# Sticky  Parents - Roll call here.



## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Please introduce yourself so us parents can get to know each other.

Who are you and how long have you been riding?

How old are your kids? How much do they ride and what is your goal?

Share some pictures and stories.

fc


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

I am Leopold Porkstacker. I have been riding bicycles since I was five years old. My boys are 6.5 and 7.75 years old. I try to get them out onto the singletrack every weekend, however during the summertime we were doing it two to three times per week.

Moving picture:


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## coldbike (Feb 24, 2011)

I am Doug, I have been riding since I was 8. I ride in town enough to keep slim in spite of a very large appetite for french fries.
I have a 9 and 5 year old, the 9 year old is good for a 100km day on flat (ish) gravel. The 5 year old is on a Burley Piccolo or in a cargo bike for any ride longer than 4km and on a run bike or BMX race bike for shorter rides.
I take my kids on bikepacking trips and off-road tours.
http://forums.mtbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=731483&stc=1&d=1350577126
I occasionally write up my trips on spot adventures as user coldbike, I have several stubs in there currently waiting for me to fill in the story and pictures as well as a long writeup of last year's tour. [edit: moved to: https://www.coldbike.com/2016/10/26/2011-kvr-tour/ ]

Further edit: my kids are now 13 and 17, now there is usually a crowd of teens with us on trips.

http://forums.mtbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=731495&stc=1&d=1350579541


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## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

I am Newton. I've been riding for 2 yrs, 1 month. I learned to ride as a kid, but never had a bike of my own, and never really rode beyond basics.

My son is 8yo and my daughter is 6yo. The family didn't get out much this year. My son would ride about once per week with me during the summer, and family rides about once per month. I haven't taken my kids out in a month, however.

We ride at Santa Teresa County Park, Alum Rock Park, Old Haul Road, and Alviso Baylands.

My son's favorite ride so far has been China Camp. It was the first time, for me as well, doing the full loop. My son's Strava, except I missed the singletrack climb and went up the steeper fireroad instead. The full descent was really nice, but I had to stop a few times to check the map, and of course a snack break. Fruition bars are their favorite on trail snack, along with mixed nuts and dried fruits like cranberries and raisins.






Pictures from 2011 of our ride at Alviso, and a 2012 shot of my son at the Gap Bench or Turtle Rock. My son has a new bike now, a 24". I didn't get pics of the kids doing the jumps, we were having too much fun to stop.


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

I am Justin, parent biker.

Boys are 4&6, both are riding pedal bikes, but really really loved their striders.

I'm currently trying to get City of Austin (TX) to build a Bike Park so that my boys have a good place to learn and grow - they love some singletrack, but they also can be little dare-devils. 

Please sign my petition if you have a minute!

I've got some pics somwehere around here...
3yo:

























first crash:


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## wahday (Mar 23, 2012)

I'm Wahday. Lifelong biker but got back into it and more serious 5 years ago. Both road and mtbr, but mtb is my passion. My kids are 12 (boy) and 7 (girl). The boy rides with a school multi-sports team on a road bike and is really enjoying it (he started this year). He does about 60 miles a week. He also has a mtb but gravitates more to the road bike right now. Am scouting out a bikepacking route this weekend and hoping to take him in the spring.

My daughter is a great rider but is in need of a new bike. She's got a lot of natural athletic ability so I am excited to get something that works for her and get her out on some flat trails. I have good and easy access from our house which makes it all so easy. I think she's going to tear it up.


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## JonnyScotti (Aug 3, 2012)

Hey ya'll. I'm Scotti and have been mountain biking a little over a year. 

My kids are 9, 6 and 4. Each are a joy to be with in their own way. 

Our 9 year old can definitely put in the distance, climbing and technical. He's only been riding since June of this year and I can tell he shares the love of biking with me.

Our 6 year old girl is just starting out on the trails and we have a couple 1 mile loops we do together. She tires quickly and does not like the downhill. She's always talking up a storm and is usually pointing out stuff on the trail. 

Our little 4 year old is also just starting out on the trails. I run/walk as he goes on the same 1 mile loops as his older sister. Our terrain here is very hilly and he does not yet have the strength to climb them so I help him up the hills. He loves going down and going as fast as he can. I can tell he's going to be my little daredevil.


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## nitrousjunky (May 12, 2006)

Hi I'm Nathan, a 33yld Brevard NC native.
I've been riding off an on since 13 and got more serious into the sport at age 23. I'm now married and have 2 kids. I've shared my love for the sport with them and now they are hooked as well. Some of my favorite memories as a teenager were doing family rides with my parents and younger sister. So pumped that it's something I'm getting to pass on and do with my family.

Here is our oldest daughter, Megan. She is now 14 and has been trail riding since age 9. She competed in her first ever mtb race last year ( 3 person women's 6hr relay team), with my wife and mother. They got 2nd place in their category, which made it that much more awesome for her! I think that will be the first of many for her. This is her first year of high school and she just joined the local high school mtb club. They ride every Thur after school and will be attending the CYMBL (Carolina Youth Mountain Bike League) races. She's pretty proud to be the only girl in the club that's on a SS 29er.









And our youngest, Caden. She just turned 7 and has been trail riding since Feb this year. We wanted to start her out at a younger age, however some spinal issues that arose and kept us from doing that. Luckily the issues corrected themselves as she grew!!
She's a little trooper and loves watching mtb movies/videos, especially when they are doing "tricks". She say's she will be a pro mountain biker when she grows up!!









My goal is to one day do a 4 person endurance race as a family. Whether we podium or not doesn't really matter to me, it will be awesome regardless.


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## mellowdave (Feb 3, 2010)

CharacterZero said:


> I am Justin, parent biker.
> 
> Boys are 4&6, both are riding pedal bikes, but really really loved their striders.
> 
> ...


I think you live in, or near my neighborhood.


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## dharel1705 (May 21, 2012)

Hi everyone! I'm Dave. I've been riding bikes since as long as I can remember. I got into mountain biking about 12 years ago. Took a bit of a break after getting married, having 2 kids, house mortgage, etc. 

I have a 5 year old son and a 3 year old daughter. They were both promised new bikes earlier this year for their birthdays. I figured that their was no better time for me to get back into the sport, so I purchased a new bike as well. I've been out riding any chance I get, and so have my kids.

Both kids are at the point of being ready to have training wheels (yeah,yeah I know, but I'm old school) removed. Unfortunately they aren't ready to ride in the slightly colder fall weather. My goal is to have them out riding some easy trails and bike paths with me next spring. I want them to love biking as much as I do.


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## d77 (Aug 14, 2012)

I;m Duncan. I just got back into biking this summer after not having a bike for probably close to 20 years. I'm out there any chance I get, which unfortunately is not as often as I'd like. My wife bought a new bike as well and we've been out together a few times without kids which was nice, just have to know that it's going to be at a pace a lot slower than when I'm out on my own.

We have three kids: a seven year old girl who loves to ride, 4 year old boy who can ride in a straight line no problem without training wheels but needs a little help in the corners and with stopping still, and lastly a two (almost three) year old girl who is probably the bravest of the bunch but realistically won't be pedalling herself until spring 2014 but she loves her pink trike. Rain has set in here in the Vancouver area so I don't know hw much more riding we'll be doing until spring. 

My goal is really to get all five of us out on some nice trails with a few stops for snacks and ice cream


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## MDEnvEngr (Mar 11, 2004)

Bob Spooner here. I've been mtb riding since 1986. My wife joined me when we started dating in 1989. We traveled and raced and had a grand old time through the 90s. Then the kids started happening. Racing stopped and travelling slowed down. I've been lucky enough to keep riding...but Mom took some time off. Now that the littlest is pedalling on his own, we're getting into the woods as a family.

We live in Connecticut and are both engineers in the power industry by day. We have 3: an 11 y/o girl (named Ruthie Julianna - think we liked mtb?), an 8 y/o and a 5 y/o boy. The 8 y/o is the best of the bunch right now, but his little brother will be pushing him in no time.

I started building frames 4 years ago, and frames for the kids was one of the incentives to learn. I've built them - and other kids - a bunch of frames. I love to see what a kid can do on a bike that fits and is designed to handle actual trails. The kids will get better on every ride...it is simply amazing.

Riding with my buddies has slowed down this year, as the kids riding ramps up. I'll generally get a solo ride in early and then something with the family later in the day. I also get the kids out there for trail work -and remind them that trail work is part of being a mountain biker.

I love to see all the pics of the little rippers! Keep them coming! Cheers! B


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## Cary (Dec 29, 2003)

I am Cary. I have been riding for about 35 years now, with brief breaks in the middle. When I was younger, I raced BMX, then got into rode riding, and then at 26 got into mountain biking. I'm pushing 40 now and have an 8 year old son who is an avid rider. He started at 18 months in a burley trailer, and progressed from there to his current 24" hardrock and 20" BMX bike. He also forces me to ride some BMX and at the skate park. Here are a few pictures.


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## JonnyScotti (Aug 3, 2012)

Cary, that looks alot like Lake Tahoe?...


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## Demo9 (Nov 20, 2006)

My name is Brian. I started riding Freeride/DH mountain bikes in 2005. My son came along in 2007. My son Gavin is 5. He started balancing on a Specialized Hotwalk at 1.5yrs old. He was pedaling by 2.5yrs old. We devoloped a love for Whistler and I quickly found there were no good kids bikes on the market to tackle such a place. So I started LiL Shredder Bikes as a means to get Gavin the bike he needed to tackle downhill trails. The investment has been worth every penny and the time spent together chasing each other down the mountain and through the woods is priceless.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

Demo9 said:


> My name is Brian. I started riding Freeride/DH mountain bikes in 2005. My son came along in 2007. My son Gavin is 5. He started balancing on a Specialized Hotwalk at 1.5yrs old. He was pedaling by 2.5yrs old. We devoloped a love for Whistler and I quickly found there were no good kids bikes on the market to tackle such a place. So I started LiL Shredder Bikes as a means to get Gavin the bike he needed to tackle downhill trails. The investment has been worth every penny and the time spent together chasing each other down the mountain and through the woods is priceless.


Holy crap! Now that's a serious no-BS bike for a kid!!!


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## Cary (Dec 29, 2003)

Duplicate Post


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## Cary (Dec 29, 2003)

JonnyScotti said:


> Cary, that looks alot like Lake Tahoe?...


Yep. Rim trail to Flume to Spooner.


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## JonnyScotti (Aug 3, 2012)

CDMC said:


> Yep. Rim trail to Flume to Spooner.


:thumbsup: We did a bit of the Spooner trail this year, fun trail! Haven't done the Flume but it's on my list. Do you live nearby?


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## ubergeek (Oct 1, 2012)

Here's a pic of me and my two youngest, 9 (son) and 8 (daughter) out on a local trail. I have a 16 year old who doesn't ride much in the fall because football and school take up all of his time. My wife has been a couple of times and just rides my older sons bike. Still trying to decide if she likes it enough to get a bike of her own. 

I've just gotten back into MTB after a 16 year or so break. Upgraded both kids to specialized hot rocks this year as well and got a sweet deal on my KHS XC-204 from a friend who was upgrading his ride. I'm super happy to be getting back into it, even if it's been a challenge getting back into shape for it. 

Well, I thought I was going to post a pic, but I guess my post county isn't high enough yet.


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## KiwiRob (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi, names Rob, I just got back in mounting biking after a long (10 year) layoff. I've got three kids, 7, 4 and 16 months, the 7 year old is mad keen on riding and wants me to take him riding most evenings and at least once on the weekend. He's riding a 16inch BMX right now, we're planning on getting him a 24 inch for his birthday next year. The 4 year old isn't enthusiastic and still hasn't learnt to ride without training wheels, he's stubborn, but I think we'll sort the problem next summer.


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## Asmodeus2112 (Jan 4, 2008)

I rode a BMX bike all over Tempe/Phx when I was a kid. Never raced because my parents weren't really with it. I got back into biking late in high school when I bought a Cannondale road bike, a book about LeMond, and tried to find some races. In college I bought way too nice of a mountain bike on credit card, but rode the heck out of it all over Arizona. While starting a career and getting married I didn't ride much, but now I commute to work, road bike when the trails are muddy and mountain bike as much as possible here in Texas or wherever we go on vacation. My wife has gotten into mountain biking and does the occasional Tri with a road bike. I have a daughter who just turned 8 and a son who just turned 10. We ride around a lot for fun and exercise at the local trails, and occasionally go camping and do a mountain bike race. Here are a few pics of us at the last race we attended. 9 out of 10 race photos of me I have my tongue out like an idiot for some reason...


