kids and bikes

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W

Wasabi Poptart

My son's going to turn 5 in August. I'm thinking of getting him a bike. He hasn't asked for one, but I thought it might be a good idea since we'll likely be within walking distance of the school he attends when we move to Hawaii. I'd walk with him while he rides his bike, of course.
Do you think 5 is too young for a bike? How do you measure a kid for a bike? All of mine came from junkyards when I was growing up, so I don't know anything about how to pick out the right sized bike.
 
Gusto

Gusto

Five was old enough for me to smash my bike into a pine tree so thick that my bike didn't tip over afterwards.

Classic.
 
Espy

Espy

Heck no techno! I had a bik at 3 or 4 I think (with training wheels of course). As far as measuring... I don't know... we just went and got on different bikes trying to find one that worked for us. Maybe measure his leg and arm length and talk to a sales rep at a bike shop?
 
W

Wasabi Poptart

That's the other thing. I can't remember exactly how old I was when I got my first bike. I think I was closer to 7 or 8, though. I know I had training wheels on it for a long time.

---------- Post added at 09:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:55 AM ----------
Fun Size said:
Yes it's time. Go to Huffy or similar websites for tips on picking out the right bike as well as resources for teaching kids to ride. My daughter had a bike with training wheels when she was four or five.
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Thanks for the link! That is just the kind of info I needed.
 
C

Chazwozel

Wildsoul said:
My son's going to turn 5 in August. I'm thinking of getting him a bike. He hasn't asked for one, but I thought it might be a good idea since we'll likely be within walking distance of the school he attends when we move to Hawaii. I'd walk with him while he rides his bike, of course.
Do you think 5 is too young for a bike? How do you measure a kid for a bike? All of mine came from junkyards when I was growing up, so I don't know anything about how to pick out the right sized bike.
Click to expand...
You measure a bike size by straddling the top bar. If it comes up to your crotch, that's the size bike for you.
 
David

David

I had my first bike when I was 5. I freakin loved that bike, got the training wheels off by the time I turned 6 and rode it to school most every day until the part holding the pedals broke when I was 10. I was very sad the day my mom made me load it into the truck to be taken to the dump.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
My advice is to avoid training wheels, as they don't do much to improve balance. Instead, leave the pedals off of the bike and put the seat low enough to use feet to push the bike. Pushing and gliding will develop balance skills, while still having the feet in position to keep from falling over. It's the way both my younger sisters learned, and they picked up riding quickly. Once the young'un has mastered balancing on the bike, then add the pedals.
 
@Li3n

@Li3n

Training wheels are for pussies...

I'm pretty sure i wasn't in school yet when i learned to ride a bike, and my idiot friend crashed right into me right then... lucky the bike i was on was higher then his and i jumped.

And when i was older i used to go witohut any breaks, as those where always the firest thigs to go... and it wasn't just me, the idiot friend i talked about even ruined his shoes by using them on the back wheel to brake...

I need to get my bike out from under all the crap my father stored while renovating the house, i still love biking...
 
Ross

Ross

Staff member
Got my first bike at age 4... took off the training wheels around my 5th birthday. Made my first run alright... did it in the grass away from anything dangerous :p
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
Ross said:
Got my first bike at age 4... took off the training wheels around my 5th birthday. Made my first run alright... did it in the grass away from anything dangerous :p
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Anyone else read this to the tune of "Summer of 69"?

Got my first bike at 4,
took off the training wheels
around my fifth birthday (yeah)
made my first run alright!

Did it in the grass away
from anything dangerous (yeah)!
Those were the best days of my life!

(For those of you who need tune help...)

 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
My training wheels were wobbly, so they didn't always touch the ground. I got to feel the bike move from side and side as I rode and figured out how to actually get the wheels to not touch the ground at all for several yards at a time. For me it was a good start before getting on a real bike. And for a kid that young I recommend them.
 
Ross

Ross

Staff member
Cajungal said:
My training wheels were wobbly, so they didn't always touch the ground. I got to feel the bike move from side and side as I rode and figured out how to actually get the wheels to not touch the ground at all for several yards at a time. For me it was a good start before getting on a real bike. And for a kid that young I recommend them.
Click to expand...
I was in the mindframe that they were not supposed to both touch the ground at the same time... that's how you learn to balance on the bike, since you're not fully relying on the training wheels to keep you upright.
 
W

Wasabi Poptart

figmentPez said:
My advice is to avoid training wheels, as they don't do much to improve balance. Instead, leave the pedals off of the bike and put the seat low enough to use feet to push the bike. Pushing and gliding will develop balance skills, while still having the feet in position to keep from falling over. It's the way both my younger sisters learned, and they picked up riding quickly. Once the young'un has mastered balancing on the bike, then add the pedals.
Click to expand...
They sell balance bikes for kids. I had looked at them briefly and thought they were a waste of money. I never thought to take the pedals off of a regular bike to do the same thing. Great idea!
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
True story:

I learned how to ride a bike without training wheels when a friend took me to the top of a hill and pushed. There were a few things wrong with this.


  1. I had been riding a bike with the brakes on the pedals. This was a ten speed with handlebar brakes. I pedaled backwards to no avail.
  2. The bottom of the hill terminated in a very busy stretch of road.
In a panic I threw myself from the bike, skinning my knees, elbows and chin. The bike kept on balanced into traffic and was wiped out by a truck. As the bike was less than a year old my friend got in a lot of trouble. I wasn't seriously hurt but after that I never needed training wheels. I think I was like 6 or 7.
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
Ross;369427][QUOTE=Cajungal said:
My training wheels were wobbly, so they didn't always touch the ground. I got to feel the bike move from side and side as I rode and figured out how to actually get the wheels to not touch the ground at all for several yards at a time. For me it was a good start before getting on a real bike. And for a kid that young I recommend them.
Click to expand...
I was in the mindframe that they were not supposed to both touch the ground at the same time... that's how you learn to balance on the bike, since you're not fully relying on the training wheels to keep you upright.[/QUOTE]

Well then that's probably the case.
 
Morphine

Morphine

I bought my first real bike with my own money when I was 8 =)
My mom thought it was a good opportunity for me to learn about saving and the value of the things we own.
I'm still proud of that, I bought it with lots and lots and lots of coins from my allowances, the guy at the store thought it was cute and he was incredibly patient, he counted coin by coin with me.

That purple bike is one of the best memories I have from my childhood.

I relied on the training wheels for a long time though, and then I had to pretty much learn all over again when I took them off, so yeah, I support the "no training wheels" opinion.
 
Gusto

Gusto

I keep reading this thread title as "kids vs. bikes" and my first thought goes to hilarious youtube montages set to Yakkety Sax.
 
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