[YEAUXKNAHIT]

Looking for a little guidance to help me with a few items. I have 3 boys (9,7,2.5). All of which love to ride. I’m trying to get involved with mountain biking (well..to get us there). I need help with some inexpensive suggestions for protective gear and maybe even where to look.
Where I live one of the best options we have has a lot of roots and rock right now. There are probably other options as well for all skill. Equally we want to travel to different locations.
I’ve been interested in getting better quality of bikes for them. Currently so many things are just not available. I thought about the giant stp fs 24 and 20.

also need real time feedback on a 4 bike platform hitch carrier.

my little guy is2.5 and he is currently riding but no where ready to hit trails. So do people get the tow eye strap? Bike Seat? I have a giant bike carrier and that is great but not so much for single track mountain bike and roots, etc.

thanks in advance.

Obviously cost is relative. But I am not one to have the best out there just because. We just want a capable and better experience to support mountain biking. The current Walmart jobs are just garbage. Can’t shift/can’t brake. I know this forum gets it.

 

[svinyard]

OK. So bikes, little-guy seat and tray rack for said bikes? My opinions.

Bikes:

1. 2.5yro - I like the Spawn Yoji a lot in a 16" when they are ready...its more of a dirt jumper than a MTB but the tires are nice. You aren't hunting for a bike for this guy yet but something to think about (maybe a used one?).
2. 7yro - Giant STP 20" is a solid option. This is a tough size as there aren't a bunch of great options at affordable prices. That STP 20" with the coil fork is a decent bike. I've seen it and the coil fork isn't as bad as they used to be...but still not great of course. The lowerend model has a pretty lowerend spec unfortunately so I don't like it as much. Hard to find another option, that's still affordable. If the kid is 51" or getting close to that (growing over winter), get the Vitus Nucleus 24". Its a much better bike for the money. Rocky Mountain Vertex or a Prevelo (cheaper model) are nice air-fork hardtails but they are over 800$ now.
3. 9yro - Vitus Nucleus in 24" or 26" are great value bikes that will ride great. A number of friends have these and they are SO nice for the money. Geometry is decent, airfork is decent, hydraulic brakes and nice light tires. Like good to jump to 26" around 4'9" tall.

Little Guy Seat: no clue

Tray Rack:

1. We have a Yakima hold-up Evo & the +2 attachment to hold a total of 4 bikes. Its ok, quality isn't great. It does hold a 20" bike but you have to put it in reverse usually and put the arm down onto the seat. Works great like that. Won't hold anything smaller. Lolo racks are best for kids bikes (including BMX) but a bit more expensive (I think? maybe not tho actually.) Check out Lolo racks maybe, they are extremely versatile in the bikes that they hold. Stuff isn't cheap these days unfortunately.

Vitus Nucleus 24 Youth Hardtail Bike 2021 | Chain Reaction

Vitus Nucleus 24 Youth Hardtail Bike 2021 - Lowest Prices and FREE shipping available from The World's largest online bike store - Chain Reaction Cycles

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Vitus Nucleus 26 Youth Hardtail Bike 2021 | Chain Reaction

Vitus Nucleus 26 Youth Hardtail Bike 2021 - Lowest Prices and FREE shipping available from The World's largest online bike store - Chain Reaction Cycles

www.chainreactioncycles.com

 

[jaybert]

I like my Kuat NV 2.0 with the 2 bike-addon and can fit 4 total. They have a little attachment you put on it to have it support 20" tires (maybe can go smaller, but i used it with 20" tires) and it holds it securely. The only negative is with the 2 bike add-on, the rack is close to 100lb, so a pain to get it on/off the bike.

 

[slapheadmofo]

Looking for a little guidance to help me with a few items. I have 3 boys (9,7,2.5). All of which love to ride. I’m trying to get involved with mountain biking (well..to get us there). I need help with some inexpensive suggestions for protective gear and maybe even where to look.

For kids protective gear, try a motorcycle shop that sells dirt bikes, or even go to your local big-box or sports gear consignment shop and look around.
You can often use stuff meant for other sports and avoid the jacked up prices for bicycle-specific gear.

 

[TimTucker]

On the Tow-Whee and similar tow straps -- establishing good communication for when either of you are stopping / starting is critical -- speaking from experience, with a very small bike it can quickly turn into a slingshot and yank the bike out from underneath them if you start going before they're ready or if they stop suddenly without you realizing.

The most common scenarios we ran into are when they get caught up on something or from getting lax about unhooking on smaller downhill sections, build up too much speed, and either try to slam on the brakes or just careen out of control.

Realistically, that level of awareness of surroundings and communication skill is tough before 4.

All that being said, once you get the hang of it they work pretty well to extend how far you're able to go. If you have a longer sustained climb or are pulling them on relatively flat terrain in particular they really shine.

