All Forums Forum List Register Members List Calendar Bike Rack Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   Cycling Mob > Road Biking Forums > Road Bike Chat > Re: Bicycle at what age?


Reply
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 06-25-2004, 08:51 AM   #1 (permalink)
Claire Petersky
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Bicycle at what age?

Jeanne Clelland <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>...

> What's a good age to get a real bike (with training wheels)? My son is
> almost 4, and I'm thinking of getting him a bike for his birthday. My
> main concern is that we live on a hill with a fair bit of traffic, so we
> don't have a great place for him to practice riding without going
> somewhere else.


Another possibility is to get a trail-a-bike or similar contraption
([Only registered and activated users can see links. ]) and go riding
together. Using a trailercycle gives a kid a shorter set of list of
things to deal with -- s/he only has to hang on, and optionally pedal.
Other things, like balancing, and negotiating traffic are then largely
up to the adult captain. This is an excellent intermediate step
between tricycling in the driveway, and riding a bike on the street.
You are also modeling for the kid how to handle yourself sensibly on
the road.

If you weren't in Colorado but around here, I'd sell you our old
Trail-a-bike. Both of my kids have now graduated to tandems. We're
looking at doing Pedal the Pinchot ([Only registered and activated users can see links. ])
as a family -- that's going to be lots of fun.

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky

Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-25-2004, 10:31 AM   #2 (permalink)
jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Bicycle at what age?

Jeanne Clelland writes:

> What's a good age to get a real bike (with training wheels)? My son
> is almost 4, and I'm thinking of getting him a bike for his
> birthday. My main concern is that we live on a hill with a fair bit
> of traffic, so we don't have a great place for him to practice
> riding without going somewhere else.


Let him ride a tricycle until he's 5 and then get a bicycle that fits.
Children learn rapidly without training wheels if you take the time
and do not offer any doubt that they can do it. Training wheels make
an unstable tricycle of any bicycle and leave the child riding on a
tilt to one side. It does not teach bicycling. The same people who
find conventional tricycles dangerous because they can fall over in a
turn also believe training wheels are useful.

Jobst Brandt
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-25-2004, 10:31 AM   #3 (permalink)
jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Bicycle at what age?

Jeanne Clelland writes:

> What's a good age to get a real bike (with training wheels)? My son
> is almost 4, and I'm thinking of getting him a bike for his
> birthday. My main concern is that we live on a hill with a fair bit
> of traffic, so we don't have a great place for him to practice
> riding without going somewhere else.


Let him ride a tricycle until he's 5 and then get a bicycle that fits.
Children learn rapidly without training wheels if you take the time
and do not offer any doubt that they can do it. Training wheels make
an unstable tricycle of any bicycle and leave the child riding on a
tilt to one side. It does not teach bicycling. The same people who
find conventional tricycles dangerous because they can fall over in a
turn also believe training wheels are useful.

Jobst Brandt
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-25-2004, 10:31 AM   #4 (permalink)
jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Bicycle at what age?

Jeanne Clelland writes:

> What's a good age to get a real bike (with training wheels)? My son
> is almost 4, and I'm thinking of getting him a bike for his
> birthday. My main concern is that we live on a hill with a fair bit
> of traffic, so we don't have a great place for him to practice
> riding without going somewhere else.


Let him ride a tricycle until he's 5 and then get a bicycle that fits.
Children learn rapidly without training wheels if you take the time
and do not offer any doubt that they can do it. Training wheels make
an unstable tricycle of any bicycle and leave the child riding on a
tilt to one side. It does not teach bicycling. The same people who
find conventional tricycles dangerous because they can fall over in a
turn also believe training wheels are useful.

Jobst Brandt
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-25-2004, 10:31 AM   #5 (permalink)
jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Bicycle at what age?

Jeanne Clelland writes:

> What's a good age to get a real bike (with training wheels)? My son
> is almost 4, and I'm thinking of getting him a bike for his
> birthday. My main concern is that we live on a hill with a fair bit
> of traffic, so we don't have a great place for him to practice
> riding without going somewhere else.


Let him ride a tricycle until he's 5 and then get a bicycle that fits.
Children learn rapidly without training wheels if you take the time
and do not offer any doubt that they can do it. Training wheels make
an unstable tricycle of any bicycle and leave the child riding on a
tilt to one side. It does not teach bicycling. The same people who
find conventional tricycles dangerous because they can fall over in a
turn also believe training wheels are useful.

Jobst Brandt
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-25-2004, 10:31 AM   #6 (permalink)
jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Bicycle at what age?

Jeanne Clelland writes:

> What's a good age to get a real bike (with training wheels)? My son
> is almost 4, and I'm thinking of getting him a bike for his
> birthday. My main concern is that we live on a hill with a fair bit
> of traffic, so we don't have a great place for him to practice
> riding without going somewhere else.


Let him ride a tricycle until he's 5 and then get a bicycle that fits.
Children learn rapidly without training wheels if you take the time
and do not offer any doubt that they can do it. Training wheels make
an unstable tricycle of any bicycle and leave the child riding on a
tilt to one side. It does not teach bicycling. The same people who
find conventional tricycles dangerous because they can fall over in a
turn also believe training wheels are useful.

Jobst Brandt
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-25-2004, 10:52 AM   #7 (permalink)
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Bicycle at what age?

Piggybacking - apologies...

>Jeanne Clelland writes:
>
>> What's a good age to get a real bike (with training wheels)? My son
>> is almost 4, and I'm thinking of getting him a bike for his
>> birthday. My main concern is that we live on a hill with a fair bit
>> of traffic, so we don't have a great place for him to practice
>> riding without going somewhere else.


How about one of these?

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Cheers, helen s


--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--



  Reply With Quote
Old 06-25-2004, 10:52 AM   #8 (permalink)
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Bicycle at what age?

Piggybacking - apologies...

>Jeanne Clelland writes:
>
>> What's a good age to get a real bike (with training wheels)? My son
>> is almost 4, and I'm thinking of getting him a bike for his
>> birthday. My main concern is that we live on a hill with a fair bit
>> of traffic, so we don't have a great place for him to practice
>> riding without going somewhere else.


How about one of these?

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Cheers, helen s


--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--



  Reply With Quote
Old 06-25-2004, 10:52 AM   #9 (permalink)
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Bicycle at what age?

Piggybacking - apologies...

>Jeanne Clelland writes:
>
>> What's a good age to get a real bike (with training wheels)? My son
>> is almost 4, and I'm thinking of getting him a bike for his
>> birthday. My main concern is that we live on a hill with a fair bit
>> of traffic, so we don't have a great place for him to practice
>> riding without going somewhere else.


How about one of these?

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Cheers, helen s


--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--



  Reply With Quote
Old 06-25-2004, 10:52 AM   #10 (permalink)
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Bicycle at what age?

Piggybacking - apologies...

>Jeanne Clelland writes:
>
>> What's a good age to get a real bike (with training wheels)? My son
>> is almost 4, and I'm thinking of getting him a bike for his
>> birthday. My main concern is that we live on a hill with a fair bit
>> of traffic, so we don't have a great place for him to practice
>> riding without going somewhere else.


How about one of these?

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Cheers, helen s


--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--



  Reply With Quote
Reply

Add this thread to:  Tag This Thread Tag This Thread  Submit to Clesto Clesto  Submit to Digg Digg  Submit to Reddit Reddit  Submit to Furl Furl  Submit to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  Submit to Spurl Spurl


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 09:17 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
SEO by vBSEO 3.1.0
Style Design by vBStyles.com

Directory of Sports Blogs



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21