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## blue_biker (Sep 7, 2008)

Im Ross. 28 years old. Married. Just go wife into riding (just road for now on her hybrid). Have a 11 month old girl, just started walking, so balance bike coming soon! I starting riding road/mountain in 2000 regularly. Started racing road in 2002. Did national level tri's from 2004-2007. Back to road for fun. Getting back into MTN heavily. Cant wait to get the family out in a few years with me for some good trips around the country!


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## Rick G. (Oct 24, 2011)

My name is Rick. I am 47 now. Rode for years on a very early bmx bike and a sears 24 inch roadie. Stopped while I was in the AirForce. Started again with about 4 months left in. Riding on base was the best. Wish I would have done that the whole time I was in. My bad. I quit again for a number of years. Started a family and got a career going. Advance 12 or so years. Decided I needed to do something or I was going to become a lump of diabetic mess. (no I am not diabetic.) Kids were old enouph to do something and wanted to ride. So I bought a couple of my mountain bikes from a big unpopular store. I rode that thing for a couple of years. The guys at my LBS decided I needed something to ride. Sold me a Raleigh Grand Sport. Fast forward 2 years.
My LBS decides that it's time I start doing spin class in the winter. The wife wants to go too. Bonus. We begin and she looks around and see's the bikes that are being used, Not being happy with using her Raleigh path bike she now wants a roadie. So talking to the guys We end up getting her a Raliegh Cadent 4.0. She really likes it. Now I should tell you all that we do have mountain bikes. I have an mid 80's Raleigh m 60. The wife has a Raleigh Venture 4.0. My daughter who is about to turn 16 has a Fuji Sunfire. My son who is 10 has a old Trek mountain lion that he has totally outgrown. 
After a few weeks the kids have decided that they are tired of being left at home and want to join us 2 nights a week for spin class. The search is on for bikes. Immedeatly we hand down daughters old Huffy road bike to the boy and the shop had a old Guerciotti that fit her so well that I had to get it for her. It was like it was made for her. If I want to ride all I got to do is say the word and she is ready to go. No waiting.
Plans right now are for a metric century for the Daughter and I. The wife isn't even close to ready but she is kind of excited about spin class this year.The kids are ready to rock. Now for my Lazy butt.. . . . . . . .


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## brianW. (Nov 15, 2010)

Brain and have been riding for 21 years. My wife of 16 years never had a desire to ride 'til this last summer when on her suggestion we went to Woody's Mt Bikes in Helen,GA and did a 15 mile forest service road ride. Two days later she wanted to ride again. Now we are hitting some local singletrack in the Augusta, GA area and we picked up a third wheel trailer for my 5 yr old daughter. The only problem we have is we have 4 daughters (5,10,14,16) and only enough wheels for 5 f us to ride. Keeping a close eye on craiglist. 

My riding was slowed way down but riding with the family is priceless.


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## shortribs_nyc (Oct 18, 2012)

Great thread. As a serial cyclist & new parent (to an 11 month old boy) this is a thread I'll be coming back to. 

Child bike seat of choice: Bobike Maxi Tour+ rear, which will get put to use following the first birthday.


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## Cinq (Jan 2, 2003)

Hi, my name is Clemens. I am 46 years old and have two boys of 6 and 9. I started riding somewhere in 1988 and my oldest boy started when he was 4 on a 'regular' kids bike. At 6 he got his first mountainbike, a Specialized Hot Rock 20. He ha recently upgraded to a Kona Kula 24 and the Hot Rock now serves the youngest brother (who started on a Hot Rock 16 by the way).

We have two trails nearby, Geestmerambacht (8 km singletrack) and Schoorl (15 km, mostly singletrack). Sometimes we go riding elsewhere and my oldest boy has already been to the downhill park Winterberg in Germany which we enjoyed tremendously!



















Link to video at Geestmerambacht track:

Geestmerambacht singletrack with my two sons

Kind regards,

Clemens


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## RolledMeat (Jan 13, 2004)

francois said:


> Please introduce yourself so us parents can get to know each other.
> 
> Who are you and how long have you been riding?
> 
> ...


Troy here. I've been riding bikes my whole life and mountain biking for 20 years. I have two boys, ages 3 and 5, and bike riding is a central part of our lives. Both of them graduated from a strider bike to a 12 inch bike before they turned 3. We ride trails, BMX tracks and skate parks. The little one just recently mastered the BMX track. I can't wait to do longer and longer rides with my kids.


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## longboarderj (Sep 11, 2010)

I'm Jeff, 34, we live in Orange County California and I have been riding since I was 12. I have three kids who love to ride.
Jake is 12 and is really into freeride and downhill, he has also taken an interest in photography so any of these pictures he is not in, he took!

























Ryan is my 8 year old daughter, she loves XC racing and is good at it.

























Conner is my youngest son and has gotten just his first mountain bike this week, but he has done some local races on his 12" BMX.

























And this is me (taken by Jake)


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## Surfpoodi (Sep 14, 2011)

Hey - I've been riding on the dirt since the mid-80's. My boy Bo turned 5 this month, and has been riding for nearly his entire life. We started him on a Strider, then quickly graduated to a Like-a-Bike Jumper (can you say full suspension run bike!). From there, he went on to a 12" Hotrock, then a Redline Pitboss, now a 20" Hotrock.

We do a lot of riding up around the UCSC campus in Santa Cruz. Nice network of beginner trails. Bo has done a bit of BMX racing, but so far seems more enthusiastic about mountain biking than BMX at this point. He also tends to do around 1-2 days a week in the skate park or on the pump track.

Here is a video I made of our ride last month.

Bo on UCSC trails Oct '12 - YouTube

Jamie


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## JonnyScotti (Aug 3, 2012)

Great pictures Jeff (and the ones taken by Jake)! 

Surfpoodi, your little guy is fun to watch! 

Keep up the good work ya'll!


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## mtbhead (Jun 17, 2004)

Scott in San Jose - I've been mtbing since 1989, and I'm a cycling addict ("Hi Scott"). My kids have each all been mtb riding with me since they each were about 1.5. I've started each of them first in a front-mount bike seat (which our 3yo uses now), then trail-a-bike (my 5yo is in this now), and my oldest has been on his own 20" mountain bike since he was 7. They also have each ridden a Stryder when younger (ballance bikes are awesome), and my two boys also have 16" BMX bikes which we take to the local dirt jump park (Calabazas), as well as to the Truckee Pump Track occasionally. My oldest did a stint of racing BMX when he was 5 and 6, but then kind of lost interest. I feel so lucky that all of my kids all enjoy riding - something I plan to fuel as much as possible. For those in the Bay Area, you may have seen us (along with my wife) at the LG Turkey Day ride - we plan to go again this year, but we usually start late. Or at one of the local cyclocross events (Surf City or CCCX) that host a the kids "races". I just bought a Scott Spark JR 20 that in the process of tricking out for my 8yo for Christmas...


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## evandy (Oct 3, 2012)

Just introducing myself over here... I've recently gotten a new Big Dummy as a family bike for my two daughters and me. Two girls: 1.5 and 3.5 right now; a 4'9" mom who doesn't bike too much, and me... Pilot of the Dummy. Here's a picture of the girls on a recent grocery run...










The two girls LOVE riding in the new bike. They used to enjoy the trailer, but right now they are asking to ride the bike nearly every day. Since we're in NW Chicago Suburbia and the unseasonably warm weather is about to end, we'll have to wait and see how they like riding bundled up in the cold.... But it definitely seems like we are a new biking family.


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## shupack (Nov 28, 2012)

Dennis, Asheville NC. Just getting back into XC, it's time to upgrade my oldest's bike from her 16" Trek Float, she wants a bouncy fork and spiky things for the chain (gears, I believe). 3 daughters, all love riding but we don't get out enough.


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## Birdman (Dec 31, 2003)

John, 45, Hillsborough NC (near Durham/Raleigh).

I have 2 daughters (currently 5 and 3), and a newborn son (November 2012).

Girls Rides:
2008 Specialized Hotrock 16
2007 Specialized Hotrock 12

My hauling rigs:
2002 Santa Cruz Superlight with a LOCT BodySpace saddle
2002 Specialized Allez cromoly road bike with a 2000 Chariot trailer 

I am currently trying to get back into MTBing, having started seriously in 1994. I ride infrequently during lunchtime, SSing on about 10 miles of singletrack at a nearby park.

My wife and I used to ride a lot before the kids. Hoping to get everyone excited about riding again.

JMJ


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## pentlandexile (Jan 4, 2013)

Love this thread. I'm Ben, in Brisbane, Australia. Been riding since about 1996, first mostly in Scotland, then over here. Just getting back into MTB'ing after doing a lot of road riding. Got two boys, aged 6 (nearly 7) and 5. The oldest, James, is big enough to get into MTB now, he's just learning how to ride trails. He's on a 20" Giant XTC and I'm trying to persuade him to ditch the kickstand. His brother Sam is on an 18" Byk, an Aussie kids' brand, well worth checking out. Both of them are terrors at racing up and down our dead end street.

My singlespeed's getting fixed up now and when it's done James and I are hitting the dirt. In the meantime getting loads of inspiration here.

And btw this is my first post on Mtbr since 2000 when I added a review of my new (then) GT Zaskar LE. Can't remember my handle back then... but happy days :thumbsup:


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## longboarderj (Sep 11, 2010)

Since Jake and Ryan's pictures disappeared I thought I would share some new ones.

This is me (Jeff)









This is Jake









This is my Daughter Ryan


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## Captain Cobb (Mar 23, 2010)

I'm Adian, I've been avidly riding NorCal since 1993. My Boys are 9, 11, 18. The youngest is the most in to mountain biking, and my 11 year old struggles to maintain interest. The oldest boy doesn't ride much. We do a few trips each year, races, sea otter, ect. That usually helps to spark their interests.


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## Tjaard (Aug 17, 2007)

I am Tjaard. I have 2 and 5 year old girls. I have been mountainbiking for about 9 years now.

When my oldest was a baby we bought a Tout-Terrain Singletrailer, so I could still ride singletrack (my wife and I worked alternate times).

The girls love riding their own bikes(not on singletrack yet) and riding the trailers, they want to go bikepacking again next summer!

-









-


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## TAOS1 (Feb 5, 2013)

I'm a proud dad of 3 kids. My middle son is the one who is into biking (and skating). Got him a sweet Trek for Christmas and his skills on a bike impress me! I've been riding mtb for 25 or so years. It's an amazing feeling now to be out on the trail with my boy. He is now 11 and we ride at least once a week. Fun to 'teach' him what I know and what took me years to learn on my own. I have no set "goals" for him, just want him to enjoy it as much as I did and still do. Looking forward to taking him to Colorado/Moab once I feel he is ready.

Picture of my boy ragin' :thumbsup:


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## PTforty (Jan 26, 2013)

I am a proud dad of two beautiful girls (a 3 year old and 5 year old girls). My garage is filled with a Chariot trailer, a Burley Piccolo trail-a-bike, a balance bike, a scooter, a tricycle, and two kids bikes. That's just for the kids-- you don't want to know how much stuff there is for me and my wife.

Previously we went on a weeklong, supported, bike tour in the Netherlands when my older daughter was 18 months old. That was when she was happy to sit in the trailer and doze off... not so much anymore. 

Anyone have suggestions for good places for bike touring with kids?


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## Jordan300 (Jul 26, 2008)

My name is Jordan. I have two Sons Talon (4) and Ronan (2). Talon started on a strider at 2 and is racing BMX now. Ronan is just now getting the hang of the strider. I take the boys to the BMX track sometimes twice a week. I'll also bring Talon out to some single track every now and then. I got Talon a Redline Micro and a Scott Jr Voltage. Ronan got his brothers old Specialized 12" but hasn't ridden it yet.

Always trying to get the wife out on a bike but I rarely succeed.


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## N3M0 (Feb 19, 2013)

I'm Charles and I'm 28, I've been riding since I was about 4 or 5. Once I learned to drive though, riding took a back seat and I haven't ridden a bike in probably about 7 years. I just joined the forum yesterday as I plan on getting back into the sport due to the fact that my wife and I just recently had a child together and we were looking for family friendly activities. My son is 10 months old and I can't wait until I can get him on a bike. For now he'll be pulled behind


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## Jordan300 (Jul 26, 2008)

N3M0 said:


> My son is 10 months old and I can't wait until I can get him on a bike. For now he'll be pulled behind


Hey Charles,
Sounds exciting, Keep an eye out for a trailer and then a Strider. Usually you can get the kids on a Strider at about 18 months.


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## N3M0 (Feb 19, 2013)

Jordan300 said:


> Hey Charles,
> Sounds exciting, Keep an eye out for a trailer and then a Strider. Usually you can get the kids on a Strider at about 18 months.


Thanks for the tip! He's a pretty strong little dude, already walking and he can get on and off of a rocking horse already with no problems. Maybe I'll pick up both at the same time, he may be ready for the Strider by mid summer for at least short trips.


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## Jordan300 (Jul 26, 2008)

I used Velcro straps and hung the Strider from the back of the trailer kind of like a trunk rack so that if he got tired he could hop in the trailer or hop out to ride again.


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## N3M0 (Feb 19, 2013)

Jordan300 said:


> I used Velcro straps and hung the Strider from the back of the trailer kind of like a trunk rack so that if he got tired he could hop in the trailer or hop out to ride again.


Another excellent idea  thanks again!


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## asbefore (Jan 11, 2013)

I'm a dad of two boys - they're going to be 4 and 2 this summer. Presently, I have a Hamax Kiss seat on the back of my 26" Ross Hybrid, and I also have a Weeride for the front.

I haven't tried biking with both kids at the same time, but I'm looking for recommendations on a wheelset that can help us get around New York City -- between the kids and myself, I'd say we weigh around 320 pounds. 

Being that New York is the capital of bike theft, I don't want to buy super expensive wheels that attract attention, just ones that will do the job commuting..

Thank you!


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## Warnerja27 (Apr 5, 2012)

Hu everyone. My name is Jamal. I gave a 10month old. I don't think I can hit the trails with her but if anyone has any ideas if love to here them! I guess for now I'll be getting a Burley and hitting some gravel roads and pavement.


















Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2


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## longboarderj (Sep 11, 2010)

*Conners first real ride!*

I've shared pictures of my two oldest kids Jake (12) and Ryan my daughter (9) but not a lot about my youngest Conner (8). Conner has been going with us to the local dirt jumps for about a year and finally had the skills to get on the trail so here is a short vid from his first trail ride.


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## jasonf150 (Dec 12, 2011)

I'm Jason. I started riding again a few years ago. I got a 2009 Trek 7.3 FX to commute to work on. It's about 11 miles each way. I plan on getting a mountain bike (Giant Talon) to start riding some mountain and singletrack.

We have 3 kids, 5yr, 3yr, 1yr. The fiver just got a bike given to him by a friend and loves it. He was riding a balance bike for a while so I really didn't need to "teach" him. He just got on and started riding. My wife also just got a bigboxbike so we ride around the neighborhood with the 3 and 1 in a trailer behind me.

Good times!


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

Jared here, I got daughter #1 her first "real" mountain bike for her 6th birthday back in December. It's a GT Laguna 20". She was quite excited to see the car all loaded and ready for the first ride this past weekend. This hill isn't much, but for her, it took some encouraging. She finally made it and then had to do it over and over again.


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## picaza (Apr 9, 2013)

Hi all. I'm Wendy, partner Kate and I have 2 girls, 8 and 10. I'm hoping to find some destination rides this year that will not be too frustrating for them but still fun for the grownups too. Can't wait to explore this families-riding-kids section and see how folk are doing getting everyone out. It's all about the snacks here....


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## superdave522 (Apr 12, 2013)

*Riding Again!*

My name is David and I have been riding bicycles for 33 of my 36 years. Like a lot of folks here I took a few years to make babies (9, 7, 5, and 3 years of age) and change diapers. Before that I raced motocross/XC and always enjoyed cross training on the mountain bike. My oldest, Dan, began taking an interest in mountain biking recently. Since then I've dusted off my old Klein and we've been hitting River Legacy Trails in the Arlington/Fort Worth area. Dan's ridden some BMX and MX so he has taken to it pretty fast. Me on the other hand, the bike handling skills are still there but the legs are not.  Things have come full circle. I am blessed to share one of the things I enjoy most, that is rolling on two wheels, with my boy.


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## Bikin' Bric (Sep 7, 2003)

Hi

I'm Eric, 28 years old, been riding for 13 years. I have an 8 month old son who loves getting out with me in the trailer on the local MUP's. Can't wait until he gets to ride his own wheels.


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## Jim Mac (Jun 29, 2004)

Yo, I'm Jim. More on Ridemonkey than here, but have been checking out this thread a bit!

me: 80's 'rad' wanna be BMX kid, got into MTB riding in the mid 90's. Started racing DH in 2004 and semi-retired in 2010.

My son started riding his push bike at age 2, and by 3 he was peddling away...even down some rocky trails!: 









Just after turning 5, we started to hit the local BMX track to structure our riding a bit: 









Now at the later part of 5 and on a lighter bike, he is ready to try racing a bit, hopefully tomorrow!


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## A Pile Of Tile (Apr 27, 2013)

*Hello from Denver*

Hello, new here.....15 year old son, 10 year old son and now a new 3 month old Daughter. I Have not riden with my new Daughter yet, but plan to....

My 10 year old.....7 years ago  Err...they usually wear helmets...this was just out in front of the house.























My 10 tear olds new bike....I was eventualy able to teach him to keep both hands on the bars....









My 15 year old wants to start XC racing

His bike


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## ghglenn (Jan 26, 2012)

I'm Glenn. My Son is 8 and my daughter is 6. We ski and snowboard all winter, and mountain bike
through Summer. My wife and I have been avid Mtbrs for 20 years, and love sharing our passion with
our kids. I am the local trail builder in the community, and trail stewardship is also something I want
them to embrace. My wife is one of 150 women in a women-only MTB group. This has empowered my
little girl, as she sees many "girls" who mountain bike, just like she does. Life on two wheels is good.


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## mark73 (Feb 26, 2012)

Hi my name is mark and have been riding for as long as i can remember,my son zach is 3 and been riding since he got a isla rothan balance bike for his second birthday.


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## InlawBiker (Aug 19, 2009)

Hey all,

I've been a member of the forums for some years, not too active lately. I grew up on bikes and ride a Stumpjumper around the Seattle area. Our boys are now 8 and 10 and pretty active. We ski all winter (Stevens) and camp in the summers. They're just getting adventurous on the mountain bikes, it's such a blast!

Ski season is over now I'm building up a 24" for the oldest. We live right by the trails so I'm hoping to "brainwash" them early and get them started with a life on two wheels. So far I think it's working.


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## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Hey ppl, I'm Keith. Rode a lot when i was in my teens (no car lived in the country) found plenty of dirtbike trails to play on. Then i got a car and a g/f... 32 now just picked up riding again last year cause my now almost 7yr old son was too fast to walk with and plus I had gained a lot of weight and was outta shape. Then i got the bug. My son and I would ride (him on a transformers bike with training wheels) for miles, record for us was 11paved. I took his trainers off, we got him a used trek 20" mt60 and he went nuts. Record for him is just shy of 20 miles paved now, 6miles trails.

Now we both ride all we can, since he's with us for the summer)lives with his mom during school except weekends), he rides with me for my commute to day job (friends place so my son can hang out till wife gets off work then she takes him and his bike back home).

Currently waiting for dang rain to stop long enough for one local trailset to dry out as others are too hilly for him.










Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2


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## snowbeaverking (Nov 9, 2009)

long time reader of this forum first time posting thought this was the perfect place for me first post. I am a father of two courageous daughters one 14 that races xc, light dh, and ds she also will be coaching a kids summer camp this season(she started coaching snowboarding 2 years ago with me) and my 5 year old who thinks her sister is the coolest chick on the planet and wants do everything her sister can(she too mountainbikes and snowboards with dad now). The oldest and I started trail riding after she saved up and bought her first mountainbike 4 years ago. And once my youngest was old enough to hold on to a tag along bike she was on trails to give her a taste of dirt riding. We started the 5 year old on her 3rd birth day with a 12" bike I took the crank out of so she could stride then put them back in and dared her to put her feet on the pedals she was riding with in 6 months. My little one will be 6 in august and gets to attend her first mountainbike camp this summer she is stoked and so am I.

Thanks for all the wonderful info on this forum,
Thom


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## rainman67ko (Jul 14, 2013)

Hi My name is Kevin, age 47, and I'm the father of 5 boys ages 24,22,20,19, and 10. My wife Liz and I have a "yours, mine, and ours" family. We all love the outdoors activities like hiking, camping, surfing, hanging at a beach, and biking. I have been riding dirt since I was a kid jumping Huffy's and Schwinn's on dirt ramps in the woods or clearing garbage cans in the driveway. I learned to work on my bikes at a young age and continue to do most all work on my ride today.

After a brief hiatus from mountain bilking, I recently rode some rails to trails with Liz and our youngest son Brandon. Liz got hooked so we bought her a nice Raleigh Venture the next day. I have just rebuilt my Manitou 3 and tuned my old Klein and Brandon is on a 20" GT BMX. He is looking to make the move to a 24" this fall. We have plans to do some single track and other stuff.

Pittsburgh has a ton of rail trail access. It's really a great biking city. Today Brandon and I rode 8 miles the Three Rivers Heritage trail on Pittsburgh North Shore. Here are a few pics from today's ride.



























Thanks for the look!


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## seemana (Sep 16, 2009)

Aaron here....been more of a roadie lately, but my youngest is starting to really like riding singletrack so we've been spending more time in the woods. He's turning out to be a solid little rider who's only fear is big downhills. He's currently on a cheap Schwinn BMX with the thought of upgrading him to Spawn Cycles soon to be released 20" full rigid this fall. He's showing enough interest now that I think it would be a worthwhile investment.

Pics chronicle his start from training wheels to now....basically age 2.5 to 6. It was fun digging these up. The last picture was from Monday. Came home from work to find him trying to build a ramp. Some scrap lumber and a few screws later and this is what we got. Had to add the extra 2x4 for more support....I didn't want to break it when I use it!


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## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

I have just been sucked into this forum when I came across the custom Specialized Hotrock builds. My 2 year old has a Specialized Hotrock 12 and I would love to build up a 16 inch bike for when he is big enough. He is quite small (under 35 inches I think) and will be three in November. He started with a balance bike at 19 months and was riding a pedal bike at 22 months with no training wheels.

I also have a 7 year old loves all sorts of bikes - he loves to mountain bike/dirt jump/bmx.

I sometimes get the time to go out on a bike myself...


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## Byf619 (Mar 12, 2012)

My son has been going to the trails with me recently. He has been asking for a mountain bike since he was using his bmx bike. Found a barely used Novara 24 inch bike for a really good price. Took him him out for his maiden voyage on his new bike and he did great. Was able to climb hills he couldn't before. He is having a hard time with the grip shifters do I ordered him some shimano trigger shifters.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## Hammie (Aug 1, 2013)

Just joined recently as I just got my first mountain bike due to my son.

I have two boys -- 12 and 10. My oldest loves his new mountain bike and my youngest is new to riding a bike unassisted.

My oldest just got his first mountain bike at the end of July. It was something that he has wanted for a while, but we were not sure about the 24" wheels since he was very wobbly on his 20" BMX bike.

Well, we were very wrong. He was a natural on the 24" bike. He is stable and is now doing jumps off obstacles at our local park. He wants to start doing trails and other rides that involve jumps. He is always wanting to go out and ride.

My 10 year old has been scared to ride without training wheels. For the past three years or so, we have been urging him to learn, but he always gave up in frustration. Well, this year, on my older son's birthday (when he got his new bike), my 10 year decided it was his time and has been riding ever since without any training wheels. He is a shorter fellow and has been riding a 16" BMX bike. However, he so wants a mountain bike like his brother.

We have looked around but cannot find one that fits him perfect. His older brothers 24" Trek fits him pretty good and he can ride it pretty good (for only being 1 month off training wheels). At this point of the the year, we have decided to revisit a new bike in the Spring. At that point, he may be a little taller and able to fit a 24" bike better. I'm just not sure how much he likes riding bikes or how much he likes being like his older brother. Still trying to weight in on that option.

Glad to be part of the thread and look forward to learning a lot about a lot of different aspects of MTBing.


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## Jbrunetti (Apr 6, 2012)

HI All!

Justin. Ft Lauderdale, FL. Been riding trails for the last 10 years. 2.5 year old son named Ian. Been riding one year. He rides daily on his balance bike. Around the neighborhood. Bombing down our neighbors stairs and the small inclines. (not many in South Florida) About to get him off his balance bike and one to a smal 10,12 inch pedal bike. Looking forward in showing him the way of trail!


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## mtb1983 (Oct 29, 2013)

Hey - just joined to share some of our new adventures - I am the Dad who has ridden mtb for over 30 years, and my son loves getting out on his bikes with me.

Currently he is riding a 12" Hotrock - in the garage waiting to be ridden more is a Redline Pitboss 16" bike - even though he can ride it he still prefers the smaller bike for now.

The next bike in our future is our latest project that we hope to share here. We are starting with a red 2007 Hotrock 20" 6 speed boys bike that I just bought on Craigslist. This bike is trashed, which is perfect, since I plan on keeping the frame, stem, seatpost clamp, headset & brakes. Everything else will probably go in the bin. This new project bike will be worked on over the next 18 months - I want to have it ready for his 6th birthday. The best part about the bike is the frame is in great shape and it is his favorite color. Now it is on to the upgrades and the fun of building this up together...


