Regular visitors to Wind Hill and Rogate could pay over twice as much to ride this year, after operators B1KE raised the cost of its unlimited membership package. 

B1KE – which also runs Tidworth Freeride and S4P Milford – is now charging riders £485 for its Network+ unlimited package, which lets riders visit three of the four sites as frequently as they like (S4P is free). That’s up 151% on last year’s £193 figure.

Wind Hill is B1ke’s most popular venue, but with increased costs it’s riders who are going to feel the squeeze

“Bike Park Wales does an e-bike membership for £370 a year,” Alex Roberts told me. He’s one of Wind Hill’s regulars now questioning whether the full access membership is good value. “That’s £100 cheaper than Wind Hill, and they’ve got more trails and a really good cafe,” he added.

The good news though is most riders should actually end up paying less

BikePark Wales has many more trails than Wind Hill and Rogate combined, but it’s considerably less convenient for anyone living in England

The good news though is most riders should actually end up paying less thanks to a new pricing structure that includes discounts for repeat customers who don’t want to front for a full membership, according to B1KE. 

“The overwhelming majority of riders are coming 30 times or less in a year and they won’t be negatively impacted,” Craig Cheber from B1KE told me. 

“We’ve introduced something called pay as you go plus,” he said. “It’s really popular, 40% of our 35,000 members are on it and it entitles you to £2.50 off day passes and a discount at the cabin.”

B1KE’s new pricing structure is designed to reward the majority of its riders, who come less than 30 times a year

In contrast, Craig says that around 400 of B1KE’s members currently get open access, and only around 50 riders are using the sites regularly enough to be negatively impacted by the price hikes.

“They’re our best customers, but when it’s coming in at £1.66 a ride averaged out over a year… we’ve had to put the prices up.”

For Alex Roberts and a core group of riders at Wind Hill though, the new pricing doesn’t look like good value for money. “I get it, their prices have gone up, the trails are great and the builders too, but if you’re local then paying £15 to ride for an hour at lunch isn’t great.”

Rogate’s beautifully sculpted jumps and trails are worth paying for in my opinion, but it’s all relative

B1ke points out that there are more cost effective ways to pay and ride. Its Network Membership costs £240 annually, or £180 for a child and gives you 30 visits, something Craig Cheber says would work for all but 1% of its 35,000 members.

“Really the only people that should be paying full price are the riders coming just once and might never come again,” he says. “Someone only coming perhaps just in the winter months between January and March… they still deserve a discount in my mind.”

B1ke also says it’s reached out to the 50 or so riders who are negatively impacted and “offered them a transitional deal to let them ride Wednesdays,” according to Craig. Members are also entitled to discounts on clothing and eyewear, and on food and drink bought on its sites, as well as access to Tidworth, Rogate and Windhill.

Tidworth Freeride B1kepark has had major investment in the past few years, turning it into an all-seasons venue

B1KE has also poured a huge investment into its Tidworth to make it an all-round venue. “Year on year we lose money at Tidworth, but we are a club, a community,” Craig says. Tidworth is built on chalk and for as long as I’ve known it the place has been open in the summer only.

That changed last August after an intensive period of building, making it open all year round. “What the boys found is if you dig down far enough there is real mud,” Craig says. “So if you turn over the surface at troublesome areas you can make it work really well.”

Costs have gone up massively since Covid times to, and it’s not just mountain bikes that are more expensive than ever. “Our insurance cost went up four fold and our rent has doubled, Richard Kelly from B1KE told me. “And if you want pro staff doing a pro job… National Insurance is up to 15%, the minimum wage is up to too.”

“I do get B1KE’s costs have gone up, but they’ve gone about it in the wrong way,” Alex Roberts says. “If they’d sent an email out first saying ‘we know you ride a lot but we’re looking to raise prices and we wanted to know what you thought’… rather than just saying, this is your new price. But they’ve alienated people, some are boycotting the place.”

FlyUp 417 compromises beautifully-crafted flowing trails

Just how does B1KE pricing compare to the UK’s other bike parks then? BikePark Wales – which just opened a massive new black graded jump line called Hard Shoulder – charges £295 a year for a pedal up pass (£370 on an e-bike), while Flyup 417 is £480 (£720 e-bike). Meanwhile while neither Dyfi nor Revolution Bike Park operates annual membership schemes, the former is £48 for an uplift day (no pushup) and Revs is £15 for a ride up pass including e-bike.

Is B1KE good value for money then? It depends on your perspective, but as a Rogate local I wouldn’t begrudge paying £240 a year for its Network membership that entitles me to 30 rides a year – £8 a pop. Sure, there’s nothing like the variety of trails as I’d find at BikePark Wales, but then again, I’m not lucky enough to live in South Wales and there is a distinct shortage of mountains in South East England.