[Closed] What discipline for an 8 year old ?

Weeksy - nice report. Hope gets a win.

You must be very proud 🙂

He got 5th. With 2 crashes, that's good!

Also had fastest lap of the race despite it being from a standing start

The big question is... What do we do next... Despite his crashing he still wants to ride and race... So i'm not going to stand in his way.

It seems they've changed the Wessex CX league a little now, so the classes are what i'd consider a bit more user friendly and the U10 and U12's are now split into 2 races... So he'll be racing against U10's which is good.

I'm worried that Gorricks may be a bit too much for him at this age ? A bit too technical.. He can do Swinley Blue, but i'm not sure i'd want to stick him on too many of the red routes.

It's only when you sometimes think about something you realise just how bad things are.

I was thinking after some of his recent crashes, "i wonder how the treads are on his tyres, maybe they're not the most suitable for wet muddy roots"

It was then when i eventually bought the tyres and they arrived i've realised just how unsuitable they are. There's really not much of a tread on there at all.

Sadly only the front fits as there's not enough clearance for the 2.1 on the rear, so i've ordered the same model in a 1.9 to see if that goes on.

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Still struggling with getting my lad into any sort of a cycling club down south.

We're on the waiting list at Palmer Park, but i have no idea how long that is...

We tried Hillingdon, but that's that over subscribed they've even closed the waiting list now.

It's a shame as he really loves the cycling and clearly has an apptitude in a power context, even if not always a 'staying on' context... Would be great to get him riding on a Velo circuit and bike just to see what happens.

We did some Zwift riding yesterday on his Islabike and he was putting out 1.8w/kg for a 5 min effort. HOwever i don't really know how that equates to other 8 year olds.

He's still up for CX racing, but as we're seeing outside, the weather isn't exactly inspiring for getting a young kid out riding.. I could persuade him to ride, but being cold and wet is more likely to put him off riding than inspire him.

Are you near QECP at all? We're at capacity right now, but I, and maybe some other mtb parents are hopefully doing the BC level 1 and 2 coaching courses next year so we will have room to expand then.

Edit - I remember where you are - not that near QECP! 😳

Not a million miles away Yak, certainly close enough to drive down for the right things.

Would you do a weekly club session? I can put you on the list if you want.

Sure, obviously it depends on timings as we're likely to be racing XC/CX on Sundays a fair bit next year, Sat morning is tough as he's got flute....

However, yes, potentially....

If you have a minute, throw me an email please (in profile) and we can discuss the details.

I'm not really sure where the longer term plans are leading us, ut he's still enjoying the cycling and wants to get out.... even Sunday in the lashing rain he could have easily been persuaded to play CX racing... but i was less inclined to make him 😀

Is your lad entering the Reindeer Dash on Dec 9th in Woking? Charlottesville rascals xc race

Not heard of it Natrix, but i'll certainly have a google.

Seems to be 10th 🙂

I'd highly recommend a local bmx club. The skills learnt on bike handling easily translate to any other bike.

Plus a lot of clubs are floodlit, run proper training sessions and bikes/kit need not be silly expensive.

Bmx ers make great mtb ers.

Worth looking at local clubs/tracks near you.

I raced a lot as a kid, I'm sure my parents enjoyed it more than me sometimes. I eventually gave it up and played football just for a change after 8 years or training and racing. Hence I'm pretty laid back with what my kids want to do, they can all ride but it's always social based riding.

Map of UK bmx tracks:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=z4JARLW3g6t0.kPhkdYnz-0xE

First night ride for my 8 year old tonight. Me and one of the lads are going out what is now our regular 30 miler for Fri evening, so we're taking my lad out for the first 6-7 miles as a gentle intro ride.

I've told him if he enjoys it and does well, we'll go longer next weekend.

Hi Weeksy,

What Wellgo pedals are those? My 8 yo could do with something better than the pedals which came with her Beinn 24, those look not to stupidly big and lethal! 🙂

Thanks.

Sorry for the delay. They're just V8 copies.

Could do with a few ideas today please all.

Spent the morning over at Brechfa Forest today... I was quite impressed. We only did the Blue and the Green routes as we had the small boy today, but they were pretty good i have to say. It's quite a 'rural' place, it's not true natural trails as they're semi man-made, but because of the terrain and the location, they feel quite natural too.

