With the proviso that I do NOT put any pressure on my kids while racing, and they’re just doing it for fun, how do I, a slightly nuts former crit racer who used to find a bit of advantage in sensible gear, get my kids bikes in the best shape for racing?
I used to ride cotton veloxflex tyres with latex tubes, neither of which you can’t get for 24" wheels. Going with some new Schwalbe Ones. Tubeless is probably too much hassle as I’ll have to change the tyres for CX next winter.
Are TPU tubes worthwhile? Any leads on shoes at EU33/34 beyond Northwave?
It’s good you are not putting pressure on the kid. Just make sure the bike works. If they are wired to be very competitive they will start exploring better equipment (then you go shopping). That’s what I’ve seen with the youth team I am coaching. I’ve seen the same over the many years of coaching other sports as well.
Just remember that kids are a completely unique individual made up of bits from their parents, grandparents and beyond. That is not just physical, but personality traits as well. They may not be wired competitively. They may become hyper competitive. Every kid is different. Enjoy it. I look back at the 5 I raised and the many kids I coached for 30 years as the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my life, nothing else comes close.
How old are your kids? Rather than worrying about marginal gains on the bikes, maybe get the kids involved in the routine maintenance of them. An understanding of how to fix any last minute issues and pride in having done their own wrenching are far better lessons and time investment IMO.
As long as your children are on equal gear with the top finishers there is not much more that can be gained these days. Keep the bike well maintained and leave the rest to them. As you know the worlds best can beat us common folks on inferior bikes. A good lesion to learn in life.
Back in the early days of my son racing BMX there were gains by running skinny road knobby sew ups. Plus some other road bike things like bearings, chains, etc. The biggest gain was prob weight back then.
Let them have some fun and who knows where that will lead.
That’s what I was about to post: Get them involved in the bikes they ride, how they work, why they work, and what can be changed to make them better (within reason). Depending on age, getting into ‘bike feel’ might be too early, but read the room too. If they are bored, move on, but I was curious when I was a kid learning about bikes. I learned a lot by taking things apart, and was ecstatic when it still worked when reassembled. This is your time to be the great dad and share your passion with them, and that passion can then build in their lives too (hopefully). And as the saying goes, get your kids involved in cycling early and they won’t have the time, or the money to get into trouble.
The messaging can be subtle to you, but… I remember when my brother was in cub scouts and they were doing the obligatory car races, and they were given a kit to build and race against other kids. When dad kind of took over and started making changes to the whole thing, like lubing the axles and wanting to put a weight in the wood. My brother freaked out a little and I think that experience effected their relationship for some time. The idea of cheating to win was disgusting to me, but seeing them deal with it was interesting.
That’s where showing the kids what they can use to make their riding better, and potentially faster would be a great idea. But then again, reading the room. Do they know why the suggestions would help, and do they want the help, and is it sending the wrong message. Will they think that they get attention as long as they take the suggestions… But reading far into things seems to be my curse.
I’d have loved to have a child to share my likes and loves, but alas, that was not meant to be. Enjoy your kids, spark their interest…
OT but that wasn’t really cheating. There was graphite lube sold by BSA and so were the weights. The weights actually leveled the playing field for kids who took too much off the wood and would be too light. All the cars were weighed and couldn’t be over a certain spec.
On topic. Mines too young for sports but I can feel the OP on the marginal gains, but from like a dad flex side of things. Like id wax her chain ( if she had one) just to see what other adults notice. We signed her up for a little triathlon through the parks department ( bike, run, run through sprinklers) and I already joked about making a carrier for her balance bike to hang it off the back of the bike trailer. She definitely copies us though she won’t ride in the trailer without her bike shoes on ( just an old pair of water shoes) because mommy and daddy have bike shoes. She hangs her helmet on her handlebars when shes done and wants it taken into the basement to store it near our bikes. Have a feeling she’s going to be asking about optimal crank length before she even has a pedal bike…
Yeah, all legal from what I remember. Weight distribution, aero, and axle/wheel optimization were all part of the deal. Pine wood derby was awesome. I remember doing it with when I was a kid and remember doing it with my boys when they were kids. Unhealthy or healthy level of serious competitiveness depending on your perspective, but all in fun as far as I’m concerned. One crazy memory - my boys ended up racing each other in an elimination heat and tied with the exact same time down to 1/1000th of a second (the limits of what was displayed by the timing system). The timing system did pick a winner (must have been storing more decimal places behind the scenes), but it stopped all racing for about 10 minutes sorting it out and debating how to deal with it. Pinewood derby is serious business…
As far as the racing gear, it’s totally kid dependent. If a kid is into the equipment, provide guidance and and support as you see fit. I wouldn’t be writing blank checks and I’d have them put some skin($) in the game to understand how to balance wants/needs/funds. I don’t even see it as a competitive thing. Some people are just into the gear and that’s a cool part of the sport/hobby even if they don’t have a competitive bone in their body. And some don’t care about the equipment and just want to ride a bike. They are kind of like adults that way.
My earlier suggestion to let them decide what they want and then earn it by setting and achieving goals is not specific to going faster on the bike, or bikes at all. If they want tassels for the handlebars, that’s as good as anything.
Their car experience happened in the early/mid 70’s. There wasn’t any ‘official’ way to lube the cars, and weights were not allowed either.
And you daughter sounds awesome! Like this biking thing will be a long lasting focus. Great job you two!! Well done!!
Someone showed up on a group ride with tassels. Some scoffed at it, but many loved it. Yeah, having kids earn fun time seems like a way to encourage them to value that time.
If you want to set them up for possibly a lifetime hobby, do the bare minimum. Let them have fun and earn the upgrades. They might not like cycling after a few years anyway.
I see a lot of Jrs showing up to local races with SWorks level stuff.
Yeah, having kids earn fun time seems like a way to encourage them to value that time.
(Probably made a satisfying crunch))