About Our Club

Our club was formed in 1993 and incorporated in 1995 when mountain biking (MTB) in Australia was in its infancy. Since then the club and the sport have gained popularity through advocacy and participation. The Bushrangers MTB Club is a volunteer based organisation run by enthusiasts, for the benefit of promoting and supporting mountain biking across the region.

We do regular rides all over Sunshine Coast and SEQ from Cooloola to Brisbane, in national parks, state forestries and council parks. Check out this website for more information on events, news, and for places to ride.

Latest News

Community

Mapleton Community Ride Summary 04/12/2016

On this ride I found out that plus bike riders are people too. Buying into the middle ground of tyre sizes never pays off - it's not the best of both worlds, it's boring being-all-things beige. Pick a side and defend it with all the misinformation and confirmation bias you can muster in a 5 minute google search! However; Graham and Daniel were the two plus bike riders this ride, a Norco and a Scott respectively and I discovered that you can talk to them and they won't try and validate why they wasted so much money on a marketing gimmick. As a matter of fact they're quite normal. So the next time you bump into a fence sitting semi-fat rider give them the benefit of a doubt and look past their shortcomings. Maybe you could help them out by convincing them to go back to normal sized tyres. [/sarcasm, I actually like plus bikes] Getting on with the summary...

Global Fat Bike Day 2016 Summary – 03/12/2016

Hello everyone, I don't know about you but I could barely sleep last Friday night because I knew that when I woke up it would be the most wonderful-est day of the year. GLOBAL FAT BIKE DAY!!!! #GFBD2016 #fatbikelove #chunky&spunky #phatfat #ihatehashtags [caption id="attachment_2083" align="alignright" width="300"] More girth, more mirth![/caption] "What exactly is a fatbike?" I hear you ask. Good question! In my eyes a fatbike is a bike with tyres over 3.5" wide. Now I know there are these new "plus" bikes out there with 3" tyres but it's just not the same so maybe one day they'll have a "Global Half-Assed Fat Bike Day" and they can ride around and be shunned from both sides. Here is an interesting chart which visibly shows the results of a "lengthy" and "unbiased" study into the correlation of tyre width and LOA (Level of Awesome). Note the strange drop around the 3" mark. In our club we have a few folks who have seen the light and gotten...

Keeping it Positive – Trail-care in Conservation Areas

[caption id="attachment_2067" align="alignright" width="300"] Damaged Grasstree at Ferny Forest[/caption] Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS) have asked the club to help redirect the over-enthusiastic trail fairies onto permitted trail-care activities coordinated by the QPWS and the Sunshine Coast Trail Alliance (SCTA). In addition to the tree cutting and unsafe technical trail features the particular concerns are as follows: The Spare Parts trail that runs alongside Radar Hill Road in the Parklands Conservation Park. Even though it's an amazing effort the trail is unsanctioned and simply unsustainable and has been closed by QPWS. Overzealous pruning of sensitive plants during trailcare activities. Specifically the cutting back of Grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea) and ferns within the trail networks. This isn't a maintenance requirement and vegetation removal must be supervised by a ranger. 2017 will be a big year with new trails being built and existing trails undergoing maintenance. The Bushrangers, SCTA and QPWS are working closely towards quality outcomes for the local MTB community and other trail users and the above activities only...

SCTA article in the Sunshine Coast Daily Multisport Mecca magazine

[caption id="attachment_2064" align="alignright" width="228"] Click here to download[/caption] We thought this year's final article for the Multisport Mecca magazine should be about building up the Sunshine Coast Trails Alliance (SCTA). #MultisportMecca #SunshineCoast @MultisportMecca @sc.trails.alliance Check it out at http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/download-november-30-edition-multisport-mecca-e-ma/3117261/  ...

