Bikes and Beavers

walkingbootweather

I occasionally help out at with my son's beaver group (scouts for 6-8 years olds). Was trying to think of a suitable bike related activity we might do with them. Any ideas?

mudcow007

the dark art of RLJ

?

asprilla

The lost art of puncture repair?

/I'm aware of my own hypocrisy on this subject.

FoldingJoe

How to jump 3 mates with a piece of plywood and two milk crates?

Granted, we didn't learn this in Scouts, but you never know when it may come in handy!

rubertoe

Asprilla wrote:

The lost art of puncture repair?

/I'm aware of my own hypocrisy on this subject.

If this is happening, then I am there.

Blacktemplar

I completely misunderstood the content of this post........

desweller

How a rolling element bearing works and how to service one? I remember mucking about with my Dad and a tin of petrol and little trays with ball bearings in when I was about 7!

MrSweary

Asprilla wrote:

The lost art of puncture repair?

/I'm aware of my own hypocrisy on this subject.

I wouldn't advocate teaching a youngster to swear like a navvy.

walkingbootweather

I had considered puncture repair, but I'm not sure the kids will be strong enough to lever tyres off and on again. Think I was about eleven before I started fixing my own punctures.

Health and Safety will no doubt have to play a part so jumping over mates or anything involving petrol is sadly out.

Had thought about calibrating a simple computer - measuring wheel circumference etc. and explaining how by entering a too high figure you can impress your friends with how far and fast you have ridden (or is that just me)

Will no doubt organize some rides when the weather improves a bit but wanting to teach them something useful in the meantime on these cold winter evenings.

Kieran_Burns

Low speed cycling?

How to look over your shoulder without falling off?

ditto while indicating

How to stop by using the front brake

Or what would've been GREAT for me when I was that age: How get your jeans out of the chain and explain to your mum it was not your fault and really they aren't that expensive to replace and I wasn't the only one

desweller

walkingbootweather wrote:

I had considered puncture repair, but I'm not sure the kids will be strong enough to lever tyres off and on again. Think I was about eleven before I started fixing my own punctures.

Health and Safety will no doubt have to play a part so jumping over mates or anything involving petrol is sadly out.

Had thought about calibrating a simple computer - measuring wheel circumference etc. and explaining how by entering a too high figure you can impress your friends with how far and fast you have ridden (or is that just me)

Will no doubt organize some rides when the weather improves a bit but wanting to teach them something useful in the meantime on these cold winter evenings.

You could probably use a citrus degreaser to clean out a hub these days. Back in the 80s such things did not exist, so it was petrol or turps!

tetley10

How to jump off a BMX when going flat out to see how far you could roll it without a rider. We used to call it a Ghosty. Sure it has other terminology as well. Didn't learn that in Beavers though.

rubertoe

Gear Indexing?

When i was younger gears, just were what they were - I had no idea that they could be adjusted.

rjsterry

Paging EKE.

daddy0

Tetley10 wrote:

How to jump off a BMX when going flat out to see how far you could roll it without a rider. We used to call it a Ghosty. Sure it has other terminology as well. Didn't learn that in Beavers though.

Yeah thats a BMX trick I can still do, think its called ghost rider. You're meant to run along side the bike and then jump back on though ;-)

For the Beavers though, hmmm, I think trying to teach them anything involving indication or looking over their shoulder will result in a crash or two, and possibly hurt children and angry parents. If I were you I'd get some cones and some gaffa tape and make an agility course where they have to slalom and ride the straight line (over the tape), penalty points for each time a tyre goes off the line or if they hit a cone etc... Slow bike races are great fun too, watch for the cheats who let all the air out of their tyres though.

fossyant

Problem with that age is that they have very short attention, so it needs to be quick.

We did a Health & Safety type thing - one guy brought in safety gear, I got my lad down with his bike and reflectives, then demonstraited how reflectives work by shining torches towards the cyclist / workman, then shined it away, and the cyclist became invisible. We then turned on the cyclists lights.

You need to do something fun, so messing with torches and stuff keeps them entertained.

EKE_38BPM

rjsterry wrote:

Paging EKE.

I thought I heard something.

I would go with teaching them control, but make a game out of it, so
Slow bike races: Who can get from one end of a tennis court the slowest without putting their feet down or excessively weaving.
Dodge bike: In a quarter of a tennis court (or less) set 6-8 riders riding in any direction, but the rules are no contact between riders, no putting their feet down and no leaving the designated area. The instructor stands at one edge and gradually moves in, making the designated area smaller. As a rider fails (collides, puts their feet down or goes out of the area) they leave the area, put their bike somewhere safe and joins the instructor in making the area smaller. The winner is the last rider in the area. It is amazing how small an area a couple of riders can ride in without hitting each other. This game teaches control and observation skills.
Snaking skills: Before we take kids out on the road we teach them how to snake. A snake is a like of riders with two bike lengths between each bike. Rules include no talking and no overtaking. Get the snake to follow the instructor around the playground as the instructor speeds up and slows down and weaves in-between obstacles.
This is a good time to practice shoulder checks e.g. "Look over your right shoulder and shout out what colour shoes the person behind you is wearing" or "What colour helmet/hair does the person behind have?"
Set up something for them to grab whilst an arms length away e.g put a cone on the ground and tell them to ride towards you whilst on the far side of the cone and hold a bean bag or something similar to grab as they ride past. This teaches them how to ride with one hand for signalling (and showing off) purposes.

One thing that isn't a game but I always get the kids to do is to lean their bikes up properly against a wall.
Drive side nearest the wall, back wheel touching the wall, handle bar turned to the right. If this is done properly you can then stack the next bike against the wall behind the first with the 2nd bike's front wheel near the pedals of the 1st bike and so on. This takes up the least amount of room on the pavement when we stop to talk about the next part of the course and watch demonstrations.

That little lot should keep you going for an hour or two.

MichaelW

At 6-8, I don't think I did any mechanical messing with my bike. I did decorate it with stickers, fit a card to the seatstay with a peg to make buzzy noises, ride in circles and have slow bike races.

itboffin

Blacktemplar wrote:

I completely misunderstood the content of this post........

Yep me too, very disappointed indeed :evil:

gtvlusso

Wheelying and bunnyhopping.

Not enough of it these days...

Anything that Danny MacAskilll does.....

asprilla

The correct way to mount a piece of card on your seat stay so you bike sounds like a scrambler.