Video – Evolution, Mountain Biking With Kids

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Evolution - Video. Mountain Biking with Kids

Your Entire Family’s Biking Skills Will Evolve After A Visit To Galbraith Mountain

Evolution is an expert rated/black diamond trail in the Galbraith Mountain zone near Bellingham, Washington. Its signature feature is a long, elevated ladder built on a gigantic fallen tree.

The local trail organization, WMBC or Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition, has developed this mountain biking area into one of the “must-ride” destinations of the Pacific Northwest. If you find yourself booking a trip to Whistler from the western United States, do not skip on visiting Bellingham. The mountain does not allow shuttles so be sure to bring your full-suspension trail bike because you get to earn your descents.

There are several trails suitable for kids who are learning how to mountain bike. Climbing can be done on the old service roads and we recommend descending the Three Pigs – 3 individual trails strung together called “Bricks”, “Sticks”, and “Straw”.

Check out our Destinations and Trails page for more fun places to ride!

For more videos like this, follow MTBwithKids on Instagram or Facebook

Five Ten Freerider Mountain Bike Shoes for Kids – Review

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Five Ten Freerider Mountain Bike Shoe for Kids - Review
Five Ten Freerider Contact mountain biking shoes for kids

New Kids’ Bike Shoe Review Available!

Our 11 year old grew out of the Five Ten Freeriders shown on this page so we had to get him a new pair of mountain biking shoes. Follow the link to learn about the Five Ten Freerider Contact shoes he has been wearing for the 2018 season. Over the course of two weeks, he rode ’em hard every day and never complained about them being uncomfortable.

Mountain Bike Shoes for Kids That Don’t Cut Corners

Do your little ones need to have specialized shoes for mountain biking? Probably not. Can shoes like the Five Ten Freerider Mountain Bike Shoes for kids make a positive difference in the experience of riding a mountain bike? Absolutely!

Brett purchased his initial pair of Five Tens several years ago. After he got them, he kept recommending that I should get some too. After some time, I gave in and bought the women’s Freerider shoes. It was amazing to feel the difference that the shoes made to my riding. The stiff, flat soles on the shoes make full contact with the pedals helping to achieve a planted feeling. Five Ten has been making rock climbing shoes since 1985 and they’re famous for producing shoes that feature their high-frication Stealth rubber on the soles. Their mountain biking shoes have amazing grip as well, while the shallow tread allows for easy foot repositioning when needed.

We decided to purchase Five Ten Freerider Kids mountain biking shoes for our children early last year. Our youngest currently wears the size 2.5 US and our oldest wears 9.5 US. After two seasons of riding in them, the shoes have become an essential part of their cycling gear. Both kids appreciate the “grippiness” of the soles, which have decreased the number of times they slip off the pedals. In our opinion, the toe boxes of the shoes seem to be wider than most. For our kids’ duck-shaped feet, this makes the shoes more comfortable. They still do slip a pedal now-and-then, and the result can look like a scene out of a horror film. Immediately following a gory mauling of the shin, we ask if they want to start wearing shin pads. They always refuse.

5-10 Freerider Mountain Bike Shoe for Kids

Five Ten Freeriders Kids Mountain Bike Shoes

  • Multiple sizes and colors
  • One-piece sole
Suede leather and mesh uppers
  • DottyTM tread on the sole
  • Visit FiveTen.com for more information
mountain bike shoes for kids

Five Ten Freerider Contact available in women’s sizes 5-11 at Adidas Outdoor.

Five Ten Freerider VCS - a mountain biking shoe for kids

Five Ten Freerider VCS available in kids’s sizes 2-10.5k at Adidas Outdoor.

Deity Components Compound Pedal

Deity Components Compound Pedal available at Backcountry.

Race Face Chester Pedal

Race Face Chester Pedal available at Backcountry.

The links above are for affiliate partners. That means if you click on them and make a purchase, we earn a small commission. Read more here.

Five Ten Freerider Kids shoe review, mountain bike
Five Ten Freerider Shoes for Kids
Five Ten Freerider Mountain Bike Shoes for Kids
What our kids say about their 5-10 Freerider mountain bike shoes

What Our Boys Say About Their Five Ten Freerider Mountain Bike Shoes for Kids..

“If you have good pedals (with pins) it almost feels like you’re clipped in.”
“They’re comfortable and I like how my foot doesn’t shift in the shoe. They fit me very well.”
“They last a really long time. They’re the only shoes I haven’t worn out.”

The Pedals You Use With These Shoes Make A Difference

Flat mountain biking pedals with metal pins are also a necessity for these shoes to perform their best. Standard metal “rat-trap” or thick plastic plastic molded pedals with the orange reflectors on them will not take full advantage of the tacky Stealth rubber on the soles of the Five Tens. We currently use flat pedals with pins on our younger son’s bike, a Trek Fuel Ex Jr.

