Beginner runs for kids

Hurrache

Could piggy back on the Ticknock blue slope thread but a separate one might be more useful to myself and others.

So was out running last night and my 9 year old daughter came with me on her MTB and we got talking about when I went MTBing as a teen and she wanted to know where.

Got me thinking that I'd like to bring her out to the hills for some fun, she's a thrill seeker, but obviously has to be something simple and straightforward for her to get familiar with bike control on trails.

I've seen kids with their parents around Ballinastoe, not so much Ticknock, and I haven't yet visited Bikepark so don't know what's there but I just saw this when perusing their website, http://www.bikeparkireland.ie/groups/families-kids/

Any suggestions, seems the spot in bikepark might be best.

comanche_cor

Would a pump track be a good starting point? Not sure where you are based but there's one in a large park on the north side (you may know of it already but not posting location on forum as the folks who run it don't publicist it). Not sure if The Gap have plans to build a pump track either?

Biking.ie have been running children's camps over the summer so perhaps have a chat with them. But yeah seen kids in Balinastoe.

comanche_cor

Also some of the MTB clubs cater for kids spins ...

Tenzor07

EPIC MTB used to run kids spins on a Friday evening at Ticknock focusing on skills and fun... Was all done around the start of the trails in Ticknock and towards the shed area with cones in place, and the small woods to the right of the old shed..

They're finished for the summer now..

But around the lower trails close to the Ticknock upper carpark is suitable for kids I would say.

QueenMTBee

Bike Park Ireland have a pump track. Well actually they have two but one is tiny for extra tiny kids. They also have a green trail which would be very child friendly and I've seen plenty of children roll down their blue "jumps" trail. Note it's not a jump track unless you have a lot of speed so it's possible to simply roll down the whole thing as its smooth the whole way with nice sweepy berms.

MTB friends of mine bring their kids to the GAP and stick to the blue trails. The blue ones on the lower half of the mountain are more "trail centre" and flowy whereas up the top they are slightly more "natural". Tickety Boo (not sure if that's the correct spelling) is a lovely trail.

It might be worth asking someone from EPIC as they do kid spins every Friday during the summer in Ticknock I think. AFAIK the last spin was last week but they might be willing to point you in the right direction.

Hurrache

Cheers guys, some good information there, a pump track seems like the ideal starting point, I regularly remind her to get off her saddle when hitting bumps and kerbs so it should get her into the habit. Wasn't aware there was one in GAP, and with the blue trail there it might be ideal for progression purposes.

We're just north of the Liffey but we're regularly out in the Dublin/Wicklow hills anyway so the drive is not an issue.

steamsey

Bikepark would certainly do the job but closer to Dublin, Metro 1 / Bottom Loop of Ticknock is brand new and should be fine for beginners. I think anything except Metro 2 / Old Top Loop at Ticknock would be fine for beginners.

Ballinastoe has a lot more KMs of trails than Ticknock but see no reason why Ticknock (official trails) would not be great for kids.

See plenty of kids at The Gap in Glencullen too as mentioned.

You are spoiled for choice!

Hurrache

steamsey wrote: »

You are spoiled for choice!

I actually am!

Anyone familiar with rubber duck debugging? This thread is a version of that, wasn't aware of many options at all, post the thread, do some googling, get some responses and the answers instantly come to mind.

Things have come a long way from when I last went MTB'ing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging

emeraldmtb

We took our 3-year-old to Bike Park Ireland over the summer and he loved it. He's only on a balance bike, but he quickly got bored of the tiny kids pump track and was racing his older friends (ages 4 - 7) around the bigger pump track for most of the day. And he even managed a full run of the green trail. The green is a little long for his little legs, but the other kids we were with did laps of it most of the day. The 8&9-year-olds were happy out on the blue trails as well.