We asked Nick Pavlakis, community and media liaison for Pedalheads, for a few bike safety tips for kids.
How do parents know if their kid is ready for mountain biking or trail riding?
One of the best ways to enjoy the great outdoors is to get involved in mountain biking. For parents who are interested in getting their kids involved with riding local mountains there are three questions to ask when considering if your child is ready: Is my child a confident bike rider who can start, stop, and steer with ease? Is my child mature enough to understand the dangers involved with mountain biking?
Does my child have a properly maintained mountain bike that will help give them a positive experience? If the answer to all of these is "Yes," your child is probably ready to hit the downhill slopes. If your child is really interested in doing more advanced mountain biking trails, consider getting a full-face helmet along with some other gear like gloves, shin pads and chest protectors to help prevent injuries.
How can parents help prepare their child for safe bike riding?
Helmets, helmets, helmets! The first rule of biking is to always wear a helmet. It's important to teach children about the importance of wearing a helmet to prevent head injuries. Another way to promote safe bike riding is to join your kids as much as you can. Kids who are left to their own devices will be more likely to learn unsafe bike riding habits. By teaming up for rides, you can show your kids what safe biking is all about. While you may have developed some bad habits yourself over the years, this will be a time to really think about what kind of young bikers you want to raise.
The roads and trails can be dangerous, so join your kids and make sure you talk to them about the hazards they may encounter.
What are some common bike safety errors or myths?
In all my years working at Pedalheads Bike Camps, one myth stands out more than any other: Just wearing a helmet is good enough. Unfortunately, ill-fitting helmets are something we see all too often at our camps on the first day. Wearing a helmet is extremely important, so is how the helmet fits. A loose-fitting helmet that moves around when the child shakes their head will not provide the same level of safety as a snug-fitting helmet. To check if your child's helmet fits right, ensure you cannot fit more than two fingers between their chin and the straps. Also check if the helmet is on straight. It should fit straight across the forehead and around the rest of the head. If your child's helmet is tilted too far forward or backward, part of their head will be exposed to a fall. The two-finger rule works here as well: Place two fingers together horizontally above your child's eyebrows and run the two fingers straight across the forehead. This is how much room should be between the eyebrows and the helmet. With a little extra thought towards safety, parents can rest easy knowing they kids are having fun while staying safe. Happy trail riding.
