So proud of my amazing girl(s)

baudman

Becoming a semi-regular event, to give SWMBO a break, is taking the girls for a ride. Sometimes just Thing1 (4.5), but often Thing2 (19m) as well, because she just adores it (and chats almost as much as the bigger one).

At four and a half, Thing1's cycling is SO good. She still struggles a little with getting started, but can do it with encouragement.


The gearing on her bike means some rises are beyond her (she is only quite slight), but distances... well, I let her dictate that.


The long and winding road (over 4 miles solo).


Thing2 watches on, from her BoBike mini seat.


Circle work - I need to find somewhere not too far away that has no car traffic, but is big enough to draw a larger figure-8. This one was a little too tight for her. But her balance at slow speeds is phenomenal. (I attribute that solely to many hours on the RunBike - still her main method of transport).


The rig for the rest of the return journey - but stopping at a playground first, as you do.[/img]

redvee

baudman wrote:

The rig for the rest of the return journey - but stopping at a playground first, as you do.[/img]

Dad needs to play sometime doesn't he? or was it fot the daughter

ps. Hate these pics, glorious warm sunshine in October and we have to faqce dark cold mornings Wish I saw more of Melbourne the time I was there other than the taxi from the railway station to the airport.

bartimaeus

Awesome... let's hope she keeps it up! I might have to try some 'skills' for my son - I've two but only one is a keen cyclist. We have just progressed onto bridle paths - but I think some slalom challenges sound good fun (and I may learn something too).

Nice pics... I'm glad you decided to share them.

baudman

redvee wrote:

... glorious warm sunshine in October and we have to faqce dark cold mornings Wish I saw more of Melbourne the time I was there other than the taxi from the railway station to the airport.

You do knowthis was written about Melbourne, don't you? (OK... and a girl, but mainly Melbourne... it's a duality thing).

If you watched the UCI World Championships, we were doing this around the time the Elite Women's race started. The next day (even nicer) we headed down to the start of the Men's. But, during that week, we had wind, and rain. And today, it's POURING outside.


Thing1 on SWMBO's shoulder, with Thing2 in the CargoBike (SWMBO's commuter in the foregroud).
More UCI Worlds pix herebtw, should anyone be interested. (Oh, and some more from what we did the rest of the day - sorry... ).

Mike Healey

Bartimaeus wrote:

Awesome... let's hope she keeps it up! I might have to try some 'skills' for my son - I've two but only one is a keen cyclist. We have just progressed onto bridle paths - but I think some slalom challenges sound good fun (and I may learn something too).

You might try findin a Go-Ride club near you, if there is one.
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/clubfinder

baudman

More pride. Waiting for the slowest rider in the group.

nikstar1

very cute

nikstar1

Have you got any more pics? it's lovely to see a family riding together, it seems to be a dying sport.

baudman

Took this one this morning.

"One day..."



This is one of my faves too


Circle work, in the local Primary School playground (yeah, I found somewhere, really close by)

baudman

(Sorta) recreation of pic above.

Last trip to childcare for 2010. Bigger one starts school next year.

Hmm... I'm thinking I may have to fork out for a NutCase Little Nutty. Smaller one has grown out of her helmet, and that one I put her in was always cr@p on the bigger one.

digdaniels

Wow, these are great! I better get some pictures of my girl up here, when she is going down the Oregon coast, or up Mt. Hood. She's totally keeping up with her old men (well, almost...). She's just terrific.

baudman

And one from last night... commute home from childcare - the whole family riding together.

baudman

A few firsts in the last days.

First real off-road ride, at the YouYangs.


First hill. OK, not really a hill, but she did surprise me getting up a number of steepish, longish rises.


New helmet. Her (eventual) colour choice.


Replaced the stock plastic ones (just starting to break). She put a smidge of grease on them, and screwed them on by hand, and then helped with the pedal spanner.

VERY happy this retro/cruiser popularity means you can get half-decent 1/2 inch pedals.


(OK, not the first for this one).

tptvmbircn

bless them, that is so cute. I've got a 18 month who has her first trike on a handle, she's so obsessed in dad's bike too so hopefully will follow in the footsteps later down the line too

cjcp

It's awesome when the little ones can ride. We had a lovely ride in the Park yesterday and now my eldest one wants to ride with me when I'm in my club kit.

Gussio

Lovely photos - thanks for sharing. The cycle path by the lake looks wonderful. Our oldest will graduate from a balance bike to a pedal bike in May. Almost worth considering relocating to Melbourne!

baudman

Gussio wrote:

The cycle path by the lake looks wonderful.

