Pedaling a bike

[Tweakster]

The only thing I foresee is Finn outgrowing the balance bike as it's as high as it goes non?  He's got a long torso and short legs LOL just like dada

I imagine it gets more awkward as they get too tall for it?  Dunno.

I think if he has access to pedal trikes at nursery I wouldn't bother Liz. He's probably more likely to use it there watching other kids do it...

[koe2moe]

DS gets to ride a trike most days at daycare but the trikes there can pedal backwards.  We gave him his first bike on his third b'day with training wheels and he was a bit confused with back pedal brake and seemed to struggle and not really interested in riding it.  A few weeks ago, we got him out on his bike again and he was pedalling forward and stopped as he back pedalled.  I just started running in front of him and he wanted to catch me and he rode like a pro and he overtook me and he was able to look over his shoulder to see where i was and back to watch the lamp post and not hit any cars park on the curb!!!  

Perhaps not focus too much on how to do it, just make it fun and have some incentives like chasing mommy or daddy?  

[Khalam's Mama]

This is all really interesting. K is fab on his balance bike. he keeps his legs up for ages when going down hill. I am not sure whether to buy a regular bike in June for his 3rd birthday. He also can't pedal the trike though

[barbaraz78]

F uses a trycicle for some months but he learned to pedal just one month ago. Before, he used the trycicle without pedals, simply using his foot to push himself. He became very fast in this and I think it helped to understand the mechanism of riding. Then for Easter my mil gave him a bike with training wheels and after one day he immediately learned. He was really motivated because he really likes bikes and riding, so this helped I think. From that moment he also started pedaling on the trycicle.

[birdie]

My DS couldnt master pedals until this Spring. He is 4.5 and has short legs. We got him a Stryder balance bike for his birthday last Fall. Wow, I wished we had done that 2 years ago.

[birdie]

I forgot to add that my mom talked to the PT at DS' preschool before getting him the balance bike and explained that peddling is a tougher skill that comes later and it is more important to focus on the balance. I was worried that I would be messing him up by skipping the pedal stage. She helped me see that he would be okay. She also said that is why they have a bike on a track toy on their playground. It is 5 bikes that all work together and go around like a merry-go-round. If one kid pedals, all of the pedals move. I know DS figured out the pedaling from this thing.

DS seemed low energy around his trike but the balance bike brought out a new kid in him. He found a new independence. He now flys on that thing and wants to ride everywhere. DH said he is having to work harder than he anticipated. At first to keep up with him. He is big enough now for a 2 wheel bike but I don't anticipate doing that until his birthday this Fall.

[~inbalance~]

I'm not going to go and buy a balance bike now, we could only afford one! But we'll keep practicing.

[Tweakster]

For sure, if it's all they know then they will learn regardless.  I mean we all learned without balance bikes right? hehe

I think I could pedal at around 3 or 4 and learned to ride without training wheels at 6.  I was scared of everything as a kid.

It is very hard to keep up with a kid on a balance bike!  Think DH found out the same thing hehe

[~inbalance~]

It is very hard to keep up with a kid on a balance bike!

In that case I'm happy he doesn't have one!  lol

[Me.and.my.two.boys]

DS doesnt lift his feet that much yet, like I said we havent been out enough because I have been so busy. Think we will take it out this afternoon

[~Karen~]

Ethan couldn't get the hang of pedalling for ages but was a whizz on his balance bike.  He only really started pedalling when he started nursery just before he turned 4 as went on the tricycle there.  I then tried to put him on his bike with stabilisers but he didn't like it so took them off and he was soon away. 

I must say though that I think balance bikes are fab.  Ethan was riding his bike without stabilisers just before his 4th birthday as he'd learnt to balance.  Amy started riding hers a couple of weeks before he did but she'd never used a balance bike so the balancing part of it she found really hard to learn.

[~Karen~]

I'm not going to go and buy a balance bike now, we could only afford one!

We took the pedals off Amy's bike and got her to use it as a balance bike like that for a bit!

[nosenose]

We took the pedals off Amy's bike and got her to use it as a balance bike like that for a bit!

I don't know if it was here or Munich, but I have seen bikes that convert. I.E. a regular bike that has removable pedals. Sure you can do this to any bike I guess, but it's still quite a bit of work to remove all the associated stuff so it's not in the way. I also assume this one was designed so it's more suitable as a balance bike.

I think it was eeeexpensive too.

[~inbalance~]

Hey I just thought I'd put a quick update.  I hadn't done any practicing with the boys for ages so had pretty much given up that they'd ever ride bikes, lol.  Then recently we got our driveway paved (we have a shared driveway and the neighbours wanted it paved otherwise we wouldn't have bothered), and so the other day I took DS1 out to practice on the smooth surface.  He got it rather quickly and yesterday we did more practicing, and then today he was riding around the neighbourhood like a pro.    I'm so happy!  DS2 still has no interest but that's ok, lol.

[Tweakster]

Go T!