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Bike Karma — Terms of Service

Effective Date: 1st June 2026 | Governing Law: Province of British Columbia, Canada

Last updated: 1 June 2026

A Note Before We Start

Bike Karma exists because a bunch of people who love riding, hiking, and exploring BC's outdoors decided the best experiences come from locals sharing what they know — not from a polished tour package. These Terms exist to keep that community functioning smoothly and fairly. We've tried to write them the way we'd actually explain things to a friend, not the way a law firm would. Where the language does need to get formal — because some things genuinely do need to be precise — we've tried to keep it as plain as the subject allows.

By creating an account or using Bike Karma, you're agreeing to what's below.

Part A — Who This Agreement Covers


Bike Karma / We / Us

Bike Karma Inc., the company that operates the Bike Karma platform, website, and mobile application, and its directors, officers, employees, contractors, and agents.

Community Host

Any individual, group, organization, non-profit, or business that organizes or leads an event or adventure listed on Bike Karma — including volunteer ride leaders, cycling clubs, outdoor guides, and partner organizations.

You / Participant

The individual using the Bike Karma app or website, whether browsing, creating an account, hosting, or joining an Adventure Activity.

Services

The Bike Karma mobile application, website, and any related features — including discovering and joining community-led adventures, navigation and route guidance, community assistance, bike parking information, and the bike-friendly business directory.

Adventure Activities

Has the same meaning as in our Waiver and Terms Agreement: all cycling, hiking, open water, and multi-activity experiences organized or facilitated through Bike Karma.

Content

Anything you post, upload, or share through the Services — profile information, photos, messages, reviews (like bike parking ratings), and similar material.

Part B — Plain Language Summary

  • Bike Karma connects you with locally-led outdoor adventures. We're a platform, not a tour operator — most of our hosts are volunteers sharing routes they love.
  • You need to be 19 or older to use the app, matching the age requirement on our Waiver.
  • If you post something (a photo, a review, a message), you keep ownership of it — you're just giving us permission to display it as part of running the Service. That permission ends when you delete the content or your account.
  • Joining an actual in-person Adventure Activity requires separately signing our Waiver, which covers the physical risks involved. These Terms cover your use of the app itself.
  • We're based in BC, and if something ever needs resolving legally, it happens in BC courts — not private arbitration.

Part C — Eligibility and Accounts

  1. Age. You must be 19 years of age or older to create a Bike Karma account or use the Services, matching the age of majority in British Columbia and the threshold in our Waiver.
  1. Accurate information. You agree to provide accurate information when creating your account and to keep it up to date — particularly your emergency contact details, which Community Hosts may rely on during an Adventure Activity.
  1. One account, one person. Accounts are for individual personal use. Please don't create multiple accounts or share your login with others.
  1. Account security. You're responsible for keeping your account credentials secure and for anything that happens under your account. Tell us right away at hello@bikekarma.ca if you suspect unauthorized access.
  1. Our right to suspend. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, our Community Standards (Part F), or put other members of the community at risk. See Part M for more detail.
  1. Common sense and self-reliance. Grassroots outdoor adventure means using your own judgment — checking conditions, knowing your limits, and making sensible calls out on the trail. Using Bike Karma assumes a baseline of self-reliance from everyone in this community.

Part D — What Bike Karma Is (and Isn't)

Bike Karma is a technology platform that connects riders with locally-led adventures, bike-friendly businesses, and each other. We do not organize, lead, supervise, or operate Adventure Activities ourselves.

We are not a professional guide service. Our Community Hosts are volunteers and local organizations sharing routes and experiences they care about — not certified safety supervisors. If you're looking for a fully guided, hand-held tour, a professional outfitter is a better fit. If you're looking for grassroots, community-led adventures, you're in the right place.

We do our best to vet Community Hosts before they're able to list adventures on the platform, but Bike Karma is not directly responsible for a Community Host's actions, omissions, or negligence during an Adventure Activity. Physical participation is governed separately by our Waiver — see Part H below.

Part E — Your Content

  1. You own what you post. You keep ownership of any Content you share through the Services, provided you have the right to share it in the first place.
  1. The permission you give us. By posting Content, you grant Bike Karma a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, distribute, and reproduce that Content for the purpose of operating, promoting, and improving the Services. (In plain English: you still own your photos and posts — you're just giving us permission to show them to other users in the app, or use them to promote the community.) For example, showing your parking spot review to other riders, or featuring a route photo in the app.
  1. This permission ends when you do. Unlike some platforms, this licence isn't perpetual. It ends when you delete the specific Content or your account, except where we're legally required to retain something longer, or where the Content has already been meaningfully shared elsewhere (like a public social post we can't retract on your behalf).
  1. Event photography is separate. Photos and videos that Community Hosts or Bike Karma staff take during an Adventure Activity are covered by Part G of our Waiver, which you agree to separately when registering for an event — that consent works a little differently and is worth reading on its own.
  1. Be honest. Ride stats, reviews, and activity history should reflect things you actually did. Don't post Content that's illegal, harassing, or that infringes someone else's rights.

