Cycling UK Forum

Cunobelin wrote:

Paulatic wrote:I’d agree not to push it.
I’d be tempted to remove the stabilisers, the pedals and lower the saddle. Leave it accessable like that and let her play in it the same as she did the balance bike.

My question is why did you ever let her see it with stabilisers? I thought it was meant to be a natural progression from balance to bike.

This is my suggestion as well, it was always discussed as the "Ballantine" method and is very successful for kids (and adults) The bike basically becomes a bigger balance bike


I must admit the best idea I have seen is by RennRad

They have a balance bike that has a fixing for the bottom bracket. When the child is ready, yo bolt on teh bottom bracket and pedals and they continue to develop on the same bike

I agree completely.... We sort of did the same thing with an Islabike and bought one the right size but then took the pedals off. That way when she is able to pedal she has something closer to a real bike.

Still haven’t made much progress over the summer :-/

Sigh. Can’t help you. My daughter is 14years old and she breaks down and cries if I even suggest she should try sitting on one while it’s still in a rack at the store

give it time, peer pressure usually helps.

try raising the stabilisers a bit.

Xilter wrote:Sigh. Can’t help you. My daughter is 14years old and she breaks down and cries if I even suggest she should try sitting on one while it’s still in a rack at the store

that implies she will need councelling when she leaves home and chauffeur service is no longer available.

I'm resorting to bribery...

Take the pedals off the bigger bike and let her use it as a balance bike sans stabilisers.

Tip
Have pedals and spanner in pocket when going for a ride. My wife missed our daughter's transition, so fast was it

Hi there, As a 69 year-old who is very scared of falling off a bike (Post major surgery) I won't again throw my leg over the crossbar of a bicycle!
No worry, my remaining two tricycles will get used .
Sadly too many think that cycling starts and ends with the "Fall Over Machine"! Even the CTC falls for that silly game. It has been many years since the "Bicycle Touring Club" changed it's name, but we still suffer narrow minded thinking.
Try and find a helpful trikie in your area, they may well have a suitable sized machine for the lass to try.
I say this because many years ago a club-mate of mine had a daughter who couldn't cope with a bike fitted with stabalisers, rough, uneven surface at the hospital where the young lass was resident (complicated medical issues)
I got him to give me her dimensions, then tailored a George Fitt tricycle to suit her. From the moment she got aboard she had a massive smile on her face, was able to pedal about quite happily. I gave her the machine to give her freedom. Made my year. TTFN MM

crazydave789 wrote:

Xilter wrote:Sigh. Can’t help you. My daughter is 14years old and she breaks down and cries if I even suggest she should try sitting on one while it’s still in a rack at the store

that implies she will need councelling when she leaves home and chauffeur service is no longer available.

Gah. She reckons she is going away to university. I cannot fathom the distress this will cause her as the reality sets in that mommy won’t be there to give her blow by blow daily instruction on how to remain alive.

I think there are some people who cannot ride a bicycle. I *bet* all of us fell off and cried when trying to learn to ride

+3 for trikes, I want to relearn how to ride one

Nearly a year on… we’ve gone from stabilisers to riding 200m without stopping, having started herself, in the space of four days.

When she was ready, she was ready.

That's absolutely what I found with our daughter. No chance till she was ready and willing.

Brilliant.

Excellent.

Our grandson - 10 in January - isn't the least bit interested in riding a bike at all despite encouragement from us and his mother and despite buying him bikes.