Recreational & Family - 11 yr old scared of learning to ride bike

I have 2 kids - 9 and 11. The 9 yr old finally learned to ride a bike. What took so long -- due to parental time constraints, schedules, never seeming to have the right sized bike at the right time, etc. The weird thing is that the 11 yr old still doesn't know how to ride. When we were having problems last summer (with the 11yr old) I thought maybe if her sister learned how to ride first it might bring in that sibling rivalry and prompt her to want to learn faster. Hasn't helped at all. She (11 yr) is scared of falling -- is never on the bike long enough to even be able to balance it. The current technique I'm using is holding the back of the seat -- pushing her (still holding the seat) and jogging with her until she appears to be balanced and then I let go. I NEVER can get to the let go part -- she either slams on the brakes, can't get the balance or whatever. I really think she should be in a bigger bike -- but I'm getting tired of buying bikes that she never learns to ride (the current one is her 4th bike).

PLEASE, Anyone with suggestions to help get her over this fear of falling so she can join the rest of the family on bikes? (oh, we've tried the peer pressure routine already too).
Thanks

I don't know what to suggest. You've given her all the tools to do it, she does not want to yet. Unfortunately I don't see alot of girls that are 12-and older riding bikes. They seem to not ride as much as boys as they get older. Could just be my area though. Point is, she may have less peer pressure as she gets older.

In my more frustrated moods, I make a point to let the kids know we are going somewhere fun. For those that want to go they have to go on their bikes else they have to do something they might like less (shopping, chores, homework, etc.) The trip will be slow and probably full of complaints, but you'll get them out there.

I had a similar problem. We lived in Boston and my kids were terrified of riding a bike and falling. I tried many times to get my son on a bike from the age of 3 on, but he just would not, and his younger sister wouldn't either. When we moved to Colorado with some wide open spaces and my kids made friends who rode everywhere, they got over their fears and learned in one day -- on their own. I was dumbfounded when I walked outside one day and saw them riding their friends' bikes around the apartment complex. My son was 13 and daughter was 8 when they finally got motivated. I thought that it had to be the friends' influence, because not many of my kids friends rode much when we lived in Boston. There was no way I could get them on a bike before -- I even tried getting them used to trail-a-bikes. Now I can't keep em inside.

It's amazing what a little time and the right motivation will do. Each kid is different. Maybe your kids will find their own motivation in time.

Make it fun for her and use the Universal Learning to Bike Technique.

Adjust the seat low so that she can get both feet flat on the ground while on the saddle. Remove the pedals if they get in the way. Don't run after, but let her "scoot" along, pushing herself forward with her feet. She'll be the one in control. Once she has this basic balance worked out, move on to the brakes and pedalling.

Even if this fails, it's not the end of the world.

Never heard of that method -- lowering the seat and such. That might do it -- let her gain confidence in balancing first. etc.

Thanks!:D

If she will, let her ride with training wheels slightly bent upwards so that on the straight aways when she is going fast she will balance without even realizing it. On the turns the wheels will catch her, After about a month take off the wheels and gauge her readiness. This worked well for my 5 year old boy. Just try to keep the pressure off and let her pedal.
22R

Make it fun for her and use the Universal Learning to Bike Technique.

Adjust the seat low so that she can get both feet flat on the ground while on the saddle. Remove the pedals if they get in the way. Don't run after, but let her "scoot" along, pushing herself forward with her feet. She'll be the one in control. Once she has this basic balance worked out, move on to the brakes and pedalling.

Even if this fails, it's not the end of the world.

+1 This is the absolute best way to learn as far as I'm concerned. Very graceful, faster than walking (especially with the pedals removed). The balance comes at her pace, her feet can always touch the ground and your frustration/sweat factor is zero.

What is lost if she doesn't learn? If this is forced on her, where's the fun (aka. motovation)?
Just set a bike up for her to use the above method, explain to her the advantages and benefits of
learning this way, and assure her that she can learn to balance when and if she's ready. Sit back and see, she'll probably take care of business in her own time.

Make it fun for her and use the Universal Learning to Bike Technique.

Adjust the seat low so that she can get both feet flat on the ground while on the saddle. Remove the pedals if they get in the way. Don't run after, but let her "scoot" along, pushing herself forward with her feet. She'll be the one in control. Once she has this basic balance worked out, move on to the brakes and pedalling.


We had a similar problem with my daughter, and it disappeared about a month after we got her one of those aluminum Razor scooters. (Not the electric jobs, just one you push with your foot.) It gave her a chance to get a handle on balance and leaning into a turn (and the sensation of speed). One day I mentinoed that her bike balanced and turned the same way, and she said "Really!?" I said "You want to try?" "SURE!" 30 minutes later she was flying.

That was 3 years ago. Now she's 8 and rides a Trek 220 that she handles like it was a part of her. She logged 20 miles with us yesterday.

Kotts

Lots of good suggestions.

Have 11 yr old twins. One started at age 7 and one at age 9. Each developed very differently. The one who learned earlier used the pedals-off glider approach. The other one used training wheels until she realized she could not go as fast as the rest of the kids and peer pressure took over. Now both go with me every weekend 10 - 20 mi. We used a trailer bike a lot when they were smaller. I think it helped. We got the 24" model. The 20" seemed too small. I still use it with smaller relatives when they come to visit.

BTW there is nothing wrong with hand-me-downs and used bikes rather than new ones.

I didn't learn to ride until I was 16.

I've made up for it though. I've crossed Australia five times by bike as well as cycling in Canada once and India twice.

We had a similar problem with my daughter, and it disappeared about a month after we got her one of those aluminum Razor scooters.

+1, scooters are the forgotten link for children progressing onto bikes.

Scooters teach all the essentials for later riding inside the childs comfort zone.

Make it fun for her and use the Universal Learning to Bike Technique...

I just taught my 6-year-old to ride with this technique. It would probably help if you could find a long, gentle hill for her to coast down. Otherwise, you can run next to her and push, without holding on, so that she can get a little speed up.

Thanks all for the suggestions. No harm if she doesn't learn -- except that we just came back from a family vacation that we could have covered more ground if all the family could ride bikes, instead we had to walk and that eats up time.

I think we got in trouble by leaving the training wheels on longer than we should have -- so I'm hesitant to put them on again. I'll start with the pedals off approach first and maybe try the scooter method.

u wanna know what my parents did? they put me on top of a hill (not too steep or tall) and basically pushed me down it. it worked.......although my front 2 teeth slightly overlap now because of a slight accident on one of the trips down hill

I didn't learn to ride until I was 16.

I've made up for it though. I've crossed Australia five times by bike as well as cycling in Canada once and India twice.


Hehehe same here, I didn't feel like learning when I was a kid, finally did when I was 17 because I needed the bike to commute to university, and now I'm registered to ride Paris-Brest-Paris...

Make it fun for her and use the Universal Learning to Bike Technique.

Adjust the seat low so that she can get both feet flat on the ground while on the saddle. Remove the pedals if they get in the way. Don't run after, but let her "scoot" along, pushing herself forward with her feet. She'll be the one in control. Once she has this basic balance worked out, move on to the brakes and pedalling.

Even if this fails, it's not the end of the world.

+1

That's what we do at my shop. The victory needs to be theirs.