If you’re raising a mountain bike kid that’s under 5 years of age, it can be tough to find gloves that are small enough to fit their little hands.
With the above in mind, we’ve pulled together an overview of the kids MTB glove landscape, with the info below tailored towards toddlers who are either riding on a front mounted child seat, or riding their own bike independently. Read on to learn more.
In this article:
- Best kids MTB gloves for front mounted child seats
- Best kids MTB gloves for balance bike and beyond
Read on to discover the most popular gloves for toddlers and kids under 5 years of age.
Best kids MTB gloves for front mounted child seats
What to look for when choosing kids bike gloves for front mounted child seats (ages 2-5 years)
If you’re looking for gloves for use with front mounted child seats, for kids 2-5 years, the most important factors are sizing, ease of fitting and warmth.
1. Sizing
Because most mainstream mountain bike apparel brands don’t focus on small kids, it can be difficult to find small enough gloves for kids 2-5 years of age. We’ve looked for glove manufacturers who cater to small hands (5 years and under).
2. Ease of fitting
Children as young as 2 years often lack the dexterity to easily put their fingers into the right holes. Of the gloves suitable for small hands, we’ve looked specifically at those which are easiest to put on – as that’s often the trickiest part when getting your little one ready to ride.
3. Warmth
Finally, when your little one is riding up-front on a child seat, it’s easy for them to feel the cold, especially as they are exposed to the elements, and aren’t exercising themselves. When looking at gloves, we’ve looked for those which have additional warmth or weather protection.
Side note: Check out our winter riding with kids article to make family winter rides even more fun.
Best toddler MTB gloves for front mounted child seats
With the help of our mountain bike parent customers, and by evaluating gloves by size, ease of fitting and warmth – we’ve pulled together the following options to consider when choosing gloves for use with front mounted seats.
Dakine – Prodigy Kids Bike Glove
Based in Oregon, and with a background in adventure sports, the prodigy kids bike glove is available in size small (4-6 years), medium (6-8 years) and other, larger sizes. The prodigy isn’t insulated or weather proof, but it does have a big mouth, wide opening cuff.
Giro – DND JR II GLOVE
Available in a range of colours and designs, the DND JR II GLOVE comes in size XS (age 3), S (age 4), M (age 5) and L (age 6). Whilst the DND JR isn’t warm or weather proof, it does feature a wide mouth cuff for ease of fitting, along with a hook-and-loop closure.
ShredXS – Child Glove
Scottish brand ShredXS specialise in quality mountain bike products for children, and offer child gloves in size small (3-4 years), medium (4-5 years) and large (5-6 years). The glove doesn’t include any insulation, but it does feature a full opening design (with velcro fastener) for ease of fitting. Available in blue or red.
Woom – Warm Tens Bike Gloves
Known for their lightweight kids bikes, Austrian brand Woom also have a range of kids bike gloves available, including the Warm Tens. The Warm Tens are black in colour, are available in size 5, 6 and 7 years, so likely at the end of the riding upfront age range. They don’t have a wide opening cuff, but they do and feature additional insulation to keep hands warm.
Ti-GO – Totes Warm Weatherproof Kids Cycling Gloves
Based in the United Kingdom, Ti-GO produce an all-weather, windproof kids glove that is black and orange in colour. The ‘Totes Warm’ gloves feature therma-skin layering, and are available in sizes 2-3, 4-5 and 6-7 years.
Kids Ride Shotgun – Pogies
As an alternative to conventional gloves, the Kids Ride Shotgun pogies are one-size-fits-all for kids 2-5 years, and have a wide opening cuff. The pogies are temperature rated to -22°F (-30°C) and are waterproof, so they’re hard to look past if you’re specifically looking for a kids glove option for use with a front mounted child seat.
Note: Pogies are designed for use with front mounted child seats only – for the best gloves for balance bike and pedal bikes kids riding independently, read on!
Summary table: Best kids MTB gloves for riding upfront
See the table below to compare how the glove options above compare across sizing, ease of fitting and warmth:
| Child-friendly sizing | Ease of fitting | Warmth | |
| Size 5 or smaller | Wide opening | Insulation | |
| Dakine – Prodigy Kids Bike Glove | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Giro – DND JR II GLOVE | ✅ | ✅ | |
| SHREDXS – Child Glove | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Woom – Warm Tens Bike Gloves | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Ti-GO – Totes Warm Kids Cycling Gloves | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Kids Ride Shotgun – Pogies | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
What’d we miss? Let us know in the comments below, otherwise read on to discover the best gloves for kids biking independently.
Best kids MTB gloves for balance bike and beyond
What to look for when choosing kids bike gloves for balance bikes and beyond (ages 2-5 years)
If you’re looking for gloves for kids riding balance bikes (or pedal biking) independently, the most important factors are sizing, protection and the all important stoke level.
1. Sizing
Because many mountain bike brands don’t focus on small kids, it can be difficult to find small enough gloves for kids 2-5 years of age. We’ve pulled together sizing info from the various manufacturers into one place below.
2. Protection
Kids who are riding independently are learning fast, often by trial and error. Because of this, they’ll fall down and crash often, so having hand protection will minimise the impact of those crashes. When looking at protection, we’ve specifically focused on palm and knuckle protection.
3. Stoke level (design)
As every parent knows, the best gloves for kids are the ones that kids are happy to wear – and if that’s the difference between hitting the trails or being stuck at home, then it’s an important factor, even though it’s a completely subjective topic!
Best Toddler MTB gloves for balance bike and beyond
With the help of our mountain bike parent customers, and by evaluating gloves through the lense of size, protection and stoke level – we’ve pulled together the following brands to consider when choosing gloves for balance and pedal bike kids.
Little Rider Co – Kids Bike Gloves, Classic Tech Series
UK brand Little Rider have a range of gloves available for mountain bike kids. There are 7 sizes in total, and gloves range from Kids XXS through to Kids XL. They don’t have any specific additional protection built into them, but they do have a number of designs to choose from – many of which are collabs with other brands.
Woom – Tens Bike Gloves
Known for their lightweight kids bikes, Austrian brand Woom also have a range of kids bike gloves available. Gloves are available in size 5, 6 and 7 years, with each of these sizes available in a selection of colours.
Fox Youth Dirtpaw Gloves
With a strong heritage in motocross, the Dirtpaw gloves are available in Youth XS, Youth S, Youth M and Youth L sizes. The Dirtpaw gloves are available in a range of colours and designs, and notably, some (but not all) of the Dirtpaw models offer additional knuckle protection.
Ti-GO – Kids Long Finger Tech Cycling Gloves
In addition to their insulated glove option for colder weather, UK brand Ti-GO also sell a range of non-insulated kids gloves available in sizes 2-3, 4-5 and 6-7. They are available in 3 colours; blue, orange and pink, with a short-finger version also available.
Conclusion: Best MTB gloves kids 2-5 years
Best gloves for front mounted child seats
If your little one is riding on a front mounted child seat, keeping your kid warm and comfortable on the trail is priority number one. If you want warm gloves that your little one can use from 2-5 years, that won’t give you any fitting challenges, check out our pogies.
Best gloves for kids riding their own bike
If your little one is riding independently, there are a bunch of great kids full-finger gloves available. We recommend focusing on those that offer the best protection for your little shredder to keep it all smiles, even if they have a fall. But as all parents know – the most important point is choosing a glove they’re happy to wear, making it hard to recommend a single glove – the choice is yours! (or actually, errr your kids)
What’s your favourite kids mountain bike glove? What’d we miss? Drop a comment below to share your view.