balance bike 2nd steps = one proud Dad
slowbike
Posts: 8,498
Back last summer, our little 14 month old was really interested in a balance bike he saw another lad riding on the campsite. Well - who were we to deny him his interest? On return home we bought one for him - got a video of him returning home to see it in the sitting room - awestruck - but other than the first "ride" he just couldn't get on with it - he didn't understand that he had to use his legs to keep the bike upright - no problem. We just kept the bike around in the sitting room so he could get used to it.
Fast forward a few months and there'd been no interest in trying again - if anything it was a real negative - kicking it if we tried to get him to sit on it. So over Christmas I fitted a bell to the bars - just so it did something other than fall over. Vague interest in the bell, but noway was he getting on.
Fast forward another couple of months - I had him to myself whilst his mum went for a bike ride - thought I'd just remind him that the balance bike was there and it had a bell - so grabbed it out and showed him the bell - hmm - interested - comes up and cocks his leg over to get on the saddle ... from there it's a quick change to outside (with lid - he loves his lid from being on the back of our bikes) and we have a 5 minute "ride" around the front garden and roadway (cul-de-sac) - jumping off the curb too!
So, hopefully, now at 21 months, he's interested and wants to give it a go ...
I've booked him on the next big club ride just in case ....
Fast forward a few months and there'd been no interest in trying again - if anything it was a real negative - kicking it if we tried to get him to sit on it. So over Christmas I fitted a bell to the bars - just so it did something other than fall over. Vague interest in the bell, but noway was he getting on.
Fast forward another couple of months - I had him to myself whilst his mum went for a bike ride - thought I'd just remind him that the balance bike was there and it had a bell - so grabbed it out and showed him the bell - hmm - interested - comes up and cocks his leg over to get on the saddle ... from there it's a quick change to outside (with lid - he loves his lid from being on the back of our bikes) and we have a 5 minute "ride" around the front garden and roadway (cul-de-sac) - jumping off the curb too!
So, hopefully, now at 21 months, he's interested and wants to give it a go ...
I've booked him on the next big club ride just in case ....
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Good stuff!
Not long now and you'll be looking for pump tracks and taking long routes home from nursery through the woods.
When my lad was just starting to ride his we kept it on the lounge and he would sit on it all the time watching cycling on TV, now we've had to ban bikes from the house because he was treating the place like a cyclocross course!
I've loved watching him learn to ride and now hopefully we have another coming to start all over again
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excellent - love the thought of our sitting room becoming a CX course! He already zooms around on a little wooden trike so it's not much of a leap.
No chance of long route home from nursery - it's over a busy dual carriageway and along what has become a ratrun due to the dual carriageway becoming too busy .. I'd be cautious riding it on my bike let alone with him!0