Our boys can be hard on shoes – so much so that we have burned through skate shoes in the span of a few months. However, since we opted to buy big, we are on the second year of use of these shoes (pictured) and they barely look worn. All of us are careful to only wear our mountain biking shoes only for biking so the soles don’t get unnecessary wear-and-tear. The uppers are made with suede leather and mesh.

The shoes perform well off the bike providing decent traction on dirt. And of course, excellent grip on rock and pavement.

If your family rides several times per month, the Five Ten Freerider Mountain Bike Shoes for Kids shoes may make riding even more fun.

The only issue we have had with these mountain biking shoes is that the long laces don’t seem to stay tucked in the shoes well for our younger rider. The laces loose laces have gotten caught on the bike/other objects a few times. If I were purchasing new, I’d buy the Velcro closure shoes for him.

These are not cheap for growing kids. Like other youth mountain biking gear – you can clean them up and try to re-sell them. We have seen used kids’ MTB shoes like these for sale on our local online buy/sell websites and Facebook groups.

Whistler’s Summer Gravity Camps – Mountain Biking With Kids

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Mountain Biking with Kids experiences Whistler's SGC (Summer Gravity Camps)

Summer Gravity Camp (SGC) at Whistler Bike Park – Whistler has long been known as a mecca for mountain bikers of all skills and riding styles. And, while part of the appeal is undeniably the beautiful and rugged terrain that makes up British Columbia – to an even greater degree it’s the culture around biking that’s developed here. Some of the top professional mountain bikers call the area home. It also boasts one of the more acclaimed bike camps available. Having started out 15 years ago, SGC – or Summer Gravity Camps, was the brainchild of Andrew Shandro. He wanted to create an opportunity for young mountain bikers to challenge themselves and progress their skills.

When things start to go sideways at SGC, it's always a good thing!

Summer Gravity Camps in Whistler, BC

  • Each session is 7 days long and camps usually begin in July
  • Clinics are led by professional mountain bikers from around the world 
  • A full-suspension DH bike is recommended. Full-face helmet is mandatory.
  • Get more details and register at www.summergravitycamps.com

Excitement and Nerves

For people like Wyatt, our young teen rider, it also offers the opportunity to learn at a world-class venue. When his mom told him he had the opportunity to sign up for a week-long SGC youth session in July of 2017, he was one hundred percent on board. After finding out he’d formally been registered he recalls that “it felt like my birthday”. But after the initial excitement soaked in, Wyatt told us he was a little nervous. He wanted to be able to get placed in a group where he could demonstrate what he could do on a mountain bike, and then learn more.

What to Ride?

Wyatt doesn’t have his own downhill mountain bike and we needed to make sure he’d be able to keep up from a technical standpoint. Instead of renting a bike for the week, I took care of this by making some changes to my “park” bike. I own a 2011 Specialized SX Trail II. Wyatt only weighs about 110 lbs, but with help from my local bike shop, we were able to set it up properly for Wyatt’s weight. We purchased a different spring for the fork and we switched out the coil on the rear shock.

In addition to riding in the Whistler Bike Park for a week, another part of the curriculum for SGC is riding  at the Whistler River Dirt Jumps or at the Air Dome. Wyatt already owned a decent dirt jumper, and we were sure to bring that along. He also had his trail/enduro bike so we could mountain bike with the kids outside of the park.

Packing list

He packed the following gear for the camp: a full-face helmet, neck brace, gloves, elbow pads, knee pads, MTB shoes, goggles, mountain biking jerseys and shorts, a rain jacket, and a hydration pack.

2011 Specialized SX Trail 2
26 ain't dead. Our son rode my 2011 Specialized SX Trail 2 during his SGC tenure. After adjusting the bike's suspension for a lighter rider, the bike performed great and handled everything the Whistler Bike Park threw at him.

Our Kid’s Week At Summer Gravity Camps

Most of the SGC participants stay in the host hotel. However, as this was a family trip, Wyatt had to stay with mom, dad, and his little brother. Our family rented a condo near the Whistler base village.

Once we got settled at the condo, Wyatt and I headed up to the host hotel located on the BlackComb side of the resort to finalize registration. There we met Mel(lissa) and Trish. Mel and Trish act as surrogate “camp moms” by greeting SGC campers and getting them settled before the actual training week begins. I signed waivers and a media release and filled out emergency contact information for Wyatt. Then, Wyatt was given a jersey, a pair of new grips, and his bike park pass for the week. A welcome dinner for the riders at the hotel was scheduled next, so I left Wyatt and went back to the condo.

