11yo grandson finally manages to ride

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Mick F
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11yo grandson finally manages to ride

Post by Mick F »

Grandson at the age of 11 and a half, and going off to big school this summer, has never managed to ride a bike ........... until now.

Message from our daughter, and my reply.
He is making huge progress with riding a bike, but I’m stuck on how to help him direct the bike. He says he can’t steer, and yet today was just veering off to one side, but insisting he wasn’t doing it. I can’t think what to say about how to guide his bike in a particular direction. He also can’t get started unless I’m holding the bike and he has both feet on the pedals, but again, I don’t know what to say to help.
Basically, he can balance and propel himself, so the “mechanics” are all there. All he needs is technique.
Balancing is the hard part. You know, if the bike falls to the left, you steer to the left to correct it. Same as falling to the right and steering to the right. As he can do that, he’s more than half way there.

As for “navigating” it’s all to do with practice. If you could make it fun and competitive, he would look forward to keeping at it.
Get some bits of cardboard. Loo roll tubes lying down? and place them on the ground as a target. Get him to ride over them. Use two or three targets initially in a line, and then later staggered left and right. Put numbers on the cardboard so he can score points ………or, get him to go in and out of them without hitting them.

It would be good if you could demonstrate it yourself, and you too can score points.

As for getting going without your holding him, make sure he can get both feet down confidently for safety, and again it’s practice practice practice.

Remember, he’s done the hard part. No doubt with infinite space, he could ride continuously. Let him know he’s done the hard work already, and all the rest is fun fun fun.

Tell him that I am immensely proud of him, and that I know he will succeed.
Any other advice I can give?
Mick F. Cornwall
Jdsk
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Re: 11yo grandson finally manages to ride

Post by Jdsk »

One trick that might help... head up and look further away, and possibly at eg a tree a long way away.

Sounds as if he's nearly there. Congratulations to all involved.

Jonathan

PS: Looking down at feet, wheels, skis etc is a common problem in many sorts of manoeuvring. I had to work hard at not doing it when I bought a Vespa a few years ago.
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Audax67
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Re: 11yo grandson finally manages to ride

Post by Audax67 »

Jdsk wrote: 12 Jun 2021, 9:10am One trick that might help... head up and look further away, and possibly at eg a tree a long way away.
That. I've been cycling since before the Flood and I still wander to the left when I don't look ahead. But tell him not to look too fixedly at that tree or he'll ride into it. Staring at an obstacle you want to avoid is the best way there is of hitting it.
Have we got time for another cuppa?
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Mick F
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Re: 11yo grandson finally manages to ride

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Thanks guys! :D
Just copied this thread and sent it to our daughter.
Mick F. Cornwall
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Mick F
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Re: 11yo grandson finally manages to ride

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Some emails.
Thank you for all that lovely advice. I’m taking him out this morning again, after giving his bum a day off! I’ll let you know how it goes.
An hour in a quiet car park and steering has been accomplished! He did a full circle both clockwise and anti-clockwise, and has set off on his own without me holding the bike!!!!!
My reply.
Home now.
Gosh it’s hot out there!
I cut my bike ride short as I was too hot. This cycling malarky is supposed to be fun, not purgatory!
So very very pleased. No doubt he’s as pleased with himself as you are.
I'm so proud of him!
Give him a big hug.
Lots of love to you both.
Mick F. Cornwall
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Audax67
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Re: 11yo grandson finally manages to ride

Post by Audax67 »

Image

When are the two of you aiming for LeJog, then? :D
Have we got time for another cuppa?
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Mick F
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Re: 11yo grandson finally manages to ride

Post by Mick F »

Good question! :D

Tandem maybe. He can pilot and I'll be the stoker!
Mick F. Cornwall
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Re: 11yo grandson finally manages to ride

Post by pjclinch »

Jdsk wrote: 12 Jun 2021, 9:10am One trick that might help... head up and look further away, and possibly at eg a tree a long way away.

Sounds as if he's nearly there. Congratulations to all involved.

Jonathan

PS: Looking down at feet, wheels, skis etc is a common problem in many sorts of manoeuvring. I had to work hard at not doing it when I bought a Vespa a few years ago.
What Jonathan says... it's not just cycling, but scootering, skiing, kayaking, rollerblading, driving etc. It's natural to look at what you're doing instead of where you're going, but as most steering effort is subconscious you need to look where you're going. Having mastered the basics on a bike this comes straight back for many as soon as one-handed riding is the game, with riders typically staring at the hand on the bars and losing the ability to balance easily as a result.

While looking where you want to go works in a general sense there is the more specific issue of not looking at where you don't want to go, so the novice wanting to avoid e.g. a rock or pothole on a trail will stare at the obstacle and, because one tends to go where one is looking, be magnetically drawn to it. To avoid an obstacle look at the path around it, not the obstacle itself.

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Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
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Re: 11yo grandson finally manages to ride

Post by Red Kite »

It's ridiculously hard to learn to speak but most people manage it. The technique is the same, practice, but children have to want to do it. Sometimes we just have to wait until they're ready. Yes, show him you have confidence but don't push would be my approach. One day, probably very soon if he hasn't already, he'll just decide he's doing it and it will take him 10 minutes.

I wonder if taking the pedals off temporarily, letting him trail his legs and pushing himself off, will help with the starting off? (balance bike style, which he should manage as he can balance).

I honestly can't remember when or how I learnt to ride a bike. My granddaughters, with cycling parents, learnt quickly on balance balance bikes which I don't remember existing until a few years ago. Predictably, the pedalling was another hurdle, balance bikes having no pedals. The (tall) 6 year old is already on a 20" bike. The younger, 4.1/2 yrs, is a confident pedaller, steerer and braker. Her ability is very high, but her confidence is higher which leads to a lot of heart-in-mouth moments. Recently she sped ahead when we were out for a walk, she on her bike. I shouted in panic "Stop at the crossing!!!!" She braked to a halt at the kerb, pressed the button on the pelican, turned to me and said, sounding just like her mother, "Grandad, can we cross the road when the cars are coming? I don't think so!".
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Re: 11yo grandson finally manages to ride

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Recalling a way through I found with my daughter, she wasn't getting the bike steering so I found a scooter and a gentle hill. She could do that no problem, then I said just do the same on the bike, and she was fine quite quickly.
Scooters seem a lot more intuitive so there's perhaps less of a tendency to over-think them, so linking them in might be a useful technique. Also, for an 11 yo, potentially less of a credibility problem.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
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