When Danny McAskill released his video ‘Danny Daycare’ a few years ago, it begged the question of mountain biking parents everywhere: what’s the best way to go mountain biking with kids?
Mountain biking can be an adventure, but embarking on the wild ride of parenthood is perhaps the biggest adventure you can embark on in life. With all the demands of parenting, it’s undeniable that embarking on the adventure of parenthood significantly decreases your riding time. With a generation of mountain bikers that grew up with good-quality suspension and increased trail access now hitting CPA (critical parenting age), there are more and more ways to go mountain biking with kids
So what’s the best way to go mountain biking with kids? We sat down with a few of AMB’s mountain bike families and friends to discuss the multitude of ways they can go mountain biking with kids. If you have a small person in your life, read ahead to see how the crew have managed to explore trails as their families have grown.
How to go mountain biking with kids: Baby Trailer Adventures
Wild adventures with Briana, Nathan and Baby Tanner
Briana Tomkins is a long-time cyclist who embraces many disciplines, from road to mountain biking and everything in between. She welcomed her first son Tanner into the world in early 2024, and already, he has been adventuring off-road with their Thule Chariot. Briana shares her experience below.
“We are using the Thule Chariot Sport Double. We also purchased the Thule Chariot Baby Supporter, which acts almost like a bucket seat, as we wanted extra comfort and support for Tanner. This has come in handy, as we started riding with him in the trailer shortly after he was sitting upright (unsupported) at around 6 months of age. I own a gravel bike, and my husband Nathan owns a Specialized Levo SL, which has been great for a little bit of pedal assist when we want (and need) it.”
“We started off with a couple of exploration rides around our neighbourhood on bitumen. It was a smooth ride for Tanner and a safe, low-stress option for our first couple of outings. We are so close to the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT), so we then rode the smoothest, flattest part of the BVRT from Brassal to Fernvale and back: 50km total. This was a great ride, as it is a mixture of paved paths and very smooth gravel.”
“Our toughest ride so far has been our weekend bike-packing trip from Esk to Linville and back on the BVRT. We underestimated the combined challenges of the extra weight of our camping gear, the elevation and the headwind. The terrain was a lot rougher than previous rides we have done, and we found that most areas of the trail have a narrow single lane, which is great for a bike to follow, but the wheels on the trailer are always on either side in the rough, meaning constant drag, no matter what you do!”
“Multiple sections of the BVRT have sharp descents and climbs that forced us to swap the trailer back and forth between bikes constantly, and the Levo SL did not have enough battery power to do the entire journey on its own, so it was a fine balance of energy levels, strength, and enthusiasm.”
“We made it to Linville with just minutes of daylight to spare, setting up our camp quickly and making it to the pub just in time for dinner and to get the Levi about 70% charged at the pub before they closed for the night. The camping part of this trip was actually my most enjoyable. Tanner slept in between Nathan and I on his own sleeping pad from a bassinet, but I can see us needing a bigger tent for future trips. If we were to do another bike-packing trip, I would focus on a shorter distance ride, and focus more on enjoying the destination and experience.”
“The Chariot is great. Its limitations are more about the bike that’s doing the towing and the legs on the rider. It’s certainly a challenge to change your mindset from covering distance on the bike to focus more on the overall experience and enjoyment of the ride. The only other thing that really needs to be considered is the heat and dust inside the Chariot. On cooler days we used the rain cover to minimise dust, however, the Chariot quickly heats up so doing longer rides or rides later in the day are not really recommended in the Summer.”
“As Tanner grows we want to get a Shotgun or Macride style of attachment for our bikes. Of course, he will have his own bike as soon as he is ready!”
Bri’s Mountain Biking with Kids Hot Tips:
- Focus on the journey and experience rather than training
- Schedule your adventures around the weather
- Look for suitable places for whatever product you’re using: smooth gravel is great for the trailer, but it becomes very difficult when trails become more overgrown or technical!
- Trailers can require specific attachments for the axle, check compatibility with your bike
Mountain biking with kids: Cargo Bikes, Rear-Mounted Baby Seats and Mac Rides with twins
Hayden, Ashley, Lilly and Tilly
Contributor Hayden and his wife Ashley are dedicated mountain bikers who welcomed twin girls into the family in 2023. Matilda and Elizabeth (Tilly and Lilly) are the next generation of mountain bikers and represent a unique situation: what happens when you have two or more children of the same age? While it’s common to see a riding family with a baby on the bike and a toddler on the balance bike, having twins requires some creative thinking to get the family on the trails. Hayden shared his experiences:
“I’ve found that when the girls were really young, it was difficult to do anything cycling-related. As they grow and develop neck strength we put them in a bike seat to take them out and about with us. Now they love bikes because of that. Getting a cargo bike was the next step. Any trip within a 5km radius we do on the cargo bike. They’re a lot happier on the cargo bike than in the car and we barely use our second car because of that.” Hayden and Ash have been using an urban cargo bike, but have recently tested the Tern Orox.
“The biggest challenge is the parent-to-kid ratio,” Hayden says. “It’s super difficult to get out and use any attachment with one kid and one bike because, for obvious reasons, if there is only one parent around, we can’t go out. Using the Mac Ride seat attachment allows Ash and I to take the girls on some trails and weekend picnics in the bush.”
“The next step is riding for recreation, riding trails and going for picnics. From there, we have Strider bikes ready to go. The plan is to get them into some lessons at a pump track and then into a kid’s program. We want to treat mountain biking as an organised sport rather than something you do alone.”