Welcome dinner

Andrew Shandro got things underway by telling the group of teenagers to be on their best behavior at the hotel and pay attention to the curfew. Riders will be split up into smaller groups based on their experience and abilities. Dinner was pizza. Wyatt asked the coaches if he should ride his newer trail bike or the SX Trail during the camp. He was told “Bring whatever has more suspension.”  After dinner, Shandro said “Be at the GLC by 9 tomorrow morning. See you later. Take care.”

The first day

The next morning, the riders met up again and become more acquainted with one another over a buffet style breakfast at the Garibaldi Lift Co. Pancakes, waffles, French toast, sausage, potatoes, and other items were available through the week. Following breakfast on Sunday, SGC riders received their daily voucher for lunch at the Garbanzo Bike & Bean. Finally, it was out to the bike park for the first day.

In the winter, Whistler-Blackcomb is the name when it comes to ski hills, but during the summer months the lifts and runs do double duty. As part of their deal, SGC riders get priority when it comes to lift lines, so there’s never a huge wait when it comes to getting to the top of the hill. To start, the riders had to be separated into smaller groups based on their skill level.

Forming ability groups

SGC is able to cater to mountain bikers’ different levels of skill. Shandro and his colleagues do their best to assess the riders’ abilities and make sure they ride with different coaches. Wyatt said they rode Crank-It-Up and B Line so the coaches could determine how to divide everyone up into groups of about 6-7 riders. This way everyone gets to ride at a level where they’re comfortable. Those who are really hardcore can get on more advanced trails right away. Those who are more intermediate can work on their skills and not feel like they’re getting left behind. A big part of Shandro’s conceptual framework for the training is having a small ratio for coaches-to-students in order to maximize one-on-one time and ensure everyone has fun.

Doing the Fade To Black road gap at Summer Gravity Camps
Doing the Fade To Black road gap in the Whistler Bike Park was one of our son's goals for the week. He sent it on the first day!

Riding with Jordie Lunn = amazing!

Wyatt ended up with Jordie Lunn as his group’s coach for the first day. Like so many other Whistler riders, Jordie is a local from Vancouver Island who calls Whistler home. Jordie wasn’t at all shy about exposing his group to everything it had to offer. Some of the trails the group rode included: Crank-It-Up, B Line, A Line, and Fade To Black. One of Wyatt’s goals for the trip was to do the Fade To Black road gap. Luckily enough, when the opportunity presented itself, Jordie told Wyatt, “Just give it a couple of pedals going into it. You got this.” Mission accomplished on Day One.

Riding with Micayla Gatto and Casey Brown = amazing x 2!

On Monday, Wyatt rode with Micayla Gatto and Casey Brown, two downhill racers that prove gender doesn’t have anything to do with speed or style. When asked about what he learned on Monday, Wyatt told us, “Micayla taught us how to corner better.” She said, “You point your belly button where you want to go and pretend you’re mooning the people on the outside of the berm.”

Casey was just as fluent in her instruction, and focused on how to properly whip. “It was like rotating your body and your bike. So, you twist your bars a little. Just look where you want to go. Rotating your body and your bike so it moves to whichever side of the trail is most comfortable to you. And always be looking where you want to go while you’re doing that motion and bringing it back,” Wyatt told us.

Air Dome and Dirt Jumps

Monday also marked the first time Wyatt was able to try out the dirt jumps and Air Dome with his SGC group. These are specialized facilities where riders work on jumping. Another benefit of attending SGC is that from 3:00pm-5:00pm throughout the entire week, SGC members get singular access to the Air Dome. Wyatt recalls watching skilled locals pull backflips, Cork 720’s and tailwhips. During this session, he learned how to improve the style of his tabletop jumps.

More skills = more fun!

Come Tuesday and Wednesday the coaches were Duncan and Dave. These two days of riding were spent working on the things they’d learned the day before. Wyatt mentioned that SGC is a great forum for coaches to show off some of their own skills. Duncan managed to pull a stoppie at the top of a rock roll on Original Sin. Wyatt said, “I never thought anyone could do anything like that,” I asked him how he did it and he just said ‘Insane brake control’.”

Clowning around on the trail EZ Does It with SGC
Clowning around during your week at SGC is just as much fun as ripping the expert technical lines.

According to Wyatt, Dave was just as fun. This is an example of the atmosphere Shando and the staff are trying to create for the kids. SGC is a place to learn and push yourself, but it’s also meant to be fun every step of the way. Wyatt recounts one of Dave’s funnier antics. “He put coins in one kid’s bike through the seat tube, so whenever he went over brake bumps, or did a jump, or ran over anything; it would just be ‘tinkle, tinkle, tinkle’. The kid new right away. He was like, ‘Oh, I know who did this!’”

