The sun setting over the hills of the Isle of Man, seen from a rocky summit
RD.IM The mission · October 2026
GRVL, RD and MNTN on the Isle of Man

From your door to the hills.

Photo: James Qualtrough, Unsplash

The mission

GRVL, RD and MNTN are one app for cyclists on the island: gravel, road and mountain bike. The app is where it starts. The mission is everything around it: getting riders to the hills, looking after them out there, and giving them somewhere worth riding to.The network, the shuttle,
then the destination.

GRVLGravel
RDRoad
MNTNMountain bike
The plan

Three stages, in order.

Each one makes the next possible. The network gives the shuttle its riders and its ride days. The shuttle and the rides give the destination the people who'll turn up.

  1. 1Now

    Build the network

    Three communities in one app, with real rides on it: a named leader, a route, a start time and an end. Riders, routes, leaders, shops and landowners, joined up.

  2. 2Next

    Run the shuttle

    A long-wheelbase Transit from Douglas and Ramsey to the top of the mountain routes: six riders, six bikes on a slide-out rack, and a fast charger in the boot. Membership covers the seat, and the way home if the day goes wrong.

  3. 3Then

    Open the destination

    A hub built for cyclists, somewhere on the island the routes already pass. Coffee, food, fuel and a workstand, and it knows when you'll arrive.

Stage one · now

Build the network.

The app is in beta on iPhone and Android. Every ride on it has a named leader, a planned route, a start time, a rider limit and a set finish. That structure is what the rest of the mission is built on.

Three ways to ride, one app

GRVL for gravel, RD for road, MNTN for mountain bike. One account, one calendar of rides, and groups that know who's coming.

In the app

Rides you can rely on

Routes drawn and snapped to tracks, with distance, climbing and difficulty. Riders check in at the start and share their location on the way round, from a phone or a Garmin. The leader sees who's on the way and who's arrived.

In the app

Land, cover and shops

The best riding crosses private land. We're working with landowners and insurers so rides booked through the app carry their own cover, and tracks can open on the landowner's terms. Read the plan for partners.

With partners
Stage two · next

Run the shuttle.

Most riders live in Douglas or Ramsey. The best riding starts a long way above both. The shuttle takes the transport out of the day: book a seat from the ride, and the van does the rest. You get out, you ride, you come home.

  • Six riders, six bikesA Transit L4, the long wheelbase with the extended frame. The factory three seats up front, four behind them facing back, and everyone out through the sliding side door.To build
  • Six bikes, any kindGravel, road, mountain and e-bikes front-wheel-off in two rows of three on one tray over the wheel arches, which slides out through the rear doors to load. A bike space is booked with your seat.To build
  • Fast charging in the bootPlug your e-bike battery in at pick-up. Thirty-five minutes up the mountain is a good chunk of ride time back.To build
  • Douglas and Ramsey pick-upsSet times on ride mornings, from the Sea Terminal and Parliament Square. More stops as the network grows.To build
  • Dropped at the startThe Bungalow for the mountain routes, or wherever the ride begins. No climb out of town before the ride starts.To build
  • Home againThe van meets the end of the ride. Or ride down to Laxey and take the tram.To build

What membership covers

The seat is the start. The point of membership is that a bad day on the mountain stays a bad day, and nothing worse.

What the van could look like

Concept images, sketches and drawings, made to think with. The real van will be whatever we can get a rack and a charger into.

Side elevation · Ford Transit L4 H3 · 10 mm per square Wheelbase 3,750 Overall 6,704 2,790 high Sliding door, 1,300 Bulkhead Tray over the wheel arch Plan, from above · right-hand drive, driver at the top Factory cab: driver + 2, forward 4 seats facing back Charger Six bikes, two rows of three, front wheels off Rear doors Side door 1,300, straight out Arches 1,392 apart, tray above Slides out 1,784 inside · 2,059 over Load floor 4,217: 1,250 for the seats, 2,900 for the tray GRVL shuttle · Transit L4 H3
To scale, from Ford's figures for the Transit L4 (the long wheelbase with the extended frame): the factory three-seat cab facing forward, four seats behind it facing back by the 1,300 mm sliding door, a bulkhead with the charger, and six bikes front-wheel-off in two rows of three on a 2.9 m tray over the wheel arches, out through the 1,565 mm rear opening. The L3's 3.5 m floor is too short for all three. Floor geometry after AVC Rig's Transit 148 template.Drawn
GRVL shuttle · slide-out rack Six bikes. 10 mm per square. Plan, from above Front row, 500 mm pitch Rear row, 1,380 per bike Rear opening 1,565 Tray slid out, 2.9 m of travel Telescopic drawer rails on both edges Lock wheel arch 1,500 wide Side view Wheel trough Fork cradle Tray 300 up, over the arch Rear doors Slid out Tray 2,900 long · six bikes at 1,380 with 60 between the rows
The rack to the same scale: a 2.9 by 1.5 metre tray on telescopic drawer rails, raised 300 mm to clear the wheel arches, with six fork cradles in two rows of three at 500 mm pitch and a trough for each rear wheel. Front wheels come off and ride in the troughs' bins. It passes the Transit's 1,565 mm rear opening and runs right out to load.Drawn
The shuttle at the Bungalow: the rack slid out through the rear doors, six bikes in two rows of three, riders out of the side door.
The shuttle at the Bungalow: the rack slid out through the rear doors, six bikes in two rows of three, riders out of the side door.Concept
The rack: two rows of three, all facing forward, on telescopic rails that run out through the rear doors.
The rack: two rows of three, all facing forward, on telescopic rails that run out through the rear doors.Concept
Through the side door: four seats facing back, back to back with the cab, the charger on the bulkhead, the bikes beyond.
Through the side door: four seats facing back, back to back with the cab, the charger on the bulkhead, the bikes beyond.Concept
The Bungalow on the Mountain Road, where the Snaefell Mountain Railway crosses the road below the summit, on a grey day with a van parked at the side
The Bungalow: where the Mountain Road meets the Snaefell railway, and where the shuttle drops you.Photo: @tanyabarrow, Unsplash
Stage three · then

Open the destination.

