Teaching a kid to ride

[Digital Gee]

I have a 13 year old daughter who's never learned to ride a bike. A couple of years ago, her mom bought her a bike (we're divorced) but no one over there ever taught her how to ride. I finally had her bring the bike over to my place and I want to get her started. The bike fits her fine after a couple of adjustments. All the bike needed was air in the tires and a going-over with a damp cloth.

Anyway, I haven't taught anyone to ride in ages and ages. Are there tips on how to teach bike riding? Do's and don'ts? She's on a 24inch 18 speed x-mart "mountain bike."

Thanks in advance!

[oldskoolboarder]

There was a previous thread on this for younger riders, you can apply the same concepts. Take off the pedals and lower the seat just a smidge. Have her tool around like it's a scooter. That'll help her build up confidence and balance. When she's got that down, you can put the pedals back on and she can try it that way. This is way more sensible than training wheels.

Have her work on it in a grassy area. That'll keep her speed down and make for a softer landing.

[ginger green]

#1 - any Dad who spends time with their daughter is awesome - you are #1 in my books
#2 - oldskoolboarder is right -
#3 - be prepared to do it far far far away from anyone she knows - she may feel embarassed about doing this at 13. You might want to offer up a suggestion where you drive to a distant park to try this.
#4 - encourage encourage encourage.

let us know how it works out.

[atbman]

Agree with proposed method. One addition: if you can find a slope leading on to a flat area, she can learn to coast down and get up a reasonable speed before hitting the flat. this makes the balance bit a little easier.

good luck

[Digital Gee]

Thanks for the suggestions! All we had time for yesterday was getting the bike cleaned up, adjusting the seat, and putting air in the tires. She "rode" it a little bit up and down our sidewalk but OMG I can't run alongside her very far! The next weekend she's here we'll take it to a nearby park and try all those things -- plus get her a new helmet (her old one no longer fit).

The best news of all is she's EXCITED about learning to bike. This makes me feel wonderful. I've introduced my daughters (I have two) to photography a few years ago and that gave us hours of incredible times together (and still does), and now there's a chance we may end up doing some biking together (although the 16 year old isn't quite so enthusiastic).

Have I mentioned that I have the best daughters in the world? lol

Thanks again for the advice -- I have a hunch she'll learn quickly. She was a bit overwhelmed at the idea of shifting but we'll get to that.

[BryE]

As far as helping her balance and running beside the bike goes, I've found it's much easier holding onto a child's shoulders than onto the seat/handlebars. You're not bent over, which makes it easier to run, and the child is completely responsible for balancing the bike and steering - you're only there in case she starts to fall. I don't know how a 13-year-old would handle having you actually TOUCH her, though - I remember how I felt about about my parents when I was 13. :rolleyes:

[progre-ss]

This is how I taught my 7 and 8 yr olds (my 10 yr old learned via the "run beside me so you can catch me if I fall" method and my 3 yr old rides a trike):

1. lower seat so that your daughter can put her feet flat on the ground

2. remove the pedals

3. find an open area like an unused basketball court or very, very empty parking lot.

4. have her sit on the bike and walk the bike across the court. Once she's used to that, have her try to walk a bit and then lift her feet off the ground. She doesn't have to lift them high...just high enough that they don't drag on the ground.

5. once she's used to coasting with no feet touching the ground, try to have her coast from one end to the other. Reward her with heaps of praise and hugs and kisses!!!!!!!

6. Once she's used to coasting long distances...put the pedals back on. This time try to have her coast, but place her feet on the pedals in the horizontal position. Keep the seat low so that she can still place her feet flat on the ground she she need to regain her balance.

7. Praise her galore once she gets it! Remember, she may not get it on her first day and it may take several days of walking/coasting to get used to the feeling of riding a bike.

Good luck!!

[Digital Gee]

Woohoo!

I finally had some time to "teach" my 13 year old daughter how to ride a bike. We took the bike to a nearby park, and found a wide sidewalk that wasn't being used, with lots of grass on the sides. The sidewalk was an approach to a large building, and there was a slight slope, and sort of an up sidewalk and a down sidewalk separated by 10 feet of grass.

