Children learning to ride

[pjclinch]

When you learn is mainly down to culture, including the very immediate one of family and peers.
I was mobile on a trike (proper one with chain drive) fairly early (pre school, IIRC) in large part because my elder siblings were mobile on bikes so I wanted that too. Though I was a bit afraid of losing a wheel I moved on because I was growing out of the trike and school friends were on bikes so I wanted that too (I'm sure it was pointed out to me that trikes were "for babies"). Guess I'd have been about 6 when I mastered bikes (I can still vividly remember my first ever free ride, shouting at my mum to let go of the saddle, reached the end of the road, turned to remonstrate and noticed she was about 100m behind me)

My own children are adopted. One could already ride (quite surprising, he was afraid of just about everything, up to and including his own shadow, but had resolved to teach himself to ride and did - Respect!) and the other had a bike with stabilisers. With everyone around her riding without them, she wanted to lose them too, and so we took them off and I taught her to ride. We travelled around generally by triplet so they didn't get much choice except to cycle, and once they had their own it would still be a case of cycle to get places, or we didn't go. Once they realise that's not actually a hardship then they're a bit less grumpy about it...

A lot of the problem now is there's less of a bike culture. Everyone learns in NL because it's obviously useful and something you'd do just to be a part of belonging, but that's not so much the case now outside of pockets.

Pete.

[Mike Sales]

I can't remember learning. In my memory I just got on and rode. It probably wasn't quite like that, but I do have a good sense of balance.

[landsurfer]

both our girls, now 9 and 8, had balance bikes from 4 years old, although they always called them "fly bikes".
They transitioned to peddling and brakes in a click of the fingers ... and 2 broken front teeth, 1 each, over the handlebars.
(At least they weren't injured further by wearing helmets )
They are both confidant cyclists and zoom off around the park behind the house at every opportunity ....still without helmets .. ( You don't wear one GDad !) ....

[Cyril Haearn]

One imagines that more people are able to cycle than are able to drive
Plus One?

[landsurfer]

One imagines that more people are able to cycle than are able to drive
Plus One?

Double Plus One Citizen ....

[rbrian]

I can still vividly remember my first ever free ride, shouting at my mum to let go of the saddle, reached the end of the road, turned to remonstrate and noticed she was about 100m behind me

I have a very similar memory, except I was 4, I shouted at my dad not to let go, and turned to find him 30m away at the other end of the garden. I immediately dropped the bike, sprinted the length of the garden shouting "mummy mummy, did you see?" (she did).

[Vorpal]

I don't remember learning to ride. I vaguely remember a bike with stabilisers, but I think it had been handed down to my little brother by the time I remember it. I also remember having a red bike without stabilisers. The house I remember these bikes at, we lived at from the time I was 3 until I was about 7. The bike with stabilisers was a size to suit a 4 or 5 year old child, but I might have ridden it until my brother grew into it.