My girl, AKA The Golden Child, was doing really well on her balance bike last year and I had plans to wean her off the stabilizers and have her pedalling on two wheels as well. No such luck. One fall as she came to a stop and found a pedal in the way of putting a foot down put paid to any such fatherly ambition. She then lost interest in the bicycle and would rather scoot everywhere.
Wanting to encourage but not push too much I resolved to leave cycling to Summer 2011 but a weekend trip to CenterParcs was too good an opportunity to miss. I can now report the bicycle is a favourite means of transport again. Now when do I ditch the stabilizers?
Wanting to encourage but not push too much I resolved to leave cycling to Summer 2011 but a weekend trip to CenterParcs was too good an opportunity to miss. I can now report the bicycle is a favourite means of transport again. Now when do I ditch the stabilizers?
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| Having fun at CenterParcs |
When I was learning to ride, my neighbour's child who was a few years older rode the bike and bent the stabilisers so that they didn't make contact with the ground whilst I was moving, but still provided a "safety net" when stopping and such. Of course I didn't realise this at the time, maybe a similar approach could be an idea?
ReplyDelete@MrC
ReplyDeleteAlready tried 'adjusting' the stabilizer angle. She's to too switched on for that except by the teeniest tiniest degree but it will have to do for now. I know she'll get there in the end and I'm just being impatient. Still, I will be very proud when she can cycle around Heaton Park under her own steam.
With my kids I attached a curtain pole to their bikes, so it pretty much stuck out at a 45 degree angle at the back.
ReplyDeleteThis allowed me to hold their bikes upright after I removed the stabilisers, without having to jog along in the back-breaking bent-over position.
Normally the pole would go underneath my right arm, and as their balance started improving I could let go of it a bit more, yet still be ready to firmly grab the pole to stop them falling over.
@William
ReplyDeleteSounds a great idea. She's pretty fast though so it's going to be a workout for me but i'll give it a go!