 

[weevie]

Towing is great though. Good workout for the otherwise bored adult. Ha. Been towing my lad from 3 to now 6 on the old skool adventure racing set up I used to use. Strong retractable dog lead (ferplast flippy 50kg) has been zip tied under my saddle and left there all the time. The metal dog end cut off and tape loop just added. In my bag or pocket are 2 small strong light french caribiners either end of some doubled 6mm bungee with one carabiner also attached to bit of climbing 4mm accessory cord in a small loop I cow hitch around his stem. Voila … perfect. No sling shot, He’s a safe distance behind me. Gentle start. Use it on roads and fire roads to get up. Twisty ups on the trail are not always possible but this has been a lifesaver. In a land of no shuttles and no lifts my only reason for considering an eMTB will be to drag him up the backcountry when my old legs give up. My wife has taken over doing boy mk2 the same way. He is 3 and faster for his age but also more of a pain in the axxx to tow as he wants to win everything. Not great when on the downhill transitions … but the retraction of the dog lead (mostly) covers for the predictable drama or we stop and add it again when it’s flat/up

 

[Grinchy8]

I’ve had good luck getting pads and helmets off Amazon warehouse. Usually they are more than 50% off.
The biggest problem we ran into on the 9 yr old’s bike was the freewheel, clutchless derailleur, and grip shift. That was quite $ to update to update the drivetrain when she needed more gear range.

 

[rton20s]

I think svinyard and the others covered it pretty well. I'm 100% on board with the Nucleus suggestions on the bigger bikes. It has been too long since I have done a deep dive on 20" bikes to make a good suggestion there.

I also agree on the Lolo rack. Once you go past 2 bikes on a platform rack, I really think a vertical rack is a better option. After a lot of research, we went with Lolo for exactly the reasons svinyard stated. The flexibility of the rack to fit the widest array of bikes (without modification) is what really sold us. We haven't used it nearly as much as we had planned between being down with COVID and then being without my truck for over a month. We only used it couple times and were extremely happy with how it performed. I only ever test fit a 16" bike on it as my youngest transferred over to 20" right when we got the rack.

Like Tim said, good bike control and communication are key with a Tow Whee. Our first experience ended up being a lost day or riding for me as my youngest "sling shotted" right into my back wheel and refused to go back out that day. Give yourself lots of room if you are following other riders. The Tow Whee has been great otherwise.

 

[TimTucker]

I should probably note on racks that with a minivan we've yet to need one -- so far I've been able to fit everything in the back of our Town & Country with the rear row of seats folded down.

Some combinations that I've fit in:

• 29+ (front wheel removed), 24", 20"
• 29+ (front wheel removed), 27.5+ (front wheel removed), 16", double trailer (folded w/ wheels removed), balance bike

 

[Grinchy8]

I built a vertical rack for my truck using lolo hangers. the hangers are really nice, have fit a variety of bikes easily, and load unload very quickly.
Previous to that I was putting up to three bikes in the minivan, but it took quite a while to load, less to unload, and only 3 fit.
It is much more kid friendly now, the bikes are ready long before their helmets, pads and shoes are on, and we can be loaded up and gone before one bike is put on a bar style strappy horizontal rack. (Verified watching others load up)
I estimate it take 90 seconds to load or unload four bikes. This guy (the owner) even less

 

[wes7]

I've got a 5 and 2.5 year old - here are my purchases and thoughts!

Bike - I just got my five year old a BMC Blast 20. I haven't seen much about them here, but it was similarly prices to the Giant STP, and several pounds lighter. It has a rigid fork, but I thought the trade-off was worth it vs. the STP to save four or five pounds. The components, geometry, and quality are great at the ~$600 price point.

Rack - After a great deal of hunting around, we settled on a Thule T2 Pro XTR with the add-on. As has been stated by others, a four-bike platform rack is a beast - easily over 100 pounds. The design and wheels on the XTR help, but it is still unwieldy. That said, it made traveling with three bikes very easy. When we are just around town, we drop it down to a two-bike rack and put my daughter's bike in the hatch with the front wheel removed.

Seats and gear - I've used a Kids Ride Shotgun seat for awhile now, and my 2.5 year old loves it. My daughter liked it too until she outgrew the weight limit around six months ago. I wish the new Pro model had been out when we bought one - the regular models are a little bit of a pain to put on and adjust, which the Pro addresses. I initially balked at the expense for the seat, but it has been worth every penny to get my son out on the bikes with us. SO much fun.

We used a Kids Ride Shotgun tow rope for longer climbs when we were in Bentonville, and it was a life saver. Worth having one to extend your days or make rides with lengthy or steep climbs accessible for younger kids.

Protection gear for my daughter has been a struggle. We had some amazon pads for awhile, but the velcro popped off all the time and drove her nuts. I ordered about five different sleeve-style pads for her recently, and it took some work to find ones that would fit. She settled on Fox Launch D30 knee pads, which are pricey but very nice, and 7idp elbows.

Hope this helps!