Grip Level Guide

White Grips
Your child has never ridden a bike, rides a balance bike, uses training wheels, or is just learning to pedal. Goals include learning how to properly fit a helmet and identify basic bike components, riding confidently with pedals, and mastering turning and stopping while avoiding collision with others or objects.

Yellow Grips
Your child is pedaling comfortably on pavement. Their feet always stay on the pedals while moving, they pedal without looking down, and can stand up on pedals for a few rotations. Goals include riding comfortably on dirt, braking and shifting, controlled skids, pedaling through a slalom course of cones, and introducing basic traffic safety.

Orange Grips
Your child is pedaling confidently on both pavement and dirt. They are beginning to understand gear shifting and braking skills, can pedal standing up indefinitely, and can safely navigate a stop sign or stop light intersection. Goals include moving the bike independently from the body, developing airborne skills such as wheel lifts and basic drops, riding closely with other people, improving body position, and performing basic bike maintenance.

Green Grips
Pedaling, balance, turning, gear shifting, and braking are second nature for your child. They can navigate small climbs and downhill descents. Their skills have expanded beyond bike handling to include paved and dirt trail etiquette, pumping up their own tires, and performing a bike safety check. Goals include navigating steep uphill and downhill terrain, maintaining appropriate body position in different riding scenarios, learning in-depth bike maintenance and traffic safety, and introducing first aid/wilderness skills.

Purple Grips and Above