4 young riders Hawes or McDowell?

5o..
mcdowell....sport loop (3 miles) a bit of climbing but twisty and fast perfect for newbies... plus kids are tough and climbing is all part of the game just like crashing. Ride On VikeAz

Can't go wrong with either. But I would probably pick MMP and let them do the Sport Loop a few times. It is for sure "fun, fast, and twisty." If they like that, then maybe Long Loop. Have fun either way.

Bob

Shuttling down hawes is steep and loose for a newbie 11 year old and some of the hills, even the small ones will be murder on their newbie mtb legs. I speak from experience with my son when he was 11. We still went out their but it's not too easy for them at first.

Still, can't hurt to try, just be aware it might be a bit of a chore at times and the d/h will likely be way too much for them to navigate, but I don't know these kids so maybe I'm wrong, just pad 'em up and let them rip!

Im 15 and the first...and only time i rode hawes I thought I was gonna die at one point. The back part through switchbacks is scary, with loose gravel, and steep, sharp turns.

My Daughter is 12 and we ride hawes alot. She enjoys it so much she wrote me a lil poem type thing in my christmas card talking about how much fun she has out there.

We also just shuttle it for now. I figure I will keep the climbing to a min untill she is fully hooked and built those skills up.

I will also add that my 6 year old will be out there riding also in less than a year if she keeps up with the pump track in the back yard. She has berms down pat and there are lots of fun berms out at Hawes. Out of the whole ride the only trouble area I forsee is the red rock area of ridge trail.

Do the loops at McDowell differ any from the track at the White Tanks? We are coming from the west side. I would hate to drive to McDowell just for the same type of stuff we can ride at the white tanks.

yes they do .MMP is more twisty and fun than white tanks IMO. While Hawes is even funner and twistier

cool

quite a bit different than White Tanks and I agree the Sport Loop and the Tech Loop (really not techy) would be great fun for the youngsters! They are only 3 miles each so you can do them a few times with rests at the car. I think it costs 6 bucks to go to MMP

ruzz said:

quite a bit different than White Tanks and I agree the Sport Loop and the Tech Loop (really not techy) would be great fun for the youngsters!

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i would not take newbies on the tech loop from it's beginning! two very deep drops to start and a very tech rocky climb = :nono:
however, it would be fun after doing a loop on the sports, to go again and then connect with the tech loop after going over the chunnel. you'll see the intersection; it's well marked.

as far as different from white tanks, i think MMP is different - less rocky. besides, it'll give them somewhere different to ride. riding the same over and over might lose it's charm after a while (i know it does me). they say variety is the spice of life...

Agree with Kaboose that the Tech loop climb might be a bit much for beginners. I started my kids out at Usery Park (Blevins trail). They progressed to TRW (close to Hawes), Sport Loop at MMP, Pemberton and Hawes as they got a little stronger and more comfortable with their abilities.

A couple laps of Sport Loop and they will be fired up!

kaboose said:

i would not take newbies on the tech loop from it's beginning! two very deep drops to start and a very tech rocky climb = :nono:
however, it would be fun after doing a loop on the sports, to go again and then connect with the tech loop after going over the chunnel. you'll see the intersection; it's well marked.

as far as different from white tanks, i think MMP is different - less rocky. besides, it'll give them somewhere different to ride. riding the same over and over might lose it's charm after a while (i know it does me). they say variety is the spice of life...

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Yes! That is what I meant. Connect with the Tech loop off of the sport loop. That is a fun ride and they will miss those steeps!

We ended up riding T100. I was worried it wouldnt be fun for the boys. It was a great ride. They had a good time. My 13 y/o did great. He seems to enjoy the climbs more than the downhills. He looks at the climbs like a challeng One boy kept sayig he needed a lighter bike and that his dad's bike was lighter then his. I laughed so hard cause he was right. They just dont make light jr bikes. The boys had a blast. Good times getting four dads out with their boys. I think ill get my boy out a ride Hawes soon. He proved today he could handle it, He isnt going to be happy when he has to turn his mother's Reign back over to her.

fiveo said:

We ended up riding T100. I was worried it wouldnt be fun for the boys. It was a great ride. They had a good time. My 13 y/o did great. He seems to enjoy the climbs more than the downhills. He looks at the climbs like a challeng One boy kept sayig he needed a lighter bike and that his dad's bike was lighter then his. I laughed so hard cause he was right. They just dont make light jr bikes. The boys had a blast. Good times getting four dads out with their boys. I think ill get my boy out a ride Hawes soon. He proved today he could handle it, He isnt going to be happy when he has to turn his mother's Reign back over to her.

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very cool. you are not kidding about kid's bikes -my 4 yr old's weighs as much as my XC bike. I'm thinking about making her bike tubeless.

Walgreens to CAP to TRW would imo be good choices for Hawes, you could do about 7 miles, mostly flat or gradual descent with the climb on the road. You could also shuttle that part if needed. the rest of Hawes goes up and down in kitty litter - i think the slippage on that is particularly hard for newer riders cause its so deceptive. I'd want to ease them into it, but there arent too many good ways to do that on Hawes - you're kinda in for min 3 miles w. some exposure even on the outer loop.

light bikes are out there but not without a cost.My daughters bike is 4" travel and weighs 5.1lbs with rear shock .Standover of 25.75"

My son is doing great. He is in a little better shape then the other kids we ride with. It might help that he is riding his moms bike and not a JR bike. But I think it has more to do with all his pop warner conditioning and track he runs in the spring and summer. He is at the point where he can almost keep up on the longer big boy rides. I decided hen he can ride up Mormon and National to BV and back down National, I'll start taking him on our annual Moab trips. I firgure he has a year or two before his ready to take plunge.


I need to find a bike for him. 'mI looking for a 15" HT with real shifters and disk brakes. Oh an a real fork. All the JR bikes have crappy forks.