I am a husband and father of two: an 8 year old boy and a 5 year old girl. While most of my rides are with my buddies or solo rides, as my kids get older and progressing with my their own skills they are more and more interested in riding with me.
So how can you make mountain biking fun for the kids? Depending on your kids biking abilities there are several key tips for making mountain biking fun for your kids. Take it slow, grab the right type of bike, go off road, pick a location with options besides trails, pack snacks, stay hydrated, protective gear.
I have taken my son and daughter out several times with me and through trial and error found several helpful tips to help make it fun for all. With the world being so focused on electronics and game consoles its harder to get kids to get outside and be active.
If you can get your kids out there on their bikes and enjoying the trails there will be more opportunities for all to connect while also getting in shape. This is also a good option for kids who might not be interested in other sports as most kids love riding their bikes, especially if it’s a family event.
By adding a little adventure to your bike rides, you just might be able to get your kids to enjoy riding with you then sitting in front of a game console.
7 Helpful tips
1. Take it slow
Introduce mountain biking to your kids and see what they think. Take it slow and introduce some basic techniques while riding around the back yard. It might be helpful to setup some rope or markings in your yard to help them get the feel for riding in tight spaces and with the different sensation of riding on surfaces other than asphalt.
My son wanted to just jump head first into it and I had to urge him to try and take it slow. After his first fall on an obstacle he was ready to take it slow. Once they feel a little more comfortable with the basics you can move them to smaller obstacles.
2. Grab the right bike
Most kids start off with cheap bikes that are perfectly fine for learning and that is ok. When they want to move on to actually riding single track you are going to want something more suitable. For Example, my son’s first bike was a $10 gem that my wife found on a local site.
For regular rides on the road this is fine but the first time we hit tougher trails the breaking became an issue. On his bike, when he pedals backwards it locks up the breaks and kills all momentum. When you are out on the trails momentum is your friend.
We are currently researching kids bikes to try and find a suitable fit for his next bike which will let him get more out of the trail rides.
3. Let them get dirty and go off road
There is a difference in riding and balancing on asphalt or concrete than there is if you are riding on grass, dirt or clay. The bike just acts differently in regards to balance and effort needed to keep up the momentum of the bike.
This can be as simple as riding around the grass in your yard or at your local park. Another option is to build a small track if you have the space for it. We ended up doing this in our back yard to help the little guy build up confidence.
If you can’t find the space in your yard to give them something small to work with research your local trails. More and more trails are adding beginner friendly single track to help the sport grow.
4. Pick a location with options besides trails
My son and I are really lucky as there are three trails between 30 mins to an hour and a half away. These trails are Forest Ridge in Wake Forest, Lake Crabtree in Raleigh, and Harris Lake in New hill. All three parks have beginner friendly trails with options for the whole family
Forest Ridge Park
Forest Ridge park was opened in October of 2017 and is fairly new. It consists of 587 acres adjacent to Falls Lake. It currently contains 3 miles of trail that are beginner friendly. There are also several mikes of hiking trails and paved greenway. For the younger kids there is open play space as well as a nice playground with a pavilion and restroom. There is something for everyone.
Lake Crabtree Park
Lake Crabtree has multiple types of trails from beginner to advanced sections. It is a 215 acre site that sits next to the 520 lake (Lake Crabtree). This park offers a wide variety of activities for the whole family. From Mountain biking to hiking, fishing, boating etc.
The beginner trails would be a great opportunity for you to show your kid a ton of different options. As they grow you can move them up to the different sections and there are several wider trails you can bail out on if they get tired. You can find more about this park by checking out the Lake Crabtree parks website.
Harris Lake Park
Harris Lake Park is a 680 acre park near the Shearon Harris Reservoir in New Hill, NC. This park has biking, hiking, with find out more by checking out the Harris Lake park website.
This is where Foster had his first actual single track experience. We started off by having him follow me and then I turned him loose. Although hid did clip the same tree twice on his first two laps of leading, some advice going into the third lap helped him tackle that corner with ease.
He surprised me and did 4 laps that day of the beginner trail before wanting to go have lunch and check out the rest of the park.
5. Pack snacks
Nothing is worse than a Hangry kid. Be sure to pack their favorite healthy snacks that will ensure they have enough energy to keep riding. Our kids love these Cliff bars on Amazon or you can grab them at your local Walmart.
Depending on when and where we are riding, sometimes we plan a whole day of riding, picnicking, playground, fishing, ect. We try to ensure there is enough different things to do to keep the kids busy until they are done for the day.
6. Stay hydrated
This is key for the parents and children; both need to stay hydrated while riding. Nothing is worse than the terrible feeling that can come from being dehydrated after an exhausting ride. We are all pretty well aware that kids love to mimic their parents so if you hydrate yourself during the ride they are more than likely to do the same.
A good rule of thumb for the little ones is to take a swig every time you take a brief stop. Most bikes have locations for bottle cages which makes easy access while out on the trails. When I upgraded my original CamelBak I handed that down to my son to use and he thought it was the coolest thing to be like dad.
When your kids get into riding longer distances its good to add a second cage on the frame. This allows you to store a sports drink like Gatorade or Vitamin water while also carrying a water bottle and the CamelBak to ensure your child stays hydrated through the whole ride.
7. Wear protective gear
Protective gear is a must for early on. While they might fight it, if you want to ensure that they don’t walk away after their first fall you are going to want to have them geared up.
Helmets are the first thing that come to mind and are a must while riding but there are several other items to thing about. We had our elbow and knee pads from when they were taught how to ride their bikes in the neighborhood.
Our son had a mouth guard from playing football that we also repurposed for riding on the trails. This is to help prevent damage caused by teeth chatter if/when they grit their teeth while trying to tackle an obstacle.
Related Questions
RQ1. What skills can we practice at home before we get out on the trail?
Keep it between the lines! This is the first thing your child will need to work on, especially when you are taking them out on the single track. I started this out in our back yard by raking the fallen pine needles into a small track around our back yard. This can also be done using spray paint, rope or hoses.
Up and over! Another skill would be to try and build either a mound of dirt or a log for them to roll over. This will give them the experience of riding over things while out on the trails. You can help them work on their positioning on the saddle while they tackle this obstacle.
RQ2. How early can you start?
Balance and coordination are your guide. If your kid can balance their bike while riding in a fairly straight line then they may be ready to take on the trails. As mentioned above, start small in your back yard or on a trail with a beginner section. Just try to ensure they don’t overdo it on their first couple of ride.
RQ3. Can you use a bike trailer on the trails?
A bike trailer can be used on the trails depending on what you have. We purchased a co-pilot trailer similar to these on Amazon, but we purchased ours second hand and our kids absolutely loved it.
We started them out with these on greenways first before attempting them on the trails. The only issue with these are they will affect your riding on the trail. If your child isn’t focusing on balancing then you will feel it as they bang from side to side. This is also only going to be useful on the really beginner trails.
When it comes to the harder trails there is just too much at risk to try and do with one of these trailers. What you will get though with having one of these trailers are kids that are more eager to try this on their own.