Sneak Preview: Indoor Trials Riding at the Peace Dale Ramp Room

An Intriguing Christmas Day DM

As mentioned previously, On Christmas Day I received an Instagram direct message (DM) from Mike Galoob, the owner of Mythic Bike Works in Peace Dale, RI. Mike introduced himself and informed me that he was building a new indoor bike park in town, called the Peace Dale Ramp Room. Specifically, he said that he wants to include trials riding as part of the new park’s offerings. Furthermore, he said he was looking to collaborate. Obviously that immediately grabbed my attention! I was intrigued and interested. It’s winter here in New England, so having a place to ride indoors when the weather is not conducive to trials would be fantastic. Not only that, but a bike park also presents opportunities to expose more people to trials.

I Needed To Find Out More

A few days later I gave Mike a phone call to find out more about the new facility and his vision for the roles that trials would play there. During our 30-40 minute call, Mike explained that he and his partner (Casey) are looking to create more than just the typical bike park: they wanted to create a space where people come not only to ride, but also to learn and train. In fact, Mike said the image they want to convey is that of a training facility, covering all biking disciplines. With respect to trials, this could include events such as open rides, clinics, and competitions. What really got me juiced, though, was the way Mike characterized his vision: he wants to empower us to initiate and drive collaboration with the Ramp Room. Ok, now that is cool! This can provide quite a bit of opportunity for us in the trials community, not only to get together and ride, but to grow the sport as well.

In addition to riding-related activities, the Ramp Room will also include a bike shop. During our phone call, Mike said that he was pursuing the idea of being a trials bike distributor as well. This is great news for a couple reasons: (1) it would provide New England with a local trials shop, and (2) it would allow people to try out different trials bikes before making a purchase. While this is still being hashed out, we might see an opportunity both for buying new bikes as well as buying (or selling) used trials bikes. I really hope this works out, not only because I’d love to have a (relatively) local trials bike shop, but also because it would let potential new trials riders try some bikes before choosing what to buy. I recall struggling through this decision myself and really wish I’d had the opportunity to try some bikes first. Even after getting my first trials bike. And my second…

Since the Ramp Room will service multiple disciplines and functions, they will be using a modular approach to the different features, so they can be moved around, mixed and matched to suit different needs. This includes the trials features of course. In addition to being able to move obstacles around in the main riding area, there is also a freight elevator to a larger basement storage area, so that larger trials obstacles can be stored downstairs. This means that they can boost the size of the trials footprint to meet demands of larger events, such as indoor trials competitions. Speaking of which…

Indoor Bike Trials Competitions?!?

Mike also said he’s interested in hosting trials competitions at the Ramp Room – indoors during the winter, as well as possibly outside in the large parking area during the warmer months. There is definitely some good possibility here, as well as some solid benefits. Two of the most difficult aspects of hosting a trials competition are booking the venue and getting insurance coverage; the Ramp Room solves both of those issues. Weather is always a wild card also – especially in the winter – so having an indoor locale help mitigate weather concerns, barring a snowstorm of course.

Video: Sneak Preview of the Peace Dale Ramp Room

During our phone conversation, Mike invited me to come over to the Ramp Room to meet up and chat about how trials can be integrated into the facility. He also made sure to tell me that I should bring my bike. So, I set a date to head over, and invited some of the local trials crew as well. It actually worked out well, since it was a rainy day – the perfect time to ride indoors!

After giving a tour of the facility, Mike invited us to ride. Since they’re still building out the park, the trials and other obstacles are a work in progress – in other words, what you’ll see in the video is just the beginning. In fact, I went back a few days later (because I left my front bike wheel in the parking lot like an idiot) and the temporary drop in ramp you’ll see in the video was already completely rebuilt (see the Instagram post below).

Not only are they continuing to build out the ramps and berms, but they will build more trials features as well. Not only that, but they encouraged us to share our ideas for what types of trials obstacles we want to see, so they can build it to suit the needs of the trials community.

There are a few other really cool things to mention about the Ramp Room, some of which are mentioned in the video. Mythic Bike Works literally minutes down the street from the Ramp Room. They offer bike sales and service there, but will also provide similar services at the Ramp Room. As Mike explains in the sneak preview video, they not only plan to offer full-service bike repair and maintenance, but also to offer maintenance clinics as well. Also, they plan to offer a snack bar, and possibly other food options such as a food truck during events.

But Wait, There’s More!

As if the Ramp Room itself wasn’t enough, there’s a broader opportunity here for more than just trials riding. The Rock Spot Climbing offers indoor climbing right down the street from the Ramp Room. For chilling out after a ride (or climb), the Whalers Brewing Company microbrewery and the Sons of Liberty Spirits Co. distillery offer adult beverages within short walking distance of the Rock Spot and Ramp Room, respectively. The Sons of Liberty tasking room is literally right across the hall in the same building.

There are also a number of good mountain bike trails nearby, as well as some spectacular trials riding spots, such as The Ledges in Arcadia (home of the Rhode Island Trials Club – moto trials, that is) and the rocky Narragansett coast.

So… what’s the point? Here’s what I’m thinking. With all of these opportunities, this entire area could become a trials destination with multi-day events, and a variety of fun things to do, both indoor and out.

What Are Your Ideas?

We expect to plan some trials events in the not-too-distant future. As mentioned, we could have one or more comps. We also discussed other ideas as well, such as trials clinics and events to include games like gap and skinny competitions. Stay tuned for future announcements.

We’d also love to get input from you, the trials community! What would you like to see? Please post in the comments what type of trials features you’d like built, what other types of trials events could be offered, what trials skills clinics would be most valuable to you, how you could be involved, etc.