Best way to teach your kids to ride?

[trickylad]

I researched this a little too much before buying my eldest daughter her first bike. Balance bikes, stabilisers, etc etc.

In the end I plumped for two bikes (of course). Both from Islabikes. A Rothan balance and a CNOC 14. The plan being to get her going on the balance and after a year or so upgrade to the CNOC without stabilisers. Bit more expensive but they're really designed with kids in mind.

Islabikes were brilliant. Amazing service and the bikes are lovely. Ashamed I ever looked in the bike section of ToysRUs....

Bought them in Nov last year. She took to the Rothan like a duck to water..

Click the link for the vid.


We then moved house at Xmas and only last week did I crack out the bikes. She promptly asked if she could have a go on the blue bike. She's petite and the CNOC is considerably heavier than the ultralite Rothan.

But, I took her down to the school playground and we she did ok. Pedalling and looking where she's going wasn't easy.

Anyway we went out again today. Bit more falling off and then jackpot....

Click the link


Magic. All on her own. Up there with seeing her first steps.

I can't say enough how watching her has convinced me that the balance bike has taught her everything she needed to know about 'proper' riding.

Hope you enjoyed this little tale and got some tips if have young kids (I have another 2) they'll be hopefully doing the same as their big sister.

TL

(Proud dad today)

 

[suburbanreuben]

Blimey! She was flying!

 

[trickylad]

I know! Shocked my wife and I.
She cut her knee, elbow and nearly ripped a fingernail off at the last try but just got back on a gave it another shot :shock:

 

[lewis1641]

I'm trying to get my mate's son to ride without stabilizers but he is absolutely terrified. I've raised them as high as they'll go but he just rides along leaning to the side, happy as larry. He's 7 on wednesday.

Any ideas? He truly is terrified

 

[jax13]

have you tried the fabled single stabiliser method? it worked for me & all my mates when we were nippers.

there are a couple of ways to motivate people too - sometimes praise isn't enough and you need to resort to either bribery or a good old fashioned incentive. "if you ride without stabilisers you can have the XXXX you wanted" or, "no more wii until you start riding without stabilisers."

either option should do the trick along side plenty of positive encouragement without being too pushy / enthusiastic. try to keep it a very relaxed atmosphere as if the kid senses pressure or expectation they have a far higher tendency to clam up & not perform.

 

[trickylad]

I'm trying to get my mate's son to ride without stabilizers but he is absolutely terrified. I've raised them as high as they'll go but he just rides along leaning to the side, happy as larry. He's 7 on wednesday.

Any ideas? He truly is terrified

Have you considered taking the pedals off the cranks?

It's something I've read about before.

It'll force him to slow down as you can't go that fast, and will totally encourage him to confidently find his natural balance spot with all the security of having his feet there to stop him if he starts to fall. Effectively creating a bigger version of a balance bike.

You might want to lower/raise the saddle to the point where he has good sole contact but not flat (sort of steady but on tip toes). Once he's balancing and moving around under leg power, reintroduce the pedals.

Finding somewhere expansive, empty and flat also could help. Much less pressure to go in a specific direction.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get on.

TL

 

[trickylad]

Here's a perspective I found useful:

http://www.islabikes.co.uk/infohub/info ... _Bike.html

 

[JimNicho]

We did exactly that... took the pedals off, and found a bit of grass with a gentle slope... till they got their balance.

Stabilisers, from my experience, were counter-productive, they actually made it harder to ride and my lads were leaning their bodies at some pretty odd angles to compensate.

 

[Mark_h4dng]

I'm trying to get my mate's son to ride without stabilizers but he is absolutely terrified. I've raised them as high as they'll go but he just rides along leaning to the side, happy as larry. He's 7 on wednesday.

Any ideas? He truly is terrified

Have you considered taking the pedals off the cranks?

It's something I've read about before.

It'll force him to slow down as you can't go that fast, and will totally encourage him to confidently find his natural balance spot with all the security of having his feet there to stop him if he starts to fall. Effectively creating a bigger version of a balance bike.

You might want to lower/raise the saddle to the point where he has good sole contact but not flat (sort of steady but on tip toes). Once he's balancing and moving around under leg power, reintroduce the pedals.

Finding somewhere expansive, empty and flat also could help. Much less pressure to go in a specific direction.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get on.

TL

^^^^ what he said, work for both my boys both riding without stablisers at under 5

 

[Harryburgundy]

Ha, brilliant seeing them ride isn't it
I should have used the balance bike method but just used bikes with stabilisers until I took them off...both my kids have been riding without stabilisers since about 4yo...maybe 4 and 1/2
I started them on a grassy field so they didn't hurt too much when they fell...which they did...a lot