Bikes, Brews, and City Views

September 2020

Contributed By Sam Bosence and the Be Rad Team!

Fredericton and Minto, New Brunswick

Setting out from the foggy port city of Saint John early in the morning, we load up the Outback with our bike gear and fit as many bikes and friends in as we can. It's MTB road trip time and we are headed for Fredericton and Minto, New Brunswick!

The alarm clock sounded early this morning, but we know the trip is going to be worth it. Our itinerary is set, but we are always prepared to deviate from it as we seek out the best local places to check out before and after our ride. Mountain bikers are thirsty folk, so we know that coffee, cider, and beer is going to be on the menu. Locally brewed? Even better.

We also need to know where the bike shops are in the city of Fredericton where we plan to stay overnight. We might not need to see the shop mechanic, but we like to see their locally branded gear and load-up on energy bars. If we get to the shop before we ride, you can bet that we will ask for route recommendations. If the shop has a trail builder on staff, you will be guaranteed some extra passion infused into the recommendation!

Our riding destination is Minto, New Brunswick. Checking out mtbatlantic.com gives us some inspiration and route ideas compiled from the local community. Studying Trailforks on the drive is also a staple for the MTB road trip. Download the trails before you set out in case the reception is poor on the trails. Parking recommendations, trail statuses, and information on the local cycling club or association that maintains the trails can be found here. We recommend purchasing an annual membership, trail pass, or donate to support the local cycling club and volunteers who rake, dig, and sweat to make these trails worth travelling for.

The town of Minto is located about a half-hour east of the city of Fredericton. The Minto trails carve through the man-made ridges that intersect emerald and turquoise lakes left behind from the coal mining days. These ridges offer a flowy roller coaster with lots of fast, steep sections that will be sure to have you smiling the whole way through!

Serenity Now and Insanity Later are fun for both the ride and their ode to Seinfeld! Dr. Sean Morrissy is one of the main trail builders with Mountain Bike Minto and often prescribes riding Doctor’s Orders to his patients for living a healthy life! The crushed rock and rolling landscape make this trail network unique and keep us coming back to enjoy more riding adventures.

After loading up the cars and chatting with other riders at the trailhead, we headed into Fredericton. First stop, the Picaroon’s Roundhouse to enjoy some sun and good brews. Located on the north side of the river, the Roundhouse offers a casual outdoor space and a cool brick vibe inside that are awesome for a social hangout.

We often look for a patio after a ride while we are still in our bike clothes, which are usually lightly dusted in dirt and sweat! Always hungry and thirsty post-ride, we snuck in some appetizers that included nachos, of course, as well as a few pints of Yippee IPA!

Next up, one of our favourite breweries, TrailWay Brewing. One of the coolest things we learned about TrailWay while chatting with the friendly staff was that one of the brewer’s mothers recreates all of their beer labels that make for amazing artwork lining the walls of the brewery.

We recommend picking up some Hu Jon Hops and taking them up on the option to test out the new brews and taking some time to chill on their patio. This local brewery’s popularity continues to grow since they started brewing in a basement in 2014! Arms were full of tall cans as we headed out to check in to our hotel.

Located next to the river and popular cycling path, the Delta Fredericton is our new favourite hotel in the city! Being able to bring our mountain bikes into the hotel is such an underrated luxury as mountain bikers are never stoked to leave their bikes on their cars overnight nor do we enjoy storing them in that random room the front desk clerk insists is a great choice for that bike you saved your hard-earned dollars for ;) Thank you Delta Fredericton for understanding mountain bike travellers! The patio bar and outdoor pool were an absolute highlight for some post-ride chill time before heading out for a meal and drinks downtown. Honestly, we felt like this was a vacation south with our blended drinks and beers in hand while hanging out poolside.

Being able to park the car at the hotel and walk to dinner was awesome. Located across the street from the Radical Edge bike shop and around the corner from Savage's bike shop, the King West Brewing & RustiCo is a must for bike, beer and pizza lovers! The ambiance on the patio is spot-on for an evening of chilling after a hard day of riding. We opted for the flight of beers to get a taste of all offerings. Once the food arrived, we were all drooling over our plates. The garlic cheese bread is a must!

After an amazing night, we woke up early to take advantage of the calm early morning water. Once again, we were able to walk along the river and leave the cars in the parking lot to reach our next destination. Gliding across the river on paddleboards with Second Nature Outdoors while the sun rises over the city was a very cool experience to end our trip.

Our guide, Andrew, got us all feeling confident on the boards right away. A bit too confident for some as we jumped right into trying paddleboard yoga poses...with a few fails!

We will be back to Fredericton again this fall to enjoy more of the epic riding, food, and brews!

Sam, Emily, Greg, Lydia, and Lauren

Camp Bay Media 2020 - Always enjoy responsibly! We had a designated driver :)