the trailhead so they can recommend the best trail for your abilities. As locals they will also know latest trail info and conditions.

Riders waiting to jump on a shuttle bus at the Derby trailhead (two mins ride from the cabins)

The other two most popular guided or shuttle accessed rides in the area are the Blue Tiers ride and Atlas. Both of these are located about 30-40 mins to the east of your accommodation in Derby in the area near Weldbough.

The Blue Tiers ride takes a mostly descending trail down to the Weldbough Pub while the Altas trail winds its way down and back into Derby (meaning you can ride right back to your cabin). A great day is to do Blue Tier in the morning, have lunch at the pub and then ride Atlas in the afternoon. That cold drink on your cabin deck will taste awesome after that day!

If you need help with any riding itineraries or details on our accommodation in Derby just drop us a line stay@rivercabinsderby.com and we can help you out.

Bike shops in Derby

Vertigo MTB

The longest established store in Derby is Vertigo and here you are going to find an awesome range of bikes as well as plenty of options for shuttles and day trips (including to the trails of St Helens)

Situated a two-minute walk from our Main St entrance, Vertigo has a wide range of hire and bikes for sale. Their main brand is Specialized which covers everything from kids bikes, hardtails (no rear suspension), full suspension and e-bikes. They also pride themselves in having plenty of smaller sized bikes (including X-small) as well as bikes from the current model year for rental. Vertigo also has a number of ebike batteries for hire from many major brands, it is worth calling them ahead if you are thinking of travelling with your EMTB
As well as Specialized bikes the store also has products from Shimano, Lazer, Pearl iZUMi and Troy Lee…

Owner Buck is usually hanging around the store and happy to help out, otherwise he has a great crew of staff who can assist with getting you on the right bike for your Derby adventure. If you happen to end up in St Helens, they have a newly opened store there as well.

Evolution

Just a couple of doors down from Vertigo is another awesome store who have great range of bikes for sale and for hire – Evolution.
Brands for sale here include Trek and Pivot and they have both available to rent.
The big focus of this store is e-bikes and they cater both for rentals but also for guided tours on the bike. Taking in some of the best trails in Derby, these tours include bike rental, a guide, and on trail mechanical support. All you need to do is pedal!
For more information about their options we recommend jumping on the Evolution website and booking something before you arrive.

MAD MTB

Mountain Adventures in Derby are located towards the Dorset Hotel end of town (on your RHS if coming from Scottsdale direction) and are both a hire and shuttle operator.
This store is where you will find Giant bikes in town and they have a range of Reign, Reign E+, Trance E+ and Liv Intreigue E+ bikes for hire.
Priced between $100 and $140/day these bikes are great for the trails in Derby and St Helens.
In additional to bike hire the store also has a range of shuttle and day tour options, you can book these direct on their website – MAD MTB.

DERBY BIKE SHOP

The newest bike shop in town, Derby Bike Shop is located opposite Two Doors Down Cafe on Main Street where the Post Office was located previously. With bikes for rent and a wide range of accessories they have you covered when it comes to ebikes as well as rental bikes from Commencal.