We get a lot of questions here at MassBike, and we like to think we also give some pretty good answers. We realized that sharing these questions and answers on our website would be a valuable resource to others looking for the same information.

We got this question from Josh about the youth cycling clubs, and youth racing.

My son is 8 years old and loves to bike... we have been looking for a sport that has many positive values and that he is passionate about and this seems to be it. do you have any resources, or contacts for youth clubs or how to buy the first bike with shifters for a young aspiring cyclist?

Hello Josh

It is so great that your son is into cycling and that you want to get him a nice bike. I would suggest that you stay away from big box retailers, as they are not going to have the experience needed to get your son a nicer bicycle. I would go to your local bike shop. Not only will you be supporting local business, but you will also be tapping into the years of experience that the local bike shops have. They are really the best place to learn about bikes, and get advice about bicycles. You can find a list of shops that support MassBike here.

As far as local clubs that do youth rides, we are not aware of any, but you can contact the ones we have listings for here, and see if they do any youth rides. I also think that NEBC has some programs to get kids into racing, which might be of interest.

Also be sure to check out our youth safety education here.

I hope this helps!

If anyone knows of any cycling clubs that have youth related rides please leave them in the comments, if you have a question for MassBike, contact us.