Building confidence and making friends

What seems to come out as a recurring theme in Wyatt’s experience is the dedication of the coaches. Each coach made sure the kids felt safe and confident at the same time. It’s a difficult balancing act, but they strive to achieve this each and every time. “If you’re in the front, you just hear them holler at the person who they were behind. You just hear ‘Good job! Faster! Faster! Faster!’”

Besides having a great complement of coaches and the ability to ride with almost the entire staff during the course of the week, Wyatt said it was also cool to learn about where the other riders were from. Wyatt remembers riding with other boys his age from Bellingham, Washington and other parts of the United States. There was even a kid who had come over all the way from London.

A classic "family photo" moment from SGC at Whistler
It's family photo time! Everyone look at the camera and say "poutine".

Jumps and Drops with Kyle Norbraten

The coach was Kyle Norbraten on Thursday, and the weather classic “BC summer”. The West Coast is famous for its rain. During the whole day – from riding the gondola to blitzing down Una Moss to Freight Train the whole mountain was decked in fog and a light rain. But from Wyatt’s perspective, this was perfect.

Push ups brought to you by Graham Aggasiz

On the final day, Wyatt’s coach was Graham Aggasiz and the group tended to stick mostly to Dirt Merchant. For Aggy, it was time to put the kids to the test. This meant enforcing a couple of casual rules: every time you either did a pedal stroke, you had to do a push-up. If you cased a jump – you had to 10 push-ups. “Dirt Merchant to A-Line. No pedals or no stops? A-Line? Yeah, it was interesting,” Wyatt said. “In total, I only had to twenty push-ups, but there were some other kids there who had to do thirty after every lap”. But because it was the last day, Aggy wanted to make sure the kids got the full Whistler Experience. That meant knocking off as many different runs as possible, including Fatcrobat, In Deep, Original Sin, Schleyer, Whistler Downhill, and more of Fade To Black.

Swag galore

Of course, the SGC – and their coaches – couldn’t hold these kinds of camps without a lot of support from their sponsors and from local community. At the end of the week Wyatt and the other riders also got entered into a raffle which featured a ton of donated swag. Some of the prizes were a dirt jump fork, bluetooth portable speaker, energy bars, bike cleaning products, a new brakeset, water bottles, and other items.

SGC for the win!

When asked if he’d suggest the SGC to other kids his age with an interest in downhill or mountain biking he practically beams. “If there’s any worries you have about it, just realize that you’re just biking with people who will give you tips. They know how to coach you. You’ll do good and have the time of your life no matter what group you’re in,” he says assuredly.

Can Summer Gravity Camps be challenging? Yes. Is it exciting to learn new skills with the best mountain bikers? Yes. But is it worth it? “Absolutely. You’ll want to come back year-after-year.” Wyatt replies.

Video – Dirt Merchant, Whistler Bike Park With Kids

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Whistler Bike Park with kids. Dirt Merchant.

Mountain Biking With Kids, Dirt Merchant

Dirt Merchant in Whistler Bike Park is one our oldest son’s favorite trails. This machine-built trail is rated as experts only. Dirt Merchant features table jumps, step-ups, step-downs, smooth berms, and a creek gap. This trail is one of the best tracks in the park. He shot this video during his week-long session at Summer Gravity Camps in July of 2017.

For more videos like this, follow MTBwithKids on Instagram or Facebook

Dirt Merchant overview:

Dirt Merchant is an extremely difficult double black diamond trail in Whistler Bike Park. This trail is a machine build, experts only trail with loads of table tops, step-ups, and big drops.

Whistler Bike Park with Kids:

We love visiting Whistler bike park with kids. Whistler is an amazing location for family vacations!  There are lots of beginner trails that are family friendly. Additionally, you can enroll your kiddo in DFX lessons so they can learn skills form some cool coaches (See our Planada article for more details!). Meanwhile, mom and dad can take lessons on their own OR hit some epic rides including one of our favorites: Lord of the Squirrels.

Check out our Destinations and Trails page for more fun places to ride!

For more videos like this, follow MTBwithKids on Instagram or Facebook

Three Audiobooks You May Enjoy On Your Next Mountain Biking Trip With Kids

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Scat, Star Girl, The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda

We’re true believers in audiobooks for road trips with kids. Mountain biking with kids means a lot time in the car. Sometimes, it’s several hours. As I’m writing this, we are on our way to St. George, Utah. My wife is driving and we are on southbound I-15. I affectionately call this route the “S-Z-C”, or Southern Zion Current. This drive is about 320 miles and it takes us 5 hours. Some drives are shorter for us. Park City is only 30 minutes away from our house. And, some of our trips are much longer. Earlier this year, we drove from Salt Lake City, Utah to Bellingham, Washington in one day.

