FAQ Trust Local Knowledge - Icebike Adventures

You certainly can! have a look at the rental bike page. We renew our fleet every year.

Basic maintenance and repair service is included as part of our package. However, it is important that you bring spare parts as finding bike brand specific compatible parts in Iceland can be challenging. We recommend packing at least inner tubes, brake pads, correctly-sized spokes. Icebike will have a spare tire for 27,5 & 29″.

The ideal bike is a 5-7” all-mountain bike with disc brakes (or a fatbike for fatbike trips). Your bike must be in good working order before the start of the trip. We will send you a detailed gear checklist upon booking a trip.

About half our riders travel here solo.  No problem to join a scheduled trip, but we need the first two riders to confirm any trip.  If you can’t find a bookable date:  Contact us, we have a standby list and we will keep you posted on confirmed trips.

Multiday options: Join a confirmed trip.

Daytours: For beginner riders you will need to book a private trip, we recommend the Geotrails emtb tour.

Gravel riding is also available only as a private trip, 4 rider mininum.

The average rider on an Icebike trip is of 25-65 years of age, love the outdoors and biking is their top hobby.  From around the world, nice and fun loving people that like having a cold beer and a good conversation at the campfire after a great day of biking.

Icebike focuses on small groups.  Our multiday trips are usually 4-6 riders per group, sometimes we run two groups at the same time. This means we’re small enough to remain flexible, but large enough to split a group into two, a faster and slower group. Group size is displayed on each trip page.

Short answer is:  Yes.  Want to lie in a hammock and not move until cocktail hour? Our trips are not for you.  Want to ride all day and have a great meal and a well deserved beer post ride:  Join us for a highland adventure.  To determine what type of trip suits you best, have a close look at our rating system page. each of our trips comes with a Physical Rating & Bike skill level rating to help you pick the right trip for you.  If in doubt:  Drop us a line, we are happy to mail and chat to figure out the best trip for you.

The average rider on an Icebike trip is of 25-65 years of age, love the outdoors and biking is their top hobby.  From around the world, nice and fun loving people that like having a cold beer and a good conversation at the campfire after a great day of biking.

Each trip has skill level and fitness details on the trip page. For our highland All-Mountain MTB trips, riders should be fit enough to tackle 1-2 hour climbs and extended hike-a-bike sections. In addition, riders should be comfortable on rocky technical singletrack in remote locations. With all Icebike Adventures highland trips, the fitter you are the more fun you’ll have. For further detail, please have a look at each trip’s details. and have a close look at the rating info page.

Feel free to contact us via email or phone.  Sometimes a quick chat can resolve any issues or questions about what trip is the best choice. Highland trips:  Our trails are natural singletracks.   The routes are AM allmountain and/or XC.  There are challenging hike and bike sections on some days with plenty of fun on the way down. These trips are not intended for people with beginner bike skills. All participants should have good xc riding experience. including being comfortable riding rough natural trails.  There are no drops or jumps on any of our trips. The Raven AM is intended for riders with advanced riding skills. For more info on rating have a close look at the rating info page.

Biking is not a no-risk sport. Our multi-day highland trips take place in remote regions on rugged natural trails, with limited evacuation options available. Mountain biking can be dangerous and it is up to you to ride well within your limits, to stay hydrated and rested, and to keep your bike in good mechanical condition. Drug and alcohol use is not permitted while riding. In case of emergency, our guides are trained in first aid.  Rescue is done from land or by helicopter.

Our trips are tailored to adult riders. We are happy to create private multiday family trips suitable for young adults.  The youngest riders on our multiday trips have been 14 years old. For daytrips: Contact us, we will do our best to tailor family bike trips.

The average rider on an Icebike trip is of 25-65 years of age, love the outdoors and biking is their top hobby.  From around the world, nice and fun loving people that like having a cold beer and a good conversation at the campfire after a great day of biking.

Icebike focuses on small groups.  Our multiday trips are usually 4-6 riders per group, sometimes we run two groups at the same time. This means we’re small enough to remain flexible, but large enough to split a group into two, a faster and slower group. Group size is displayed on each trip page.

For the majority of our trips the minimum age is 16. An adult must accompany all children under the age of 18. Our highland trips have a minimum age of 18.  Younger riders are welcome on private family trips.

About half our riders travel here solo.  No problem to join a scheduled trip, but we need the first two riders to confirm any trip.  If you can’t find a bookable date:  Contact us, we have a standby list and we will keep you posted on confirmed trips.

Please let us know at the time of booking of any food requirements or allergies and we’ll do our best to accommodate.  Food suitable for Vegan/Vegetarian/Celiac is available. Some of the very specific dietary requirements may be difficult to accommodate in the highlands. have a look at the highland facilities page.

Quality fresh ingredients from local suppliers is the key to our meals.We love good food,   you can expect BBQ’s served camping style in the cabins.  Breakfasts served buffet camping style in the morning. In general. Icelanders eat a lot of fish and other seafood. Lamb & Beef are locals favourite meat. Local produce includes greens, tomatoes, root vegetables, berries. Most fruit in Iceland is imported.

Tap water is drinkable anywhere in Iceland. There is no reason to buy bottled water.  On the trip: The guide will keep riders informed of where/when they need to fill up on water. So riders carry enough but not too large bags through the day.

Biking is not a no-risk sport. Our multi-day highland trips take place in remote regions on rugged natural trails, with limited evacuation options available. Mountain biking can be dangerous and it is up to you to ride well within your limits, to stay hydrated and rested, and to keep your bike in good mechanical condition. Drug and alcohol use is not permitted while riding. In case of emergency, our guides are trained in first aid.  Rescue is done from land or by helicopter.

All riders should arrange their own medical insurance, and we strongly recommend travel insurance as well.  Please read our terms and conditions.

Find our T&C here.

All riders need to sign a waiver before riding with us.

Overall Icelanders are open minded an welcoming. The vast majority of Icelanders speak English fluently as second languge. The first language for Icelanders is Icelandic, closely related to Norwegian and Danish. Icelanders have to endure a long winter with little daylight.  In summer they use every minute of the 24 hour daylight to be outside, do nightrides, camp or party! Icelanders are used to having to embrace any kind of weather. Therefore we say: There is no such thing as poor weather, just inappropriate clothing and gear.

Many of the trails we ride are old hiking and sheep trails. There are not many purpose built MTB trails in Iceland, but the majority of them are the result of the Icebike Team trailbuilding and working with authorities to open and restore old trails and routes. The work is ongoing, each year we have more trails to show you!

Short answer: July through first week of September is Highland season = the only time of year the highest altitude trails are rideable.

May – October is open for daytours – riding closer to Reykjavik and civilisation.

Earlier summer  = light nights, almost 24hr daylight. Beautiful time for late night biking and hiking.

Later in summer = evening start getting dark after mid August creating a chance to spot the Northern lights. SLIM chance but possible.  Day and night gets colder from end of August  – at mid September risk of snow in highlands is too high to operate tours there.

Best time for gravel biking in Iceland is July through Mid September when the roads clear of snow and tightly packed.

However, if you’re interested in seeing the Northern Lights, winter (October to March) is the best time to visit. During this time, the nights are long and dark, providing optimal viewing conditions for the aurora borealis. Not so optimal for biking though.

Spring (April and May) and fall (September and October) offer a mix of both, with mild weather, and a good chance to see the Northern Lights. These shoulder seasons can be great for biking in lower altitudes but can also include days where trails are unrideable due to rain or wet slushy trails. 

In conclusion, the best time to visit Iceland depends on your interests and preferences, but there is something to experience in every season.