Maribyrnong River Trail. Left-hand side of the river, leading up to a manufactured lake. The lower left of the image in the link is Flemington Race Course, home of the Melbourne Cup. (Seen in the background of the family rig shot). This is about a 10 min ride from our place.

About a 1 min ride from our place is another park - three ovals, that also includes a BMX track and skate park. The ovals have a jogging track encircling them.

It really is a perfect place for kids to practice how to ride. 8)

ETA - we've had a bit of rain of late, but nothing like what there's been elsewhere in Australia, thankfully.

First 'ford'.

baudman

National Ride2School Day today here in Australia


And, quite a lot of scooters out the front of most of the classrooms

CarleyB

Those pictures are fab. Thanks for sharing

Pipster3

Great thread and photo's My little lad had his first pedal bike a week or so ago ... Looking forward to next milestone getting him to pedal its slightly to big for him at the moment so the balance bike is still first choice

baudman

Yeah Pipster3, it's the size/standover ability that's the limiting factor. Good for him to 'runbike' it first - get the feel for it. Also, make sure he does know how to pedal. (Tricycle or somesuch he can try at a friend's place?)

But mainly... it's just an exercise in trying a father's patience. (Been there...)

Checkin' out the garage sales

And, a purchase. For Moo.

baudman

OK... just OVERCOME with pride now...




One of the first things she said to me? "Daddy, when's the NEXT ONE!?"

chrisjmcqueen

beautiful photography

what sort of camera/lens did u use ?

Mr Sharky

Excellent stuff from everyone here!

My youngest is 3.5 and we have a balance bike for her but she can't touch the ground adequately yet on it (v. small for her age!! Takes after her 4ft 11" Mum!) so sticks with the tricycle at the moment. My Eldest (now 7) was riding at 4 and also struggled with starting off (and stopping) but once moving had great balance and control.

Still makes me smile to watch the vid I made when we went to one of our local parks so she could get some practise in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAREi8p276w. Looking at the date of the vid she was 4.5 at that time (not 5 as it says in the description). 8)

Hoping the youngest will take to her balance bike some time soon so we get the Summer out and about with it!!

chrisjmcqueen

Just got a bike for my wee girl this week and had the seat post cut at bottom to allow it to go down fully and let her sit on it and put feet on ground,

when she grows up I can replace the seatpost, its 22.2mm so no bother getting it

baudman

Yeah, it's getting the geo right that's the most important thing. And, that's the difference between chain-store kid's bikes, and the higher quality ones too.

chrisjmcqueen wrote:

beautiful photography

what sort of camera/lens did u use ?

Thx. Most often, the phone But better shots are just an old Canon EOS 400D, with the kit lenses or sometimes a F1.8 50mm (best cheap thing you can buy for a DSLR).

And yes, we are inspiring some of the locals.

Thing2 ran up to check it out. (No idea where she gets THAT from)

baudman

Gorgeous Easter Sunday. Rode 22km all up, with the full family (on the 80s ugly). However, 10km+ of that, Thing1 did like this.

Hills. Chicanes. Road crossings. The works. I was SO impressed with her. And, more importantly, she LOVED it!

baudman

While making a right turn this morning I spied this, so I had to ride around the block so I could capture it.

baudman

Another milestone.

Picked Thing1 up from school last night, and realised my (new) bag was lighter than hers, so offered to swap. She said she looked like a real grown-up cyclist now and then asked "Daddy, can I ride all the way home?" *yay!*

So, we took it very slowly, and under control. Footpaths she normally walks until we got to the quiet streets, and then she took to the road (for the second time ever - the first down the beach at Christmas).

Very. Proud. Dad.


Thing2? Well... she seems to have picked up Daddy's fondness for keeping a watch on the 'hard rubbish' left out for council pick up, to see if there's any OK bike stuff to be had. And I wasn't even anywhere near her when she grabbed this... HONEST!

baudman

She's now riding TO (uphill) as well as from school at least once a week. As well as choosing to ride to run small errands. This was a trip for the Sunday paper.

(Yes, that's a Winter's day here in cold, cold Melbourne, however it is unusually warm at the moment).

baudman

No idea where she get's this from!


We all took the day off last Friday. We couldn't ride in, as we picked up an extra kid, and so had too many kids for places on bikes.

Filled up quickly

Choked the city, in fact.

And why?


They were SO excited! (Their Daddy was too!)


Oh... and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyzsdCKaMWs