[Closed] Taking a kid mtbing

Pack sweets, lots of sweets. Maybe a caffeine gel for just before you hand him back

If you want to “be relaxed” then I wouldn’t take him to “Glenstress” 😉

Know the trails you're riding if you're on your own. Be prepared to ride shorter distances than you might expect and stop more often than is possible.

When I take Hoppy jr out I let him ride at the front on stuff that I'm confident he can handle but on unknown trails I ride infront to scope things out as he doesn't have a very well calibrated sense of feasibility.

Ask him what he wants to do, establish some simple rules (if separated, wait at end of the trail &c.) warm up on some easy trails and take it from there, no pressure. Take refreshments, have fun!

Have a few minutes in the skills park - basics like looking ahead and ready position. Session Blue Betty.

Make a judgement on his skills and fitness - you may need to go very slow on climbs, ride ahead to keep speed down on descents.

Always ride behind, go at their pace, give encouragement and a few hints like “pedals level”, “stand up”. Enjoy the experience.

I used to take groups of kids to Swinley on a regular basis. It’s what got me interested in riding off road.

Expect to spend a lot of time in the skills park. The kids really seem to love them.

We took our nephew when he was a lot younger than 12.

The rides were short.
Always near a cafe for a treat during and after the ride (hot chocolate or cake).

Be prepared to walk up and down a lot of stuff.

Just do whatever it takes to make it fun.

Give plenty of encouragement.

Maybe take some plasters and antiseptic cream (hopefully this won't be needed). Some children get over confident and there's usually a tumble.

Can you show him some pictures of the trails first? Is he the timid type or the 'go for it' type?

I'm taking 3 lads about 11 to Swinley today.... I don't know whether i'm scared or excited.

They all want to be Red Bull Rampage riders LOL.

I'd be tempted to have a go round his local woods first....
Junior J's* mate was desperate to come with us on Sunday a ride in our local "trail center". I was glad we had a little local ride instead - his mate whined and moaned at anything going up. A few more weeks and we'll have him whipped into shape though. HAHAHAHHA.
* they are only 6.75 year old to be fair.

Tell him to wait for you at the bottom of the descents and maybe take a book. 😉

I’ve offered to take a pals 12 year old to Glenstress for some riding – all he does presently is stuff round the local woods (no idea what that is like). He’s struggling at school with dyslexia so for biking to go well for him could help his confidence.

It’s a really nice thing that you are doing for him. My son is also struggling at school with Dyslexia (I think he feels battered by just keeping his head above water in the classroom). When he got round the blue at Swinley at 9 earlier this year his sense of accomplishment was palpable, (his whole demeanour changed).
Main thing I had to adjust to was just taking it easy, remembering he’s a kid and was a bit apprehensive when surrounded by other riders. As others have said, take lots of snacks and drinks, and be prepared to stop often. It would be good if you do get the chance to have a local ride in the woods with him first – proper use of the gears was where my son struggled the most. Your friend’s lad is a bit older, so it might not be an issue.
I tend to ride in front when I go out with him now, works for us ‘cause he sees me do something and knows that it if I can do it – he can definitely do it, (this is the boy that said he “wants to be a good mountain biker like I used to be”)!
Hope you both have a great time.

Lots of sweets and lots of short breaks
Don't shout loads of instructions, just one or two things at a time like level pedals, look ahead etc.
Start at Buzzards Nest, nothing worse than introducing kids to riding with a big climb straight out of the car park
If he rides a bit well and enjoys it just ride it again and again, kids generally are not interested in a journey

Good man. Kids love it on the trails 🙂
This
[i]Always ride behind, go at their pace, give encouragement and a few hints like “pedals level”, “stand up”. Enjoy the experience.[/i]
Kids mostly just naturally can ride ok, so only give advice if it's needed. But yeah, just make sure he enjoys it and don't push him too hard (except if it's a hand on the back up a climb 🙂 )