Less screen time is a good thing

Like most families, we try to limit our kids’ screen time. We got rid of cable/satellite TV around 7 years ago and never looked back. Accessing movies on iTunes or RedBox works fine for us. And, one of my guilty pleasures is watching 70’s and 80’s bands perform live on YouTube. Look up The Midnight Special on YouTube and you’ll see fantastic live performances by Blondie, KC And The Sunshine Band, ABBA, and Billy Joel – just to name a few.

We used to have a portable DVD player with two screens in the car, but as our youngest got to be around three years old, we just stopped bringing it on trips and started listening to books on CD. When our youngest was around four years old, he was old enough to complain about listening to books on CD. The conversation went something like this, “Uggggg. Not another story.” About ten minutes later, this was followed shortly by peaceful snoozing for an hour or so at a time. Our complainer’s older brother would always accept that time in the car meant listening to stories.

As a trip nears, we’re always on the prowl for the next book on CD or series of audio books that will make the upcoming drive an atraumatic experience for all four of us.

Without further ado… here are some of the winners we have found so far. If you have some favorites your family has enjoyed, please tell us in the comments below. Why do all these titles begin with the letter “S”? I have no idea. It’s just coincidence.

Scat - by Carl Hiassen

Scat

Comedy and mystery are entwined in Carl Hiaasen’s, Scat. The story is narrated by Ed Asner – the actor mostly known for the voice of Carl from Pixar’s UP and the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Bunny Starch is a biology teacher feared by her students. She disappears after a school trip to Black Vine Swamp.

The children are relieved and when the Principal tells the students that Mrs. Starch left due to a family emergency, Nick and Marta aren’t buying it. The pair of amateur sleuths team up and trust that the classes delinquent, Smoke is involved. On their journey of discovery, Nick and Marta find that a lot of bad things are happening at Black Vine Swamp. They meet Twilly an eco-avenger claiming to be the nephew of Mrs. Scratch. They learn that there are panthers in the swamp and the Red Diamond Energy Company are drilling in the area. Nick and Marta pair up with Smoke, Twilly and Marta to save the panthers and the swamp from the company proving that very different people can come together for a common goal. Books by Hiaasen are definitely some of our audiobooks for road trips with kids.

LISTEN TO AN AUDIO SAMPLE

Stargirl

Stargirl

Protagonist Leo Borlock becomes intrigued by the mystery of Stargirl in Jerry Spinelli’s narrative of teenage nonconformity. Stargirl Caraway is the new girl dressed in odd clothing from different eras. She sings Happy Birthday to every student and is perceived as fake by the most popular girl in school. As time passes Stargirl is embraced by her classmate’s thanks to her place on the cheerleading squad but this is short lived and she is once again shunned due to her differences.

When Leo begins dating Stargirl he realizes that he too is being shunned and tries to change her. Stargirl begins going by her real name Susan and even as she tries to conform she realizes that fitting in doesn’t matter. That her efforts to be “normal” are in vain and that she has betrayed herself by not being Stargirl. When she returns to her usual self Leo breaks things off with her unable to deal with the shunning. During a school dance, Stargirl is once again a star in the school but her time at Mica Area High School has come to an end and she moves away without saying goodbye. Instantly recognizable, John Ritter reads Stargirl like a father putting his daughter to bed.

LISTEN TO AN AUDIO SAMPLE

The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda

The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is a clever story of a young boy that brings his imagination to life for others. Great things come in small packages and sixth grader Dwight is a small package with a big personality. He is an odd boy at McQuarrie Middle School who creates an Origami Yoda and proceeds to give advice to his classmates. Many students are convinced that Origami Yoda is real and fellow sixth grader Tommy sets out to prove this with the help of his friend Kellen who illustrates the project.

Bully Harvey is not convinced of Yoda’s existence and attempts to disprove Origami Yoda’s connection to the force. Inspired by a real life Origami Yoda and the unique writing associated with Star Wars, Author Tom Angleberger tells his own unique tale about a young outcast you intrigue the mind of students with his Origami Yoda. The story is narrated by Mark Turetsky, Greg Steinbruner, Jonathan Ross, Julia Gibson, and Charlotte Parry.

LISTEN TO AN AUDIO SAMPLE

Need more suggestions on audiobooks for road trips with kids? Take a look at MTB with Kids Summer 2018 Audiobook Suggestions

Trek Fuel Ex Jr. Review

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Trek Fuel Ex Jr Review

Until just a few years ago, part of being a kid meant having to make use of a poorly spec’d, heavy bike with outdated components that really didn’t ride that well. Our favorite bike mechanic called this “The curse of the kid bike”. However, it seems those days are over. Several bike manufacturers are producing high quality bikes aimed at little shredders. Take a close look at the 2016 Trek Fuel Ex Jr.

