About Gravel Kings

We provide quality off-road cycle guiding for small private groups in and around the new forest with quality rental bikes available.

Booking Policy

Gravel Kings: Terms & conditions


1 General conditions

a. These Booking terms and conditions apply to the booking of guided gravel rides and gravel bike rental from Gravel Kings. 

 b. These booking terms and conditions contain important information concerning participation by you and members of your party and, accordingly, you acknowledge and agree that you shall ensure that all members of your party are aware of and accept these booking terms and conditions.

c. No variation to these booking terms and conditions shall be binding unless agreed in writing by Gravel Kings.

d. Any typographical clerical or other error or omission in any booking confirmation or other documentation issued by Gravel Kings (including any electronic documentation) shall be subject to correction without any liability on the part of Gravel Kings.

e. Gravel Kings reserves the right to make changes to the activity whether to conform with any applicable safety or other statutory requirements or otherwise. 

2\. Terms and Conditions

a. These terms and conditions govern the contract between you and us to the exclusion of all other terms and conditions save for those implied by law, and no variation to these terms and conditions shall be valid unless in writing and signed by you and the company director. When you book a guided ride with Gravel Kings, you are agreeing this contract. If you have any queries or questions, please contact us. We suggest keeping a copy for your own reference.

3\. Formation of Contract

a. No contract shall arise between you and us until we have received the booking payment and we have sent to you written confirmation (This can be in the form of an email) of our acceptance of your booking.

The Riding

4\. Safety

a. You accept that gravel riding and mountain biking can be hazardous, and that there are times when it can involve risk of injury or even death. It can also involve periods of discomfort. By agreeing to these terms and conditions, you agree to take full responsibility for your own actions. Gravel Kings, accepts no responsibility for injury, death or damage to personal equipment resulting from your participation.

b. You must ride within your own ability at all times, at no time will Gravel Kings ask you to ride above your ability. Please consider the effect your actions have on other trail users, including non-cyclists.

c. As part of the booking confirmation process, we ask that all participants complete a ride experience questionnaire. Before we can accept the booking and issue you with a confirmation, we will require that all participants have completed the questionnaire prior to attendance. Until this has been completed we deem this as not entered into contract. This allows Gravel Kings to pre-assess each riders technical experience and allows us to select the correct route for the individual/s or groups abilities prior to commencement of the ride.

d. Certain ‘rides’ are categorised into ‘grades’ (especially in mountain biking). Gravel Kings will assess the riders in line with British Cycling guidelines prior to departure and make judgement as to if the route will be suitable for your own safety. Gravel Kings will not make any rider attempt anything that they might feel beyond their capabilities and skill level. We always encourage riders to ride within their comfort zone.

e. You agree to follow any instructions given to you by your leader and accept that anybody not doing so, or anybody acting in a way that could be dangerous to themselves or the rest of the group, may be asked to leave the activity with no refund from Gravel Kings.

f. Unless bike rental has been arranged by Gravel Kings it is your responsibility to make sure your bike is in good, safe working order. You must tell your leader about any problems with your bike as soon as they occur. We reserve the right to prevent you from riding with us if we deem your bike unsafe
g. Gravel Kings reserves the right to change the dayʼs plans if the weather or any other unforeseen circumstance makes them unsuitable.

5\. Fitness and health

a. You should be physically fit enough to participate in the activities you have booked on. We will always try to accommodate everybody, but we reserve the right not to guide or instruct somebody if their lack of appropriate fitness will affect the safety or ruin the enjoyment of everybody else.

b. We ask all participants to fill out a ride experience questionnaire indicating any medical conditions or injuries that might affect your riding or ability to partake in the day.

6\. Clothing and equipment

a. Gravel Kings will always try to help should you have any mechanical failures while riding, but it is your responsibility to judge whether the repair is safe or not before continuing. The cost of any spares provided by Gravel Kings, including inner tubes, will be met by the customer. 

 b. All riders must wear a bike helmet conforming to CE standard EN1078 at all times and we also recommend wearing gloves and riding glasses. Gravel Kings have certified helmets to use with bike rental if required..

c .You must wear clothing that is suitable for the type of riding you will be doing and the weather on the day. You must also bring any equipment or spares required if riding your own bike.

7\. Our ride leaders

a. All our ride leaders are British Cycling Level 2 Mountain Bike Leader qualified to lead on and off-road and are fully insured.

8\. Bike rental

a. Gravel Kings offer gravel bike rental along with their qualified ride leaders. We do not hire out bikes alone. All our bikes are fully serviced, cleaned and prepared by qualified mechanics and are pre-checked prior to riding. We accept the bikes will have an amount of wear and tear but you accept that any damage as listed below will be the responsibility of the hirer and rider of the bike. 

b. Wear and Tear – People often ask what constitutes normal wear and tear on a bike. For our rental purposes the following items are all part of normal wear and tear: 
• Brake pad wear and replacement;
• Tyre wear and replacement resulting from worn out tread;
• Punctures which can be fixed;
• Chain, chainring, cassette and jockey wheel wear;
• Equipment failure that is covered under a manufacturer’s warranty.

