Everything You Need For A MTB Ride With Kids

Backpack: A backpack is an absolutely essential item, for more reasons than you might think! Of course it’s necessary for carrying all of the bits and pieces I’ll be going through below. However I also prefer a backpack that has straps on the side of it (they’re often used for carrying skateboards), so that if there's a full meltdown on the trail, you can strap the kids’ bike to it, put the kid on your shoulders and walk out. Meltdowns will happen, so best to be prepared!

Helmet: A quality kid's helmet is a no-brainer. There’s a huge range of kids helmets available, with plenty of colours to choose from and different safety features.

Jersey: A lightweight kids jersey is an ideal way to keep them happy, cool and comfortable. Because no one likes to sweat more than they need to, and this goes double for young children! It also makes the whole experience a bit more special if they have a special jersey just for mountain biking.

Knee Guards: I often use adult elbow guards as child knee guards; they work quite well. You can simply see if the spare pair of elbow guards you have in the garage will fit on their legs correctly, or if you need to buy a pair, measure up the kids knee and apply this to the elbow guard sizing charts to determine a suitable fit.

Trail snacks: At some stage, there will need to be a break and a snack stop. Try a muesli bar or something that’s not too much of a treat - the motivation to go mountain biking shouldn’t be about the mid-ride chocolate, but about the actual mountain biking! Remember to take frequent breaks to keep up the motivation and energy levels.

Shoes: A pair of proper kids bike shoes such as 5:10s or the Etnies Marana Kids Flat Shoes are pretty hard to beat. If you can't get your hands on these, a set of Vans or other skate shoes often will work pretty well too. Like for adults, having proper flat shoes works wonders with pedal grip!

Gloves: Not particularly essential for when they're just starting out; as they often don't have a lot of downwards speed, they aren't really gonna shred their hands. But once they start riding a bit faster, gloves can be a huge help on soft hands.

Bike Lock: A good bike lock can give you options if something unexpected happens. For example, if by chance your kid hurts themselves and you need to carry them out, you can lock their bike to a tree and come back for it later.

Front-Mounted Child Seat: Mix up the adventure a bit and have your kid sit up in the cockpit with you! These child seats can often fold up and fit in your backpack. It's great for getting a child to a specific area on the trails, or if there's nothing easy near the car park.

Tow Strap: A tow strap is useful for helping your kid to master their offroad skills, it’s also an ideal solution if energy levels get low and you need to tow them up the next hill or back out to the carpark.