stewartp

My son Callan turned 5 a week ago.

He's had a little bike with stabilisers (what are they called in the States?) for a year or more.

A while ago I tried to get him to ride without them but it didn't go to well.

Last week I took the pedals off his bike as well as the stabilisers and told him to try it out as if it was a kind of a scooter that you sit on. He had a few practice sessions like that and seemed to have gotten the hang of steering without the stabilisers.

So this evening I put the pedals back on and we went round to the school car park. Nice big area of flat tarmac and nobody about.

Well, one push and he was away, pedalling about easy as anything. I was well pleased. Now as a reward I'll get him a decent bike with a freewheel, decent brakes and (maybe) a few gears.

Proud dad

Stew

webist

That's a great post. I'm looking forward to a similar story with my first grand kid. Should be here in March of 03.

Oh, yeah. We call 'em training wheels in the states.

Great post. Congratulate the little guy for me.

Carl

unrelated

A few gears may complicate his ride. Maybe a BMX will be nice

Richard D

Just don't expect him to join you on your Audaxs just yet

Richard

stewartp

That's what my wife says. She also says it'll be way too much money for a kid's bike.

I argue that the bike will last him 2-3 years. If the bike had a front shifter as well, that would be too complicated. I'm hoping it can stay on a middle cog for a week/month or two until he gets the idea of what gears are for and how to use them.

I'll look at BMX tho. good call. I don't want to force my choice of bike onto him, but I also don't want him to go for some pressed tin, plastic rimmed piece of cr*p just because its got Action Man on it!

Stew

rockymtn_girl

I'm thinking a 5 year old is going to grow several (?) inches a year and will probably outgrow whatever you buy him now within a year (if you buy him a proper fitting bike to begin with). But if cost isn't a consideration, get him whatever his little heart desires! It is fun watching the little tykes on their first rides. Their enthusiasm is contagious isn't it?

unrelated

I had a BMX when I was 8 till 10. Then I went on to a normal MTB, but cus I bought a really huge one( 17" I think and I was only 10!), it lasted me pretty long. Then I went on to a better aluminium bike, rode it till last year. If I wasn't moving out of the country I would still be riding it. It was with me for 4 years and still working well.


You can get a slightly big bike, maybe a 16" frame when your child is 10 years old. Surely it will last him longer

stewartp

You're right. but I find it depressing the way little kids can't tell tat from quality. LIke the junk toys in the cereal boxes. You think - what a nasty piece of plastic junk. Kid thinks - WOW! just what I've always wanted.

The dark forces of marketing I suppose. The trick is to expose them to quality - in food, design, books, art, engineering. and with time thy'll learn to tell the good from the bad.

A frined of mine went to Japan and he described the level of the graphic design there. Even the stuff they throw away - like bus tickets - are worked and designed, so from cradle to grave they are surrounded by class graphics. So it becomes instinctive.

OTOH if we surround ourselves with junk - junk tv, junk newspapers, junk novels, junk clothes, junk thoughts, we'll see junk as the norm, we'll accept it as standard, it will be all we aspire to, and we'll continue to achieve it and produce it.

I must go and read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance again!

Stew

hotrod

Isn't it great to watch that milestone come to one of your own!! My six year old finally kicked the training wheels. Bike riding is now an entirely different experience for him. Now he rarely goes out without his bike. I can't wait to move him up when he's ready. Heck, I'm gonna keep him on a high quality bike unitil it's time for him to take care of himself. I'm thrilled!!!!

rockymtn_girl

Sometimes....but have you ever noticed how little kids quite often have more fun with the BOX the toy came wrapped in than actually playing with the TOY? Ha ha.....says a lot about the toy don't you think? Kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for