Toddlers bikes saftey

[Leo & max]

Hi hive mind.

I’m a parent to a just turned 3 very confident kid on his balance bike. I’m not keen to start him on peddles yet, simply as he’s already to fast as it is.

He likes ‘dropping in’ on skater bowls and is pretty confident but obviously takes some falls and I’m trying to decide if I should pad him up with elbow/wrist/knee pads- or could that just encourage him to take risks beyond his age?

Also: I’m not in the cycling scene at all, if you had a kid that seemed really keen what would you try and do to expose him to stuff that he could get involved with or get excited watching we are Bristol/Devon based.

Thanks in advance

[eileithyia]

Don't hold him back if he wants to pedal .. let him.
Sounds like he could be interested in either cyclo-x or bmx if he's interested in skate parks. Why not try both... lots of people start their sports journey by not specialising too young in one aspect or other.
Can't answer specifically for your area, but consider google search cyclo-x, British cycling for Go-Ride clubs in your area, and for local bmx parks. Sadly for your son the cyclo-x season has just really ended, but something for him to look at for next winter.

Tom Pidcock is now starting his journey as a professional road racer but is a skilled cyclo-x rider as are others in the top of the cycling scene.
BMX riders have transferred to track racing and sprinting and become olympians.... so plenty of options

[Nearholmer]

There was a little lad just along the road from us who progressed from balance bike to pedalling at 3yo, and last summer I was out cycling locally with my daughter and we saw another lad of 3 riding round the junior bmx track. I got talking with his father, and he said that he’d encouraged but not pushed both his sons, and that the younger had got there quicker by copying his brother.

The issue will be finding places where he can do it safely, which depends I guess on what there is where you live.

[pjclinch]

I’m a parent to a just turned 3 very confident kid on his balance bike. I’m not keen to start him on peddles yet, simply as he’s already to fast as it is.

The fastest kids will generally get is with hill-assist, and pedals won't make a huge difference (a starter bike typically has one fairly low gear which soon spins out on a hill). Also the case that a full bike will generally give better braking options which might make it safer in some respects.

He likes ‘dropping in’ on skater bowls and is pretty confident but obviously takes some falls and I’m trying to decide if I should pad him up with elbow/wrist/knee pads- or could that just encourage him to take risks beyond his age?

Whatever you decide on padding in general I'd avoid the wrist guards. Our son was a bit risk averse and wanted to try wrist guards, so we put some on him and he couldn't work the brakes properly, so off they came (next he decided the knee and elbow pads weren't very comfy, and off they came too!)

Also: I’m not in the cycling scene at all, if you had a kid that seemed really keen what would you try and do to expose him to stuff that he could get involved with or get excited watching we are Bristol/Devon based.

We took ours to a local Go-Ride club, see https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/go-ride, but they were a bit older (adopted at 5 & 7, so I have no experience of getting a 3 yo going).

Pete.

[531colin]

Much more control on a bike with pedals.....your weight is (should be!) mainly on the pedals.

I don't think I have seen a balance bike with footrests...the kids would probably bash their ankles on footrests! ...So its a case of trying to balance a thing which is necessarily top-heavy, with the riders weight on the saddle. (less need to balance it with one foot down all the time, but that gets tricky depending on speed and terrain. )
A few years ago there was a fad for scooters with full size bike wheels for adults.....the footboard was always low to the ground, to get the centre of mass low.

[Gizzmo]

Let him peddle I have a 3yr old who mastered his balance bike months ago by around 2.5yrs but I had to wait because I didn't have a paddle bike that fitted him and we couldnt afford to got get a smaller on but as soon as he got the peddle bike I took the peddles off just to get him used the the weight and size of the bike that took 1 weeks tops he now has had peddles on and stabilisers for 2 weeks he off like a rocket almost tips the bike on the stabilisers around corners at times, we're just waiting for his knee and elbow pads to come in the post then it will be off the a car park out of hours and stabiliser off for a good practice hopefully next weekend. As long as you teach some road safety, stop at curbs till you catch up or stop look listen then cross if he's capable you shouldn't have any problems i did find road safety is about constantly doing it yourself even if theres no cars or the lights red and no carsvstill wait for the green man, I've explained to my 3 year old his has to look for cars becuse they might not see him and there will hurt if they crash into him we started with both stopping at every road saying stop look listen asking if there any moving cars pointing out anything he missed moving to now I just remind him to look for cars and he dose but most time he dose it himself now probly forget 1 in 20 time and you can see well before if they have forgotten and shout most times

[Stozza80]

I don't think I have seen a balance bike with footrests...the kids would probably bash their ankles on footrests! ...So its a case of trying to balance a thing which is necessarily top-heavy, with the riders weight on the saddle. (less need to balance it with one foot down all the time, but that gets tricky depending on speed and terrain. )

Woom 1+ balance bike has foot rests to get the kid to get used to placing their feet in a natural pedal position. They also have brakes. My 3y/o is very confident in his and has braking cracked on his balance bike. We’re going to start him on the 14” woom with pedals in a couple of months and see how he gets on.