Helmets for children.

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Steady rider
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Re: Helmets for children.

Post by Steady rider »

She did have a couple of falls


My suggestion was trying to avoid even a couple of falls, that may be typical when kids learn to ride. Kids have learnt to balance when learning to walk. Applying it to cycling can be done without falling off but needs a suitable progressive process. Could be suitable for research?
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Re: Helmets for children.

Post by Vorpal »

Steady rider wrote:
She did have a couple of falls


My suggestion was trying to avoid even a couple of falls, that may be typical when kids learn to ride. Kids have learnt to balance when learning to walk. Applying it to cycling can be done without falling off but needs a suitable progressive process. Could be suitable for research?

My experience is that the older a child is when they learn, the less they have to fall to get it.

Mini V fell off her balance bike several times. Her enthusiasm frequently overcame her capability. She also fell off her pedal bike a couple of times. She learned to ride the balance bike when she was 2-1/2 and and the pedal bike when she was 4.

Littlest on the other hand started on the balance bike when he was 4, and a pedal bike when he was 6, and he never fell off of either one.

I've taught other children, as well, ages ranging from 3 to 10, and my experience with them is similar.
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meic
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Re: Helmets for children.

Post by meic »

Could be suitable for research?

No not really, its just kids playing.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Helmets for children.

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Steady rider wrote:
She did have a couple of falls


My suggestion was trying to avoid even a couple of falls, that may be typical when kids learn to ride. Kids have learnt to balance when learning to walk. Applying it to cycling can be done without falling off but needs a suitable progressive process. Could be suitable for research?

Falls are part of growing up.


My kids certainly hadn't learnt to balance when they were learning to walk - that's kind of the point.
They fell repeatedly..

At school they run around in the playground, at high speed - and often collide with each other and come home with a 'bump letter'. Most of those collisions will be at higher speed than they can achieve on a balance bike (assuming no major hills).
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Steady rider
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Re: Helmets for children.

Post by Steady rider »

Several types of bikes could be provided, a family with young children asked to choose the type of bike, some balance bikes, some three wheel design or other designs, and ask in return for using the bike they provide feedback, how often and time the bike was used, how much the kids liked to use the bike, how many falls recorded and other info.

My view is from age 2-4 or about there, having a very stable 3 wheeler may be the best option and perhaps by the age 4-5 they have gained a better balance.
Last edited by Steady rider on 4 Oct 2016, 9:23am, edited 1 time in total.
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pjclinch
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Re: Helmets for children.

Post by pjclinch »

Steady rider wrote:
My suggestion was trying to avoid even a couple of falls, that may be typical when kids learn to ride. Kids have learnt to balance when learning to walk. Applying it to cycling can be done without falling off but needs a suitable progressive process. Could be suitable for research?


That a child has learned to balance walking is only part of the game, because a standing stance is stable side to side but a cycling stance is stable end to end. Also, balance and steering on a bike are intimately entwined, where as it's rather different on foot, and to get more stable on foot you stop, but to get more stable on a bike you speed up... In other words, it's a very different sort of balance.

As our various posts (even from a very small sample) show, different horses, different courses, but an important aspect is it's largely the child who will pick the course. As parents know, there are times when you can lead a horse to water, stick a high pressure hose in its mouth and turn it on, but you still can't get them to drink... If a child doesn't want your preferred option, for whatever reason (it's the wrong colour, Billy down the street has a different one, there's a 'y' in the day etc.) then that is pretty much that.

So it tends to be a collaborative effort (and this may extend to helmets, track mitts etc. as well as choice of bike) starting when the child has decided they'll start, and no matter how good your notional "progressive process" it'll have to account for the child's wishes too. Thus I suspect that research efforts here would be less useful than one might hope. Balance bikes are favoured as a progress path now as cycle trainers have found they seem to get the best results (including at adult level, taking off pedals and moving seats down), but I recall a balance bike review in Cycle where Dan Joyce used his young children and friends as testers, and one just wouldn't be having anything to do with pedal-free cycling.

Also the case that their environment will have a lot to do with it. So children in NL, where so many people cycle, will be more likely to want to cycle because that's what everybody does so you'd expect it to happen more across the board, including younger kids. The point of the wee film that's generally liked here isn't it's a good way to train a cyclist, but that it represents normality.

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gaz
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Re: Helmets for children.

Post by gaz »

[XAP]Bob wrote:At school they run around in the playground, at high speed - and often collide with each other and come home with a 'bump letter'.

Occasionally they end up in hospital: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news ... in-115925/

There is no subsequent clamour for playground helmets.
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landsurfer
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Re: Helmets for children.

Post by landsurfer »

My granddaughters love their "fly bikes".
They have helmets but refuse to wear them.
They both have had major crashes resulting in the loss of a front tooth!
Opposite sides ....
The helmets would have made no difference...
They still ride everywhere .....
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pjclinch
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Re: Helmets for children.

Post by pjclinch »

landsurfer wrote:They both have had major crashes resulting in the loss of a front tooth!


Extra money from the Tooth Fairy, Bonus! :wink:

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