Cycling UK Forum

My daughter has just had her first day of cycling proficiency at school (yr5) and they would not let her use her cleated shoes and pedals. Making her change to her trainers. She is totally accustomed to using cleats and does so "fluently".
I cant help thinking that she should be trained for the bike she does ride rather than for the bike they think she should ride. Or am I lucky that she wasnt sent home for having drop handlebars and downtube gear levers?

Hi,

Lucky her.

But if that advanced then flat pedals should be easy...............perhaps prudent not to stick out too much and be so clever

first day of cycling proficiency

damn those wormholes in the fabric of time and space


Strangely enough when I went on the NSI course years ago the instructor had a hissy fit at me for turning up in SPDs, claiming that you couldn't ride slow enough in them to do demos.....the fact that i beat him in the slow bike race didn't seem to register. But there again he did have some strange ideas about road riding - I don't think he did it much which was worrying.

Anyhoo, I'd have no probs with a kid using clipless in any of my sessions...just as long as they demonstrated that they could use them fine. Considering some of the junk they turn up riding I'd have though clipless would be the least of an instructor's problems...and would probably be a sign of a well looked after bike. I've had a few kids on road bikes too...generally they've been very capable riders and a joy to teach (once you convince them that it's about safety not speed ).

I have had people turn up on clipless who haven't yet been comfortable using them, in which case I have suggested they loosen the tension or consider using dual clipless/flat pedals until they get the hang of them. After all, if you are chucking someone into busy traffic by themselves for the first time you want them concentrating on the traffic and not worrying about whether they can engage or not at the junctions if they need to stop.

I've come across a number of Bikeability instructors who don't like cleats or clips. I think some of the companies that train NS instructors has told people not to allow them.

I've had a few kids with cleats, and I just told that they could use them if that's what they normally rode with.

I'd have no issue with them, though Perth & Kinross's generic RA doesn't allow my charges to wear sandals (not "correct" apparently... No, me neither) so the SD65s I sport if I've got the Moulton with me wouldn't be tolerated.
If I'm training trainers and they use clipless I suggest dual sided pedals and to avoid road shoes with tottery cleats.

If my children were told no cleats I suppose it'd be like no bare heads: play the game their way for the duration, it doesn't really matter.

Cycling Proficiency? Really? (Bikeability isn't just a re-brand)

Pete.

Cycling Proficiency? Really? (Bikeability isn't just a re-brand)

To most of my circle of friends we only know Bikeability for its "extended" services.
The name is more synonymous with the provision of specialist bikes than with the general provision of cycle training for (helmeted, cleat free) children.
https://youtu.be/OvdeGvVznZo

I bought my first tanden from them.

The main point in the name is that "Cycling Proficiency" predates the current National Standards for Cycle Training and isn't really NS outcome compliant. If it really is Cycling Proficiency (as opposed to the name sticking around even if what's being taught has changed) I'd be less worried about cleats than that it's severely lacking in good information on road positioning and has some rather strange notions about signalling.

Pete.

Bikeability wasn't introduced in Wales at the same time as England. It was left to local authorities to manage, until 2011, at which point the central government said they would not provide funding if it wasn't to national standards. So, I would suspect it's just the name lingering. It's possible that they have a volunteer somewhere who has been doing cycling proficiency for yonks and/or a lack of staff to run Bikeability everywhere.

That happened a few places in Essex. If it's a volunteer, no funding is required, and people who don't entirely understand how Bikeability is different are inclined not to upset willing volunteers.

I am pleased to say that what was taught last week was very different to the rubbish my son was taught ten years ago.

I turned up for the Instructor Training with "old school" slotted cleats on a drop bar bike. Was told not to worry too much about the slow bike excercise,"You'll find it difficult with cleats and a bike like that" ......(Wish I'd taken my fixed on reflection)

Anyway when I was last man standing ....

And then the lead out of the park: "Turn left and then turn first right. "

So turned left, ignored the No Right Turn , went onto the island, circled it, came back and then turned .

"Why didn't you just turn right? "

"Because I would have been breaking the law it was a no right turn"

Pause for Instructor to go back and check, then a grudging :

"You are right, We've been doing this training for 4 months you are the first person not to turn right there"

9494arnold wrote:I turned up for the Instructor Training with "old school" slotted cleats on a drop bar bike. Was told not to worry too much about the slow bike excercise,"You'll find it difficult with cleats and a bike like that" ......(Wish I'd taken my fixed on reflection)

I wouldn't say you can't/shouldn't do it on a fixie, but you need to be aware of the incompatibilities between the machine and what your pupils will usually be on as there are times demos won't work so well. When I did my 4 day Trainer course I did most of it on a Brom but they weren't happy with me not being able to demo derailleur gearing properly and insisted for the last day I used something with derailleurs. The MTB was out of action so I turned up on the 'bent which caused a few scratched heads but they were okay about it.

Showing a "pedal ready" habit would be a bit of a game on a fixie. I wonder if they'll revamp that if coaster brakes get more popular in the UK?

Pete.

It's nice to know that some things don't change... I took my Cycling Proficiency Test on the 14 October 1958 aged 12, yes I still have my certificate, and was told off because my bike only had a front brake, the copper conducting the test was not impressed when I told him it was perfectly ok as I was riding fixed. I was allowed to take the test, a sympathetic cyclist teacher took my side, and passed. My first step on a life-time of cussedness and fixed wheel riding.

9494arnold wrote:I turned up for the Instructor Training with "old school" slotted cleats on a drop bar bike. Was told not to worry too much about the slow bike excercise,"You'll find it difficult with cleats and a bike like that" ......(Wish I'd taken my fixed on reflection)

Anyway when I was last man standing ....

And then the lead out of the park: "Turn left and then turn first right. "

So turned left, ignored the No Right Turn , went onto the island, circled it, came back and then turned .

"Why didn't you just turn right? "

"Because I would have been breaking the law it was a no right turn"

Pause for Instructor to go back and check, then a grudging :

"You are right, We've been doing this training for 4 months you are the first person not to turn right there"

Brritannia waives the rules, I fear that prepared them for *learning to drive*

Blimey. Reading these, I might just let my kids bunk any of these courses and forge their own path. They'll get put off cycling for life.

pjclinch wrote: I wonder if they'll revamp that if coaster brakes get more popular in the UK?

I had one, once. My fellow instructor (a convert from cycling proficiency) didn't know what to do with it, but neither of us was a stickler for the pedal ready, so we just told him not to scoot it and swing a leg over during Bikeability.