Trek Fuel Ex Jr. Review - Moab
Our test rider has been putting the Trek Fuel Ex Jr. through its paces all over the place over the last few months. This is the skills park in Moab, Utah.
Trek Fuel Ex Jr. - Our young mountain biker

The Words That Matter The Most

Our kid says…

“I really like this bike because of the rear suspension. Unlike my last bike, I can do jumps and land without getting sketchy or tired out. And, it’s not too heavy.”

At-A-Glance

Standover: About 25.5"

Weight: 30.8 lbs. We’ve added a RockShox Reverb, Deity composite pedals and Bontrager XR4 Expert tires.

Dropping In With The Trek Fuel Ex Jr. 

This mountain bike is one of the first full suspension trail bikes that has the geometry and components to make it perform for a child just the same as a full-sized trail bike works for an adult. Saying that, it also comes at a higher price tag than most kid’s bikes. So the question is, is it worth it? Well the answer to that will of course depend on the types of trails she/he likes to ride.

Our test rider is ten years old, weighs 63.6 lbs. and it 56” tall. His inseam measures 26”. He’s competent on a mountain bike. This allows him to use all the bike’s features to their limits and and offer credible feedback. The bike perform as well as Trek advertises it to. Just like an adult on a full sized bike, our rider was pushing to improve his skill level by riding things that quite frankly, would not be possible on a lower-end children’s bike. Our kid has climbed hills much more comfortably and descended technical terrain with confidence on this rig. He has enjoyed the bike on cross-country rides over 20 miles long. The bike also performs without a flaw on a bike park’s flow trails and technical terrain.

Trek Fuel Ex Jr. review - Robert's Creek
Pedaling the Trek Fuel Ex Jr. in Moab, Utah

We really wanted to have our son try this bike at the end of last season and get him off his old 24” bike with a cheap seized-up fork and cantilever brakes, but he just wasn’t tall enough. As we’ve been riding with our kids, we’ve discovered something we like to call the Bail-ability Factor. This is when your kid has to quickly get off the bike due to steep terrain. a narrow feature, or other technical gnar. The standover height regarding a bike’s Bail-ability Factory is the critical variant. A mountain bike too big will not allow your kid to firmly plant her/his foot on the ground fast enough when they need to his the eject button. Of course crashing happens – but you can limit some of them by having the right size bike.

What Helps Make The Trek Fuel Ex Jr. So Good? The Suspension

The Trek Fuel Ex Jr. has been given a low volume 90mm X-fusion Microlite RL air shock at the rear which works very well under our kid given his light weight. It features a lock-out adjustment for climbing. On the front is a 90mm X-fusion Velvet RL air sprung fork with a lock-out feature as well. Together the front and rear suspension provide all of the traction and bump absorption that your little one will need on a moderately technical trail ride or laps in the bike park. The air suspension also means you can set the air pressures for your child’s specific weight and riding style. Depending on the terrain we’re riding, our young mtb rider will request adjusting the air in the suspension.

Sizing And Components

As far as sizing goes, this mountain bike will fit riders around 4’4” to 5’ tall. The 12.5” frame has been sized to fit small riders but makes use of 26” wheels. 26” wheels might be coming to an end in the adult mountain bike world, but for smaller riders, they offer the ability to roll over terrain relatively easily without raising the bike’s stand over height too much. We love the 26” wheels on this bike because even though our kid may out-grow it in just a season or two, it is the perfect fit for now. It allows him to control the bike and pedal efficiently. We are going to upgrade the wheels to tubeless wth a D-I-Y method or invest in 26” tubeless rims and lighter hubs.

Trek Fuel Ex Jr Review

The top tube on the frame is quite short, there are no reach issues. Just a comfortable and natural riding position.

As with everything else on this bike, the drive train is also child friendly. The cranks used are 160mm long, which are perfect for keeping the little legs spinning. 10 gears are found on the back cassette, and there are two gear rings up front. This offers a wide range of gear ratios for your child, making it easier for them to tackle obstacles such as steep hills. If your child does not have experience with multiple gears, this bike will encourage them to learn when to shift properly.

Trek Fuel Ex Jr. brake and shifter with RockShox Reverb dropper
Trek Fuel Ex Jr. crank and shock
Trek Fuel Ex Jr. rear brake
Trek Fuel Ex Jr. with Shimano Deore rear derailleur

The cockpit is also, you guessed it, child sized. The bars are a narrow but fitting 580mm. Attached to them are good quality Shimano Deore trigger shifters, which is a huge step up from the awkward twist shifters that are often placed on children’s bikes. The brake levers are not adjustable which may not be optimal for shorter fingers. Most kids should not struggle with them though, and if need be, they could always be swapped out. The hydraulic disc brakes do provide ample power which is essential considering the fact that this bike may just make your child ride faster than ever before.

