by John Brown,
I love riding my Mountain bike and want to share that passion with my boys. I am dedicating my weekends to kids’ mountain bikes to help them love the sport. The sense of freedom and excitement it gives me has been amazing to experience through their eyes. Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way.
Kid’s mountain bikes
Dozens of companies produce kids’ mountain bikes. They often have suspension, brakes, and gears similar to adult versions. The kid’s bikes usually have either 20″ or 24″ wheels to determine the overall bike size. Be sure to find the right size at your local bike shop.
Teach to shift kids’ mountain bikes
One big difference between riding around the neighborhood and on trails is the need to shift quickly and frequently. Most kids’ mountain bikes have between 6 and 21 gears, with the higher gears for pavement and the lower gears for off-road conditions. Teaching your kid(s) how and when to shift will help them become more comfortable while riding over varying trail conditions. It is easy to train them on the sidewalk in front of my home. Have your child ride down the sidewalk in one gear, then shift to an easier gear and pedal on the grass on the way back. By shifting between gears and conditions, kids can get an excellent feel for how the gears work.
Teach braking on kids’ mountain bikes
Stopping on a kid’s mountain bike is about balancing two things: stopping power and control. Most brakes can easily produce enough stopping power to skid the wheels, but you lose control when the wheels skid. I found an easy way to teach this balance: find a short but steep hill with a clear run-out at the bottom. Position yourself below them on the hill as a safety precaution and have your kid’s head down. The first time down, tell them to squeeze the brakes (front and rear) as hard as possible. On the second trip down, have them squeeze a little less and feel the difference. Then have them apply the front brakes more, then more rear brakes on each successive trip. After a little while, they will have a good feel for the best way to use their brakes.
Standing position
When kids learn to ride a bike, they do so sitting down. While sitting is fine on smooth roads, it can become uncomfortable on rocky trails. Try to teach your kid to stand while riding, using your legs to absorb bumps. You want to encourage them to bend their knees and elbows and keep their weight back over the seat. This position lets them absorb the full impact of any rough terrain they might encounter.
Board trick
A fun trick to teach some skills involves nothing more than using a plank. A 2×6 piece of wood that’s about six feet long works best. You will need to set it on the ground and have the kids ride over it. Riding perpendicular helps them practice absorbing impact while standing, which teaches control. A significant part of the board trick below is that it gives a person a visual indication of where to ride without penalty if they can’t stay on.
Up and Over
Once they get comfortable with the standing position, you will want to teach them how to get over objects. To start, find an object on the trail that might be challenging for your kid to ride over. Please take a minute to show them where to ride to get over it. Have them back up, get a moving start, and run at the object. You can be a safety net by standing over that object if things don’t go well. Reach out, straighten them out, and congratulate their try. If your trails don’t have an excellent place to practice this, you can build an obstacle with a pair of two-by-fours and some lengths of PVC (see picture below).
Short and sweet
Please do your best to keep it fun. Pack treats, snacks, and drinks, and take a lot of breaks. If a section of the trail was super fun, turn around and do it again. Keep the pace slow and have fun. If you meet a puppy, stop and pet it. Do anything you can to keep it fun, and a big part of that is keeping it short. Rides over an hour can start to wear out new riders and take some of the joy out. And regardless of the duration, be sure to encourage the things they did well.
Bribery
Kids are like politicians, as they aren’t above bribes. After the ride, I always take my son for a treat (our current favorite is a smoothie from a sweet shop). This Pavlovian exercise can do wonders to reinforce the fun experience of a mountain bike ride, and encouraging the fun is an essential part.
Enjoy the accomplishment of teaching them the skills so they can join you on the trail for years to come!
About John Brown, the author
As a lifelong cyclist and consummate tinkerer, John operates Browns Bicycle in Richfield, MN. It all started for him in grade school when the bike bug bit, and that particular fever is still there. Now, and over the past thirty years, he has worked at every level in the bike industry. Starting, like most, sweeping floors and learning anything he could about bikes. He eventually graduated as a service manager and then to a store manager. Over the years, he has spent extensive time designing and sourcing bicycles and parts for some of the world’s largest bike companies. All the while focusing on helping as many people as possible enjoy the love of riding a bike. In that pursuit, he has taught classes (both scheduled and impromptu) on all things bikes. John also believes in helping every rider attain their optimal fit on the bike of their dreams. Please feel free to stop in anytime to talk about bikes, fit, parts, or just share your latest ride. You can also see more of John’s tricks and tips on the Brown Bicycle Facebook Page.
Leave a Reply