Expert Bike Gear Moms Share Their Experience
Do you want to start mountain biking with kids but aren’t sure what you need to get started? What kind of bike does you kid need? What about other gear?
Finding the right equipment not only sets kids up for success, it makes mountain biking with kids more fun for everyone!
This week we have some special guests here to share their experience mountain biking with kids.
Please welcome Natalie and Carrie from Two Wheeling Tots! These bike moms are here to share their advice on choosing the best mountain bikes and MTB gear for kids. Over the last 12 years, they have tested almost 600 kids bike products with their own kids (7 kids shredders between them!), friends, and neighbors.
Bike Mamas, Bike Grandmas, Bike Aunties!
One of the greatest joys in mountain biking can be mountain biking with kids in your life. But what kind of bike do they need? And what about gear? Here’s our most basic tip:
MOM gear is not the same as GROM gear. Kids are smaller, lighter, and have different body proportions than you do. What’s best for you is’t necessarily best for them.
What Do You Need to Get Started?
Bike
Helmet
Gloves
Knee pads
Hydration Pack
What Are the Best Mountain Bike Brands for Kids?
The best bikes for kids won’t be found in a bike shop. Our favorite kids mountain bikes are produced by kid-specific, consumer-direct brands such as Prevelo, woom and Cleary. These brands solely focus on kids bikes and it shows! Their bikes are consistently lighter, with significantly better kid-specific components and geometry.
From 14” mini mountain bikes to nimble 26” cross-country bikes, you’ll be amazed at the quality and vast offerings of technical kids bikes that can be found online.
You can check out these brands and others on our individual size pages:
Does a Kids Mountain Bike Need Suspension?
This point is sometimes highly contested by MTB moms and dads, but our soapbox speech is simple: Beginning riders (especially those on 16 and 20 inch mountain bikes) simply don’t weigh enough for a reasonably-priced suspension fork to work properly.
Suspension forks that work with lightweight kids are expensive to make. So if you want suspension, you have to be willing to pay significantly more. A cheap suspension fork will only add weight to the bike while offering very minimal, if any, benefit. Mountain bikes from Prevelo, woom, or Cleary feature kid-friendly suspension forks that work well for kids.
What about full suspension for kids? That will usually only be necessary if your child is tackling aggressive downhill black trails or hitting up lift-assisted parks.
If you do think your child needs a full-suspension bike, Trailcraft Cycles is the king of the full-suspension kids mountain bike world.
Do Kids Need Hydraulic Disc Brakes?
Hydraulic disc brakes are unquestionably the king of brakes, but they certainly aren’t necessary for the littlest and lightest of groms. Little ones simply don’t have enough speed and inertia behind them to need hydraulic disc brakes.
Dialed-in hydraulic brakes are, however, a must-have for aggressive older riders taking on steeper pitches and more challenging terrain.
Most kids on 16” and 20” bikes won’t be riding fast enough to need the extra stopping power of hydraulic disc brakes. In most cases, mechanical disc brakes will more than suffice. For young kids on a 16” bike, we’ve found a high-quality v-brake system to work just great.
Bike Helmets
Our entire list of favorite bike helmets can be found here, but if you’re looking for our quick favorites, these helmets are exceptional and affordable:
Smith Wildcat Jr. Giro TremorGiro Fixture
What about full face helmets? If your kids are itching to tackle more aggressive trails, a full face helmet is certainly a bonus. We recently discovered the Kali Maya Child Full Face helmet with removable chin bar. It’s an affordable, high-quality option if you’ll be riding a mix of cross-country and downhill and want the option of a full face or half lid.
The Bell Sanction full face doesn’t have a removable chin-bar, but is super affordable and has sizing options for younger and older kids.
Gloves
Finding gloves to fit little hands can be tricky, but there are a few really solid options out there. You can check out our full list of favorite gloves here, but here’s a few quick picks:
Zippyrooz full finger (come in really small sizes for the littlest shredders)Tasco Ridgeline Youth Glove (also come in really small sizes)Giro DND Jr. II (grade school kid sizes)
Knee Pads
Knee pads might just be the trickiest piece of gear to buy because sizing can be difficult to get right - even if you follow the brand’s sizing guide. We usually order multiple sizes of pads, try them on at home, and then return what doesn’t fit. You can see our full list of favorite knee pads here.
For riders 2 to 6, your options are very limited. We’ve found great success with the 7idp Transition Kids Pads.
For grade school and older kids, the Troy Lee Youth Speed Sleeve is soft, comfortable and easy to get on and off.
Kids can be quite picky when it comes to their riding comfort, so we favor knee pads that are durable and comfortable!
Hydration Packs
Staying hydrated on the trail is a skill you should start teaching as early as possible. A hydration pack empowers kids to take charge of their own hydration, instead of waiting for mom to nag them.
For kids about 9 and under, a small, kid-specific hydration pack is necessary. Smaller packs won’t hang down too low and the straps can be tightened snuggly against a child’s back. Our favorite in this size range is the Camelbak Mini MULE.
For kids 10 and older (boys and girls!), we generally recommend buying a small women’s pack so that it fits your child now, but also offers plenty of room for growth. In this size range, our top pick is the Camelbak Charm.
Our full list of Best Hydration Packs for Kids can be found here. This list includes budget-friendly packs!
What About MTB Jerseys, Shorts, and Shoes?
As you already know for yourself, mountain biking can be an expensive hobby. This is especially true with kids who grow out of gear more quickly than we’d like. Don’t feel like your kids need MTB-specific shirts, shorts, and shoes. Our kids often ride in whatever they might play PE in, including their running shoes.
While completely kitting up your kids certainly won’t hurt if that’s what you want to do, it’s not necessary for a fun ride. We’ve generally waited until our kids get past their major growth spurts to invest in more MTB-specific clothing.
MTB shoes are the first investment you may want to make, as the firm rubber soles do help increase safety once your little rider is tackling more aggressive terrain and riding with pedals with pins. If you notice your child’s feet slipping off the pedals during a ride, that’s probably a good sign that MTB shoes could help increase their confidence and safety. Five Ten Freeriders come in kids sizes.
If you are interested in MTB clothes, Zoic and Shredly make high-quality kid-sized shorts. Little Rider Co makes our favorite jerseys.
If you have any burning questions we didn’t answer, please feel free to reach out to us at info@twowheelingtots.com. And if you’re a gear nerd who wants to know more about why we love the gear we’ve mentioned here, our website Two Wheeling Tots is full of detailed reviews of all of these items!
Get Out and Ride!
Natalie and Carrie