A place to ride to, built for cyclists. Coffee, food, fuel, a workstand and a mechanic, somewhere the routes already pass. And because it's connected to the app, it knows you're coming.

Coffee and food for riders

Proper coffee, and food that works after 60 km: porridge, eggs, toasties, cake. A tap for bottles. Somewhere warm to sit in kit, with the bike leaning outside where you can see it.

Fuel and fixes

Tubes, tyres, gels, bars and the parts that go. A workstand and tools anyone can use, and a mechanic on ride days.

Connected to the app

The ride's live location tells the hub when you're twenty minutes out. Your usual order goes on. Your bike is on the stand at the time you'll roll in. Your battery is on charge while you eat.

What the hub knows before you arrive

Nothing you haven't already told the app. The ride shares where it is; your profile holds the rest.

  • When you'll arriveFrom the ride's live location, for the whole group at onceTo build
  • What you'll wantYour usual order, set once in the app and changed from the rideTo build
  • What your bike needsNotes you made on the way round, and a stand booked for when you're inTo build
  • What's on chargeYour e-bike's battery level, and a bay ready for itTo build

The hub sees the ride's location and your order, and nothing else about you.

The arrivals board What the hub sees on a Saturday morning (example)
RideWho's comingArrivingReady
Millennium Way loop12 riders on gravel, from the Bungalow11:2512 coffees on
Sunday club run6 road riders, from Peel11:406 coffees at 11:32
Slieau Ruy enduro4 mountain bikers, from the Bungalow12:10Lunch for 4, 2 on charge
Aalish MooreRiding solo, from Laxey12:32Cortado, stand 1

What the hub could look like

Concept images and drawings of a place that doesn't exist yet. The site will decide most of this.

The hub on the hillside: timber, glass on the valley side, bikes on the rack outside.
The hub on the hillside: timber, glass on the valley side, bikes on the rack outside.Concept
Inside: the counter, a long table by the window, the workshop at the far end.
Inside: the counter, a long table by the window, the workshop at the far end.Concept
The workshop corner: two stands, a tool wall, and six charging bays for e-bike batteries.
The workshop corner: two stands, a tool wall, and six charging bays for e-bike batteries.Concept
The site: the road, the drop-off bay, the forecourt, and the trail out into the hills.
The site: the road, the drop-off bay, the forecourt, and the trail out into the hills.Concept
Floor plan: café, kitchen, workshop, charging bay, bike store, changing room, terrace.
Floor plan: café, kitchen, workshop, charging bay, bike store, changing room, terrace.Concept
Elevations: a low monopitch roof with a deep overhang, timber cladding, a long window wall.
Elevations: a low monopitch roof with a deep overhang, timber cladding, a long window wall.Concept
An early sketch of the hub, with the van dropping riders at the road.
An early sketch of the hub, with the van dropping riders at the road.Concept
Rolling in: coffees already on the counter, the mechanic waiting by the stand.
Rolling in: coffees already on the counter, the mechanic waiting by the stand.Concept

We're looking for the site. Somewhere the mountain routes pass naturally: a building we can fit out, land we can build on, or a café that wants to become this. If you know the place, tell us.

The app

Built, in beta, and ready for the rest.

These are the current screens of the app, followed by the ones we would add for the shuttle, for getting you home, and for the hub. The rides and names are examples.

In the app today

iPhoneAndroidin beta
HomeYour next ride and what's on near you this week.
ExploreEvery public ride with its date, start, distance, difficulty and places left.
RideLeader, route, climbing, start point and who's going.
Plan a rideRoute, time, visibility, difficulty, rider limit, live tracking and auto-end.
RidersA named list of everyone on the ride, with its leader.

What we'd add

Proposed
ShuttleA seat and a bike space from Douglas or Ramsey, booked from the ride. Charge on the way up.
Need a pick-up?Mechanical, done for the day, or hurt. The van and the tram, with your location already shared.
The hubHow far out you are, what's being made, your stand and your charger.
What we need

The app we can build. The rest takes people.

RD, with GRVL and MNTN, is run by riders and software people on the island. The shuttle and the hub need a van, a place, and partners who want cyclists to come.

A red and cream Snaefell Mountain Railway tram car at Laxey, wet from the rain

Ride up. We'll get you home.

Tell us where it should go A place for the hub, a van, a café, a track. Or just that you'd ride. Get in touch RD · Isle of Man
Photo: @tanyabarrow, Unsplash

The shuttle and the hub are plans, not services yet. The screens marked proposed are examples to show the idea, and the rides, times and names in them are made up.

Crafted at woollen

a tight-knit community