I avoided letting my kid ride an eMTB. Here’s why.

It’s tough being a parent. Raising kids takes a lot of work, and particularly in the early years, we don’t get much of a return on our efforts. Before I had kids, I just assumed they would love the things I love — mountain biking especially.

If there’s anything I’ve learned as a parent, it’s to avoid giving other parents advice about raising their kids, especially if they don’t ask. Clearly, you didn’t ask me if you should let your kid ride an eMTB, and if your kid already rides one, that’s great! I’d love to hear about it in the comments. I’m not saying you shouldn’t let your kid ride an eMTB, I’m just telling you why I avoided letting mine ride one, despite having access to high-end e-bikes as a part of my job.

I wanted my kids to build endurance and strength first

Kids grow up fast, and a big part of that is developing endurance and strength. They run around on the playground, play sports, and are always trying to lift heavy rocks for no particular reason. (At least my son was — maybe he’s the only one.) This is how they get stronger and faster.

I’m not going to say that e-bikes don’t help riders build fitness — they can and do, especially if you ride hard. My only fear about letting my kids ride e-bikes was that it would take them longer to develop bike fitness and endurance than if they were on a non-electric bike.

Still, not all is lost. I believe that kids and adults can use eMTBs to build bike handling skills even more quickly than on a non-electric bike. They’re able to get more miles in, which means more chances to navigate technical terrain, and their handling needs to be on point the faster they go. If I had a kid who showed a keen interest and a natural talent for mountain biking, I’d probably be much more open to getting him on an eMTB much sooner.

I know some parents who bought their kids eMTBs so the kids could keep up with the parents on regular mountain bikes. This is awesome! So many parents (dads in particular) are away from their kids for half the weekend while riding bikes in the woods, and anything that turns MTB into a family activity is a positive.

It was hard for me to imagine when my kids were younger, but it wasn’t long before they were keeping up with me, whether walking or running. My son is in sixth grade now, and I’m already struggling to beat him in a sprint around the track. Now I’m glad I didn’t buy a kid’s eMTB that was only used for a couple of years. If he had an eMTB now or even a year ago, there’s no way I could keep up with him!

I’ll admit, riding slow and waiting up was frustrating for a few years. The upshot, for me anyway, is that I learned to be more patient.

Every meal can’t be Chick-fil-A and candy

This is roughly a saying that we use around our house when the kids aren’t stoked to eat what we’re serving. Like, yes, a Chick-fil-A sandwich tastes much better than spaghetti at home. But every meal doesn’t have to be, nor can it be, the best one you’ve ever had. Birthday cake is special because it only comes once a year.

The same goes for bikes. The first time our son rode an eMTB was on a vacation (well, vacation for him, work for me). For a kid, once they’ve ridden an eMTB, will they even want to go back to a slower bike that’s harder to pedal? Every kid is different, but I can count on one hand the number of times my son has ridden his regular bike in the past year after riding that Specialized Turbo Levo.

I decided buying a non-electric MTB was a better investment

One mistake I’ve seen some parents and even spouses make is starting new riders on an inexpensive, entry-level bike. So the kid or significant other goes for a ride, they struggle with the heavy/slow/clunky bike, and decide they don’t like it. Big surprise!

The thing is, most of us ride decent to really nice mountain bikes, and that’s a part of what makes riding enjoyable. The same goes for kids. They aren’t animals, after all!

So we decided to get our kids real mountain bikes with good components. That way, they fall in love (or don’t) with the type of riding we like to do, which is, for the most part, non-electric. If I rode an eMTB regularly, I’d probably get an eMTB for my kids too. My strategy is to look at what I’m riding, and make sure my kids have access to something comparable so they might love riding the way I do.

Bottom line

Look, I don’t have the secret to making a kid fall in love with mountain biking. Mine haven’t fallen in love with broccoli either, despite my best efforts. The best I can do is give them the opportunity to experience the things I enjoy, and hope they enjoy those things too.