Cycling UK Forum

We've been out with our son from about 3 1/2 (first on a Pashley Pickle) on all of the local disused railway paths and more recently (he's rising 5 now) on a solo bicycle as well as a tandem modified with kiddy cranks for him to use. He's been good for 6-7 miles on his own machine for some time now and up to about 20 miles on a tandem but where do we go from here with him? The railway paths are boring him (no bends or hills) and he is too young (IMO) to take him out on the road accompanied ('cept round the village). Obviously the tandem is excellent as we can set off from home and he enjoys it (he had a good time with the Tandem Club on a local ride but he is the only child and the youngest by a very long way), but I'd like him to have more independence and ride with other children. However, the Go Rides initiative (at least locally) is intended for 7+ year olds. Anyone else got the same dilemma or ideas?

Children of that age are interested in cycling if other kids are around. Ride on the rear of a kiddieback tandem among other youngsters and he'll love it - cycle with adults and he'll quickly bore.
The best way is to find, or set up, a family group under the umbrella of the CTC or tandem club. For solo rides at his age you can only really seek out cycleways and tracks, disused railways and the like.

Where do you live, cos if your child can do 6-7 miles on his own bike then he would certainly be welcome on our Go-Ride club saturday rides with an accompanying adult.

What about a local track, Palmer Park Velo have a very good history of bringing on yougsters, regardless of machine, and i think some of the other tracks do likewise.

Local rides will soon become boring for anyone if you can only manage 6-7 miles regardless of the terrain, do you do park and ride to some other trails, or rather, can you?
Then of course there all the other incentives, feeding the ducks, visits to the park, zoo etc

Glueman - seconded re tandems and adults - hence my query. Ditto re the cycleways - I had even considered quite lanes in Norfolk (where I once lived but that is a stretch for routine riding)

Eileithiya - actually, I don't know what his range really is on a solo as the bike trails locally tend to be short - out and back so usually top out at 7 miles - quite apart from being rather dull which is the greater issue. He might be able to go further, he certainly can on a tandem and we'll be doing 30 miles this weekend to Mildenhall. We live in North Essex. Yes, we could travel with car and his bike/tandem (we've already done that during the learning period in the last 18 months) and we anticipate doing that on a regular basis with Chelmer CC over the next couple of years. I wouldn't really want to go too far afield as I believe that defeats the object as well as being time consuming. Track cycling has already been suggested by someone else so I will follow that up.

I can guarantee you and your son will have a great time at Mildenhall, only regret I cannot go this year due to working.
I would also endorse what has been said to try to get a more family orientated tandem group going.
I agree it is difficult though tbh my son enjoyed being with anyone whatever age cyclist they were especially cos he got a bit spoiled. It does mean he has been brought up with cyclists of all ages and has confidence being with and talking to other adults.

I agree that car assisted is defeating the object slightly but may have to be balanced with keeping his interest up in cycling.
I also agree that getting him involved with a club where there are children is a good thing to keep him interested, however my son never really mastered cycling solo until he was 9, so he was abit older than yours, by the time we joined a Go-ride club, but to keep him with his peers is one reason why I compromise by driving to join the club activities.

Good luck to you and the family in this.

As an answer to the Q posed in the title I fear 'Take up football' if mine are anything to go by.

Thirdcrank - yes, that is starting this Autumn. His grandfather played as a keen amateur into his 40s, his great grandfather trialled for Newcastle as a junior and I have no interest in the game at all - his mother is the football fan! What with ballet as well.

Eileithyia - apparently Hog Hill cycling centre opened in Redbridge yesterday (supposedly a replacement for the Eastway circuits that disappeared under the Olympics bulldozers) which has a number of cycle tracks/roadways and this rases possibilties, depending on which club/organisation hosts the Go-Rides initiative. Hog Hill is probably close enough to manage on a regular basis. As for a local thing - I'll have to look into it. There doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm locally.

If the suggestion is your son might be able to ride on the roads alone (I may have misinterpreted you on that), I would say a definite no. It isn't that he won't be physically capable of a decent distance, and he may be quite road savvy and mature but may well panic if things start to go wrong or traffic behaves in an aggresive manner.

I've only just begun to allow my ten year old out on a bike unaccompanied even though he's been pedalling since 4 years of age - kids just don't have the nous. Any solo riding on their own bike is much more tempting than a trip on the back of mum or dad's tandem or trailerbike, but I wouldn't give in to the temptation until you're sure they're ready for it.

Glueman - what meant was that I would be reluctant to accompany him out on he road now as his road awareness is limited. While I have accompanied him on the roads around the village on a bike it has generally been very short trips on the way to quiet practice areas. Unaccompanied riding is a long way off. However, my point is that provision for developing young cyclists (particularly on road) seems to be very variable as it depends on demand from area to area and the keennness of clubs/DAs to meet/encourage that demand. While competitive sport offers a route for aspiring cyclists I'd be interested in seeing initiatives that foster cycling as a useful activity (it gets you to where you want to go) as well as a social focus.

Has he got a best mate at school that might want to come out? Either get his Dad out with him, or are you prepared to take responsibility and look after both on the cycle paths?
Have a focus in your ride, ie. aim for a park or aim for picnic time at 1pm etc.
I'd say dont force the cycling - if he ends up preferring football, or running, or climbing trees or whatever, let him choose - its all exercise. As he gets older and hears your tales of cycle travel and sees the happiness it brings you, he'll want to join you. I've seen many a 14 year old come out with Dad on the clubrun. Some stick with it and become "proper" cyclists, others give it a few weeks and drop out.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply riding totally unaccompanied, I meant on the roads on his own bikes with an adult. He's still too young IMO. Some family groups have always managed to herd younger riders in the middle of the pack but they tend to be 8 or 9 year olds (but mostly older) and there are always circumstances where youngsters move away from an adult because of pinch points, poor driving or momentary inattention.

They're best physically attached until that age and learning traffic rules from a relatively safe position. Tracks and paths are a different matter.

Well, thanks for all the comments. As he starts school this September the possibility of finding like minded mates there hasn't arisen as yet. His friends at the moment aren't really riding much either. But it is an excellent idea - given a like minded parent or two.

The point about 'no pressure' is well made. It is one that I am acutely aware of having already brought up two girls to ride during a time at which bicycles were the family's only form of independent transport so the question of maintaining an interest was not an issue - not cycling was not an option for about 6-7 years. Another time, another place, another life. At the moment it is all I can do to keep him off a bike or a tandem - but this is the honeymoon phase as he is exploring new skills and prowess; hence my question about the future.