What is a good age to take a child on the street riding ? My 7 yeo wants to ride with me this summer on some of my shorter rides. So on good days I have been taking her out on a street that has a wide asphalt bike lane and been teaching her to stop at stop signs, look ahead, riding as far over, ect. But again this road is only slightly busy. I'm wondering if she isn't to young to take her out on busier streets. I would love to have her ride with me, especially when I ride out in the country and see so many nice things but is 7 pushing it? Any opinions or suggestions ?

I think it would depend on your daughter, is she a good at riding a bike? If so and listens well etc, I see no reason not to take her with you. Slowly work up to riding longer distances, by the time she is 10 she could join the USPS cycling team :) Seriously you will be there the whole time so not much to worry about, except busy traffic and if she listens well and rides well no problem their.

My daughter was able to ride a 20 mile charity ride with me when she was 4 1/2. When we went for a ride on the streets I would ride behind her, and slightly further out into the lane, so passing cars wouldnt come too close if she wobbled a bit. I was also able to tell her what to do, and she didnt have to try and keep up with me.

I ride behind her and slightly out also. I coach her from behind especially if there are others in the bike lane. She is fairly steady on her bike. I'm also teaching her how to use her gears. That is great that your 41/2 rode that far with you. I'm hoping that my daughter will do a 20 mile with me this summer. It is fun. We bought a childs Giant mountain bike and it fits her pretty good. She seems comfortable on it.

AndrewP, a 4 /12 year old going 20 miles? That's incredible!! At that rate by the time she's 10 Lance Armstrong is going to be in trouble!!!!!!!

At that age they should probably be riding on prepared bike trails.
For road riding, you may find that a tag-along bike (like a Burley Piccalo) is a safe solution. She will pick up some roadsense and positioning skills without being able to make dangerous mistakes.

I had a very good suggestion from my boss who is a retired racer. He suggested setting up cones in an area and have my daughter ride through the cones to give her practice at control. And then having her ride on the white line for balance. Plus he suggested ride along side of her so she gets used to it and maybe even bump her a bit to also teach her control. I like those suggestions. An obstacle course which will be fun for her but teach her at the same time.

MichaelW...a tag along won't do. My daughter is to athletic to ride one. She wants her own bike. But I'll see how she progresses and if we have to stay on the quiet streets, that is okay because at least she wants to ride. I don't want to do anything that will discourage her.

My daughter was fairly athletic. When she was 3 I had a seeat on the back of my bike, but she preferred to run along next to me. I remember one time she ran over a mile. When she was a teenager, we had great fun as volunteers on the Montreal Tour de l'Ile - me as a mechanic she as a first-aider. Since then she has been more into swimming. She had my first grandaughter a month ago, and during pregnancy was swimming 1 km once a week, up until a week before the baby was born.

My daughter likes to come along when I run sometimes. She rides her bike and I run. She is 10 now, but started this when she was about 8.

When we do this, I choose a route that keeps us mostly away from traffic. She seems to prefer ride/runs that are 8-12 miles long. She can do a 20 miler but gets bored towards the end. These are usually about 3 hours long. She also seems to enjoy routes that include trails and parks more than just riding around the neighborhood.

Dan

It is so nice to hear about kids who like to spend time with their parents. Andrew and Dan, sounds like you two have some wonderful kids. I think I will take all the suggestions I have gotten, work with my daughter and see how it progressess. I just like the one on one with her. It is a good time for mom and daughter :)

Roads around my house are quit narrow, with no shoulder(country roads) usually with a 5' ditch right next to it.

I ride in fear when I go alone, let alone if my daughter was riding.

That said, some of the more remote roads with very little traffic my 10year old does well. She has a full Road Bike (Trek 1000) and can keep up a good clip.

I would say between 8-10 they should be good enough and know better to not ride out into traffic and to stay safe, especially with an adult riding behind.

We usually go as a family. Wife leads, Daughter in the middle and I bring up the rear. Also I stay a little farther out like said above.

Good Luck, good to see wer're getting them away from the TV!!!:beer:

Haven't been able to ride after work due to it getting dark to soon. But now that we are in daylight savings time and it stays light later, my daughter us just itching to get out on the rode. I just need to find the time. But it is nice to hear that she wants to ride.

You might consider a tandem for riding in higher traffic areas that involve a lot of interface with cars and trucks. I only mention this because I have an 8 year old daughter and went to this solution (tandem for longer rides and busier traffic rides) as a transition bridge until she is ready to interface with more traffic on her own. Otherwise, on the shorter rides with light motor traffic I think age 7 is not a problem on her own bike as long as you are near and helping with the rules of safety.

BB

BruceBrown...I have been taking my daughter on short rides on streets that are not busy. On our route, there is a big parking lot at an elementary school. We go in there and she practices her looking back, riding with one hand and skills like that. She is feeling more comfortable on her bike. We'll see how she progresses through the summer.