My lad struggled slightly with both the elevation and the rocky terrain and also mostly the cold, it was only showing 1deg so it was a bit on the wrong side of chilly.

You'd have laughed lots today, sitting on a tree stump with me putting my lads foot in my mouth full of sweaty sock so I could hot potato is back to life! He was getting all emotional about how cold his feet were, so I was rubbing them warm and doing the hot potato thing. Looking back now, it must have looked proper crazy.

He does get some looks though when we're doing this sort of stuff, its quite extreme for your average 8 year old.

At times, its hard and I forget just how tough some of the things I ask him to ride must be on a small wheel rigid bike with rim brakes!

So the question is... what do i do for him to make things better ? I know from all of our perspectives, Brechfa is fine on a nice FS bike... but imagine trying it on a 24" rigid LOL

He's still too small for even an XS adult bike, but if we keep doing tricky stuff, a bit of bounce would help i think.

Reading more, the Isla beinn has a 1" ahead steerer, can someone tell me what that means exactly please? Its not a term I've heard before.

But would imply these may fit ?

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.SR-Suntour-XCT-V4-V-80mm-Travel-26-x-1-Suspension-Fork-2016_89721.htm?sku=310360&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KEQiAv4jDBRCC1IvzqqDnkYYBEiQA89utomzUCCZAHa-iv6Pyb_ZNOPF5Er7fU1BS6nmGolEPKwQaAssI8P8HAQ#

Give him a bmx; send him to the dirt jumps or the skate park. That way he'll learn how to ride a bike properly

davidtaylforth - Member
Give him a bmx; send him to the dirt jumps or the skate park. That way he'll learn how to ride a bike properly

I think by the fact he's winning xc races and racing Gorrick xc events we can assume he can ride a bike properly. But of course I get your point, however the world isn't quite that simple is it? How do you think it will go with him hitting a skate park without any reasonable tuition? I suspect A&E would be very soon after. Skate parks are smooth and the same lap after lap, whereas a trail center is different every inch with rocks, roots, leaves, mud, puddles.

We did look into bmx down here and there's a school /club in Andover, but I'm not sure why that seems to be the answer to some. Being a good jumper doesn't necessarily mean he's got all the right tools for xc or CX for example ? I'm curious as to why this seems a default answer for some?

I was going to take him on a day with Jedi, but in fairness I think its a bit early on for that.

I don't want to scare him away, pressure him out of loving riding, we bond massively with our riding and its all about fun for us, I'm not losing that.

Racing round a muddy field is just racing round a muddy field.

Time on the bike is what teaches you how to ride properly. This is generally easier with a bmx as it can be done from the front door.

Depends if he enjoys it that much? I mean BMX is a proper hobby, like skate boarding. Kids do it everyday. Does he care about riding a bike that much? Maybe he just enjoys doing it with you at the weekends?

I mean I guess you could get him full susser, but how often would he get to ride it? Just at the weekends with you? That's not really often enough to progress quickly.

It's easier to learn stuff when you're younger for sure, plus you heal quicker if you damage yourself.

Take Harry Main for example, I remember him shredding liverpool skatepark as a child, now he does things you wouldn't think possible on a bike. I don't think he'd be troubled by wet roots at a trail centre

So the question is... what do i do for him to make things better ? I know from all of our perspectives, Brechfa is fine on a nice FS bike... but imagine trying it on a 24" rigid LOL

Stop being tight and get him one of [url= http://carbonxscycles.com/ ]these[/url] 😀

Thanks for the reply DT.

Acessibility wise BMX is a LOT trickier than XC. Distance, time etc

I also am not convinced it's something you just 'jump on' at 8 years old without any experience and expect to get anything other than injured. For us, the nearest BMS training is Andover, which is a 3 hour round trip assuming 1 hour lesson, Newbury is a 9 mile trip, still 30 mins each way by the time you park etc. XC Riding is something he/we can do straight out of the door, it's instantly accessible to us and he seems to enjoy himself (when he's not cold)

Whilst yes he's racing round a muddy field, doing Brechfa/Swinley and Gorrick is a fair bit more than just racing round a field, it's techincal riding with terrain and inclines in both directions.

