Bringing up a life-long shredder – everything you need to know about motivation, route planning, equipment, and technique

Nothing beats the joy of getting outside with your child, confident in the knowledge that their passion for riding matches yours, right? For mountain bikers, it's all about being active outdoors and having adventures that create memories you'll share forever. Like your little one's very first "proper" off-road ride, that super sunny picnic surrounded by awe-inspiringly tall mountains, or even the day they first left you in a cloud of dust, grinning from ear to ear.

Children have an innate sense of curiosity. They thrive on time spent in the fresh air when the focus is firmly on fun. Mountain biking satisfies this natural urge to play. It's a form of active play that gets them outside and moving their bodies in the fresh air. As an added bonus, it also builds up their motor skills and intellectual aptitude, including reaction time, coordination, balance, agility, endurance, creativity, and concentration.

Mountain biking also helps to relieve school-related or social stress. Cutting through the fresh air on two wheels doesn't just have a liberating effect on the mind – it also releases lots of feel-good endorphins. It's not just a summer sport either; cycling is a great mood-boosting activity for winter too. >>For more on the benefits and practicalities of winter riding, check out this article.

Your child also learns how to gauge their ability, sound out their limits and weigh up the risk of what they're about to do. It's entirely likely that your child may fall to the ground once or twice during this process. Here's why it's important to make sure you provide them with >>appropriate equipment to prevent serious injuries. Talking through situations that crop up is also sensible. Could the crash have been avoided? If so, how? 

Encouraging kids to push their limits in a safe environment (i.e. with protective gear and suitable terrain) translates into self-awareness and actually renders them less at risk of harm. Through these experiences, they gain the ability to assess a situation based on an understanding of their level and the risks involved – a skill that transfers to life outside of riding too.

With each achievement on the bike (however minor), your child's self-confidence gets a boost. It should rightly be a source of pride when they can identify what they have achieved on two wheels. Of course, words of praise from you as their parent or guardian will never go amiss. ;)

And lastly, your parent-child bond will be reinforced with every mountain bike ride you do together.

It's hard to pinpoint the specific age at which a child might be ready for mountain biking. This depends on their motivation to take up the sport, their motor skills, and their size. 

Some five- and even four-year-olds are already fired up to hit the trails. But at this age, a slow and gentle approach is key. A child's tendons and muscles aren't quite ready for serious physical effort until around age six. 

Until this age, it's best to keep a safe distance from any major climbs, descents, or rough terrain. Stick to mellow gravel tracks, easy access roads, and smooth flow trails. Pump tracks can also be a fun option, but make sure your child knows the basics of pump track etiquette before jumping in.

As a general guide, mountain biking can begin when your child is both eager and big enough to ride a bike with 20-inch wheels.

Mountain biking should be fun. And we mean really, really fun. The sort of fun that really demands a suitable mountain bike that weighs as little as possible. A huge, heavy bike would drastically kill the mood. 

The weight of a good kids-specific mountain bike should certainly be in single figures, maybe just creeping into double figures if you add a suspension fork. A low weight translates into a lot of fun and will let your little one have a go at jumping every now and again.

For the bike mad among us, the priority needs to be ensuring that your offspring's first encounters with mountain biking are truly enjoyable. And that may mean being flexible and making some sacrifices when it comes to your own ambitions, because from now on…

… the journey is the destination!

Endurance rides in the mountains? Probably not the way to spark a love for mountain biking at this stage. Instead, think of your joint rides as an adventure playground on wheels, full of opportunity to explore and play. To keep kids interested along the route, the idea of paddling in a stream, taking a dip in the lake, skimming stones, settling down in the shade for a picnic, exploring mysterious caves, doing a spot of climbing, or stumbling upon a hidden pond in the woods will add extra excitement and variety. If you time it right, you might even find chestnuts or mushrooms to bring home. 

Whatever route you pick, make sure it's manageable for their skill level with some nice variation along the way. Start with shorter rides and plan for plenty of impromptu stops so that the ride can remain nice and relaxed. 

If you're in need of a little inspiration, check out >>our list of fun ride destinations we think you and your child will enjoy. 