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## lowayne (Nov 11, 2013)

Loren here. 2 girls. 1 1990 Trek Antelope. 1 2014 Stumpjumper on the way. 1 Cycletote trailer. 1 spotted mutt.

Happy to answer question about any of these things!


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## fireswamp (Nov 4, 2013)

Hi All. I'm a parent of 3 kids (ages 8, 5, 2) living in the pacific northwest, and I've been riding in the dirt since roughly age 3. My oldest kid started riding on a 12" HotRock with the pedals removed, and the younger two started on a (now well-loved) Strider. Our kid bikes are currently: Islabike Beinn 20 small, Hotrock 16 (soon to become a 16" something with a freewheel + brakes), and the Strider.

We live within easy kid-riding distance from miles of kid-and-adult-friendly singletrack and have a mini bike park in our yard (pump track + skinny + ...).

I've learned a lot from this forum about biking with kids and where/how to get the right gear, I absolutely love riding with my kids, and I'm looking forward to becoming part of the conversation.


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## Roelof (Nov 19, 2013)

Hello folks!

My name is Markus - I am from Austria, so please excuse my bad english. My son Julian is 6 years old and a great fan of cycling. At the moment he rides a tuned old isla cnoc 16 (~6,5kg, incl. backpedal brake, with V-Brake it would be sub6). We do trips with maximum 10miles, but at this distance we both enjoy it. 

I registered because I would like to have some more interchange of ideas - usually I write on the german forum: mtb-news - but there are just about 10 to 15 serious active members interested in kid bike tuning. 

2014 he will get his hot new ride - I will open a new thread if the last parts have arrived (still waiting for the rims). But to give you a bit: it will be pretty light.


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## ra26 (Oct 7, 2013)

Roelof said:


> Hello folks!
> 
> My name is Markus - I am from Austria, so yh tcj7wwde6d78wd f82giwdd7iplease excuse my bad english. My son Julian is 6 years old and a great ug2eh2g6uyrebn67t4bwn of cycling. At the moment he rides a tuned old isla cnoc 16 (~6,5kg, incl. backpedal brake, with V-Brake it would be sub6). We do trips with maximum 10miles, but at this distance we both enjoy it.
> Yug3d1b673vfsw672jvs2b
> ...


Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk


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## Roelof (Nov 19, 2013)

My dealer got the rims allready and will send it after a few tests... it is the very first time this rims are delivered to end costumers.


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## spencerb (Dec 9, 2013)

francois said:


> Please introduce yourself so us parents can get to know each other.
> 
> Who are you and how long have you been riding?
> 
> ...


Hello! Joined today for this thread. 

I'm 32 and I've been riding for as long as I can recall. I Stopped riding for a while when I discovered motocross, girls and cars (in that order). I got back into riding at about 26 and started straight into downhill. Since then we've had our son (who turns 4 in January) and we have a 6th month old daughter.

We started him in a trailer on a no-so-regular basis when he was one. Then we bought him his run bike (a Giant Pre) when he turned two and he's been riding that like crazy. His first pedal bike showed up in the mail today (Spawn Banshee) and he will get that for his birthday in January.

We've been riding lots of single track and I'm super excited for him to have pedals and brakes so that he can continue to progress. He's mostly fearless now and I look forward to him kicking my ass and trips to Whistler.

Here's a not so short video of him. I tried my best to hit the 3 minute mark, but as a gushing parent, that's really hard!

Bens Ride - YouTube

Look forward to cruising the parents forum more.


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## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

Welcome  I liked the way he just picked himself up and dusted himself off! Bet you can't wait to get him on that Banshee.


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## PBNinja (Jan 30, 2014)

Hey, I'm Jim, 35 years old with three offspring  I'm a returning mountain biker, already broken a couple of ribs so far this year and trying to avoid a repeat!!

My kids are Sophie who is 6 and a half now,
Ethan who's coming 5 in a couple of months,
Erin who is turning 3 next week.

I love them to bits, they've all got bikes, well, Erin gets hers this weekend for her birthday gift.


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## boogar73 (Apr 3, 2006)

Hi - I am chuck, 44 years old. this is an awesome forum. I have 3 awesome kids. Emma - 12, Charlie - 9.9, Leo - just hit 5 today. I just got them riding on some loops Spring of '13. Emma rocks a trek MT220 (24" she bought with yard sale earnings) in purple, and she is too big for it. Charlie is riding a 20" trek, also too little, and Leo's quiver is a strider knock off (like it better than strider), a cruiser, and a big box 10" hand-me-down bmx style bike. It will be an expensive spring considering they all need new rides and I just bought a gently used Surly Krampus...

Here are some pics of Leo on the attack:






















He always wants to ditch school and go ride, and I can appreciate that.


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## boogar73 (Apr 3, 2006)

boogar73 said:


> Hi - I am chuck, 44 years old. this is an awesome forum. I have 3 awesome kids. Emma - 12, Charlie - 9.9, Leo - just hit 5 today. I just got them riding on some loops Spring of '13. Emma rocks a trek MT220 (24" she bought with yard sale earnings) in purple, and she is too big for it. Charlie is riding a 20" trek, also too little, and Leo's quiver is a strider knock off (like it better than strider), a cruiser, and a big box 10" hand-me-down bmx style bike. It will be an expensive spring considering they all need new rides and I just bought a gently used Surly Krampus...
> 
> Here are some pics of Leo on the attack:
> View attachment 871361
> ...


Just upgraded my 10 yr old son to 1999 gary fisher big sur 14" that has been pimped. $200 son. Rjde the shiz out of that lightweight. I will be in his dust cloud on my krampus. Hooting all the way!!!


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## bikerbert (Aug 28, 2004)

My name is Al, 42. Lilly is my oldest (2 1/2), and baby to be names later is due by April 25! 

Lilly already reads my Mountain Bike Action subs when they come in the mail!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Uzzi (Oct 28, 2003)

AJ here. Lisa (3.5y) got her Supurb BO12 today. We took it out the box, assembled it and off she went. Think she will have little trouble passing on the Strider to one of her little friends...


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## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

Nice bike, haven't seen one of them before


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## Uzzi (Oct 28, 2003)

ProjectMayhem said:


> Nice bike, haven't seen one of them before


Only introduced at Interbike last year. German brand/design. Lisa her bike is from the first production run. First impression is very good, solid build and as light as it can get within a EUR 400 price tag


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## Uzzi (Oct 28, 2003)

Still amazed how quick she picked up cycling. The Strider has def helped a lot there. Also think it was a good thing we started with a 12" bike even though she will probably on a 14" bike in no time.


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## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

Nice one!


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## Marky (Sep 8, 2004)

Mark here. Last two years I have been riding with my now almost 9 year old daughter in the Netherlands. I am currently looking to get her a small 26" bike we can build up with some light parts and a fork that actually does something.


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## topserve (Oct 5, 2014)

Hi, I am Emil. My wife and I have three sons, ages 4, 8, and 12. We live in a fairly quiet area with some beautiful bike paths near Lake Michigan. We enjoy the fresh air while keeping active with our boys. One thing I have learned as a parent bicycling with young kids is that you can never be too safe. We have enjoyed many great family bike rides, but even in our quiet area with little traffic we have had close calls. One time when our middle son was just learning, we went for a bike ride where I was in the lead, next was him, then our oldest, and my wife with the youngest in the attached bicycle carrier. We stayed on the bike paths, and then there was a spot were we needed to turn right along the bike path. If you went straight you would go out into the road. I was coaching our middle son to slow down, and follow me to the right along the bike path. Well his foot slipped while slowing down, and instead of turning he went straight going out to the road while a car was coming. Thankfully, he didn't get hit, but it was a very close call. So I came up with an idea, being a hockey player, I had an old hockey stick shaft that I hockey taped to the front of his bike, and I then fastened it to the seat pole of mine. It worked great! He was still able to steer a bit on his own, but I could set the pace, slow him down or stop him. The next 6 or so family bike rides I used this contraption with him and it allowed me to coach him better, while it built his confidence. I wanted to share this idea with other families, because I'm sure there are similar stories out there. You can make your own, or I just designed a non-hockey stick version that you can check out if you like at Learn and Ride by Top Serve LLC . The one on the web site is made from furniture grade PVC, but if you wanted to make one yourself you could simply use PVC from the hardware store along with some nylon rope. Having your little one tethered to your bike, for my wife and I has made for a much more relaxing bike ride.


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## Rae6503 (Jun 30, 2009)

I'm Rachel. 3 kids. 2 girls, ages 8 and 6, one boy 4. My husband races and I did a couple this year as well (very slowly). Let the kids do the "kids' race" at each of mine. The oldest seems pretty interested in maybe doing a camp next year and/or racing. We also took them to COMBA's Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day this last weekend and the 6 year old likes to go fast down hills and through the twisty single track in the trees. The 4 year old just learned to pedal a month or two ago.


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## Tom17 (Oct 17, 2014)

I'm Tom, ~40 and i've been riding since I was a kid. I moved to Munich in 2000 and my boss got me into mountian bike marathons in the Alps so I got an 'OK' bike there - my Scott - and have loved riding ever since.

However, I mostly don't ride at all since moving to the Toronto area where the lifestyle does not have a huge amount of free time, but I digress 

I got my son a runners-bike wooden runner when he was nearly 2 and he's a somewhat stubborn kid and wouldn't go near it for ages. At some point when he was 2, he warmed to the idea and was off. I think he was taking it on gentle skate park stuff around his 3rd birthday. When that was getting too small for him, I 'de-pedalled' a 12" toddler bike and that became his new balance bike, but it took him a long time to get used to it and still preferred his wooden one even when he had turned 4.

As for pedals, he was never one to work out pedalling for the longest time, even on one of those kiddy trike things. I got him a 14" pedal bike when he was 4, but he was really resistant to trying it and didn't get round to riding it until he was 5, this year.

Because of his reluctance to pedal, I had let him use his balance bike for a very long time, and he loves it, but I didn't realise there were so many cool bikes now (Spawn). Maybe they would have helped the cause.

Now I am stuck wondering what to do next. The 14" toy-shop bike he has now is abysmal and I really like the look of the 16" spawn bike, but wondering if I left it too late and should move on to a 20" bike now.

And that brings me here, where I will no doubt spend a few months reading & researching, trying to work out what to get him next. he turns 6 in March next year...

Hi all!

Tom...


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## taletotell (Mar 3, 2009)

I'm Ryan. My wife and I are almost 30 and we have 4 kids. Our twins are 5, our next is 2 and we have an infant. The twins rock pedal bikes and the 2yr old is on a strider.
We all love to ride. The twins are learning the art of dirt and one of them loves it. The other likes going fast on the bike path.


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## d0ubledown (Jan 4, 2015)

Hello all

First post here at mtbr. Thought i'd intro myself since chances are this forum is where i'll be lurking most 

Lee here from Vancouver BC. Wife & i late 30s, with our with 3 kids, 12 girl, 10 boy, 6 girl who all started riding bikes at about 3 years old. Now heavily into the BMX racing scene for the last 5 years. All 3 kids are nationally ranked in Canada & US, and ride for Staats Bicycles. We as a family all love to ride bikes, and now wanting to get into the mtb scene since theres so much awesome terrain here. Looking to build/buy 'proper' dirtjumper/AM bikes for the oldest two. a 2-4 for the boy, and a 26 for the girl to get us going. its fun learning & researching new bikes, specs & gear!

heres my 12 year old:








my 10 year old:








lil 6 year old:








hoping to learn lots and maybe throw in a couple pennies here n there!

cheers
lee


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## Ernest Becker (Dec 5, 2014)

Great photos Lee! What make/model are those bikes?


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## goldenhawk (Apr 26, 2015)

Hello, I am Neil. I have been riding bikes since around age 6 or 7. Rode a lot during my teens and in college. Put a lot of miles on my old Diamondback riding from one end of the VT campus to the other.

I am now in my 40s and have four sons from age 14 to 7. I got back into riding this spring since teaching two (9 and 7) of my four sons ride. My oldest (14) son also got back into riding this spring since learning to ride about 5 years go. My sons and I try to ride around the neighborhood and nearby trails in the afternoon and on weekends. It's great excercise for everyone (and it sure beats running and tearing up my knee and ankle joints). The best part is that the boys will ask me if we can go riding, so they are motivated in that way.

I also need to get my wife back into riding with the rest of the family. She has not been on a bike since she was 13.