Part F — Community Standards

Bike Karma is built on mutual respect — for the trails, the locals, and each other. We expect you to leave things better than you found them: look out for fellow riders, respect the communities and trails you're passing through, and share what you know. To help protect that community spirit, you agree not to:

  • Harass, threaten, or discriminate against other users, hosts, or businesses listed on the platform
  • Misrepresent your identity, impersonate a Community Host, or falsify ride/activity data
  • Use the Services for anything illegal, or to endanger yourself or others
  • Interfere with the platform's operation (scraping, reverse engineering, automated data collection)

We may remove Content or restrict access to the Services for anyone who doesn't follow these standards, consistent with Part M.

Part G — Signing In and Connected Services

You can currently sign in to Bike Karma using Google. We plan to add a sign-in and data-sharing integration with Strava in the future — this section is written to cover that in advance so we don't need to revise these Terms the moment it goes live.

  1. When you sign in through a third-party provider, you authorize us to use the account information that provider shares with us (like your name, email, and profile photo) to set up and personalize your Bike Karma account.
  1. If you choose to connect a service like Strava (once available), you're authorizing an exchange of activity data between that service and Bike Karma, governed by that provider's own terms and privacy practices as well as ours.
  1. We use Mapbox to power in-app navigation and mapping — your location data is shared with Mapbox for that purpose. See our Privacy Policy for the full list of services we work with.
  1. We're not responsible for the practices, availability, or accuracy of third-party services you choose to connect.

Part H — Adventures, Events, and Our Waiver

Browsing adventures and using the app is covered by these Terms. Actually registering for and participating in an in-person Adventure Activity requires separately signing our Waiver and Terms Agreement inside the app, which covers the physical risks, liability release, and safety acknowledgements specific to outdoor activities.

These Terms and the Waiver work together — the Waiver isn't replaced or superseded by anything here. Where the Waiver speaks specifically to physical participation, health, safety, and liability for Adventure Activities, it governs. These Terms govern your use of the platform more broadly.

Part I — Fees

Bike Karma is currently free to use. We may introduce fees for certain features, events, or host services in the future — if we do, we'll give you clear notice before anything you're currently using becomes chargeable.

Part J — Our Intellectual Property

The Bike Karma name, logo, and the app's design and functionality belong to Bike Karma Inc. You're welcome to use the Services as intended, but please don't copy, reproduce, or build on our branding or platform without asking us first.

Part K — Disclaimers

The Services are provided "as is." Nature changes, and so do trails — washouts happen, maps go out of date, and even the most well-meaning local can get a detail wrong. That's part of what makes grassroots adventure real, rather than a scripted tour. We do our best to keep route information, host details, and community content accurate and useful, but we can't guarantee it's always complete, current, or error-free. Adventure means expecting the unexpected: use your own judgment, particularly around anything safety-related — and remember Part D: we're a platform, not a supervising authority for the activities you find here.

Part L — Limitation of Liability

Because we're a community platform and not a tour operator, our legal liability to you is strictly limited.

To the extent permitted by BC law, Bike Karma's liability to you in connection with your use of the Services (as distinct from Adventure Activities themselves, which are governed by the Waiver) is limited to direct damages, and Bike Karma is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages (in plain English: knock-on losses, like a missed opportunity or a follow-on cost, rather than the direct cost of the problem itself) arising from your use of the app, the accuracy of Content posted by others, or the actions of Community Hosts or other users.

Nothing in this section limits or removes any liability that cannot legally be excluded under BC or Canadian law.

Part M — Suspension and Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms or our Community Standards, if we're required to by law, or if your account has been inactive for an extended period. You can also delete your own account at any time through your profile settings, or by contacting hello@bikekarma.ca.

Part N — Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable within it. Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Services will be resolved in the courts of British Columbia. We don't use mandatory arbitration or class-action waivers — if something needs resolving, it goes through the regular courts, same as our Waiver.

Part O — Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time as the Services evolve. If we make a material change, we'll let you know through the app or by email before it takes effect. Continuing to use the Services after that point means you accept the updated Terms.

Part P — Contact Us

Questions about these Terms? Reach us at hello@bikekarma.ca.