first timers, me and my 9yr old.

S

slitterman

New Member
planning to get my kid riding...again, last time i messed up.
so gonna give it another go. was thinking about heading to 6 mile to see what its like. niether of us are riders, just new to the sport. i used to ride when i was a kid, but now 35 and wanting to get into riding with my son, and solo when hes not around.
any suggestions on where to start? easier parts of park to start with, as to not have him discouraged by not being able to ride.
appreciate any help.
 
The entry of the 27 lot could be intimidating, The first mile or so has some slight elevation changes that can cause some issues. I think a first timer would be best served starting at the canal lot and hitting the blue trail. Nice and open with not as many roots/tight trees.

The cons are that it would probably add another 15-20 minutes onto your drive, but worth it in order to get your 9 year old confident!
 
Start on the Canal side. It has a nice easy warm up through the field then brings you into some easier sections.
 
thanks man. appreciate the info. took him to cheesequake last year and yelled at him most of the time. not what i should have done. kids on the overweight side, and not active so i shouldnt have expected him to rip it up. so i know i need to change thtat.
today i dropped him at school and from new brunswick i headed to an address i got online. but when i got to the place i didnt see trail. saw a canal, or water. then drove along side it for a while to see if i could find entrance. but just ended up driving forever in the woods. but ill find it.
ill look for canal lot and blue trail to start. thanks man.
soon as i recupe from my surgery, we will be headed out there.
 
Allaire.

My daughter is 8 and enjoys riding with me. We've been to Allaire a bunch and 6 Mile twice. She prefers Allaire much more. As Pearl stated, starting from 27 is a bit rough for her. The twisties get to her also. While its flat and mostly smooth, she gets herself all jammed up with carrying to much speed and such.

Allaire is kid friendly the second you leave the lot. She likes to lead and she does well, all I have to do is yell left or right at intersections and shes good. Keep in mind 6 Mile is an out and back (from 27) so what you do once, you will have to do twice. Allaire has tons of trails and I can avoid the tougher trails so that way we get a ride with pretty good flow in. If you goto 6 Mile, maybe parking on the Canal side would be better.
 
thanks again for replies. i actually was thinking about trying allaire. but talked to a kid that rides, and he told me the the opposite. that allaire might be too hard for him.
i just want to get him on the bike. riding, enjoying the outdoors and excerising some too.
hope he enjoys it and wants to ride more,and get into the sport. that way its what we will do, together. guess eventually we will hit all the local spots, just looking for good grounds to start on.
 
It may be a little far for you to drive depending on your schedule but Mercer County park is also a great place for beginners. It has very little elevation change (Less than 6 Mile) so it's a little easier on the lungs for someone starting out.
Mercer is twisty and tight so it is excellent for improving bike handling skills and balance.
If you want to try it, I'd recommend the west side of the park.

Good Luck!
 
Stick with it!!!

I started my kid at 9 at 6MR. The blue/red loop is a good start. The key is to be really patient as the yelling just makes them more nervous, I've been there done that. My goal at the start was to not make him cry (I can be such a dick). My kid is 13 now, has a blast and rips it up!!! He's even getting his friends into it. Stick with it you'll be so happy!!
 
thanks man. thats what im after. i was wrong for yelling at him at cheesequake, i was no better a rider then him. but he wanted to stop, or complained bout it being hard. this time around plan to start slow and increase gradually. hoping he will enjoy the ride time as well as our time together. and then want to start learning how to ride harder, jump bike etc. all the stuff you do as a kid.
 
What about a kids ride at 6MR?

I think a kids ride at 6MR would be great. Some of the older kids could show the young ones the ropes. I'd be willing to chaperone......
 
generally, I would think Allaire would be easier than 6MR. Allaire is just down the GSP from Sayreville.

and agree that the Route 27 start for 6MR could be a bit much. maybe start from Jacques Lane - and go right (start on white trail)

two other places to consider:

* Huber
* Tatum (in Middletown/Holmdel) - this is certainly the easiest place to ride
 
If you go for Allair just stay away from Tiger's woods. Allair has more "climbs" then 6MR if you want to actually call them climbs. I think climbing is the hardest thing to get kids to like..........
 
Allaire is my favorite place to bring beginners. You can also try Manasquan Reservoir, it is a wide smooth path. John A Phillips Preserve in oldbridge also has some small, short easy trails. Bring the bug spray though!
 
Arwen's Mom said:
Allaire is my favorite place to bring beginners. You can also try Manasquan Reservoir, it is a wide smooth path. John A Phillips Preserve in oldbridge also has some small, short easy trails. Bring the bug spray though!
Click to expand...

Wheres this now? ...im in Old Bridge. would love to get my daughter started she s 11 and has expressed interest but CQ was too much for her.
 
well, guess i have alot to learn about places to ride near me. didnt think there were so many options. i shud be good to go by next week. surgery has me down now. kids ready to go, but i cant move that good right now. took a drive last week, and didnt quite find 6mile. maybe this week ill take a ride and try and find allaire, and other local spots.
im in sayreville, took dog for a walk in my local woods yesterday, mainly to see other places we could ride....along the river sayreville, south river.
found a couple different possible rides we can take...just to get him in the hang of things.
unfortunatley, dog came home with a bunch of ticks.
anyway. i appreciate the reply from you guys.
guess there are pleanty of places to ride near us.

maximus...thanks for offer.
 
The other thought for Allaire is if the trails at Hospital Rd are not to her liking there is a paved pathway about 1/4 mile from the trail head so its not a wasted trip from Old Bridge. I believe the pathway is about 5 miles long and goes to the ocean. Just my $0.02.
Ed and Pat Gifford
the Snot Rocket tandem
 
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