View Full Version : Balance bikes?
Looking at getting the girls a balance bike...(not a pink one so it can be handed down to Euan when the time comes)
What do other parents make of them?
Do they really help in mastering a "real" bike or is it all hype?
For those who dont know what a balance bike is it looks like a bike without pedals and some have a footrest in the middle...and it is foot propelled!
Lauren is 5 and is really wobbly on her "real" bike and there is no way she can go without her stabilisers and I wondered if a balance bike would help her get her balace right before thinking about pedalling.
We bought our son the Learn to ride with chuckles the monkey balance bike. It was an excellent bike and definately helped with his balance. He then got a bigger bike for his birthday and was riding with no stabilisers within days. You could always take the pedals off the bike she has.
I have seen a few children on these bikes and with no time at all they are riding around very confidently on a real bike.I wish now I had thought about them for my children as I am convinced it brings them on quicker.
You can just take the pedals off the bike you have - scoot along without stabilisers but with feet to put on the ground until the time is right to put them back on.
Good luck with the lessons. :)
Spongeboab
05-Aug-11, 22:21
ditto taking the pedals off, gets them used to their own bike without having to change to a different one, also saves forking out for a balance bike.
number one is to get rid of the stabilisers and the pedals
the way to get rid of wobble is a bit of speed, the best place we've found to practice is Miller Academy top playground, there's a slight gradient and a long flat bit at the bottom that's great for getting them used to a bit of speed, using the brakes and mastering the balancing act, once they've got the feel for balance, pop the pedals back on and their away.
i had my lad off stabilisers and cycling after 3 evenings at Miller, once they've completed their training, the path round the boating pond is level 2 !
have fun !
Silly question....but how do you just take the pedals off then!
And the stabilisers without the child noticing their bike is missing bits?
Spongeboab
06-Aug-11, 01:17
to get the pedals off, use an adjustable spanner, or the tool that came with the bike and turn them opposite to the direction the pedal turns.
e.g. if you're looking at the pedal on the left, unscrew it by turning it to the right and on the right hand side, unscrew it to the left.
newer bikes have an 'L' and 'R' on the pedals so they go back on the correct sides
they're threaded this way to stop them coming off when being pedaled in the forward direction
tell your kid that the stabilisers don't work anymore so you got rid of them, simple as.
as mentioned, the feet become the stabilisers, make sure that when she's sitting down, her legs are straight to the ground with feet flat on the floor, no tip toes.
then when she goes to freewheel and balance get her to lift her feet as if she's going through a puddle or teach her to run her feet along the ground to go forwards.
i know it's not very handy, but Miller should be your destination this weekend.
further down on the flat bit of the playground they have painted rings and games on the ground. these markings became 'targets' for my lad to freewheel to and as he got further and further his confidence just ballooned.
they also have massive old conker trees at Miller so a good lesson always ended with a conker hunt !
from my own experience, it's essential that your kid can confidently pull the brakes and bring the bike to a safe stop without using their feet and having to 'bale out'. just because i could apply the brakes before he set off didn't mean he had the same 'pulling power'.
i had to screw in that wee screw by the brake lever to move the lever closer to my sons fingers so that his wee hand could close the gap.
Metalattakk
06-Aug-11, 03:51
What is wrong with parents these days? Why do they have to molly-coddle their bairns - wrap them up in cotton wool so that they never, ever get to experience discovery, failure, consequence and life itself?
I learnt to ride a bike, taught by my own father. I crashed a couple of times (once at least, very comically). I did not suffer any life-changing injuries, I have no scars. I did not die horribly.
It didn't take long to get the hang of it, in fact the failures stiffened my resolve, and focused me even more to not fail the next time.
The modern parent needs to take a long hard look at itself, after all, they're raising the parents of the future.
She just cant do the whole balancing/pedalling thing together.
And she has had a few nasty crashes even with the stabilisers on..you know the gravel removal and doused in TCP type accidents!
But learning to ride a bike is one of lifes big achievements (when you are 5).
I have a scar under my chin from learning to ride my bike as I put the front brake on before the back and went over the handlebars straight into a stone dyke a few days before being a flowergirl at my Uncles wedding.
So its not mollycoddling its just breaking down the learning to go a bike into two steps...balancing first then the pedalling later on.
There will probably be more accidents before she finally learns how to do it, but thats what happens.
Im pretty sure there is quite a few more orgers than just me that have scars from learning to ride their bikes too.
Bobinovich
06-Aug-11, 11:32
Am with MA here - there's nothing like letting kids learn from their own mistakes or failures to stiffen their resolve to get it right or better the next time!!
I also agree that riding a bike (along with learning to swim) are two of the best things you can teach a child - both great exercise & fun but also both with thier own dangers which need to be taught.