Anyway, I lowered the pedals, and had her get the feel for balance without using the pedals. That didn't last long. She put her feet on the pedals, and it was almost like a duck takes to water. Within a few seconds, maybe a minute or so, there she was, pedalling up and down the sidewalk, crossing over the grass, leaning slightly into her turn, and so on.

She had a BIG grin on her face (which was hard to see, since she was wearing MY helmet which was HUGE for her).

We didn't try shifting the gears yet. I have the bike in a medium gear for now. She learned balance, how to brake, how to get started, how to get off and on the bike.

We then went to Target and got her a helmet that fits.

She then asked to take the bike back to her mom's house so she can teach a friend of hers how to ride HER bike. Isn't that a riot?

So now I'm going to have to make sure I have the bike rack every time I get my kids every other weekend, because the younger one will want to ride. I love it. Can't wait until we take some rides together.

Am I a good coach, or what? (LOL -- I didn't do anything except point her in the right direction -- she figured it all out herself!)

[sydney_b]

It's fantastic that she's riding. Good for you. I am a little stunned that at least 2 thirteen year old girls didn't know how to ride in the first place. I guess I just assumed ..... that'll teach me.

Tell her we're all happy she's joined the ranks.

:)

[Marylandnewbie]

Digital Gee -- great job and I am amazed that older kids take to it so quickly. I always figured older kids would have more fears of falling or whatever and it would be hard for them to learn.

I'm sure you'll enjoy riding with your kids. We have just started doing more serious family rides this summer and my 8-year-old has done pretty well on his little single speed. We did 25 miles yesterday and everyone lived to tell the tale. It was a lot of fun and I'm sure will be even more fun as his strength and prowess increases. My only suggestion on choosing rides for the kids is to choose easy terrain that either goes to or through something interesting. Just putting miles behind him does not interest my son, but any interesting thing makes it worthwhile. One 17 mi. ride with him was made perfect when we forded a creek with about 3 inches of water in it. He thought it was the coolest thing and made riding all the miles worth it. So good luck and enjoy the rides.

[Digital Gee]

Yeah, it is surprising, isn't it? In my daughter's case, after the divorce her mom settled in a Very, Very Hilly area, which makes beginning riding difficult, and then, after buying her a bike, never found the time (for whatever reason) to teach her how to ride it -- even in the cul-de-sac which is flat.

With me living in a cramped apartment, it was difficult to imagine storing the bike over here so she could ride it here, but I finally realized that if she was going to learn, it was going to be up to me. So I found the room, brought over the bike, and gave her the "lesson."

What I learned is that the older "student" picks it up quite easily. At least, in this case she did!

[Cyclops88]

Digital Gee,
You might want to rethink that bike helmet you bought from Target.
http://wcbs880.com/trouble/recalls_story_243083633.html

[cooker]

Thirteen say you? Too old she is....hmmph!
Oh, sorry, we're not talking Jedi training?
RGC

[CummingsSM]

I am a little stunned that at least 2 thirteen year old girls didn't know how to ride in the first place. I guess I just assumed ..... that'll teach me.I just taught my 21 year old girlfriend how to ride. And I refused to touch a bike until I was 10 and my father practically tied me to one.


her mom settled in a Very, Very Hilly area, which makes beginning riding difficultAs a new resident of California, I have to emphatically agree with this statement. I don't see how anyone ever learns around here. As a tip for anyone that might care ... I find that beach rides are fairly flat and therefore make a good training ground for new riders.


What I learned is that the older "student" picks it up quite easily. At least, in this case she did!I was pretty amazed that my 21 year old student picked it up in a matter of two hours or so (across two days). It took me a lot longer than that to learn when I was 10. And so far, she hasn't crashed once, while I remember crashing several times, when I learned.

[Digital Gee]

Well, if you're following this thread, you'll recall that 18 days ago, I taught my 13 year old daughter to ride and the first lesson went very well.

Fast forward 18 days, and we have our first opportunity to go on a bike ride together. She's been practicing at her mom's house and is so excited to bring her bike back and ride with me.

We take the bikes down to a MUP by the so called San Diego River. The path is paved, wide, and fairly flat. I tell her, "Sweetie, we'll go as far as you want, but we don't have to push it."

