7 tips for mountain bike tours with children: How families have more biking fun
Jan Timmermann
· 31.07.2025
On the ideal family tour on a mountain bike, the kids discover the fun of biking and the parents have a stress-free good time. Sounds too good to be true? That's right: all parents are probably familiar with dips in motivation and changing interest in cycling from their children. Organising an MTB tour in such a way that both children and adults develop a lasting enjoyment of riding together is an art. Our tips will hopefully make the art of organising a family mountain bike tour a little easier.
One moment everything is fun, the next it's just stupid. In my experience as a trainer, there are a few tricks to keep children on mountain bike tours. If parents also manage to reflect on their experiences and turn them into a learning experience, I'll give them full marks as a pedagogue. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor, social pedagogue (BA), educational scientist (MA)
1. experience-orientated tour planning
When planning mountain bike tours with children, the experience takes centre stage. Very few families have a child-friendly trail network right on their doorstep. In most cases, it's through the nearest forest. MTB tours should be consciously designed as a world of adventure. Rides together can strengthen the parent-child relationship and offer the opportunity to leave the daily grind behind. From an educational perspective, these are key moments that can have a lasting impact. Whether it's climbing a previously unknown mountain or descending a new trail - parents should be attentive to special moments.
An important aspect of mountain bike tours with children is reflecting on their experiences together. Children often don't even realise that they have just mastered a steep section for the first time or achieved their personal best time. The importance of a debriefing cannot be sufficiently emphasised, especially in the case of setbacks or failures. Questions such as "What was it like when the rain started and what did we do then?" or "Why didn't we make it all the way up the climb? What can we do differently next time?" help children to learn from their experiences.
2. safety and dealing with falls
The safety of children is the top priority on mountain bike tours. Even an injury is an experience that can be learnt from. Parents should find out together with the child how the fall happened. It should be made clear that riding mistakes are normal and that adults also fall occasionally. This approach helps children to deal with setbacks and take something away with them for future MTB tours.
3. motivation as the key to success
Forcing children to bike is counterproductive in most cases. Younger children in particular often find it difficult to concentrate on one thing for long periods of time. Cycling is a new form of exercise for them, which is exciting in principle - as long as it is not perceived as unpleasant or boring. Tours should therefore always be planned carefully and in an age-appropriate manner. Tours suitable for children include many active breaks. A tried and tested method is to regularly interrupt the tour with other activities, such as building a small dam on a stream, balancing on a tree trunk, visiting a playground or touring a castle. The variety is what makes it so appealing.
4. technical preparation and motivational tricks
Before setting off, parents should thoroughly check the technology, especially the youngsters' bikes. Even too little air pressure in the tyres can be a real motivation killer. The feeling of not making progress is particularly frustrating for children. Parents should be prepared for the eventuality that their motivation wanes en route. Instead of stubbornly sticking to the plan, little motivational tricks can work wonders: "If we drive two more bends, we can see your friend Moritz's house!" Parents need to know the route well and have shortcuts ready. If there is a lack of energy, the bike is too heavy or the route is boring, it is important to find out the cause of the motivation gap and take it seriously.
5. playful learning and riding technique
It doesn't always have to be spectacular trails or bike parks to get children interested in mountain biking. Sometimes an empty car park is enough to practice riding technique in a fun way. Small courses can be set up using simple materials such as wooden boards, ropes and cones. Free play often provides the most formative learning experiences. Parents can offer to set up a small obstacle course. Exercises such as stoppies and wheelies may rarely be useful on the trail, but they are fun and train bike control.
6. promote responsibility
Educators regularly recommend involving children in responsibility at an early age. Many children are more easily motivated to clean their bikes than adults. Here too, wrapping it up in stories helps: "When Grandma comes round later, we'll show her how clean our bikes are." Children can help with repairs and navigate on tour. A mountain bike is an excellent educational toy that promotes technical understanding and personal responsibility.
Mountain bike tours also offer the opportunity to teach children environmental awareness and social behaviour. The tour together can be used for a playful learning lesson about nature. Collecting and marvelling at different leaves during a break can be an exciting experience. Children act as multipliers who can inspire other children and adults to think. Taking litter with them and greeting walkers are other important aspects that can be taught to children.
7. group activities and further development
As children get older, they place their actions in the context of their peers. The importance of role models should not be underestimated. Parents can set an example of looking out for each other and helping each other. With the onset of puberty, parental motivation often loses its effect. In this phase, young people benefit from the experiences they had as children. Joining a group then becomes particularly important. This does not necessarily have to be a club. Bike friendships can also develop among friends, in bike or skate parks or at bike events.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