I do accept we need to work on his skill levels though, no argument there from me.

Worry about the warmth not the bike. Getting cold is a sure fire way to spoil enthusiasm. Get more appropriate clothing, tights waterproof socks and shoes etc. Aged 15 I was riding stuff on a rigid canti braked bike that I would be scared to walk down 20 years later 😳 so I sure aged 8 he'll be fine with what he has. Plus suspension (esp cheaper suspension) doesn't work well and adds weight.

Edit. Also he'll be too light to compress springs, even with air forks sub nine stone is hard to set up right

Agree on the warmth, bit of a schoolboy error of being underprepared as we were over in St DAvids at the MiL's, not at home, so we ended up slightly caught short... he had the tights and warm gloves, but the sock department was slightly lacking i have to say... I was impressed with his character 🙂

What shoes does he wear? I wind/waterproof my cycling shoes with careful application of duck tape. Makes a massive difference to foot temperature

I have just bought my lad a bmx, he doesn't need to go to a full on bmx track to have fun on it! The handling skills etc that he will build up by just dicking about on it (all day everyday since Christmas) will pay huge dividends at some point, if not screw it he has having a laugh on his bike!!!

I think it is amazing that he is out riding these trail centres but do think you should have thought ALOT more about the conditions before going out! It is ok to recognise after the fact and talk about buying a new bike but he still had a bloomin uncomfortable time, a couple of those and he may decide it is all a bit shyte!

airwalk skate with Wellgo v8

[url] http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/bikes/kids-bikes/cube-kid-240-black-2017-kids-bike-82100024.html [/url]

Just sorted one of these to give a quick opportunity so we have a suspension bike as a choice. We'll plan on taking both to Swinley at the same time for back to back tests.

Picked up the cube today and my lad was instantly happier, quicker and more confident on it than on the Isla around Swinley. So much so, he was even troubling a few grown ups. Not sure if its the suspension that's helped, the riser bars or the reach, but he's happier. He was flying down the big bermy blues towards the end of Blue.

Been debating what happens with the Isla now, do we keep it and use for xc rampage races? Keep it and use for CX? Don't really know. I think if I fit some fast small block rubber on for the xc races he'll still go fast enough but also have the confidence to tackle anything tricky too.
If he wants to take on CX I guess we could use the money from the Isla to put in for a dedicated CX bike.

At the moment, its winter, so its all about swinley fun for him and me.

Well thanks to an epic day at Forest of Dean (forest of Doom he calls it now) along with his new found confidence on the CUBE, we've now entered him for his first Enduro race

http://pedalabikeaway.co.uk/product/mini-enduro-races/

Thanks to Taff and his boy...

Should be an absolute blast for the boy i rekon.

Today was one of them days that just go down in history as epic... Epic beyond all comprehension.

We all hooked up for some fun on the trails at the forest of dean. My lad on his fairly new CUBE and me on the Parkwood. From the get-go my lad was cracking on and riding really well, Taff showing us some cool trails. We stopped at a little skills section with some northshore type drops and sections. Now they may not look as epic to you as they were to me and him, but as soon as the adults had ridden them my lad looks at me "can i do it daddy?".... Sheesh... it's 12-14" vertical drop and quite easy to bash your cranks on a small bike, go over the bars and be in a world of trouble.

We looked over it, discussed the riding style, bum back a bit, jump off it as you would a kerb, keeping pedals level... etc.. He attacked it... Woosh... no problem... "again again"..... So he did it 3-4 times.
Lots of laughs and jokes and he's having a ball.

His hill climbing is still great, but since getting the new bike his confidence has gone up by tonnes... he's now hitting stuff and i'm thinking "Damn, are you really doing that ! ! " Proud doesn't do any justice to how i felt.

We ended up at a Bombhole and Taff and his lad do it... my boy looks at me "ok?".... Why not... he's then launching the jump, trying to get his position right and get some air time... Just awesome...

We did Blues and Reds, reds are normally above his pay grade, but he absolutely made mincemeat of them... a couple of crashes on wet muddy roots didn't put him off, just attacking trails and as soon as he saw something he could launch off, he was on his way.... He did a proper tricky red around Spooky Woods with some Northshore and then a small (but scary for 8 years old i bet) rock garden like they barely even registered as techincal ! Just flying through it and cracking on with laughs...