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## Sorefoot (May 30, 2015)

I'm DD. 46. Rode mtb a lot 20 years ago. Got a job that has no set schedule and lots of hours. Had no time for biked. Live close to Great Allegheny Passage. Wife loves the trail. 6 y/o son just getting into it (outgrown his Hotrock 20--tallest kid in kindergarten, taller than most of the 1st graders) upgrading old Hotrock 24 for him now. Youngest is 2. Started out loving the chariot, now hates it, but enjoys the jogging stroller. Go figure


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## RyanB44 (Jun 11, 2015)

I'm Ryan, 35. Wife and I Got in to MTB about 4 months ago and love it. 

We have two kids Daughter who will be 7 in July and son who just turned two. Daughter didn't really take an interest in biking until last September and since then we've been through three bikes. She started in her little 16" then graduated to a 20" single speed and I bought my wife and I cheap bikes. We started riding the local bike paths around Valencia, Ca and we're doing 15 miles with her on the single speed. We then got her a diamondback 20" which she did much better on and I bought my wife and I new decent bikes (29er Rockhopper for me and a 27.5 specialized Jynx for her). The diamondback shifter was unbelievably difficult and I looked at upgrading components and realized it was going to cost me nearly what the bike did. So we hit the LBS and she ended up with a Hardrock 24" and now she gives me a run for my money. I tow our two year in a Weehoo iGo trailer and when we are at the park or home he mobs around on his Haro Prewheelz. He goes down hills/driveways/stairs whatever he can find. He's a monster and will probably be on pedals in 6 months or less. 

We took my daughter and son and their first MTB ride last weekend and they loved it. My daughter constantly talks about wanting to join a team. Unfortunately can't find anything local for her to get in with. So until we can we will just keep hitting local trails as a family. 

I'll post up some pictures when I'm on my computer. My phone won't let me.


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## fanofcycling (Aug 11, 2009)

Hi I'm Shane and I've been riding since about 3 or 4 years old. I grew up in a family that placed a huge importance on riding two wheels (bicycles and motorcycles). Growing up we would do organized rides like 25 miler's where you have organized rest stops for snacks drinks and hanging out. We also used to have a whole family bike ride that one of the family members would host each year, usually in the 25 mile range. The only requirememt was that there had to be an ice cream stop somewhere on the route. This was about 20-30 family members, all shape and sizes

Once I went to high school I traded the bicycles in for a legit dirt bike and did a little racing and riding with my dad on the trails. As a senior in high school I traded in the dirt bike for a crotch rocket (FZR 600), that bike was fast and light (and scared the hell out of my parents). Once in college I couldn't afford the insurance anymore so I sold the FZR and bought my first real mountain bike, a Trek 830. Loved that bike and rode the hell out of it until one day the bike ferries (the thieving kind) took it away from me. This was the first time since I could remember that I didn't have a bike to ride, motor or no motor. Let's just say that was kinda like the dark ages for me. After that year of college I worked all summer and bought a gem of a mountain bike, a Klien Pulse comp 3, which I still have today (thank you bike ferry!). I think that bike really solidified the art of mountain biking with me!

After graduating college I went to work in the "real world" and kinda lost my biking way for a year or so to focus on life as an adult. I then met one of my lifelong friends who re-introduced me to my old Klien and the fire was rekindled. Then came the Vicious Cycles "Metal Guru". Wow that was (and still is) a bad ass bike! I have still not found a bike that fit me quite like that bike did, like a glove. After riding that for several years I went into the 29er world with a Redline "Flight 29" single speed. Lets just say that it set another fire that burned into a SS revolution for me. I rode the hell out of that bike taking it into several 100 mile mountain bike races and mountain journeys. I then started designing my own bikes with some of the local builders. I learned after a few frames that light weight can sometimes be a little fragile and was repairing my frames until they couldn't be fixed anymore. I then called on Carl Strong who really knows whats up in the frame building biz. That bike is still rocking and I plan on riding it in the upcoming Leadville 100 this year!

Now back to the parent side of things. I am a dad of 2 young boys who have changed the way I think about riding. They started on striders and started pedaling by themselves at ages 2 and 3. For me riding is like breathing so I really wanted to make sure my boys are starting the right way. After a few hand-me-downs from some of my friends we decided to buck up and purchase a "real" 20" bike. We went down the the lbs and bought a canondale trail. The thinking was that "its a cannondale" it should be a great bike. So we rode it home from the bike shop and he loved it until we got to the hill near our house, he tried to but just couldn't make it up the hill. Once we got home I threw it on the scale and realized that the bike was 23lbs, more than half of his body weight. I then started really looking at the bike to swap out components to lighten it up but noticed that some of the parts were just not a good fit. The bars were almost as wide as my bars, so I cut them down to fit his chest size. That's when I started thinking, why doesn't someone make a better/lighter kids bike, after all we just dropped $300 on it and it wasn't that great.

I work in the bike industry and couldn't figure this out, so I decided, why not make my own? How hard could it be, right? Well that led me down the path of creating an entirely new brand of bikes that focuses on how kids ride and making sure they can start riding without the burden of heavy weights and poor geometry/components. Out of this journey Pello Bikes was born. Now when the boys are riding they are not only pedaling for the sake of pedaling, they are loving it! Asking me all sorts of questions about how to do this or that and even riding up that big hill that we struggled with not that long ago.

After a lot of design revisions and prototyping I wanted to make sure we were on to something so we started passing the prototypes out to testers (mostly friends and family with kids that ride). All the feed back has been positive and decided to try and make a go with these little bikes and start offering them for sale. We are currently on kickstarter and have our website up and going now, with regular reports on Facebook we feel that the cycling community has started to embrace Pello and hope that it will continue into the future. After all, life's an Adventure, Let's Ride!

Please check us out and spread the word if you like what we are trying to do.

pellobikes.com

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1349772081/pello-bikes-high-quality-lightweight-childrens-bic


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## fanofcycling (Aug 11, 2009)

*For the love of cycling*

Hi I'm Shane and I've been riding since about 3 or 4 years old. I grew up in a family that placed a huge importance on riding two wheels (bicycles and motorcycles). Growing up we would do organized rides like 25 miler's where you have organized rest stops for snacks drinks and hanging out. We also used to have a whole family bike ride that one of the family members would host each year, usually in the 25 mile range. The only requirememt was that there had to be an ice cream stop somewhere on the route. This was about 20-30 family members, all shape and sizes

Once I went to high school I traded the bicycles in for a legit dirt bike and did a little racing and riding with my dad on the trails. As a senior in high school I traded in the dirt bike for a crotch rocket (FZR 600), that bike was fast and light (and scared the hell out of my parents). Once in college I couldn't afford the insurance anymore so I sold the FZR and bought my first real mountain bike, a Trek 830. Loved that bike and rode the hell out of it until one day the bike ferries (the thieving kind) took it away from me. This was the first time since I could remember that I didn't have a bike to ride, motor or no motor. Let's just say that was kinda like the dark ages for me. After that year of college I worked all summer and bought a gem of a mountain bike, a Klien Pulse comp 3, which I still have today (thank you bike ferry!). I think that bike really solidified the art of mountain biking with me!

After graduating college I went to work in the "real world" and kinda lost my biking way for a year or so to focus on life as an adult. I then met one of my lifelong friends who re-introduced me to my old Klien and the fire was rekindled. Then came the Vicious Cycles "Metal Guru". Wow that was (and still is) a bad ass bike! I have still not found a bike that fit me quite like that bike did, like a glove. After riding that for several years I went into the 29er world with a Redline "Flight 29" single speed. Lets just say that it set another fire that burned into a SS revolution for me. I rode the hell out of that bike taking it into several 100 mile mountain bike races and mountain journeys. I then started designing my own bikes with some of the local builders. I learned after a few frames that light weight can sometimes be a little fragile and was repairing my frames until they couldn't be fixed anymore. I then called on Carl Strong who really knows whats up in the frame building biz. That bike is still rocking and I plan on riding it in the upcoming Leadville 100 this year!

Now back to the parent side of things. I am a dad of 2 young boys who have changed the way I think about riding. They started on striders and started pedaling by themselves at ages 2 and 3. For me riding is like breathing so I really wanted to make sure my boys are starting the right way. After a few hand-me-downs from some of my friends we decided to buck up and purchase a "real" 20" bike. We went down the the lbs and bought a canondale trail. The thinking was that "its a cannondale" it should be a great bike. So we rode it home from the bike shop and he loved it until we got to the hill near our house, he tried to but just couldn't make it up the hill. Once we got home I threw it on the scale and realized that the bike was 23lbs, more than half of his body weight. I then started really looking at the bike to swap out components to lighten it up but noticed that some of the parts were just not a good fit. The bars were almost as wide as my bars, so I cut them down to fit his chest size. That's when I started thinking, why doesn't someone make a better/lighter kids bike, after all we just dropped $300 on it and it wasn't that great.

I work in the bike industry and couldn't figure this out, so I decided, why not make my own? How hard could it be, right? Well that led me down the path of creating an entirely new brand of bikes that focuses on how kids ride and making sure they can start riding without the burden of heavy weights and poor geometry/components. Out of this journey Pello Bikes was born. Now when the boys are riding they are not only pedaling for the sake of pedaling, they are loving it! Asking me all sorts of questions about how to do this or that and even riding up that big hill that we struggled with not that long ago.

After a lot of design revisions and prototyping I wanted to make sure we were on to something so we started passing the prototypes out to testers (mostly friends and family with kids that ride). All the feed back has been positive and decided to try and make a go with these little bikes and start offering them for sale. We are currently on kickstarter and have our website up and going now, with regular reports on Facebook we feel that the cycling community has started to embrace Pello and hope that it will continue into the future. After all, life's an Adventure, Let's Ride!

Please check us out and spread the word if you like what we are trying to do.

pellobikes.com

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1349772081/pello-bikes-high-quality-lightweight-childrens-bic


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## wagonguy1989 (Jun 19, 2015)

LOVE IT!!!

in 25 yrs old, i have a 3 1/2 yr girl, she loves bikes, can only ride trike as of yet, BUT will learn 2wheeler this Christmas when santa brings her a big girl bike...

i ride a fatbike (low end LOL) the wife will be riding her 24" magna she got from a friend(shes also pregnant with #2 right now!!!)

right now just looking for a trailer so i can lug my lil one around, shes always asking to go with me, but cant yet... i cant wait till she rides and we can go as a family!

im going to be following this thread because i love seeing kids get into biking!!!

happy riding all!


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## cyclingdutchman (Mar 18, 2015)

Hi,

I am Jan, Dutch guy living in Germany (Europe). I'm just over 40 and have two sons, one is now 4 1/2 and the other one just 6 months. I myself have been into mountainbiking since I was 15 or so, my first bike was a specialized rockhopper in pink with bright green decals :eekster: Sold my last MTB last year since it was only collecting dust in the basement, no time for MTB anymore with two kids...but I build up a new touring bike last year, since I started commuting by bike every day a few years ago, which is approx. 7m each way.

My oldest son likes riding so far, last weekend we made a camping trip of 4 miles each way on which he carried his own sleeping bag and mat. On the way home on Sunday it rained for the entire 4m and I believe he didn't even take notice of it. Furthermore we have been riding on the skater's place a few times, which he likes a lot, too.

I am thinking now of getting him a kiddy mtb or at least a geared bike. We live in the south of Hamburg, close to the forest which has a lot of good forest roads and nice trails of all kinds to practice on. I will dig around in this subforum to see if there is anything useful (first impression: yes a lot of useful things)


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

cyclingdutchman said:


> View attachment 1005199


Awesome picture!!


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## cyclingdutchman (Mar 18, 2015)

slapheadmofo said:


> Awesome picture!!


Thanks!


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

Hello fellas! I'm Will 42 years old and I've been riding all my life. had a very long layoff during my early 20s-30s chasing girls. But when I found my wife, we had to make some little shredders! My son Liam is 6 and my little girl Elle is 4. Trying to convince the wife to ride with us, but it aint gonna happen. Aw well, at least I got 2 little ones to share the joy with!:thumbsup:


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## 213CL9 (Aug 25, 2015)

Rick here.
Rode a little of everything during my youth and then nothing. Got back into riding a couple years ago due to my son.

Here's Ethan at age 5 on his Specialized P16 Grom:



His very first bike was this little Giant Animator:



He's 6 1/2 now and has outgrown his current bike so it's a toss up between these 3 as a replacement:







Too bad they're not green. He likes green.
Gonna try to get him to test ride these soon. 
He'll have the final say.
As long as he's happy, I'm happy.


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## Nick_M (Jan 16, 2015)

had 1,5 years old boy with first bike Strider )
Original Balance Bike - Strider 12 Classic | Strider Bikes

perfectly matching my intense colours

Riding with family takes lot of time and efforts


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

Nice choice of bikes! He'll be one very happy kid.


