Mountain biking is an awesome outdoor sport for people of any age. It’s a very healthy outdoor activity to get your kids into. In this article, I’ll share some tips on how to get your kid into mountain biking.
Mountain biking helps to keep our body fit, our mind fresh and grow more confidence within us. It also connects us to the outside world by exploring new scenes, trails, and places. Therefore, you must get one from haloevsports.com and enjoy the ride.
But, if you are trying to introduce your kids into mountain biking, a bunch of questions may appear in your mind. Like, will they like it? What if they have an injury? What about the mechanical issues?
Don’t worry! I am here to help you with these problems. We’re going to discuss the common issues and a few tips to get your kids into mountain biking.
So, let’s get started!
- Before You Make the Decision, Talk to Them
The mind of a child can be quite hard to follow. They can’t easily determine what they want. You may think that as you’re a rider, your kid also wants to be a rider. But it’s wrong and that’s why you need to talk to them first. Find out what they want and figure out the best power wheels.
If they don’t show much interest in biking, then don’t insist on them to do so. Take your time and plant the seed deep inside. Tell them about the adventure, suspense, and thrill of mountain biking. Surely they’ll pay attention when they get to hear the interesting experiences.
Never force your child into mountain biking if they are uninterested.
- Choose A Suitable Bike for Your Kid
It’s essential to find a suitable bike for your kid. I have seen many riders making the mistake of buying a large size bike for their kids.
The bike size for kids is based on wheels, not frame. There are four basic sizes of kids’ mountain bikes: 12 inches, 16 inches, 20 inches, and 24 inches. While you’re buying, make sure that your kid can stand over the front wheel with both feet on the floor.
It is not true that every mountain bike is high-priced. I have seen some of the best mountain bikes at a cheap price on the market. So, you don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune to get a suitable bike for your kid. Even though dirt bikes weigh a lot, many kids prefer riding a mini dirt bike since they enjoy fast riding down the road and it makes them feel powerful.
- Get Proper Accessories
This is very important for the safety of your kids. The accessories that help to keep the riders safe are gloves, shoes, helmet, and glasses.
Without these, your kid will be unsafe while riding. Along with buying the bike, you should also try to get the best mountain bike gloves and the best mountain bike shoes for your kid. The helmet is also a very important piece of equipment as it protects the head. Once they’re into the sport and are confident, you could even consider buying them an mtb jersey!
- Getting Started
Got the bike and necessary accessories? Now you can get started with your kids. But don’t get so fast. You need to start carefully and one step at a time (as it is kids we are talking about).
Give your kids enough time to get familiar with the bike. First, teach them how to sit on the saddle properly. Then move on to more important matters such as how to use brakes, how to deal with the derailleur and so on.
Make sure your kids are practicing daily. It is better to take them to a parking place so that they learn to cross flat stones, small obstacles or a curved path.
- Train Them Off Trail First
In the beginning, try to train your kids off trail that is a bit easier to follow. Keep the hard ones for later. Because, if they start practicing with the hard trails first, they can be discouraged by failure.
Starting with the easier trails will give them much more fun and excitement. If they get tired, take a break. Don’t push them to go faster. Just relax and make sure your kids are having a good time.
Be careful about injuries. Ensure that your kids are wearing proper safety gears such as helmets, gloves, shoes, glasses etc. while riding.
- Encourage Your Kids
Encouraging your kid is an important thing. To go on a war, everyone needs to fight with the inner fear first. The fear discourages us. So, when you are teaching your kids how to ride a mountain bike, encourage them often so they don’t get discouraged.
Try to be with your kids when they are practicing. Tell them more and more that they can do it. Tell them how you learned to ride. Share all the adventurous journeys you have experienced with them. Show them the glorious side of mountain bike riding.
- Teach Them How to Fix the Basic Issues of a Bike
A basic knowledge on fixing different mechanical issues of a mountain bike will help your kids a lot while riding. After all, you can’t be with them all the time when they’re riding. What will happen if there’s a mechanical problem with their mountain bike and there’s no one around to fix it?
So, if you teach them the basics of fixing a bike like washing the chain, cleaning the wheel & spork, tightening the screw of brakes etc. that’ll help a lot in the long run. Besides, it will help them to be self-dependent. They’ll learn how a bike works gradually.
- When They’re Ready, Let Them Ride on Rough Trails
When your kids are comfortable with riding a mountain bike, let them ride on harder trails. Also, you can take them with you on different rides.
In this way, they will learn the advanced techniques and strategies of bike riding such as how to cross a giant rock, a horrible slope, or a muddy way. And finally, when they have coped up with all types of situations, they are ready to experience the adventures of mountain biking on their own!
Congratulations! You’ve got your kids into mountain biking successfully!
Final Words
These are my favorite tips on how to get your kid into mountain biking. I got a satisfactory result following these guidelines and I hope you’ll too! Good Luck!