After we'd finished he went out with Taffs lad, came back laughing "we did some more reds daddy...." sometimes all you can do is smile and feel the warm glow of happiness.

Brilliant day out and great to make a few new friends... Just epic !

Crust launching
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Fraction too late on the camera for my lad
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Well that's cool... That's his first entry in for Enduro this week, along with the first of the season for him in Southern XC series for Wasing (Aldermaston) in March. Hopefully now we're getting his skills sorted so it will all be down to his power and speed. Catagory is good too as it's U9's, which means he should be at the right end of the age group too. With XC Rampage he's going to be giving some 18months due to how they work it.

My lad's done a number of the FOD mini enduros great little races for many reasons.
They tend to do it per school year and sometimes if numbers are lower for a particular year will combine two years together. It's a time trail like proper enduros and the course is great, quite long, with two short sections with a slight incline where pedalling comes into play. It finishes in spooky woods after the northshore and rock garden section prior to that.
They do podiums afterwards near the centre. Great value and well organised.

Bloody hell I remember that bombhole from the 90s!

We may go nuts and hire this for race day...

[img] [/img]

It's only £30 for the morning and gives him better bouncy bits along with better brakes. Only minor issues are trigger shifters instead of grip shifters, he's used triggers, but preferred gripshift. 2nd consideration is whether a 14" frame will be too big for him or the right size... But we can try that on Saturday when we drop in there.

[VIDEO]

Well my lad struggled today out there, in simple terms, he just didn't have the power/performance, even from the very start he was struggling. We plodded on and tried some decent technical riding, but his heart just wasn't in it.

This is Swinleys little rock jump, which about 4/10 people who ride it don't do it, plenty skipped it when we were watching/practicing... But the boy just went for it, nailed it, nailed it, nailed it, lol. He then did tank traps about 6 times as he was struggling with a few bits, but the roots/rocked on some entry points he really did will with ! Attacking and nailing them.

All in all... a good/bad day... but we pulled the plug before he got unhappy and didn't enjoy it.

Enduring race day, forest of Dean! It's all exciting. My lad has his new KTM mx Jersey on for the race.

A few changes at the moment with plans as he's now been picked for tryout sessions and training with the royal philharmonic for his flute playing, the first one clashes with the southern xc series race at Wasing park. So he's going to have to skip the race. As much as his flute playing doesn't interest me, he's clearly a talented lad at it as he keeps getting upgrades, got given a new flute by his school etc, so I'm not one to hold him back.
Hopefully not too many other clashes after that.

But. Let's go have fun!

Have you a mtb club in the area?

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Soccer Dads rule OK 😆

My boy really enjoyed his day, couple of practice crashes and one in the race at Spooky Woods, but didn't dent his enjoyment of the event at all.

We didn't make the podium, but i didn't expect a podium finish in all honesty. So was just fun to be out there riding 🙂

Massive thanks to Taff and his boy.... Looked after us both brilliantly 🙂

After this weekend and my boy ending up stuck in the granny ring, partly through his shifter stopping working correctly and partly as he was being a bit, well, a bit 8.... So he forgot that he shouldn't be spinning like a loony and he should be using power too.

SO i thought i'd remove the shifting from the discussion and he'd go 1X

Many of the kids bikes these days are 1X and whilst it MAY give him an issue in some circumstances, i think he'll be just fine with it. What i didn't expect was the MASSIVE weight difference.

I've removed 1.5kf from the bike and only added back in 450gr ! So we're 1kg lighter than before starting the work.

Just waiting on a new chain to arrive and we'll be good to go 🙂

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The good thing is that this may save me spending £650 on a Whyte 403 for him !

Chain all done, ready for testing when he gets back from deepest darkest Wales 🙂

Weeksy..you are near Thatcham right? We should meet up sometime. My lad is only 6 but it might be good for him to see how a slightly older boy does it....I'll even let you sit on a proper motorbike if your good!!

Yup, not a million miles from Thatcham, 15 mins or so. We're free lots, so just lob me a mail/message etc 🙂
One sunny weekend you could come over here if you like, the boys can play on the green as they do every weekend, lots of cycling/scootering, we've got 7 kids in the close varying in ages from 5-9.