A Beginner’s Guide to Mountain Biking with Halfords

Are you making the most of the lovely spring weather and getting active outdoors?

So far this month we’ve managed some family games in the garden, a few weed-clearing sessions down at the allotment, and lots of seed planting – things are still a bit behind after all that cold weather, so we’ve got some catching up to do!

One of the other family activities that we all really love to do together is bike rides. Getting everyone into the saddle and off on an adventure is always a fun day out, and a great way to enjoy some fantastic scenery at the same time. Our local area has a few family-friendly trails that we can access from our front door, but it’s also fun to put the bikes on the roof rack and head further afield to explore a new area. If there’s a nice lunch stop half way round then so much the better.

While we really enjoy our family bike rides, so far we haven’t really gone off-track. As the kids get older we’ll definitely be able to have a go at more challenging trails, and mountain biking is a great way to do this. We’re absolute beginners though, so we need some help.

I think the idea of mountain biking as a family can feel quite daunting; I know I’ve always felt a bit apprehensive about a trail that could end up being too much for all of us to manage. Thankfully Halfords have created a Beginner’s Guide to Mountain Biking, which aims to demystify the world of mountain biking and help beginners like us get started.

The guide covers things like types of mountain bike, basic skills, essential equipment and an explanation of the different grades of trails. I like the fact that it gives you enough information to help you feel more confident, without overloading you with technical data and lots of detail.

There’s even a quick guide to MTB (that’s mountain biking to those in the know) slang, which will definitely appeal to older kids. My eleven year old likes the idea of a gnarly trail (translation: challenging route) but I think we’ll build ourselves up to that!

The Beginner’s Guide to Mountain Biking also includes links to beginner-friendly trails around the UK, so if you’re planning a trip but are completely clueless where to go it’s a great shortcut. We’re off to Wales for a camping trip in the summer; last time we visited Wales we stuck to a bike trail, but having checked out the mountain biking trails in the Halfords guide I think we’ll be heading for the hills this time.

I’ve found the Beginner’s Guide to Mountain Biking such a useful resource. As well as being an easy way to learn more about mountain biking and how to get into it, it’s reminded me just how fantastic the UK landscape is and inspired me to try and get out there and enjoy it more. I think we need to get some bike rides on the calendar!

You can check out the Halfords Beginner’s Guide to Mountain Biking here. And as you’d expect, Halfords have a wide range of mountain bikes if you’re looking to kit the family out.

Will you be having a go at mountain biking this spring?