The Bottom Line

This isn’t the bike to buy if your child wants to ride to ride around the neighborhood. If go mountain biking with kids in the dirt, or your child is pushing the limits of their current trail bike, the Trek Fuel Ex Jr. is absolutely worth it. If your child is into downhill racing or taking on expert terrain in the bike parks, you should consider a downhill rig with a 1x drivetrain and dual crown fork. A lighter, hard tail cross-country mountain bike may be the best option if your mountain biking family’s idea of the perfect ride is hammering out climbs at a quick pace and racking up the miles on less technical terrain.

This is a killer all-mountain bike for the right sized young rider. It doesn’t matter if your your mountain biker has strong cycling skills, or if she/he is just starting out. The comfort, and superior build quality that this machine offers will inspire confidence and have your little one excited to hit the trails.

Check out Trek Bikes for their latest updates.

SixSixOne Rage Youth Knee Pad Review

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SixSixOne Rage Youth Knee Pad Review

Rage Youth Knee Pad Review – Providing your kid with knee and elbow protection is a great way to boost his/her confidence on the bike and decrease the risk of a painful injury from a fall. A lot of youth sized products have caught up in the bike industry, but we have struggled to find pads that fit our skinny kids well while being light enough to wear during a longer ride.

SixSixOne Rage youth knee pads are heavy-duty pads with an internal soft cap over the knee and two round, thick EVA foam padding areas on the sides. The Rage knee pads are composed of 50% Neoprene, 15% Kevlar, 15% EVA, 15% Nylon, and 5% Plastic. The back of the knee knee pad is open to release heat and enable full range of motion. Both the top and bottom of these pads can be secured with velcro straps.

Review of SixSixOne Rage Youth Knee Pads

At this stage, the SixSixOne Rage Youth Knee Pads are broken-in and ready for another day of riding.

The overall quality and craftsmanship of these knee pads is very good. Our 10 year old wore them for several days in-a-row; in the mud and rain – and even crashed in them a couple of times. We know that aside from cost, how they look and fit, you always wonder ‘How will these hold up in crash?’. Well, we have the answer for you.

Crashing In The SixSixOne Rage Youth Knee Pads

Our young mountain biker took a digger in the Whistler Bike Park on Crank It Up while wearing his SixSixOne knee pads. It had been raining all day, and with the determination of Icarus, he hopped on one of the wall rides near the top of the trail. These wall rides have vinyl graphics on them and when they’re wet- they are slick. Lacking the right speed and/or angle, our kid slipped out and fell a few feet into the dirt.

The pads protected him on the front and sides of his knees just fine. I like the fact that manufacturers are aware that mountain bike knee pads need to be designed differently than knee pads for other sports.

The Look And The Fit

Rage youth knee pads are black with white screen printed graphics. The velcro straps wrap around the back of the leg and are secured across the front of the knee pad on the top and bottom. They look great.

Side view of the SixSixOne Rage Youth knee guard

Side view of the SixSixOne Rage Youth Knee Pads. We love how they have protection on the exterior right-side and left-side of the knee pads.

Regarding the fit, we stated earlier that our kid has skinny legs. The circumference of your favorite pint glass is about the circumference of our rider’s knees. His knees are so skinny that we tied a couple of knots in the strap so the velcro aligns on the front in order to fasten the pad. It’s our kid’s opinion that this is uncomfortable and leads to chaffing. Dad definitely needs to take the time to shorten up the strap by sewing it properly and getting rid of the knots.


At A Glance:

  • Burley padding saved knees on numerous occasions!
  • Durable – stands up to use/abuse
  • Loose fit over time – the straps stretched and became too loose to secure tightly

A Short Interview With Andrew Shandro From SGC – Whistler Summer Gravity Camps

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Andrew Shandro - SGC, Summer Gravity Camps at Whistler, BC

I had the chance to sit down with SGC Founder, Director and Pro Mountain Biker Andrew Shandro this morning. He was kind enough to answer a few questions about his week-long mountain bike camps in Whistler, BC. SGC stands for Summer Gravity Camps and sessions have been taking place throughout the summer at the Whistler Bike Park since 2002. Riders come from all over the planet to get coached by some of the best mountain bikers in the world at this extraordinary venue.


Why did you start SGC?

I think a big part of why I started it was when I was a kid I went to a few of the ski and snowboard camps on the glacier. At the time the bike park had only been around for a couple years and there was nothing really like this. I was like, “Okay, well I think we can do this. Now’s the time.” And that’s how it started. I was born in the Whistler/Vancouver area, and I’ve spent my whole life here. I think that’s kind of why I started.  “Well, let’s try to do a week-long mountain bike camp. We can use the same kind of template as what they do in glacier camps, and we obviously have a facility here to use.”

