I was wondering how old is a good age to get started mountain biking. I have a son who is 5 years old and is very good on his bike and I would like to know if that's too young and how I go about getting him started.

Steve Jones's Answer.

	Steve Jones The author of four mountain-biking books, Steve Jones has logged thousands of miles of trails and backroads. Meet Steve Answer Archive Biking Forums

Most of us who have grown to love riding our bike in the woods would say,"The sooner, the better." But I guess you're really asking, "Is it ever too soon to start someone out riding a bike?" Well, yes and no.

Obviously, you wouldn't want to put a toddler who is having trouble walking on any kind of bike, especially without some sort of balance-aiding device like training wheels or mom's/dad's hands. A good first bike would be one of those big plastic trikes that the little tykes can pedal around just to give them a feel for the glory of wheeled, self-propelled motion. As they get older and more experienced, you can put them on a sure-nuff tricycle and let them spin around under the carport or on the driveway. Go easy on the pointers and concentrate mainly on letting them have fun. However, don't ever forget the helmet, no matter what the age or the number of wheels!

Depending on the ability of your child (and your budget), you may elect to set the nouveau rider on a bike equipped with shifters and hand brakes. This probably is not the best course to follow. A single-speed bike with coaster brakes (the ones that engage by reversing pedal direction) makes a good beginner's bike. Make sure the front (crank) chain ring is covered by a protective device so that no nasty shin gashes result from its teeth. It is also a good idea to put some knee protection on those soft knees, which will more than likely get scraped. I remember using a deck of old playing cards and clipping one (or several) onto the front fork so that the spokes hit it and made a clacking sound. Fun. After safety, that's the key word — no matter what the age.

When my own son reached the age of 8, we went out and bought a bike that had the trappings of a real mountain bike, i.e., hand brakes and a shifter for the rear gears. A couple words of caution here: Shop around. What we wound up getting was a neat bike with lots of colors, decals, and visual doo-dads. The bike frame was constructed of heavy-gauge steel, intended to withstand lots of slam-downs and abuse, which is a good idea in theory, but not so practical. The rear derailleur even had a handy-dandy steel protector for those times when it would be dropped unthinkingly on the delicate mechanism. The chain ring had a device attached to it so that the teeth of the gear could not rip any flesh. Safe, yes, but weighty. What I forgot to think about was the difficulty he would have pedaling this bike up a hill. The front ring was not large enough to allow the small muscles of a 50-pound kid to move a 25-plus-pound bike against gravity.

If I were to do it all over again, I would forego the purchase of a new bike like this until I could see the fire burn in his eyes — and the muscles rippling from his calves. But probably the best bet would be to stay with a single-speed and coaster brakes until the child gets old and tall enough to ride safely (and take care of) a "real mountain bike."