Some good tips here. I would add if you take him to Glentress start by driving up to the Eagles Nest car park and have a go on Berm Baby Berm, lovely swoopy flow fun to start with

As for the slow climbing. Whilst I was fixing my snapped chain on "Hells teeth" in Cardinham woods Bodmin, a group of 12 year olds went past me and buggered off up the climb without breaking a sweat! I've only managed the whole thing once! It's damn steep! Enjoy 👍

My son's first big ride was when he was 8 he did red bull route pushed up some stuff but was ace on the downhill, sobed his heart out when he got back he was that knackered, never seen a kid eat so much bean's on toast 16 miles good going for a young one.
They'll either take to it like a duck to water or loathe it. There's no in-between. Cycling is hard work and it gets harder as you progress.
Encouragement always, but let them develop naturally there's always going to be the danger of them falling off and damaging themselves it's unavoidable. Should've added my son was also given the adh label it doesn't stop them getting on in life. Good luck with the outing...

Oh, the other essential tip which I gave to some 16 yos I took out recently - Look at the trail ahead, not at where your front wheel is 🙂

As others have said, take sweets and fizzy pop. I always tell my 12 yr old son that its cool to walk down stuff if he's not happy about it. We session stuff a lot which means he can build up to various bits of trail. Wd recommend they get some padded shorts - as we know makes the whole experience bearable!

I'd go for a quick blast around the local woods with him. By 12, he'll either leave you fighting to keep up going up/down Spooky, or he'll struggle with a lap of the Blue.

It's awesome that you're doing it, but I'd want to see him riding his local woods first before heading out elsewhere.

Some great advice here. Without knowing the kid hard to know confidence levels etc. My experience is of younger kids, albeit pretty confident.
Would definitely suggest driving up to Buzzards Nest, that climb from the Peel is pretty daunting for a kid, and does nothing for enjoyment. Good thing about Buzzards Nest is you can do multiple short loops and be back at the car regularly for food/drink/sweets/jumps. Green is a pretty nice start, the kids seem to enjoy it, apart from the drag back up the fire road to the car park, so be prepared to push. Berm Baby Berm and Blue Velvet are good ones to session too, though there are a couple of points on each that I've found young kids can find a bit daunting, so I probably wouldn't jump straight into them, get a lap of the Green out the way first.

Also, remember that for some kids (and indeed people) what you intend to be encouragement can just be unwelcome pressure.

Buzzard's nest carpark thirded - it's a massive climb at GT for kids from the bottom.

I went round the blue with my daughter when she was about 7yo and the climbing was still too much from the Buzzard's nest, but we just took our time and pushed up when she got tired, still had a good ride with all the descents. So I reckon most 12yos would be absolutely fine on that route, and you can still bail pretty easily if things aren't working.

If you've not ridden with him before then you should make sure he knows how to brake safely, and how to come to a stop. I run a school MTB Club (7-15s) and before we take any kids off on an adventure we get to know them on our own small skills loop... I've had kids who basically drag their feet and aim for the nearest bush to stop! So start off easy. You'll soon find out what they can and can't do, but always find out in a 'low consequence' environment!

Cycling is awesome for kids who may struggle in class... it's a great joy for me to be able to tell parents how focused and well behaved their kids are when it's something they don't often hear.

Cheers all, it went well. He's pretty sensible and likes a bit of speed and jump/berms rather than techy stuff. Rides within his limits too, only one off on a boardwalk. But early days.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ocARNCG48Mf61HYC7

Those vids remind me - I need to get onto clearing out the path in the woods opposite our house. A short section of singletrack that I can get my kids riding to get comfortable with it.

Good stuff Al. Glad it went well 🙂

Ta guys. Real buzz for me seeing him tell his folks how awesome it was, he was mega-quiet on the ride and in the car - just hit awkward-teen phase apparently. I've offered to take him and his mate out next in the hope that there'll be more of a buzz.