Kid friendly MTB routes

[brucehere]

Hey,
My son is 5 and loves ripping around on his bike and keeps wanting to go mountain biking!

The only problem is, as with any 5 year old, he gets over it pretty quick if there's huge hills to climb. (Snot en trane!)

I am based in Cape Town, so looking for somewhere thats a bit more fun to ride than the Tokai loop (where everyone walks), and not as hectic as the actual Tokai MTB trails on the mountain slopes. There's also the risk of him getting in the way of other riders, so want to avoid collisions.

Don't mind driving a bit, but not super far. Closer the better.

Any suggestions welcome...

[amac]

When my daughter was a little older than your son is now she was riding a 24" avalanche. About 15 months later we upgraded to a 2nd hand momsen superlight.  We always had fun, but when she got onto the light bike it was so much more fun for all of us.

[ChrisF]

Bit of a drive ... Bloemendal

[marko35s]

Not a route but the Bikepark at Uitsig would be fun for him.

[brucehere]

5 minutes ago, marko35s said:

Not a route but the Bikepark at Uitsig would be fun for him.

Yeah, forgot to mention he does love it there! 

[Jono]

4 hours ago, brucehere said:

Hey,
My son is 5 and loves ripping around on his bike and keeps wanting to go mountain biking!

The only problem is, as with any 5 year old, he gets over it pretty quick if there's huge hills to climb. (Snot en trane!)

I am based in Cape Town, so looking for somewhere thats a bit more fun to ride than the Tokai loop (where everyone walks), and not as hectic as the actual Tokai MTB trails on the mountain slopes. There's also the risk of him getting in the way of other riders, so want to avoid collisions.

Don't mind driving a bit, but not super far. Closer the better.

Any suggestions welcome...

Firstly, awesome that you are taking your son mountain biking!

When my boy started on trails which wasn’t too long ago, we did fairy garden going up and then back down. It’s a nice manageable distance from one of the parking options depending on his fitness, arboretum (not sure if you’re allowed to park there but people do), picnic site or bootlegger area.

Riding fairy garden gets him on to real trails and will give him a sense of accomplishment. He’s riding on the real mountain where his dad rides!

I also found being encouraging and not in a rush to be somewhere afterwards helped everybody have a fun time 😄 

You can take the lets just go a bit further approach or ok you’re feeling tired let’s ride back down we can go a bit further next time.

Kids have right of way on the trails, everyone who comes across us is super encouraging and patient, it’s a cool vibe.

[Shebeen]

7 hours ago, brucehere said:

Hey,
My son is 5 and loves ripping around on his bike and keeps wanting to go mountain biking!

The only problem is, as with any 5 year old, he gets over it pretty quick if there's huge hills to climb. (Snot en trane!)

I am based in Cape Town, so looking for somewhere thats a bit more fun to ride than the Tokai loop (where everyone walks), and not as hectic as the actual Tokai MTB trails on the mountain slopes. There's also the risk of him getting in the way of other riders, so want to avoid collisions.

Don't mind driving a bit, but not super far. Closer the better.

Any suggestions welcome...

Tokai has always been too steep for beginners

 

But now we have Greenbelt(legally).

And then a drive to the blue routes in durbanville or Stellenbosch area.

[ClintH]

Another bike park option that is also great for young kids https://polkadraaifarm.co.za/activities/bike-park/. Great early morning before it gets hot and before the wind picks up. 

For a really fun day out on the trails head to Banhoek and you can session cobra multiple times. Easy flow trail with some nice small 'safe' features but as they progress they can jump those features. 

[ClintH]

This is Cobra and it's really well maintained. 

 

 

[JasonS]

12 hours ago, ClintH said:

This is Cobra and it's really well maintained. 

 

 

This looks great for kids. Where is the best place to park to access this trail?

[ClintH]

12 hours ago, ClintH said:

This is Cobra and it's really well maintained. 

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, JasonS said:

This looks great for kids. Where is the best place to park to access this trail?

Hi Jason, 
You can park at the Banhoek Conservancy. 
https://goo.gl/maps/1gHfuoG9xzQioY2r7
There are 3 trails and all 3 are awesome. 
Cobra is nice for a warm-up with the kids. 
Afterburn has more gravity, amazing berms, flows and jumps. River gap at bottom so need to be careful of that one. Easy to go around.
Klipwerf is also well worth it but does take some energy to get to the top. Again excellent flow, some features and a couple of wooden berms.