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## happel (Apr 13, 2016)

Howie here. 25 years old, always had a passion for riding. My twins are going to be 4 in July. For their third birthday, the got Strider bikes, my daughter a pink one, and son got an orange one to match dads Fuel EX. As Nick_M said, riding with family takes a ton of effort. At their age, they are absolutely ecstatic to go riding, until they are 10 minutes down a trail and would rather walk, and then dad gets to carry the bikes.

My daughter picked it up quick and can scoot right along. My son isn't quite as brave to actually get some momentum and let his feet off the ground, but he will learn.

Still trying to get my wife into it, but I feel she is making some headway. She got a nice purple trek something or other last year as encouragement to come riding with me - that, and I was tired of her giving me a hard time for how much I spent on my bike, so she got one too.


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## whybotherme (Sep 12, 2008)

Justin here. I am 41 yrs old. Used to race DH and XC at a pretty decent level. Wife has been on a Worlds squad for XC, so our boy was born to ride. He picked up his Strider at about 1yr old and hasn't looked back except to make sure we are still there behind him. Love watching his joy on the bike. He turns 2 in one month and I look forward to riding with him for the rest of my life.

1yr old
















this past weekend (1 month shy of 2yrs old)


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## XCSKIBUM (Mar 15, 2010)

What about us grandparents? We have more time to spend with the kiddies. My name is Dan. My wife & I have been into mixed rural road/trail riding since 2010. My 7 year old granddaughter has advanced quite nicely on her 16" "character bike". She also has a 5 year old & a 20 month old brother. She has ridden in a child seat for several years until she got too big for it.



























On our last camping trip she rode with some kids from the site across from ours & now she wants a bike with a hand brake. She also took a 1 1/2 mile ride with us & later did a couple of laps with me around our loop which had some pretty steep hills. She wants a bottle holder & mirror just like "Poppy's & Gammy's" bikes.

Pretty tall order. Hand brake, bottle holder, mirror & she needs something that will climb hills better. Since she is likely to grow out of anything that fits her 3' 8' frame & we didn't want her handicapped with a heavy Wally World cheap bike, we decided to get a bike for all of the little munchkins to use as they grow into/out of it.

A 24" WOOM 5 is probably going to be purchased next Chrismas if Kennedi grows enough and/or then 6 year old Owen can handle the WOOM 4..

Yesterday, the UPS man delivered a WOOM 4. It has all the prerequisites as well as 8 speeds to climb hills.









It has rivnuts installed under the down tube for a side loading bottle cage & it even has bar ends that allow the installation of a Mirrycle MTB mirror!









WE will be presenting the bike to the kiddies at Christmass as a gift to all. Next year I'll be getting some pictures to post.


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## XCSKIBUM (Mar 15, 2010)

213CL9 said:


> Rick here.
> Rode a little of everything during my youth and then nothing. Got back into riding a couple years ago due to my son.
> 
> Here's Ethan at age 5 on his Specialized P16 Grom:
> ...


How about this one then?









$449 delivered from Amazon. 8 speed SRAM cassette. QR skewers front & rear, QR seat post clamp.

18# 1oz W/pedals and a Mirrycle MTB mirror as pictured below. I weighed it on my digital fish scale that is accurate to less than 1 oz.









*And they still have one left in GREEN*!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B1DK4HS/ref=twister_B01BACQLG8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

If you miss out on that one, you can order one direct, but you'll pay $15 more for shipping.

Bikes | WOOMBIKES USA


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## Eric_Sulit (Jun 18, 2016)

My 5 year old son got me in to mountain biking. I'm Eric, 47 years old from the Philippines. I got him a Merida 20" kids bike when he was 4. He then convinced me 3 months ago to get my own bike and ride with him. We started doing trails and he loved it. I taught him the basics but My problem now is I have ran out of things to teach him. I asked him once why he was landing wobbly after a jump and he told me "I'm trying to do tail whip".  What Kids learn from watching YouTube. . . .









It's really awesome that after each ride, he'd tell me "That was fun, you're the best dad ever".

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 213CL9 (Aug 25, 2015)

XCSKIBUM said:


> How about this one then?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks!
Never heard of Woom Bikes before. Definitely like the weight savings and the fact that it comes in green. Found this one on their site:





Love the color scheme but kinda steep at $550.
Went to look at a couple Trek Superfly's today and the 2017 models come in both black and green. ~$379 
Reasonable price and still light at 19.08 lbs. (I had them weigh it)





Ultimately my boy's gotta test fit/ride them first before a final decision is made. Unfortunately I cannot seem to locate any Woom Bikes anywhere near me.


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## BEricksen (Oct 5, 2016)

Hello! My name is Brandon and I have 2 boy, a 4 year old names Riley who is currenty riding a Raleigh Rowdy, and a 2 Year old Named Liam who is on a Strider bike. I have only been on a MTB for about 6 months crossed over from Dirtbike so the switch was pretty easy.


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## mychel0620 (Oct 5, 2016)

Great thread!! My name is Michelle. I'm 36 yrs old, married and have a 10 yr old daughter. I am new to Mtn Biking but my husband rode a lot as a teenager. He's transitioning right back into the sport. Our daughter hasn't been out on trails yet, mainly just paved trails around local parks. She's wanting to learn more and we are working with her on some terrain now on how to use her gears and body position.


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## mychel0620 (Oct 5, 2016)

BEricksen said:


> . I have only been on a MTB for about 6 months crossed over from Dirtbike so the switch was pretty easy.


Us too. Been riding dirtbike a few years, mostly trail riding, some track but not as much. it has certainly made some things easier.


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## teamsloan (Jun 13, 2007)

Hi I'm Brian, I've considered myself a mountain biker for 21yrs I guess, but I've loved riding my bike since I learned how. I have two sons 5 and 3(ish). My oldest just had his 5th birthday and got a new (to him) Redline MX-16 to move him up from his Specialized Hotrock 12" that his younger brother will now move up to from the bike they both started on, a bright green Strider. I also recently picked up a used 20" Hotrock that is going to be a project bike until my oldest is big enough to ride it. My goal is to teach him how to turn a wrench, keep it clean and make it "his own" until he ends up with a rather nice and light bike that he can actually hit trails with me on. I'm hoping that they both fall in love with riding their bikes and the freedom that comes with it.
















The project bike...


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## whybotherme (Sep 12, 2008)

For those of you that ride MTB and moto, there is a new player in the market. My boy loves his. (he is 2.5yrs next month and has been ripping his Stacyc since Christmas)


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## eyeballs (Sep 16, 2016)

Hi. I'm Eric. I started mountain biking about 8 years ago. I stumbled across mention that some of the best trails in the state were less than a 10 minute drive from my house, so I had to see what it was about. Now I can't get enough. The problem is I also really enjoy whitewater kayaking and motorsports (these days it's "track day" events at the local road courses) so budget and time are limitations. Luckily, my wife rides as well! We ride mostly xc, though have done some am and even lift access stuff. My favorite place to ride is DuPont. I have a 2015 trek fuel 27.5, and she has a 2015 giant lust 27.5.

My 5 and 7 year old daughters finally ditched the training wheels late winter this year. They enjoy watching videos (such as nate hills follow cam friday) and say stuff like "I want to do that." Unfortunately, neither of them are incredibly brave and they both put on a drama show over the smallest of injuries. So naturally, the goal is to somehow turn them into proper little dirt shredders so we can all ride together. My 7 year old got her first "real" bike a few days ago (haro flightline 20) and is loving it so far. As of a couple weeks ago my backyard now contains a mini trail for them to get started on.


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## ohawa (Jun 1, 2017)

*Upgrade of kid's bike (24" and 20")*

Hi, Jiri, three kids, 6, 7 and 9. All riding bikes since their 3-4 years. Now two with 20", one with 24.
I've read a few discussions about building a kid's bike with a reasonable weight. Based on these and some further internet research, I built three kid's bikes: two 20" and one 24". This is meant to help other father-bikers (but mums as well) in building a bit optimized kids bike. Some people weigh every component; this is not my way. This is rather a compromise to build simple, reliable and reasonably light kid's bike with limited budget and time effort. Enjoy!

20":
Frame: I bought used GT Laguna bikes (20"). Important point: it has quick release on both wheels. This is VERY useful. There is nothing much to do about the frame.
Wheels: things can be done here. Go to www.taylor-wheels.de and look for 20" rear wheel (23 EUR). I took this one: https://www.taylor-wheels.de/laufrad...0-7-10-schwarz. No need to use the double-wall one (it is heavier but kids won't break the lighter single wall anyway). If interested, upgrade also front wheel but I don't think it is necessary.

Tyres: a lot can be saved here. Stock tires can weigh up to 800 g each (not joking!) I replaced them by Schwalbe CX Comp tire which is smoother, lighter and has reflective band (10 EUR each). It rolls really well (https://www.koloshop.cz/pneumatiky,-...ast-drat-.html).

Transmission - 8 speed upgrade: optimization can also be done here. I removed the whole 7-speed Shimano transmission and replaced it by SRAM 3.0 gripshift (Gear Lever Gripshift Sram 3.0 - 8 s - XXcycle - en, X4 8-speed shifter can be used too), 8-speed Alivio cassette (11-32) and SRAM 8-speed chain with speed link. I installed new and clean cables as it must run as smoothly as possible - don't save money here. I kept the original crankset.

Transmission - 9 speed upgrade: the same as above but for the older child I found some
older SRAM X7 shifter (with indicator). I think the 1:1 ratio makes it easier to operate than the 1:2 shifters from Shimano. I used 9-speed chain and 9-speed SRAM PG980 cassette (11-34).

Brakes: I changed the cables so that especially the rear brake goes smoothly. I kept the original brakes as replacement would not change much.

Handle bar & stem: difficult to find short and light 25.4 mm stem. So I kept the original. But I found some light (~170 g) straight 25.4 mm handlebar so I replaced it. Being there, find also some nice grips so that the kids like the feel.

Fork: keep rigid. No need to invest in heavy and stiff suspension fork.

24"
Frame: Cube 24" - again nothing much to do here. Watch out for quick releases - not all bikes have them.

Wheels: similar to 20": go to www.taylor-wheels.de and look for 24" rear wheel (23 EUR). I took this one: https://www.taylor-wheels.de/laufrad...enkranz-silber. No need for the double-wall one. If interested, upgrade also front wheel but I don't think it is necessary.

Tyres: same as for the 20" but in 24" size.
Transmission - 9 speed upgrade: this time I took my older XT shifter, SRAM 9-speed cassette PG-980 (11-34) and SRAM 9-speed chain. I used XT derailleur. I also upgraded the crankset: the bike came with 3-speed and front derailleur. I removed these and bought Suntour XCT Jr with 152 mm cranks (SR Suntour XCT JR-T202 Junior Crankset - Black - XXcycle - en), 20 EUR. I removed the largest chainring AND the front derailleur. The website says it is 7/8 speed compatible but I run it with 9-speed without problems.

Brakes: I installed Shimano Capreo but it is not necessary.
Handlebar and stem: original heavy handle bar was replaced by MUCH lighter S-Works 25.4 mm. No changes in stem.

Fork: this is interesting. Stock forks are usually too stiff and extremely heavy (2 kg). There are three options: 24" rigid fork (~800 g and no hassle), good 24" air fork (Spinner Grind or Suntour XCT Jr Sr Suntour XCR Air LO MTB Fork Suspension - 24' - XXcycle - en, 120 EUR, 1.8 kg but mostly disc only) or modify older Rock shox Sid or Manitou R7 (80 mm, ~1320 g, air). An adapter is necessary to make the 26" fork V-brakes bolts fit to the 24" wheel. This can get complicated as it is not available on the market. I installed rigid fork as an old Sid (2002) did not work as I expected.

Sure there can be more work done (disc brakes, 10 speed, etc.) but keep in mind that the kids will use the bike for 2-3 years maximum. With these quite simple modifications I think the bikes are now well adapted for the 6 to 10 year old kids - without much investment in time and money. And I can say that we've all already been enjoying riding together.

Sorry for those living outside of Europe as most of my resources are european. But I think you'll be able to find local supplies. Enjoy!
Here are pics of the 24" upgrade.
BTW I've been riding MTB for the last 20 years with more or less regular frequency but always a lot of fun. Last ride was at Finale Ligure. It is fun to make obstacle-trails for the kids to learn how to handle their (usually too big) bikes.


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## laksboy (Sep 4, 2007)

Ages 2.5, 3.5, 10, 12
Tandems for the win. Especially the ECDM.


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## Brandonyatessr (Sep 14, 2017)

Hello, I'm Brandon. Riding since I was a kid, but just got back into it so my family can go out and ride. I have a girl (7), a boy (3), and a girl (2)...ik lol. Anyway im teaching my boy to ride right now, but if we go to the woods the little ones ride in there trailer. So yeah our goals are by spring is to have the bikes all tunes up and ready for next summer.