“To get started with helmets, the Giro Scamp has fit them both really well. They have good adjustability and don’t get annoyed when it’s on their heads. We started with the helmets when they were really young, before they even started on bikes. We got the helmets, let them play with them, and put them on even when they were crawling around the living room. So they’re very, very used to having the helmets on. So now it’s not an issue; they know if they go on the bike, they wear a helmet; it’s not even a thought process for them.”
Hayden’s Mountain Biking with Kids Hot Tips
- Introduce the bike helmet early, even when doing non-bike-related things
- Look for a helmet with a good level of adjustment
- Adjust your expectations when riding with multiples. It may take a little longer to get them on the trails!
Progressing to solo riding: Trikes to Balance Bikes
Gerard, Annelie, George, Felix and Max
Shortly after Hayden and Ash had their twins, AMB photography wizard Gerard (G) and partner Annelie announced they were adding twins to their family. I caught up with Annelie to discuss their experience with eldest son George migrating to two wheels, and how riding may take shape with a family of three in the future.
“We first started using the Shotgun (similar to the Mac Ride) at around 18 months old. It’s recommended you wait until two, but we never took it on the trails to begin with because we focused on getting him safe and comfortable in the street. We personally found trails a little bumpy at this time, but he was surrounded by bikes and really took to his Kinderfitz Trike.”
“He started just walking around with the trike, and then around a month later, he rode it properly. Because he’s a small person, his interest of course ebbed and flowed. When he was around two, he really fell in love with it again, and we soon switched to a Specialized Hot Rock balance bike at around 2.5 years old. He was also getting too tall for the Shotgun and hitting my chin when we rode, so progressing to his own bike has been a real win.”.
George now hits up the skills park on his balance bike, and with Annelie and Gerard’s low pressure approach to mountain biking, George is free to explore and develop his own passion for the bike.
Three kids force a whole new perspective on getting out on the trails with kids, and Annelie isn’t sure what lies ahead for them, “it may be G and I with a Shotgun or Mac Ride on each bike and George on his own bike”, she explains. “We are also considering a Chariot trailer or perhaps even a cargo bike with front space for three kids. That will be a challenge getting off-road, though!”
Annelie’s Mountain Biking with Kids Hot Tips
- Never push kids to get on the bike; let them explore at their own pace.
- Ride ahead of your child when they graduate to their own set of wheels – they love following the leader!
- Make bikes enjoyable and plan activities like picnics and playdates alongside bike rides.
Daycare commutes with a front-mounted seat and e-bike
Anna, the teenager and baby Gary, the Ed’s story
When my first daughter was a baby, we had a Thule Chariot, though it was predominantly used as a running aid. But fast-forward 12 years to our second child, and e-bikes are firmly in the cycling zeitgeist. Living on a mountain, the e-bike is the only way I can ride from home and get back up my hill with a baby.
It took a bit of research to find a bike that would facilitate the front-mounted bike seat we wanted to use, the Thule Yepp Mini. This seat requires a fair amount of steerer to be exposed in order to facilitate the clamp, so steerer tube length was a key driver in my decision to purchase a Cannondale Moterra SL e-bike as a daycare commute and baby-adventure vehicle.
There are several front-mounted seats on the market, but we chose the Yepp Mini seat due to its small profile, lightweight design and ease of removal. I can load up for the 10km trail ride to daycare with the Yepp Mini, then remove the seat and leave it at daycare. This means I can ride home through technical trails without a baby seat between my knees. The Thule mount remains on the steerer tube, but it’s reasonably unobtrusive and doesn’t bother me.
I’m not going to pretend that riding with the Yepp Mini replicates a regular ride experience, on a medium bike at 168cm tall I have to move my knees outwards when pedalling. I removed the footwells on the Yepp Mini straight away in order to steer more effectively, which leaves Gary’s feet unsupported, but the moulded, bucket-style construction of the seat and restraint straps make me feel confident when riding. Plus, his feet often end up in the handlebars!
Because of the secure fit, Gary’s reluctance to hold on at all times is also not a dealbreaker as it would be with the Shotgun and Mac Ride, but at 13 months old, the front mounted seat allowed us to get out on the bike well before the age of 1. Having your child right between your arms is such a great way to share the joy of riding bikes, and to echo a theme, my next move will be a Shotgun or Mac Ride before a balance bike.
On the other end of the parenting spectrum, we are now far beyond the years of balance bikes with my eldest daughter. A product of the mountain biking kids revolution that’s been developing over the past decade, she shreds hard on her extra-small framed 27.5” trail bike.
Mountain biking with kids certainly gets a bit easier with age, especially as kids move to 26” wheels and beyond. The weight and efficiency of bikes really impact their ride experience. As a dedicated ‘non-cyclist’, getting her out on the bike requires pulling in friends and emphasising the social aspect of riding, and a chairlift or shuttles always sweetens the deal!
AB’s Mountain Biking with Kids Hot Tips
- Start by integrating short rides into your day before moving to longer or more challenging rides
- Plan for snack stops and breaks and plan rides around nap times!
- Things are always much better if you can select a route that features a few farm animals
- Check your bike’s and seat/trailer’s compatibility before purchasing
Mountain biking sparks a sense of adventure existing beyond the ride itself and it’s an amazing feeling to share this wonder with your children (grandchildren, little siblings or nieces and nephews). For kids and adults alike, mountain biking means exploring new places, discovering hidden spots, respecting nature and creating stories. If you’re reading this article, you already know that mountain biking’s not just a sport but an experience of limitless possibility on two wheels. If you can successfully instill a little person in your life with a passion for two wheels, maybe, just maybe, one day you’ll get to rip down the iconic trails of Thredbo, Blue Derby or Maydena with your mountain biking teenager, that is the ultimate mountain biking win in life.
