It’s as easy as riding a bike and COMPETITION for bike gear
I didn't know when we bought our three daughters bicycles last weekend that it would test our marriage.
Brand spanking news one from Halfords. Pink. The two youngest got stabilisers, but at seven, Emily was too big. She would have learn to ride a bike the old fashioned way.
Come to think of it, I can't remember how I learnt to ride a bike. And it soon became apparent that neither could hubby. It's easy, right?
After a half hour of going round our garden at a snails pace and getting a back ache from holding the steering wheel, Emily started to get frustrated.
Can you teach me to ride a bike please?
I am honey.
You need to balance.
How?
Now I was getting impatient.
So I printed some instructions from the Internet and handed them to hubby and told him to teach her.
He put them down and took her round the garden, at a snails pace, and then told me his back hurt.
Did you read the instructions I printed?
No.
So I read them. Turns out we were doing it all wrong. We should lower the seat so Emily could easily use her feet to balance and brake, take her to a gentle incline, and holding her by the shoulders let her get momentum and then let go.
We did this. It worked. Hubby said there were some good ideas in the instructions.
COMPETITION – the nice people at the Tales of the Road campaign (they have some great cycle safety tips) and Halfords and have given me one set of cycle accessories to giveaway (helmet, gloves, etc.) They have Power Rangers on them. Please leave a comment below to enter and I'll picky one lucky person out of a hat and send them all the kit (UK only because of postage costs).
*You could also head on over to Chez Aspie, In Search of Adam and/or Jo Beaufoix for three more chances to win cycle gear.
Photo credit: richard masoner
Tim Ward | 17th Jul 09
I WANT SOME BIKES 😉
A Modern Mother | 25th Jun 09
And the winner is …. Pink Shoes Please. I’ll be in touch.
Jo | 23rd Jun 09
Aww well done Emily. Hope the hubbys back is ok now.
Please add me to the draw
pinkshoesplease | 20th Jun 09
Old school tactics here – locate a park with lake (Dinton Pastures works for me). A few laps around on wide flat paths is guaranteed, if you promise 20 mins on a pedalo afterwards. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a 6 year olds transport of choice is a pedalo (when the Rangers Megazord is out of action…)
Laura | 19th Jun 09
Pick me pick me.
My two have stablisers at the moment. Will have to work ourselves upto the removal of stabilisers for the 5 year old.
Iota | 18th Jun 09
I’m told that if you take the pedals off, temporarily, that makes it easier, because then they’re not bashing their ankles against them when learning to balance. But maybe Emily’s already cracked it.
And speaking of balance, how are you doing with the challenge of the milk jug on the head?
Perfectly Happy Mum | 18th Jun 09
Your post brought back some “good” memories. This is how I learnt to bike ride:
When I was about 5, my darling grandad took me to the park next to our house on Christmas day. Father Christmas had brough me my first bicycle, it was blue and shiny.
He took me up a slightly steep path and then said “off you go!” and let go of the bike and I went whiiiiizzzz in the bushes!
Grandad said when you fall of the horse (in this case the bike) you get back on it straight away. Which I did after wipping off my tears and cleaning my grazed knees. We did it again, exactly the same way but this time I knew I had no choice but to find my balance very quickly or the bushes would have me again. And I DID! Find my balance that is.
It looks as if I have lost it since then though. The last time that I went on a bike I hit a pole right in the middle of nowhere. I could have easily gone any way around, but no the pole had me this time 🙂