Three miles into the ride, she says let's go for six. At six miles, she says, let's go for eight. At eight miles, we have to pause to take care of an errand, so we take the bikes home, have a couple of Fresca's, and take care of the errand.

She wants to go back out on the bike and "get at least 10 miles, Daddy!" So off we go around the neighborhood, and when we reach 10, she says, "Let's make it 12!"

That was fine with me. I was incredulous but perhaps I shouldn't be. I just remember my first ride when I returned to cycling three months ago and five miles was a LONG ride!

So we did 12 today, and she wants to go back out tomorrow morning and do at least another ten. Can you believe it! It's so exciting!

PS: To the poster above who gave me the friendly advice about the Target helmets -- thanks. Turns out the brand I got at Target was a Schwinn, and not the kind being recalled. But I appreciated the head''s up (no pun intended!) anyway.

So much fun!

[sydney_b]

That's awesome. Appreciate the update. Goodness knows we need more girls and women who like to ride bikes. I'm tired of being so outnumbered.

:)

[LSPR_MTU]

Well, if you're following this thread, you'll recall that 18 days ago, I taught my 13 year old daughter to ride and the first lesson went very well.

Fast forward 18 days, and we have our first opportunity to go on a bike ride together. She's been practicing at her mom's house and is so excited to bring her bike back and ride with me.

We take the bikes down to a MUP by the so called San Diego River. The path is paved, wide, and fairly flat. I tell her, "Sweetie, we'll go as far as you want, but we don't have to push it."

Three miles into the ride, she says let's go for six. At six miles, she says, let's go for eight. At eight miles, we have to pause to take care of an errand, so we take the bikes home, have a couple of Fresca's, and take care of the errand.

She wants to go back out on the bike and "get at least 10 miles, Daddy!" So off we go around the neighborhood, and when we reach 10, she says, "Let's make it 12!"

That was fine with me. I was incredulous but perhaps I shouldn't be. I just remember my first ride when I returned to cycling three months ago and five miles was a LONG ride!

So we did 12 today, and she wants to go back out tomorrow morning and do at least another ten. Can you believe it! It's so exciting!

PS: To the poster above who gave me the friendly advice about the Target helmets -- thanks. Turns out the brand I got at Target was a Schwinn, and not the kind being recalled. But I appreciated the head''s up (no pun intended!) anyway.

So much fun!


Haha, congrats. I can see it now....

"15 Daddy, can we do 15?"
"Sure sweetie!"
...
"Let's go for 43 Daddy, can we?"
"Sure, as long as you want! (dear lord, what have I done?)"


Good luck! ;)

[As You Like It]

Congratulations to you and your daughter. Sounds like the kid's got great natural endurance. Kids have a lot of energy and seem to take well to biking. When I was her age, I did 10-20 miles a day every day, all summer. I also used my bike to go to babysitting gigs. Having a form of personal transporation at that age is really nice. Maybe one of these days she'll feel confident to take her bike to the library or to a friend's house or out to buy a snack.

It's a great thing you did for your daughter, and I'm glad she's enjoying it as much as it sounds like.

[Digital Gee]

I have to laugh. The day after we did the twelve miles, above, we went out again and she wouldn't quit until we'd reached another 16 miles, for a total of 28 (we have to do an "even number," she said).

Then at the very end of the ride she bumped into me, fell over, broke the shifter on the left hand of her handlebar, and moved the deraileur out of whack. I'm working on all that now -- and picked up a used Diamondback (same size) off Craigslist for $40 either for parts, or to get her 16 year old sister invovlved in some of our rides.

Ain't biking fun?!

[Marylandnewbie]

Yea it sure is.

Craigslist is a must for families looking to get into biking. We've managed to upgrade my son to a 6 speed 20 inch bike for $50 and my wife to a Bianchi Boardwalk for $150 all thanks to Craigslist. If you shop carefully you can find some wonderful deals on Craigslist. And both of the bikes we bought, just needed a good washing and some minor adjustments to brakes or derailleurs. That makes the dad/mechanic very happy.

Like you I have been amazed at how far my son can ride -- particularly on the new bike. It channels all that normal 8-year old energy into forward motion and certainly makes bed time easier! Good luck with bringing your other daughter onboard.