Our family bicycling success story (crosspost to /r/bicycling)

[labonall]

Our local Parks Department blessed us with a new greenway and a bridge across a nearby river. The new path opens up access to scores of neighborhoods, local parks, and most of all a major 2000+ acre park with paved trails. So my wife and I bought bikes and started getting back in shape.

The kids are the focus in this post, though - girl is now 4 1/2, boy is 7, both excited about cycling. So a few years back this is the path we took:

boy at 0-3: toys, trikes

boy at 4: Little Tykes 12" toy bike w/training wheels

boy at 5: Gyrowheel on Little Tykes 12"

+3 weeks - riding 20" Trek without training wheels

boy at 7: Giant 24"

girl made similar progress:

girl at 4: training wheels on 16" Specialized Hotrock

girl at 4 1/2: Gyrowheel on Little Tykes 12"

+1 week - riding 16" Hotrock without training wheels

This Gyrobike thing is the real deal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrobike A gyroscope in the wheel keeps the bike more upright, so sudden changes are dampened. Then they can progress more naturally. You turn down the gyroscope's power/spin (levels 3,2,1) when they start getting the hang of it. Then turn it off for a bit. Then throw them on any bike they fit on.

We rode 7 miles today, with many stops of course. The 4 year old can't quite do hills (she slows and tips) so we put the training wheels on just for the one hilly section, then took them off. This is something like her 4th or 5th day without them, we are incredibly proud.

We also found this article - Steve's comparison chart was instrumental in our latest purchase.

http://stevethebikeguy.com/?p=2180

search terms: kids children biking bicycling cycling bicycles family learning to ride

 

[toohuck]

@labonall Sorry this got caught in the spam filter. The gyrowheel looks pretty interesting.

We've got an attachable trailer with pedals & 3rd wheel, kinda like this:
http://www.amazon.com/WeeRide-96455-Co-Pilot-Bike-Trailer/dp/B003XNFMLS

I think it is helping my daughter with her desire to ride, because together we can go pretty fast & she can see how much fun that is. Also she can get used to the feeling of balancing on a bike and pedaling while I do most of the work.

 

[labonall]

@toohuck We were on the verge of buying this tow bar (link below) before the latest breakthrough. I've never tried one but I think trailer bikes look ideal for bringing a wee one along on a ride before they are ready (or before you're ready to unleash them on the world). It is quite terrifying to watch your little one in control of their own destiny especially the 50-yd section of road (in the park, cars allowed..) where we surround her on both sides...

http://www.amazon.com/Trail-Gator-Trailgator-Bicycle-Tow-Bar/dp/B001NGD5FM

 

[anshji]

@labonall Wow, congrats on getting the whole family cycling. My oldest at 11 doesn't want to ride at all, refers scooters - she also loves to ski and not snowmobile... go figure

 

[gyamfi]

@labonall In our town everybody uses trail-a-bikes for the little ones, which makes them easy to find used since you only use them for a few years and they age well. It seems to prepare kids well to ride solo. My younger started riding behind me at age 3 and both were riding their own bikes around 4-5, but we continued also using the trail-a-bikes for many years - for longer family outings, for rides in traffic, or for riding across town after dark.