Is you kid a mountain biker at heart?

Glory days are here indeed. When our daughter turned 7, we asked her if she thought she might want to give mountain biking a try. She replied with a resounding ‘yes’. Being the owners of a bike shop and avid riders to boot, that was certainly music to our ears. We promptly brought her home a new Jamis fester so she would be properly outfitted for the task. The Fester is a great bike for young beginners, with its hand brakes and 6 gears; it really helps prepare a child for more serious riding. (We sell some of the best kids mountain bikes that exist.)Our first venture was out to Bent Creek where we rode the very family friendly homestead trail. She had a blast and blew us away with her natural ability and confidence. She really wanted this and you could see the determination all over her face.Our next adventure was in the North Mills area where we found some incredibly kid friendly trail. The fall colors were in peak. There was plenty of flat trail for fast fun and some beginner technical material for a challenge. Watching the look on your child’s face when they are out on the trail and feeling really good about their accomplishments is priceless.

There will always be moments when your child falls, or is unsuccessful at an obstacle, but when handled with a positive outlook and a little humility, it’s easy enough to turn that frown upside down. Just tell them you just learned how to get over logs like that last year. And there’s nothing wrong with falling or walking your bike, you’ll be doing that no matter how good you get.

This is a fantastic opportunity for family bonding. What better way to spend time together than out in these beautiful mountains, sharing one of life’s greatest joys—the bicycle.

enjoy the pics from our old website.

Taking Your Kid from Trailer to Tandem

Oh, to raise a family. Just a few years ago, my only concerns were personal entertainment, racing bikes on the weekends and pursuing ‘holy grail’ singletrack.

Then I woke up, age 34, looking about the same, but now I’m married and have an amazing daughter.  Occasionally Amber and I have written about biking with Hyla, but now that she is approaching 5 years old, a new chapter is unfurling. She can pedal!

Sure, she has ridden trikes, and even raced her little bike with training wheels, but most of our bio-motor vehicle experience has been passive: snuggled in her Burley Solo Trailer.

Trying to escape winter weather and our hard working routines in Asheville, we booked a week at the beach for the 3rd year. This time, we took a big risk. Without having tested her liking of it, we packed an Adams Trail-A-Bike insta-tandem. Another great risk; I left my sweet bikes at home and brought along a Jamis EC-4 Earth Cruiser instead. The mounting system slid right onto its seatpost and away we drove.

On our first day down there we set out for a 5-mile ride, 4 mile hike to a remote beach, then another 5 miles home; ambitious for sure. As we set out down the flat coastal road, I felt an unexpected thrust…she was pedalling…hard! Oh joy! Active propulsion from my little girl! With the Trail-A-Bikes saddle all the way down, my work was not increased (like the trailer days), but actually aided by her little 18″ legs.

Her sense of accomplishment and contribution to our locomotion is huge, and the whole week became an overwhelming success; a restful vacation.

It may be time to sell the trailer. This bike-tech daddie’s next challenge; clipping her in with kid’s size 8 SPD’s (do they make those yet?).

Here are some pics of one family outing.