You're most qualified to assess your child's fitness. Sure, their general level of endurance and power is relevant, but so too is how they feel on the day. What are their energy levels like? On certain days, they'll be flagging before you know it, while on others it seems like they'll never get tired (despite your best efforts to wear them out).

If there's one thing that's clear, it's that we often underestimate a child's capacity. Kids are natural endurance athletes – really! Their bodies tap into fat stores for energy, and the count of mitochondria (the powerhouses of our cells) in their muscles outnumbers those of us adults. 

So when they are having fun on a well-chosen route, a six- or seven-year-old can easily rack up 20 to 30 km without even realizing it.

But tackling a long distance all at once? That's unwise. Short, frequent breaks work better than longer ones. While kids have great endurance, they burn energy in bursts, going all out and then suddenly running low. 

If you see a pale triangle forming around their mouth and nose, it's high time for a snack stop – this is a clear sign of fatigue.

Even on shorter rides, keeping food and drinks handy is key. If the tank starts to empty, a cereal bar, sliced fruit or a sandwich will work wonders.

Want to know the most important factor when choosing their MTB? Finding a lightweight, kids-specific mountain bike that fits just right. 

A lighter frame makes riding easier, and for now, skipping suspension also helps to keep the weight down. For young or particularly light children, their body weight won't activate the suspension properly, so it won't offer much benefit yet. 

Instead, extra cushioning comes from lightweight, wide tires. Depending on the rider's weight and the ground conditions, these can be run at a lower air pressure for even more comfort. And don't forget: arms and legs make the best natural suspension! It's true that bumpy terrain can be smoothed out with the right technique.

Once your child weighs around 25 to 30 kg, it may be time to consider front suspension. However, it needs to be a child-specific model, which means it's suitably lightweight, responsive under minimal load, and adjustable to both the rider's weight and the terrain.

>>Click here to explore the differences between rigid forks versus front suspension and find out which woom mountain bike is the best fit for your child.

As for rear suspension (also known as rear travel or the rear shock, found on full-suspension bikes or "fullies"), this setup adds more weight without much benefit unless your child is pinning on a number for races or regularly tackling tough downhill trails. For most kids, keeping the bike light means keeping it fun!

To find out >> how to select the correct size for your child and discover the arguments against buying a bike that's too big for them, check out this article.

Alongside frame size and weight, a bike's geometry and ergonomics are also key elements to consider. The frame should not just be a smaller version of an adult's bike. Instead, it needs scaled-down, child-specific dimensions including size-appropriate stand-over height, riding position, wheelbase, and head angle.

A low top tube means that your child will be able to react quickly in tricky situations by getting off the bike safely without crashing. If the top tube is too high, there's a risk that your child won't manage to get their leg up and over the bike in a hurry.

For added stability, a low riding position keeps the rider's center of gravity where it should be, while a long wheelbase and slack head angle amount to a smoother ride. Stability and smoothness are key to increasing your child's confidence and boosting the fun factor.

When it comes to components, every detail matters. The saddle, brakes, grips, brake levers, cranks, stem, shifters, and gear ratio all need to be specifically made just for kids, i.e., designed to fit their hands, their strength and the way they ride.

That means brake levers that a child's small hands can comfortably reach, with the option to adjust said reach. 

Kids also require brakes that work effectively without requiring too much effort, because long descents should not lead to tired figures. Disc brakes help eradicate this issue and are therefore a great choice for kids' mountain bikes.

The grips need to be slim enough for your child to maintain a good grip on them and minimize the risk of their hands slipping off the bars if caught unawares.

For gears on a children's mountain bike, simple is best! A 1x setup (that means a single chainring at the front) with seven to nine gears (on the cassette at the back) that covers a wide ratio will handle most scenarios. At this age, a more complicated 2x drivetrain setup could overwhelm your child, distracting them from what they should really be concentrating on.

Clipless pedals – where shoes attach to the pedal with cleats – aren't necessary on kids' mountain bikes. 

If your child needs to stop quickly, flat pedals (also known as platform pedals) make it much easier to dismount safely. On mountain bikes, these sorts of pedals are usually lined with grippy little metal pins to ensure that the soles of the rider's shoes remain firmly on the pedals.

If you're wondering which knobs to turn and bolts to tighten in order to tune each MTB component to suit your child, >> check out this brief guide to tuning your child's bike.