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## mLeier (Oct 17, 2017)

Wow! Those are awesome tandem bikes @laksboy!


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## mLeier (Oct 17, 2017)

Hi All! My name is Marcie. I'm 40 years old (yikes!) and my family and I just really got into mountain biking this summer. It's a blast and we really love it.

My husband and I have 2 kids, ages 10 (girl) and 8 (boy) who are doing really well on their bikes. They are both on 24" Giant bikes with front suspension. My husband just got a brand new Norco Fluid 27.5+ full suspension bike and I found an amazing deal on a like new 2015 Liv Lust 1.

We live near Edmonton, Alberta and spent lots of time biking in the mountains this summer in Jasper. We love going on trail rides out to places that would take too long to hike to and look forward to discovering many more special places!

Here are some pictures.

My bike








Out on some adventures (my husband on his old bike)















The kids ripping it up!















We already have lots of bike trips planned for next spring and summer but we are contemplating getting studded tires so that we can keep biking through the winter. I'm not ready to give it up for the season yet!


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## jjewell (Feb 19, 2018)

*Jessica from Utah*

Hi, 
I'm new here. I am also quite new to biking. I have a 2 year old and a second baby on the way. My parents recently got into biking and my mom just upgraded so they are giving me her Fuji Addy (2016). I'm very excited since I did some bike commuting with a Walmart special in college and loved everything about it except my bike. We are a one car family for the foreseeable future so I want to learn about going places with young children. I also recently got a Chariot Cougar 2 with both biking and jogging attachments as my double stroller option. I currently live in Northern Utah, but will hopefully be moving to a more rural or bike friendly area within the year.


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## whybotherme (Sep 12, 2008)

jjewell said:


> Hi,
> I'm new here. I am also quite new to biking. I have a 2 year old and a second baby on the way. My parents recently got into biking and my mom just upgraded so they are giving me her Fuji Addy (2016). I'm very excited since I did some bike commuting with a Walmart special in college and loved everything about it except my bike. We are a one car family for the foreseeable future so I want to learn about going places with young children. I also recently got a Chariot Cougar 2 with both biking and jogging attachments as my double stroller option. I currently live in Northern Utah, but will hopefully be moving to a more rural or bike friendly area within the year.


Sweet! We have the Chariot too, works great for a single kid. My older son (now 3) rides the pedal bike while we ride with the Chariot behind one of our bikes. During the week my wife usually jogs with a stroller while the 3 yr old rides. We put the 5 month old on the Strider the other night for the first time.


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## RMCDan (Feb 28, 2008)

mLeier said:


> We live near Edmonton, Alberta and spent lots of time biking in the mountains this summer in Jasper.


Cool looking trails! So jealous that you are allowed to ride trails like that in your National Parks. That will get generally get you a heavily fined and/or arrested down here. Exceptions exist, but they are exceedingly rare.


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## SactoGeoff (Aug 11, 2017)

Hello -

I've been riding/racing since forever. Most recently lots of road racing. I have 8.5yr old twin girls who I've thrown onto various bikes with limited luck over the years. Last August, on a whim I took them on an adventure AKA a bike ride on smooth dirt trails next to a bike path so we could get coffee and pastries. They had a blast. We'd ridden 11miles and they didn't even realize it.








It was game on. I was on a mission to teach them some basic riding skills. I started down the path of simple mods to their bikes. Kicking myself for not buying them nicer bikes in the first place. Ditched the freewheel, swapped the tires & dropped the tire pressure for better traction. And taught them to stand and pedal, pivot their weight, pick a line and so on. Pump track/bike parks were finally on the menu. We built some ramps for good times at home too. I discovered The Bike Dads and the world of possibilities became huge.








Once I was sure they were having fun (it's not all unicorns and rainbows) and enjoying the confidence boost of riding and generally playing bikes. Along with waxing all the neighborhood kids (it's a low bar but it counts!). We went all in at Christmas and got them proper bikes. Far more bike than they "need" but watching them learn and progress right before my eyes, within a single 5-10mile ride is just plain awesome. Worth every cent. Recently doubled down with carbon bars, Ti pedals, better gearing & Stans Crest wheels (also worth every penny). Because weight is a gigantic factor with little girls.








The NICA scene here in NorCal is a really strong, positive community. So it's possible this could carry on for a few years. Who knows. I don't have any designs on creating the next Olympians. My goal is to teach them how much damn fun riding a bike is. So hopefully it will be something they can carry with them through their life. And if they decide they don't want to do it in a few years, that's okay with me. Because we will have had tons of adventures together when it counts.
















If you're interested I'm @sactogeoff on Instagram.


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## PtDiddy (May 18, 2018)

My Daughters actually got me into mountain biking. They rented nice bikes up in Tahoe back in November and wanted new nice mountain bikes ever since. So of course I though that was an awesome idea for Christmas. Much better than an ipad or something else digital.

I went ahead a bought myself a new mountain bike before Christmas. My girls did not like that. LOL. But Ended getting them both Haro 24" bikes and surprised my wife with a new Co-op mountain bike. We have been putting miles on the bikes ever since. We even took them on vacation with us and road everyday in Santa Barbara. My wife has a basket on the front of her's that our 5 pound dog, named Cupcake (I am out numbered by girls), sits in.

My younger daughter's Haro came with a 3x6. I changed it out to a 1x7 and changed the twist shifter to a shimano deore. It was such a big improvement for her. made the shifting simpler and the bike lighter. My older daughter has a plus Haro, which comes with a rigid fork and a 1x7. 
They love them and are always down to ride. It is great family time for sure.


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## Frenchman83 (Jun 8, 2018)

Paul here,

My 12 yr old Sam has gotten me on the trails recently and we are both enjoying ourselves. Looking at getting better and see if upgrades are in the future. I explained that falling was part of the equation figuring he would take it easy. Half way through our first ride he reminded me that when I go on motorcycle trips I hate when slow people do not move over, so moved over and watched him take off. Will be great to see where this takes us!


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## con50582 (Jan 20, 2018)

My name is Robert and I have been riding since 1985. Been riding with this guy for awhile.


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## laksboy (Sep 4, 2007)

mLeier said:


> Wow! Those are awesome tandem bikes @laksboy!


Thanks!
Check out my current interation at the bottom of this article. 
https://www.thebikedads.com/ventanas-full-suspension-tandem-el-conquistador-de-montanas/


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## Slyham (Jun 24, 2015)

Hello everyone,

I'm Travis and I have been riding since the early 90s but a mission to Chile, college and family put that all in the back seat for a while. I wrote the following article about how I got back into mountain biking.

https://www.singletracks.com/blog/b...ps-for-rekindling-your-mountain-bike-passion/

I've been back at it for over three years now.

I have seven kids (yes 7 ) and they all love riding bikes. My oldest son is 10 and he is getting more into mountain biking.

It is definitely a balance getting my rides in and the fun rides with the kids. Riding is how I keep sane these days. 

I would love to do a bike backing trip with some of my kids on of these days.

Here is a picture of our family bike ride at Jackson, WY. I need to find a new bike trailer as my plus wheels rubs against the trailer if I turn right. 









I look forward to may miles with my kids in the future!


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## oboy-oboy (Mar 24, 2010)

*Hi, I'm Otis*

Hi, been lurking awhile so figured I should wade in. I've been riding since I was a teen, and raced seriously for quite a while on the road. I've been more focused on trails the last few years and have been really loving riding mtbs w/ my son.

He's almost 9, and tall. We live in Oregon and do most of our riding on/around Mt. Hood, but also get out to other areas of the state.

Here he is this summer, which was a banner one for us. Lots of big rides and singletrack!









<hmm...not sure how to get the pic to rotate...>


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## vicali (Apr 2, 2019)

Kids are getting into riding this spring, 7 and 5, my son just picked out his new bike.. Now Mom and Dad need to tune up their bikes and ride!


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## Sorefoot (May 30, 2015)

*Hello*

From SW PA. Started riding 40 years ago. Stopped riding hard 20 years ago (job)

Have a 10yr old and 6yr old.
Fixing up old Gary Fisher and converting to 1x for the 10yr old (maybe suspension fork... If i can find an affordable threaded one)

6yr has refurbed Hotrock.(and 2 more lined up)

GAP is in back yard.... Hope to complete the entire trail in next 3-4 years. Then Cumberland to DC. (Kiddos excited about bike camping)


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## BeginnerToWhistler (Jan 11, 2020)

Danny over here. I've only been riding for a few months (unless you count when I was a teenager 20+ years ago). But I'm totally hooked and my 9-year-old daughter is suddenly very interested in getting out on the trails with me. She turns 10 in April, right around when the snow up here in Wisconsin will be melting off, so I think a newer, nicer bike than the department store one she has now is a very likely birthday present for her.


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## tobycat2 (May 7, 2011)

Hello from Boise, Idaho. Road bikes as a kid like most of us, but got into team sports and didn't start riding again until last year. My son (almost 7) has always been into bikes and road a balance bike and three-wheel bike when he was 3 and 4 and has been riding a woom 3 since he turned 5. Looking for a new bike for him for his next birthday--he wants a geared "mountain bike". Have another younger son, but he's not into bikes as much.


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## deno85 (Dec 29, 2014)

I'm Morgan! I've been mountain biking for 20+ years where I got my first taste growing up in Squamish, BC. I have 2 boys (current ages are 6 & 4) and both are very much into the sport (for now).

The only goal we have as parents is for them to be outside, be active and enjoy what they do. If they ever want to stop riding bikes, that's ok by me and a choice for them to make.

Cheers


















Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bloaker (Feb 13, 2015)

Howdy - I am Michael and raising 2 little girls who hopefully will become Shredder! 
My oldest in on a 20" Bianchi and proving to be more daring than her mother.

Example of a Daddy/Daughter Ride - 
https://www.relive.cc/view/vdvmQBeGWxv

My Girls-


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## cbuth387 (Jan 2, 2016)

*Kids Ride Shotgun seat*

my daughter and i did this video using the Kids ride shotgun seat. Seriously, if you have toddlers, this thing is amazing. we are having so much fun with this every weekend!


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## NoahD (Aug 28, 2020)

*For the kids.*

Howdy! My name is Noah, we are in Ontario. I have an 8yo son on a Spawn Yama Jama who can ride pretty much any single track and has entered a couple DH races. My 6yo daughter is on a 20"







Commencal Meta HT, but hasn't caught the bug like my son (yet!). Happy to have this as a resource, especially as my son is about to go up a size and need more PPE as he is riding faster and hitting bigger features every day.


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## looks easy from here (Apr 16, 2019)

cbuth387 said:


> *Kids Ride Shotgun seat*
> 
> my daughter and i did this video using the Kids ride shotgun seat. Seriously, if you have toddlers, this thing is amazing. we are having so much fun with this every weekend!


My dropper post cable runs at about 5'o'clock on my downtube. Will the seat's clamp affect the cable, or will the cable affect the clamp?


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## unrooted (Jul 31, 2007)

Howdy Ya'll, My Wife and I adopted a very physically active 6 year old daughter last month and she is already riding a 20" singlespeed with a rear V-brake. She previously only had ridden a tricycle! Last weekend we took her to some mellow singletrack, I towed her up with a strap and she did great on the downhills! I'm looking at 20" geared bikes, she is 45" tall and 42 lbs, I'm thinking something light and fully rigid with V-brakes, but it appears to be difficult to find good bikes without Discs. . . I'm thinking around $400 is the sweet spot for decent kids bikes designed for trail riding. Any suggestions gladly appreciated, especially if they are actually available! (My local shops have Giant, Norco and Specialized)


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## rton20s (Aug 27, 2010)

unrooted said:


> Howdy Ya'll, My Wife and I adopted a very physically active 6 year old daughter last month and she is already riding a 20" singlespeed with a rear V-brake. She previously only had ridden a tricycle! Last weekend we took her to some mellow singletrack, I towed her up with a strap and she did great on the downhills! I'm looking at 20" geared bikes, she is 45" tall and 42 lbs, I'm thinking something light and fully rigid with V-brakes, but it appears to be difficult to find good bikes without Discs. . . I'm thinking around $400 is the sweet spot for decent kids bikes designed for trail riding. Any suggestions gladly appreciated, especially if they are actually available! (My local shops have Giant, Norco and Specialized)


I'd go with a Giant (concrete) or Liv (teal) STP 20. These are a great choice for the price right now, and you can actually find them in stock or available to order.


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## unrooted (Jul 31, 2007)

My giant dealer said he couldn’t get anything in 20”...maybe he just doesn’t need the business.


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## rton20s (Aug 27, 2010)

unrooted said:


> My giant dealer said he couldn't get anything in 20"...maybe he just doesn't need the business.