Any significant damage caused by mis-use or neglect, to frame or other components not covered under wear and tear will be deemed liable by the client and cover the costs to repair or replace. It is very rare that we need to recoup money from any of our clients. If there is damage to be paid for we’ll talk it through with you first, and find the cheapest possible way of getting things fixed.

BOOKINGS

9\. Minimum Trip Numbers

a. We will accept bookings with a minimum of 2 riders over the age of 16 years. Usually the maximum group size is 6 riders plus one ride leader, but additional restrictions may be in place in response to Covid-19, see our Covid-19 guidance.

10\. Lead Name for group bookings

a. The lead name on any group booking is responsible for ensuring that all group members are aware they are bound by our terms and conditions. The lead name is also responsible for the completion of the online booking form on behalf of all persons on the booking.

11\. Payment

a. Payment at the time of booking is used by us to enter into the contractual arrangements on your behalf and is non refundable. Payments can be made with a valid Credit Card or Debit Card, online bank transfers for corporate bookings, but will usually be made using our payment system square via beyonk, whereupon receipt we will place the booking for you at the advertised price.

12\. Cancellation by Us

a. We may cancel the ride or any part of it: for safety reasons if we or our supplier(s) regard adverse weather conditions or other safety concerns as unacceptable and which cannot reasonably be overcome; If we reasonably believe that you may cause harm or damage to our reputation or to the reputation of our suppliers or to property belonging to our suppliers; If a supplier or suppliers are unable to host the ride for any reason; If changes you wish to make to the booking mean it is uneconomical or impractical to guide you. If we cancel the whole booking we shall use our best endeavours to re-arrange it on a mutually convenient date, or provide a refund to you of the cost to us of the booking Save as above we shall be under no further liability to you for cancellation of your ride or any part of it.

13\. Cancellation by You

a. If you need to cancel your booking on medical grounds or due to extraordinary circumstances we will endeavour to re-arrange it on a mutually convenient date, or provide a refund to you of the cost to us of the booking. However, if this is within less than 7 days notice, we reserve the right to retain the booking payment in full. Although we will always try to work with you if you’re unable to ride for reasons beyond your control.

14\. Failure to Provide a Ride

a. If, due to reasons beyond our control, a ride is unable to take place due to (but without limitation); closure of premises, the ceases of trading, a change in supplier management, weather restrictions, we will provide you and your group with an alternative ride and if this is does not prove possible, a refund to you of the cost to us of the booking.

15\. Alterations made by you

a. We shall try to accommodate any reasonable changes you wish to make to the ride booking. Alterations and amendment requests should be made with us in writing to us by the lead name. These changes shall not be deemed accepted until we have confirmed in writing to you. Subject to our written agreement you may transfer your booking to a person who satisfies all the conditions applicable to the ride.

16\. Your Obligations

a. You shall at all times behave in a safe, responsible and courteous manner; comply with all instructions; regulations and codes of practice issued by us or our suppliers; ensure that you comply with any age restrictions imposed by our suppliers and ensure that you comply with any arrival/meeting times.

b. If you breach these obligations we may cancel or curtail the ride or any part of it and in those circumstances you shall not be entitled to any refund. You shall take out insurance suitable for your needs (including delays for events involving travel by land, sea, or air) before the ride if you are travelling to ride with us.

17\. Our Obligations

a.We shall take reasonable care and skill in arranging your guided ride experience and comply with all applicable laws in relation to the ride; wherever possible, re-schedule the ride instead of cancelling, or offer a refund to you of the cost to us of the booking. All of the photographs and illustrations we use on our website and in literature (including quotations) we send you are for marketing purposes and may not entirely represent the actual products received.

18\. Customer Feedback

a. If you have a problem whilst actually on your ride then you must inform your ride leader. Unless there is a valid reason why you did not report your problem to us or the appropriate person(s), we will not consider ourselves liable for those complaints. If we or they are unable to resolve matters to your satisfaction then you must write to us within 10 days of the conclusion of the ride. No complaint will be accepted outside of this time frame thus deeming you fully satisfied with all aspects of the ride and the services we have provided to you. We will acknowledge any correspondence within 10 days and endeavour to deal with the complaint as quickly as possible.

19\. Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999

No part of this agreement shall confer on any third party any benefit or right to enforce any terms of this agreement.

a. Jurisdiction This agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of England, Wales and Scotland and the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to deal with any disputes arising between you and us or our suppliers.

20\. Changes to these Terms and Conditions

a. We may need to make changes to these terms and conditions. Any changes can only be made by us and not any third party member. We reserve the right to amend or improve these terms and conditions without prior notification. When it is necessary for changes to be made, we will forward you a copy of these changes and all reservations will abide by the amended terms, with the exception of reservations already made.

Cancellation Policy