Road biking for an 18-19 y.o. Advice needed

[Mikej]

So my son and I are very much into mountain bike racing. Now that he has moved up and become faster over the past 5 years, he is asking about a road bike for training etc. He is already pretty strong. We have a Mut here and there are plenty of out of the way roads and rides, however, I will be unable to accompany him all of the time. I am looking for real life experiences of others who have been in this situation. He is already comfortable riding for 5+ hours with his team mates and extended teenage gang of knuckle draggers, but of course a road bike is a ROAD BIKE. You can make all of the rules you’d like, but I know better, the force is strong with this one-

[Ken Robb]

Is there a GOOD local club that has rides and coaching for beginners? If so, they probably also have tiers of rides for advanced riders. Of all the physical activities young men can get into cycling is probably relatively safe.

[rzthomas]

I'd consider having him ride a loop close to home on the safest of roads. As a parent of a 3 y/o and another on the way, my threshold for the roads I am willing to ride has changed. If they want to get into cycling, and I hope that they do, I would prefer they stick to MUP and neighborhood loops.

[Mikej]

He is not a beginner btw - he is a cat1 MTB racer. The local club is my club or I have connections to other clubs. The clubs are not the problem I’m worried about, it’s solo riding on the road.

[Mzilliox]

why? i solo ride on the road 99.9 percent of the time. i can tell you right now do to my lack of fear and stupid factor, mtn biking is way more dangerous. hes 18, i would assume its the same with him.

get him a bike and let him ride it, i really don't understand the concern. he could be playing football where a knee injury is a gaurantee, i really can't even fathom the concern, but then again, i dont have kids, just a wife who rides on roads every single day

[MattTuck]

When I was 13-14, I was riding my bike alone to the next town to get soft serve ice cream from the local convenient store. Some of this was on lightly trafficked roads, some on more busy roads. Unless you live in a really busy locale, or he is extremely reckless, I can't see that riding a bike is any more dangerous than a bunch of other things that teenagers do. (Like, do you let him ride in cars driven by him or other folks his age?)

[buddybikes]

Sorry dad, he is an adult - step one of the separation. We will alway worry about our kids. Most times it is just worry for nothing, of course some times it is reality - best friend's son killed in Cat 1 race back in April.

Cell phone, good tires, good tuned bike not much more than to let him fly

[dustyrider]

I don’t understand the question/concern. I was stuck riding around the block until I was about 10. Then over the next 4 years I was promoted to town, home before the street lights came on, and then quickly the next town over. I bought a motorcycle at 15.5 and set out on my first bicycle tour at 17. By 18 I was out of the house on a cross country tour on the back of my 2nd motorcycle. I didn’t “settle” down for the next few years.

[bewheels]

The concern isn’t that he may get an ankle or knee injury like most ball sports, it’s that a 5,000 lbs mass moving at 40 mph makes contact.

I get the concern...
I had it on of miles on roads all over the country but when me son first wanted to do a 20 mike ride on his own, I was very nervous.

As others have mentioned, if there is a good road club nearby that be the answer at many different levels; general safty being taught to him by someone other than his father but also how to ride properly in a pack. There are plenty of super strong mtb people that are terrible on a road group ride.

After that...it becomes a matter of faith.

The #1 rule I drilled into my kid...everyone can potentially kill you, act accordingly.

[HenryA]

Mine started at 15 and by the time he was 19 had plenty of experience on the road, lost a good bit of hide in crashes and had already totally ruined one bike crashing in a crit. But, he also had some pretty good country roads that were safe enough to train on. And some friends to ride with. And I rode with him frequently so maybe some caution rubbed off on him.

Depending on where you live it might be worth a try to talk about the nature of heavy traffic and poor visibilty for car drivers. He might listen. Maybe show him some threads about riders being hit by cars.

But I think he’s out the door and grown up. Not that we ever stop worrying, but might be time to let him go.

[DRietz]

I supported my racing/riding starting at the age of 14 (8 years ago).

I think my parents let go of the whole "you can only ride with a group" thing by the time I was 16 - old enough to drive alone, probably old enough to fend for myself on the road. That's something to think about, maybe. I'm not sure I feel a whole lot safer driving in the East Bay than I do riding my bike, and I've had my fair share of bike-car...interactions.

I'm not exactly sure what their thought process was, but I think they knew I was responsible and were confident in my abilities. It sounds like you are with him, also, just fearful of what else is out there. This is fair, but he's almost 20? Races Cat1 XC? Maybe off to college soon? It might be a good time in his life to grant him this independence, despite how scary it may be.

If you're really worried about it, just make sure he carries his phone and ID with him. Before my parents let up, they had me give them an estimated ride time as well - if I wasn't back within __ hours, then they should worry. Maybe that sort of system will appease your mind?

[John H.]

Ride with him- If you can't keep up, get an E-bike.
I am serious.
I know of a young elite female mtb racer- Her mother was very protective of her and didn't want her to do road rides alone.
At a certain point it was holding back her progress.
The solution was an E-bike so mom could ride along, keep up and feel safe about what her daughter was doing.

Originally Posted by Mikej

So my son and I are very much into mountain bike racing. Now that he has moved up and become faster over the past 5 years, he is asking about a road bike for training etc. He is already pretty strong. We have a Mut here and there are plenty of out of the way roads and rides, however, I will be unable to accompany him all of the time. I am looking for real life experiences of others who have been in this situation. He is already comfortable riding for 5+ hours with his team mates and extended teenage gang of knuckle draggers, but of course a road bike is a ROAD BIKE. You can make all of the rules you’d like, but I know better, the force is strong with this one-

[Spinner]

A Dinotte Quad and have him use it for any solo rides. Auto drivers go out of their way to avoid you.

[FlashUNC]

Can't keep him in proverbial bubble wrap forever.

I was riding solo down country roads at 16, if my parents had any trepidation they didn't express it to me.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by John H.

Ride with him- If you can't keep up, get an E-bike.
I am serious.
I know of a young elite female mtb racer- Her mother was very protective of her and didn't want her to do road rides alone.
At a certain point it was holding back her progress.
The solution was an E-bike so mom could ride along, keep up and feel safe about what her daughter was doing.

#marining & I am sure I be on my e-bike trying to keep up with my son and daughter on Tam in a few years