Need to find a way to get youngest rider a boost for hills (11 years old).
 

Hi all.

My brother has his kids riding with him. They range in ages but the older kids are starting to come into their own and are starting to gain speed. They ride flats with some hills, do about 18-20 mph, and about 10 mph on small hills. They tend to ride about 30-50 miles at a time. He is interested in a hub or kit of some sort that he can add to his kids bike so he can keep up. He is about 3 mph off the others when in a proper train. My brother wants to try this to keep solo and not on a tag along set up.

Any ideas?

So far I can only think of Ridekick Electric Powered Bike Cargo Trailer as an option. They ride with a sag wagon (the wife in a van) and this unit seems like a thing he could add on the hills. It looks like he may need an extra battery as well. Anyhow, any help would be nice!

Thanks ~!

Apparrently it's not a training ride, so probably a lighter bike with a full gearset for the 11 y.o. would be a better long term option. When I have the kids all out they all ride at the speed of the slowest rider.

Fuji makes nice 650b sized road bike with a decent group set. I'd say that would be the way to go.

There are 3 other kids/teens and my brother. They ride a ton! All can do long rides, but the 11 year old is feeling like the odd man out/holding them back. The bikes are all road bikes but they are on the heavier side. It costs too much to get them anything lighter. Maybe a lighter wheel set?

Lighter wheels makes almost no difference (particularly on hills). Better rolling tires is probably the cheapest thing to do that might make a difference.

Is the bike for the 11 year old geared low enough? If not, that may be a cheap fix as well.

That would help. Also check the gearing. If your bro had everyone try cycling a paceline, that would help keep everyone even too. (no dropping the kid off the back though!)

Suggestion:

1. All but one (who acts as "minder") of the kids go ahead to a specified point on the route and then turn back until they meet up with the young 'un and his "minder".

Y. young 'un gets new "minder" and group goes off again

3. Repeat ad nauseam

Benefits:

1. Everyone gets a decent workout, young 'un gets one-to-one "quality" time with each minder in turn

2. Because they get the extra distance in without going as far (in straight line), youngest doesn't have to exhaust himself trying to ride as far as they do

3. Each "minder" could be given individual task of helping youngest to improve his riding (decided in advance by you, of course)

4. Each "minder" gets a re-minder of what it's like to be the slowest/youngest

Tandem?

My little grand daughter had the same problem. She liked my wife's DB Fleet Street because it was comfortable. She wanted to keep up with the rest of us. We others are riding vintage racing bikes: Motos, Puchs, Puegeots, occasional SR, etc.. I took her off of the comfort bike and put her on a sweet little Univega whatever racer that weighed 1/2, 3//4 of what the DB weighed. She could keep up and even pass us at will! Our pace picked up, too!

or even a triple .. [( bike friday Makes Both ) and are modular to be both , or a single)]

This.

I taught my 8 year old to hold his line, and can now ride beside him with a hand on his shoulder, and push him a bit to get him up the big hills. We have one long hill, maybe a half mile, that is pretty steep, and I have found it easier to use a four foot bungee hooked on my back rack and his steering tube, and boost him up that way. Both of these seem safe enough, and give him a chance to do as much as he can, and still be riding his own bike.