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Kids trail riding bikes - Whose gote 'em and where have you taken them?

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,929
24
Over your shoulder whispering
Looking to figure out some decently tame but fun rides to take my 9 & soon to be 7 year olds. They did Ridgeline (I know...this story again?) twice and up Ingles Field, left down the gravel and out Boyd Branch back to Lake Powhatan. They liked that the best b/c it was a smooth trail, not bumpy and choppy (who knew Ridgeline was bumpy?). They went once on a 20" & 16" w/ coaster brakes. Thanks to the power of the net, I've got them swapped out to an old Hotrock 24" and Hotrock 20", both 6 speed. Both have a front shock and V brakes and those semi-knobby Specialized tires that come stock on them.

What are some good trail rides to take them on? 30 minutes to 2 hours. Two hours is with plenty of snack and play breaks. :thumb:

Oh, and if anybody has old 80-100mm air forks you're not using, random 24" wheels and disc brakes, lightweight bits from 25.4" carbon bars, etc you wanna throw away to little girls 10 times nicer than their dad, let me know.

Edit: Why on earth do they make the smallest gear on a kids MTB a 36/28? That's the gearing on my DH bike.
 
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bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,929
24
Over your shoulder whispering
Grass road to lower black mtn trail.
Never thought of that. Only problem with that is the genius who speced a 36/28 for a 6yr to "climb" her bike up. That would be a heck of a push.

Warren wilson trails
I've never known where you go to get to them. Suggestions for a loop, direction, etc. Would REALLY appreciate it. Oh, and apparently this deluge is all my fault for buying a little girl dying to ride a bike in the middle of winter on the one sunny day. We got home and the skies literally opened up before I could get it out of the trunk.
 

motobutane

Monkey
Apr 27, 2010
516
0
WNC
...and you are a prankster Randy. Remember, these are small children. No harming the kids in search of humiliating me. ;)
I accept that label but Pinkbeds is a good trail for kids, it has a big picnic area to boot.

And BTW humiliating you is not that hard :rofl:
 
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Dirtrider

noah
May 2, 2006
1,619
2,705
Asheville, NC
You could park at Hardtimes and ride down the gravel and hang a left and go into the arboretum. and ride the gravel around there. Nice scenery and its pretty flat. Would get them off the bike and look at some of the plants/exhibits. Nice areas to stop and snack as well. I run there alot when the weather is like this and its a nice place.

I say park at Hardtimes assuming you do not have a pass to park inside arboretum..
 

bikecowboy

Chimp
Nov 6, 2012
16
0
WNC
Kind of a hard one for the area without going to Tsali or Jackrabbit. Had a real problem trying to find something my wife could ride on. Bought passes to Biltmore basically so she could ride. Only thing I can think of is the park and stuff on Amboy but thats probably all paved. Thinking....
 

clealan

Monkey
Mar 9, 2008
149
0
Fairview NC
The standard BC loop for my kids/grandkids from Hardtimes...Homestead behind the lake, left up to deerfield, left on upper Pinetree, left on upper Explorer loop, down across concrete bridge, right on main rd., right on campground conector, pedal by the lake and say "hi!" To the fishermen, back to hardtimes
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,929
24
Over your shoulder whispering
The standard BC loop for my kids/grandkids from Hardtimes...Homestead behind the lake, left up to deerfield, left on upper Pinetree, left on upper Explorer loop, down across concrete bridge, right on main rd., right on campground conector, pedal by the lake and say "hi!" To the fishermen, back to hardtimes
I'll have to try that...and accept that no matter where I go now, I'm gonna basically have to push Charisma's bike up most things. The one big plus of the trail bike though is it not being a coaster brake over bumps. That caused havoc even on Ridgeline.

If you want to turn it in to an all day event FATS in SC is a great place for the familly to ride.
My kids love to ride at Paris Mountain, Dupont and Bent Creek.
Paris? I remember a little about that place but it seems like no place fo rsmaller kids to ride?