Sunshine Coast Coastal Pathway Plan

While we prefer to avoid the pavement unless the weather is bad there is something relaxing about cruising along a pathway by the beach. So we like to draw your attention to the Sunshine Coast Council's Draft Coastal Pathway Master Plan and ask if you could take time to provide your feedback. Summary of the plan is as follows: The council aims to provide a continuous shared pathway spanning 73 km of our coastline. There are many pathways already in place and this master plan will help guide the route and fill in the gaps, where pathways need to be upgraded or constructed. The Coastal Pathway makes it easier and safer for our community to enjoy an active lifestyle, experience iconic views, beaches and parks, and connect to local destinations, services and businesses. Visit our website to view the master plan and complete an online survey. You can also view the plan at your local library. Oh there's also a chance you could win a voucher or two....

Welcome to Giant Sunshine Coast

[caption id="attachment_1920" align="alignright" width="300"] Click for the website[/caption] Hey there everyone, The next Parklands event (13/11/16) will be the next “Support your local bike shop” ride and Justin and Kent from Giant Sunshine Coast are coming to ride with us and they'll be bringing some demo bikes to try. The ride starts at Aitkenson Road West at 6.45am, ride off at 7am (you might want to get there a bit earlier to check out the bikes so we can still meet the ride off time). Depending on numbers we’ll have two groups and coffee afterwards will be at Bli Bli Bakery. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giantsunshinecoast/ @giantsunshinecoast...

Bushrangers score another grant!

The awesome Sunshine Coast Council Community Grants program has just approved a $20000 grant for us which will be for the new beginner/skills trail at Parklands. But don't crack open the bubbly yet as it's conditional on us getting the Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing's "Get Playing Places and Spaces Program" grant. That grant is for a cool $100,000 and our application is currently being assessed and the winners will be announced later this year. Here's hoping that we get the big one because $120k will make 2017 a very big year for Parklands and mountain biking on the coast. Fingers crossed!...

Illegal dumping sucks but what can we do?

[caption id="attachment_1798" align="alignright" width="300"] No! They are not my fatbike tyres[/caption] The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, HQ Plantations and the Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast Councils have gotten together to help stop littering and illegal dumping. We've all ridden our favorite trails but then had the ride tainted by coming across a load of junk some idiot has just dumped on the trail. Probably because they were too cheap or lazy to take it to the dump/recycling centre. Also don't think that a load of green waste is OK because that's how plant's escape from people's gardens and become evasive weeds in our native forests. So if you see a pile of rubbish (or actually see the idiot dumping it) you can now use your phone to report it. It can then be moved and give the authorities the information they need to prosecute or work out the best places to set up cameras. Save the following link into your phone and...

Get out and ride for Mental Health Week

9-15th October 2016 is World mental health week so that's another excuse to get out on your bikes and get some of those feel-good hormones flowing. Look at the diagram below and check out all the cool stuff that exercise does for us! And remember to always ask if someone is OK, that simple conversation might be just what the other person needs. [caption id="attachment_1791" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Click for more info[/caption] @DSRWA @Qld_MHC #mentalhealth #mentalhealthweek #ruok #QMHW...

Sunshine Coast Bike Week – Mapleton Ride Summary – 02/10/2017

Sunday was our community ride at Mapleton which also tied in with the Sunshine Coast Bike Week so in addition to a big turn out of club members we also had a few guests along (30 riders in total). Warm welcome to Jackie, Jenny, Todd who came along with Ben, Al and myself on the "easier" ride and to the other new riders who went along with John on the advanced ride or the "Bushrangers mtb rock climbing adventure" as Toby described it in Strava. Also a big hello to Chris from Venture Cycles, Sorab from the Sunshine Coast Cycle Club and Wayne and Helen from CORCA, thanks for coming along and I hope you enjoyed yourselves. The not-so-advanced ride rode from Mapleton out to the Oaky Creek lookout then back again which was a 25km trip. The view at the lookout was particularly interesting that day due to the smoke nestling in the valleys. The advanced ride followed a more complex route with some exploratory diversions...

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