As far as learning to ride a bike, with stabilisers on and correctly set there should be no way for a child to come off a bike unless they simply turn too sharp, the front brakes can be disconnected temporarily so they learn to use the back brake for stopping & can't then go over the handlebars (or you can simply only show them how to use the back brake to start with. So learning to pedal, brake & turn gently comes with stabilisers on on a flat tarmac area, then when it's time to learn the balancing aspect you can either raise the stabilisers up a bit at a time until they they're steady, or put them on a flattish field (the Viewfirth was perfect) - harder to pedal on yes, but certainly softer for landing on too. Persevere and they will get it soon enough!
Why do you have to take the pedals off, cant you just dangle your feet?
Because kids learn faster if they don't have pedals clattering into their shins. It works and the learning process is accelerated, stabilisers just mean learning balance second - if it learnt first cycling comes quicker. Since when was making learning less painful mollycoddling?
Spongeboab
06-Aug-11, 15:07
What is wrong with parents these days? Why do they have to molly-coddle their bairns - wrap them up in cotton wool so that they never, ever get to experience discovery, failure, consequence and life itself?
I learnt to ride a bike, taught by my own father. I crashed a couple of times (once at least, very comically). I did not suffer any life-changing injuries, I have no scars. I did not die horribly.
It didn't take long to get the hang of it, in fact the failures stiffened my resolve, and focused me even more to not fail the next time.
The modern parent needs to take a long hard look at itself, after all, they're raising the parents of the future.
i've read and re-read all the posts in this thread and can't see where anyone is mollycoddling or wrapping kids up in cotton wool
admittedly i am very impressed at such a young person having a stiff resolve and i agree with you about some modern parents who are over protective, but i don't see any evidence of that in this thread.
Ta for the tip on removing the pedals!
Lauren has nearly mastered the balancing after today......only 1 day without stabilisers and pedals and we had been battling with this for months!
She needed to get a bit of speed up to get the balancing right.
We started in the slight incline on the road outside the house and when she got more confident we went out for a walk/cycle round the riverside in Wick.
She only fell off once coming off the bridge as she was going a bit too fast.
I will give it a week or two before putting the pedals back on.
Now to find a bike for my little girl........and do the same thing!
Iona is short as she is only just fitting into 18-24 month clothes so it will be hard to find a proper bike for her as most 10" bikes will be too big but I will have a look in the bike shops up here and in halfords when next in Inverness!
orkneycadian
07-Aug-11, 12:37
What is wrong with parents these days? Why do they have to molly-coddle their bairns - wrap them up in cotton wool so that they never, ever get to experience discovery, failure, consequence and life itself?
Surprised theres not (but haven't actually looked so there might be....) a game for the Playstation / Wii / X Box or whatever for kids (of all ages) to go cycling without actually having to leave the livingroom, risk gravel rash, fresh air or abduction!
Spongeboab
07-Aug-11, 22:55
Surprised theres not (but haven't actually looked so there might be....) a game for the Playstation / Wii / X Box or whatever for kids (of all ages) to go cycling without actually having to leave the livingroom, risk gravel rash, fresh air or abduction!
there are quite a few sports simulation games out there, but aren't all console games simulations in some way or other, allowing the player to experience something without the risk.
take Modern Warfare or Black Ops for instance, means a person can play at war without having to leave the living room, risk being shot at or blown up by an IED.
you're right though, kids need to be out and about more, the dismal attendances at this years council summer activities are proof of that.
what bewilders me are the adults who go to the gym and walk on the treadmill, presumably after driving there :confused
is this to avoid the risk of gravel rash, fresh air or abduction ?
we got our youngest son a balance bike and was a great purchase after taking his stabilizers off his "big bike" he managed to go by himself within 10 mins he is 3, our older son (whos 5) got his stabilizers taken off and took weeks of falls and bruises and tears until we took the tough love approach im not hold to you any more get on with it a few falls later he was off. I suppose it depends on the children as well, the little one is a tough cookie and went thro 2 pairs of trainers as he stopped himself with his toes, the oldest is a bit more scared for himself, but a bit of tough love is sometimes the answer children now are to wrapped up in cotton wool when we were younger if there was blood spewing out of it, broken or hinging off then it wasnt anything serious and me and the sibling are better for it i say, thanks mum and dad
Think we can put the pedals back on....maybe at the weekend as the balancing has been sussed!
With the pedal removal rather than another bike (balance bike) purchase!
So thanks for the hints and tips....
But can anyone help in suggestions on where to find a bike for a wee 3 year old who wants to copy her sister?
Iona only fits in 12-18 to 18-24 month clothes, so is short to put it bluntly, and finding a "real bike" like her sisters is a nightmare!
She wants a big girls bike......but isnt tall enough but is able to go a bike with stabilisers or a low balance bike easily....so would prefer a real bike that we can take the pedals off as I dont think it will be long before she can go a bike (weeks rather than months).
Have you asked sam in the bike shop in thurso? He'll be able to point you in the right direction if he doesn't have one she will fit.
Well done Lauren!
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