Some dealers can get them right now, some can't. The nice thing about Giant/Liv is that if you go on the website page for the specific bike you're interested in, they will tell you the nearest dealer with the bike in stock or where you could pick it up from if you order online.

STP 20 (2021) | Men Trail bike | Giant Bicycles United States
STP 20 Liv (2021) | Women Trail bike | Liv Cycling United States


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## nwberm (Apr 16, 2021)

Francis Cebedo said:


> Please introduce yourself so us parents can get to know each other.
> 
> Who are you and how long have you been riding?
> 
> ...


Hi everyone I'm nwberm up in WA state. I started mountain biking with my kids because of the pandemic and because growing up I rode dirt bikes with my Dad. Mountain biking is the new dirt biking. Besides, there are more trails available to mountain bike and the maintenance, cost, storage, effort, etc. is lighter all around. I have three kids but only the two older ones are riding: a boy 9 and a girl 7. They're actually about the same size right now and I found a Marin Hidden Canyon and a Haro Flightline (both 20") for them on the used market. They'll grow out of them after this year, I think, but 24's would be too big where they're at right now. The goal is mainly just to enjoy nature while enjoying that rollercoaster feeling. It's been pretty successful so far. Everyone's pretty into it.


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## superGeorgeMan (Apr 16, 2021)

Hi. My name is George. In 2013 I bought myself a bike. The first time, I raced everywhere, with friends, alone. Then I gave up a little. Now my son is 4 years old, I ride with him and my wife. True, we bought my son a small bike, I hope to ride in threes. We will take a picture from the first ride together.


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## OnTheSun (Apr 20, 2021)

Hi, there - I'm OnTheSun. Been bike commuting for about 15 years, but didn't ride much for pleasure until I bought my son a bike. My son is almost 7 and has been riding for 2 years. My daughter just turned 3 and learned to pedal just this weekend.


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## emtnate (Feb 9, 2008)

I'm a little late for this one, but we just got a Giant XTC lite for our little guy after looking at several shops and not expecting to get it until October. They managed to get a few in they had backordered and we got one built up. I think it is a good little bike for the price.


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## ilmfat (Mar 10, 2007)

Ilmfat here. Been riding since the mid 80s. A bit of trail starting in the late 90s. I always liked the bikes more than the effort of riding. I rediscovered single speed in 2007 and found 29ers in 2008 and I've been a zealous evangelist ever since. In 2018 I picked up a small 29er off craigslist and the wife (5'7") liked it more than her old 16" 26er. In 2019, our kid (at 4'7"), on a lark, hopped on and wanted to ride it. I was looking for schmancy 26ers for her at the time. She fit it pretty well and there was a new shop in town and I always wanted an El Mariachi, so we bought Salsa Timberjacks. The wife ended up liking a Medium more. I'm 5'10" and I like a Medium, as well.

Got an XS 27.5x2.8










And a Small 29x2.6










At 4'8", She chose the Small 29x2.6.

Droppers are game changers.

Little sister was on this Xs 14" frame 27.5x3.0/26x2.8 mullet at 4'5" and likely could have gotten on an inch or two sooner. Here is a pic at 4'6".










For the girls, we noticed an improvement in their stamina with every jump in wheel size. We didn't get out on anything above green and light blue until we found a 24" the youngest liked. By the time we did, it was only a few months until she was ready for her Adult Xs mullet. We only have one "black" run and it is light black, at best. Defo easy by Shore standards, but techy enough the girls have gotten comfortable on steep stuff. Though we prefer greens and blues with a focus on distance and even some voluntary climbing to extend rides. I've never been all that fit and the wife is developing some fatigue issues so doesn't climb like she once did. But the girls are rockets. And we eventually catch up. Mostly I attribute this to good tires ran tubeless on not heavy rims. Luckily the Salsa Timberjacks come stock with decent rims. Upgraded the tires to Rekons/ikons for the 29x2.6. Got a sweet deal on the rear Stans 26+ wheel and Ranger tire. Figured I'd pick up a matching front for the mullet. Rangers are a bit light on traction and wash out when things get loose.

We don't ride often enough. Our goal is to ride more.


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## reddingnative (Jun 13, 2018)

Have 3 boys- 12, 10 and 6. All ride, but 6yo the most, 12yo a bit, and 10yo not as much. The 6year old has been with me on quite a few shuttles and ski lifts. He rides a kona honzo 20. Likes jumping, but a little reserved after a few crashes at the ski park this summer. 12year old rides a nukeproof snap 26".


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## Wheels74 (Aug 12, 2021)

I am Rich. Just got back into the sport of mtn biking after about 10+yrs off. I was a mtn biker/roadie/commuter.

This was our 1st ride... he was excited to go riding! I was excited to spend time with him riding single track!









My son is 9 and he wanted to give it a try. We have been 3 times now and he loves it. Each time we go, he gets better and better... he really impresses me each time.  anyways, feels good to be riding again.

This was taken on the last ride:


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## targnik (Jan 11, 2014)

Rich here also 

Riding for 8 years 

Have 4 bikes in my fleet, they fill different niches.

Have 3 kids & 3 of the bikes are/were supposed to be for them (so we can ride together).

Eldest child (daughter in mid/late teens) hasn't and won't ride with the rest of us.

Started when she hit teens. Hopefully in her adult life this will change.

Other two are boys, one becomes a teen next year. The other has a few years to go.

Eldest boy is a complainer about the climbing that's required, but he loves the DH.

Youngest boy suffers the climbs quietly and gets right into the descending.

I coached the boys up young on riding techniques.

The youngest had grabbed the lessons with both hands and displays solid basics.

The older boy, thinks he knows better and tries to do it his way.

He's a little shirty on steeper downs, but has ability to ride them easily.

Youngest son's kryptonite has been steep bermed switch backs. He's slowly coming to grips with getting the bike leaned over.

Probably my favorite thing to do, is ride with my kids.

We've gone on a few riding/road trips together and had some great times.

As they get older and more capable the trips will become more challenging.

NB, I'm always harping on to them about safety. Last thing I want to do is see my kids having yard sales and getting injured.

NB, youngest is still on his kid's bike. He'll jump up to bike that elder boy is straddling in pic. Older one will move up to full susser, likely this coming year.










Sent from my Asus Rog 3

PS - they love their piss pot lids and both ride with small backpacks and water bladders.


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## mauric6943 (Nov 4, 2006)

Just a quick hello from Long Beach CA. We have twin 6 year old boys and figure the only way for us to ride is if they love it too. We went from Striders to 14" Prevelo Alphas. We've now got them on old 16" BMX bikes with custom paint jobs (my first attempt) for around the neighborhood and 20" 1-by's for the trail. So far they are loving the Spawn Savage 2.0 and the Commencal Ramones. They match up nicely with our hardtails























Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk


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## fotooutdoors (Jul 8, 2010)

Hi all. I live in the upper Midwest. Bikes are primarily transportation for my family; we live in town, and my wife and I share a car, so getting to grandma's house, the grocery store, or park is mainly on foot or by bike. That said, most summer weekends my 7 yo and I get out to one of the local trails. He is on a rigid 20", and in a couple weeks, will be transitioning to a 24" for mountain biking (he has been riding that bike this summer on the road, but it fits a bit on the big side still).


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## Maraach1 (Oct 23, 2021)

Heya

Parent here who rides with kids. My name is Marcus and I've been riding my whole life but started actual mountain biking in 2002 on a Trek 6500 hardtail. Rode every weekend for 7 - 8 years including marathon racing with my now wife until an accident left me with damaged vertebrae in my neck. Over the next 10 odd years didn't ride much, and didn't think I'd be back on the trail again.

Then in the end of 2019 I had put on too much weight and needed to do something. My son (7 at the time) wanted to help out and volunteered to try and learn to ride his bike (which he was terrified of). Little troopee pushed through and became a great rider who by age 8 was joining me on blue trails I found challenging.

He is now 9, and his now 6 (then 5 year old) sister has joined us. She is very much in the beginning phase but is happy to come along and participate (although her endurance is set at about the 30-40 minute mark).


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## repo_man (Oct 28, 2021)

How's it going?! Parent of 3 boys (10, 13 and 13 yes twins ). I've been riding pretty much all my life off and on but started mtb about 4 months ago. I had a bike at a young age, crashed all the time (like any small kid really, ha) and then went up to moto (dirt bikes, 3 and 4 wheelers) and now I'm at mtb. I just bought a 2020 Giant Stance 29 2 and love it.

My kids aren't into it quite as much as I am yet but I'm working on them, they have a Trek MT200 (youngest), Trek MT220 and an old Schwinn FS Impact Hydroform (the 13 yr olds switch back and forth between the MT220 and Schwinn). I just bought 14-34 cassettes for the Treks to make climbs easier on them but I need to lengthen the chains which are on order so waiting on those so that can get done. Also recently bought Altus trigger shifters that have nice indicators on them for the Treks to get rid of those grip shifters and help them understand shifting and what gear they're in/what gear they need to be in to climb, etc. I'll probably move my youngest to the MT220 and get a bigger bike for one of the twins as they are growing like weeds. A lot of it really depends on what's available in the used market when I'm ready to get something.


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## Biking mum (Nov 21, 2021)

Hi I am Liz and a mum to two bike fanatics. My two are now teenagers but used to race their balance bikes when younger but now just use their Islabikes for transport .


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## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

Hi -- call me grampa, lol -- my kids are all grown, half with their own kids. I'm relied upon for everything bike.

I got my daughter on 2 wheels by 1st grade, and FS/XC a year later. Riding was something we did together, OUR time. Now, though, she's in her early 20s, and so focused on her independent life that I haven't seen her in 6 months. So she returned her sweet 16 bike to me.

Her fiance bought a bike a couple years ago, rode it maybe 3-4 times, and readily sold it to me for next to nothing. It now belongs to my beloved 9-yo grandson.

I'm still working on getting his baby brother (4) pedaling. He's a tough case. He still rides in the trailer that attaches to 1 of my 2 ebikes.

I'm still rehabbing from 2 knee replacement surgeries, so the ebikes are necessary. But clever me is jumpstarting that with my daughter's castoff. Works just fine in the stationary trainer.

(NOTE: I'm here after about a decade of absence; found some of my old posts, and I've decided I wouldn't want to meet that guy. I was quite the opinionated sphincter back then.)


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## thefyrebird (11 mo ago)

Hello, all.

I'm a noob at mountain/gravel riding, but used to do a lot of commuter roadie biking lo these many moons ago in college. DH was a bit of a downhill rider back in the Navy. With realizing that all of us have put on the Covid 19 Pounds, both DH and I discovered we both classify as Clydesdales for height and weight now.  We're getting into riding again with 2 kids (7 and 9 y.o.). DH is sorting through his herd to see what's going to support him properly, as some of his older bikes won't work for the current weight, and he's working on building some new frames out. I've got a Marlin 7 and the kids have inexpensive Nishikis, to be upgraded as expertise allows. We're planning on starting out at the very bunniest of green levels.


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## weeksy950 (Jan 11, 2012)

From this

__
https://flic.kr/p/286LNYW

To this at 13 years old.

__
https://flic.kr/p/2m4oA5M

Now racing DH.


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## weeksy950 (Jan 11, 2012)

2022-03-21_08-38-49 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr


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## gotzero (9 mo ago)

Hello, new registrant to the forum with kids in the 16" and 20" tire sizes. I learned a great deal from the posts here about what to get for kids, and look forward to learning a lot more and contributing once in awhile.


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## weeksy950 (Jan 11, 2012)

Jump train


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## ricos (4 mo ago)

Hello all, new member...my name is Enrico, born and raised in Italy but now living in Oregon with my family. 2 Kids, 9 and 3. I love cycling in all its forms, riding bmx and mtb. I divide my outdoor time between bikes and rock climbing.
My youngest son just moved from balance bike to 12" Haro Shredder pedals and he's always on it, promising new riding partner.
My oldest son rides a 26" Trek hardtail, in process of getting a full suspension bike as he gets more proficient on trails and jumps. I have a 27.5" Santa Cruz Nomad CC with custom build...one of the best bike I ever had. On the bmx my son has an 18" Subrosa, I put together a Sunday Soundwave getting parts here and there. Loving the forum and all the info in it !


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## ejhc11 (2 mo ago)

Yes I'm a parent of two boys, 14 and 22. Wife said buy them a PC, because her brother's kids had PCs. I listened, now both kids love their PCs more than the outdoors..agh...
Anyway, looking to get the 14 yo outside more and hoping he and I can learn the MTB together. Just picked up a Giant Talon 1 and I already own a Haibike e-bike MTB. Also have a Sea Eagle kayak I need to get him on so we can explore the Newport Back Bay here...


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