Question 1

How do you integrate discipleship with Jesus to the kids bike rides?

Accepted Answer

For each ride with kids, we make sure to include discipleship touchpoints during the course of the ride. First, we always start with a prayer before we ride. We thank God for providing His creation for us to enjoy and for giving us bodies that are strong and able to participate in a great sport like mountain biking. We also pray for safety for ourselves and other riders on the trail. We often include a planned 5-10 minute stop for a water break and brief devotional to get the kids and parents thinking about a gospel concept, idea, or questions. Lastly, we always keep our eyes out for opportunities for deeper conversation with kids, parents, or other riders who may ask questions about what we're doing. We know the God has prepared work for us to do and we pray that he opens our eyes to see the opportunities that he puts on our trails.

Question 2

How do I know if my child can join a youth mountain bike ride?

Accepted Answer

We welcome kids from 5 to 12 to join our general youth mountain bike rides! Kids need to have a few key skills: 
1. They need to be able to ride confidently without training wheels
2. They need to be able to use their brakes and gear shifters properly
3. They need to be able to ride up and down small hills (walking hills is OK but kids need to be willing to try to get to the top)

Question 3

What kind of bike is required?

Accepted Answer

We ask that parents do their best to equip their child with a proper mountain bike for our rides. We define this by the following criteria. 
1. The bike is sized appropriately based on the child's height. We can help with this if you're not sure what size is best for your child.
2. The bike is in good mechanical condition. Shifters work, wheels spin freely and true (no wobble), brakes work when dry and wet.
3. We strongly recommend kids ride a bike with hand brakes and not back-pedal brakes. Back pedal brakes can be very dangerous for kids as they will often take their feet off the pedals when they get scare (thus losing all braking ability). Pedal brakes also have very little ability to modulate, they are either all on or all off, and lastly they make it difficult to keep good foot position over obstacles.

Question 4

What should my child wear/bring with them?

Accepted Answer

Every rider needs:
1. A proper mountain bike - see the requirements in another FAQ
2. A proper sized helmet, undamaged, with a working buckle
3. Closed toed shoes
4. A water bottle or hydration pack. If bringing a water bottle, the child needs to have a water bottle cage that is able to securely hold the water bottle over bumps and obstacles
5. Appropriate clothing

One of the most important factors to your child enjoying a ride is their comfort. If they are constantly having to push up a helmet that is falling over their eyes they are going to be uncomfortable and frustrated. Same goes for being too hot, too cold, thirsty, hungry, etc. While we certainly won't have perfect conditions at all times, and we'll work to build resilience in our kids, we always want to try to set ourselves up with as few unnecessary discomforts as possible.

Question 5

Can parents join a kids ride?

Accepted Answer

Of course you can join! You'll also need a proper mountain bike, helmet and closed toed shoes. Lastly, we ask that you come with a great, encouraging attitude!

Question 6

Do you offer anything for younger kids who are still learning to ride?

Accepted Answer

We hope to offer monthly "teach your kids to ride" events where kids and parents come out for an afternoon with your 3-5 year old. For these rides, kids can come with properly sized bikes,  balance bikes, with or without training wheels. They will still need well fitting helmets, water, etc but our ride will be right around the parking lot and rail trails at KVSP in Andover. Keep an eye out for these events on the calendar.

Question 7

Do you have bikes to rent?

Accepted Answer

We do not have bikes available to rent but we do have a community of riders who may have properly sized bikes available for your child to borrow for one or two rides. There are some great options available for finding used bikes and we are happy to assist parents with selecting the best bike for their child

Question 8

What if my child gets hurt during a ride?

Accepted Answer

Accidents do happen sometimes and that's something we need to learn to respond to effectively and with great care. If you child takes a fall and gets a minor bump, bruise or scrape but is able to continue riding, we'll get them cleaned up and back on their bike to finish the ride. If your child is unable to continue riding for any reason (injury, broken bike, too scared, etc) we will call the parent (if they are not riding with us) and we'll bring the child to the nearest trailhead for them to be picked up. If you child is somehow seriously injured and cannot continue riding or get to the nearest trailhead we will the parents and call 911 and get first responders to your child as quickly as possible.

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