Style matters! Your child's mountain bike should make them excited to ride it. A pivotal step in the whole process of learning to love mountain biking is therefore to involve them right from the outset in picking out their new bike.

Think cool colors and how the overall design comes together. Our woom OFF and woom OFF AIR mountain bikes – just like all our woom bikes! – have a timeless design and come in bold, standout colors. Choose from a matte black finish with silver components (black) or a special shade of copper with a slight shimmer and black accents (terra coppa).

Choosing the right protective gear for your child depends on where they'll be riding and how technical it's going to be. Safety first, always! On any ride, a perfectly positioned helmet is a must, so consider our >>READY Helmet.

One piece of gear that's often overlooked? A good pair of kids' riding glasses, especially for mountain biking. Dust, grit, and bugs can fly into your child's eyes while riding, making them lose focus – or worse, take a hand off the bars to wipe their face mid-ride.

And since hands are usually the first thing to hit the ground in a fall, mountain bikers always like to protect their hands. A good pair of long-finger cycling gloves like our >>TENS Bike Gloves will not only provide protection from abrasion, thorns, and splinters, but also improve grip on the bars.

Specific protectors, also known as soft body armor, have been developed to protect knees, shins, and elbows from injuries. 

Comfort is key here: They need to be lightweight, easy to pull on and off, totally unrestrictive, and wholly unlikely to slip while riding. If these boxes are not ticked and your child is unhappy with the fit and comfort of the protectors, it won't take long before they refuse to put them on without an argument.

For kids that are already demonstrating ripper potential at the >>bike park, investing in a neck protector (or a neck brace) as well as a back protector and potentially even crash pants to be worn alongside a comfortable full-face helmet is also a wise move. This way, you'll be looking after their spine, chin, lips, teeth, and nose as well.

Armed with the right bike and equipment, it's almost time to roll. But it's worth mastering some key off-road skills before heading away from the tarmac. For the best results, focus on the fun factor above all else. 

We've compiled a few simple, fun exercises for you and your kid to practice together. Find a large, flat, traffic-free area to have a go.

• The Attack Position aka the Gorilla: The ability to ride out of the saddle is key when off-road. The attack position includes level pedals, one foot in front of the other, weight spread evenly, heels pointing downwards so that the pedals are slightly tilted, and eyes fixed straight ahead. 

Encourage your child to practice adopting this position. They can pretend to be a gorilla on their bike as they follow your commands: turn left, turn right, stand taller, bob down. This way they'll be able to determine which foot feels more comfortable in which position.

• The Downhill Position aka the Seal: Even this downhill riding stance can be practiced with a giggle. Demonstrate the seal position on your own bike first and then ask your child to do the same. This involves shifting your body weight as far back over the bike as possible and stretching out your arms to the bars. 

The steeper the descent, the further back your bottom needs to be. Play around a little in this position and give your child the chance to discover just how much space for movement they have while on the bike.

• Slow bicycle race: A good sense of balance is vital for mountain biking. A playful way to fine-tune this skill involves staging a slow bicycle race. Who can cover a set distance in the slowest time possible? The last one over the line wins! 

You can make it a little tougher by picking a gentle slope – here's where balance meets braking skills. Speaking of braking, your child should only rely on one or two fingers to operate the levers, thereby retaining a good grip on the bars at all times.

• It's pick-up time: Picking up various objects while riding is a fun and dynamic way to train your kid's agility and coordination skills. Keep it simple to start with and gradually make it more difficult.
  
  Begin by placing a large plastic bottle on top of an upside-down bucket and asking your child to pick it up and put it down again further along the route, or even drop it into a waiting bucket. Make it harder by removing the upside-down bucket and placing the bottle on the floor instead. Then gradually decrease the size of the bottle or use other suitable objects like a tennis ball.
  
• Riding slalom: To practice off-road cornering skills, use some chalk or cones to outline a slalom course on slightly sloping ground. The objective: Ride the course in the attack position, taking care not to cross any of the lines or knock over any of the cones. 

Remind your child of the importance of looking ahead in exactly the direction that they want to take. In short, their head will be leading the bike and body in whichever direction it is pointing.