How does SGC differ from the camps/lessons offered by the bike park?

The coaching is amazing, obviously. We just bring a different sort of vibe and environment to it. I think we’re just a little more loose. I mean we’re with these kids for a week, so we can’t be serious every day. We do a lot of coaching, but we always have a lot of fun. To a lot of these kids, it’s like a dream to be here just riding – riding with Kyle [Norbraten], and Aggy [Graham Aggasiz] (who were also at the table with us), and the rest of the coaches. So we’re here to have fun. We do our own thing a little bit.

Who’s a good fit for SGC as far as age and/or riding ability?

We take any ability. It’s easy to get intimidated by the Whistler Bike Park, but there’s a lot of trails in the bike park where you can be a beginner. I wouldn’t say we take full beginners. It’s not the best camp if you’ve never ridden a mountain bike. But, certainly, we take people that don’t have a lot of mountain bike experience. In terms of age, we’re seeing younger kids come just because they’ve progressed a lot with mountain biking, in terms of the bikes a little bit, and the accessibility of these bikes. These kids have progressed so much in a short period of time, so we’re seeing younger kids come. Most kids are between 15 to 18, but we can take younger kids in the program.

What do you like best about running SGC?

I truly like kids. It’s work, but it’s fun. I enjoy it. I love being at Whistler. We stay up here as a family. There’s so many positives on what we’re exposing these kids to and providing them with all these experiences. I never had those experiences growing up. And I see how incredibly stoked these kids are after a day or two for riding again or just riding with the coaches. It’s truly impactful, actually. And that’s true for the adults too; The adults come to Whistler Summer Gravity Camps and they’re like, “I can’t believe how much we’ve improved. I never thought I would improve that much during the week.” A lot of people don’t get mountain bike instruction. It’s pretty rare, actually. Adults have all these bad habits. We’ve got to break them down a little bit.

How has SGC evolved over the last few years? Has anything major changed?

We have three youth weeks and two adult weeks. Before we only did youth weeks. We added an Enduro Camp within one of the weeks. About enduro – I mean really it’s just mountain biking, but people come with their Enduro bikes and trail bikes. We do progression stuff, and then we’ll go ahead and ride the valley trails in the afternoon.

Anything else you’d like to mention?

Obviously, I can’t do it without the coaches and the staff.  Melissa and Trish (the camp “moms”) do an amazing job. They organize the crew. Whistler Summer Gravity Camps is a team effort here, for sure.

Is SGC right for your kid? Read about our kid’s experience at Whistler Summer Gravity Camp


Andrew Shandro, SGC - Summer Gravity CampsThanks to Andrew, Trish, Mel, and all the coaches and staff at Summer Gravity Camps. This program isn’t just unique — it’s regarded as one of the best mountain bike experiences available. SGC would like to thank the following sponsors for helping make what they do possible: Trek, Dakine, Fox, JBL, Odi Grips, Zee/Shimano, Bontrager, Adidas, Clif Bar, Whistler Mountain Bike Park, Atlas Brace Technologies, Bell Helmets, Muc-Off.

Video – Lower A Line, Whistler Bike Park

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Mountain biking with kids in the Whistler Bike Park, lower A Line

A Line Whistler Bike Park: Wyatt, our 14 year old, is in Summer Gravity Camps all week long. Following a daily session, he got in a little extracurricular activity on A Line. Here’s some of his run.

A Line overview:

A Line is an extremely difficult black diamond trail in Whistler Bike Park. This trail has a smooth, flowing trail surface that encourages speed. A Line consists of jumps, huge sculpted berms. and more jumps. A line is known for very large jumps – both dirt and wood bridges – and high speeds. This trail is for expert riders only.

Whistler Bike Park with Kids:

We love visiting Whistler bike park with kids. Whistler is an amazing location for family vacations!  There are lots of beginner trails that are family friendly. Additionally, you can enroll your kiddo in DFX lessons so they can learn skills form some cool coaches (See our Planada article for more details!). Meanwhile, mom and dad can take lessons on their own OR hit some epic rides including one of our favorites: Lord of the Squirrels.

Check out our Destinations and Trails page for more fun places to ride!

For more videos like this, follow MTBwithKids on Instagram or Facebook

Photo Of The Week – Little Creek Mesa

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It's a blast to ride Little Creek Mesa. This zone is near Hurricane, Utah.

Little Creek Mesa near Hurricane, Utah – is kind of like Gooseberry Mesa’s little brother. Don’t be shy of giving this area a shot. Navigating can be a bit challenging because you have to rely on cairns as opposed to painted marks on the slickrock. And, you have to make a few correct turns depending on the loop you want to ride.

 

Check out our Destinations and Trails page for more fun places to ride!

For more photos like this, follow MTBwithKids on Instagram or Facebook