Never too young

[kamkar]

To learn how to be a good cyclist in Denmark.

Problem is as you get older remembering the simple rules that keep you safe, and stupid car drivers messing with their damn phones.

 

[Error7]

The little bikes without pedals a great idea for kids to learn on. The U.K. has only recently caught up with that idea.

 

[kamkar]

They are new here too, my first bike was about 2X the size of that one, but then it had trainer wheels.
That little girl within a year she will be on a proper big girl bike and pedaling along beside her mother and "soon" she will be let loose alone in traffic at least on the road where she live, and then later when she have also learned the bicycling rules in school, then she can transport her self to and from school.
Note i said " also" learned bicycling rules in school, if her parents are good she will already know all she need to know before then.
The traffic code here say kids must be 6 or more to be in traffic alone.


Unless off course her parents go insane ( high chance of that ) and overprotective like so many have, and will be driven in a car to and from school.

Dunno why people cant see it, but this is the perfect way to drain a child of energy, so there is no yelling and screaming when it is time to say goodnight.
The people above me have that problem, every night when their girl is put to bed she scream and whine for a good half hour before she finally fall asleep.

You will have to excuse the google translate, but i can not be bothered with doing a proper translation, and anyway google is not totally off here.

"Practice, practice and more practice is what it takes to become a roadworthy bicycle. It can be scary to let his little ones in road traffic - but do it anyway. It sharpens traffic sense to be master of his own control - and it's good exercise. Children who always are driven to school and leisure activities, have to do without both.
When can children cycling to school?

Almost all children in Denmark have learned to ride before they start school. A few kilometers on bike is very affordable, so most children can bike to school from nursery. Is it far to school, one can perhaps begin to ride the bus or train - a small bike ride is better than none. However, it is important that they have at least an adult when cycling on the road.

The school may recommend certain places, children have to commute or may not be cycling. The safe way is not always the most direct. But a small detour does not take much time, while on the bike.

Sure the bike
Before the baby comes out into traffic, it must have learned:

• to keep his balance on the bike at various maneuvers
• to slow down safely
• to look to the side and back without too much wobble
• to give evidence

When children can ride alone?
The Road Traffic Act states that children over 6 years old may cycle alone. But one can not assume that children can cycle safely in traffic until they are 10-12 years. Only then can they judge other road speed and purpose and decide what they should do in difficult situations. Many children may start cycling alone earlier at selected locations, for example. along bicycle paths to school.

It is the parents' responsibility to assess the child's maturity, experience with traffic and road severity. If in doubt, the child is ready to ride on your own, it's a good idea to let the child be leading when bikes together. So the child will exercise in assessing traffic many situations - and the child shows itself when it is ready to move alone in traffic.

Alone on bike
When your child is going to ride on your own, you need to give it some clear rules of the road:

• Find the safest way to school, the child must always follow
• Make clear agreements with the child about how it may cycle. Also after school when visiting friends and so on.
• Learn if necessary. the child to get off the bike and pull through the pedestrian crossing when it must be a way. It is in some places more manageable"

 

[Deleted member 46308]

The little bikes without pedals a great idea for kids to learn on

+1

 

[kamkar]

Yeah i forgot to add, i do think its better than training wheels, i assume the jump from pushing yourself forward with your feet to moving them around in a circle to get momentum is more of the same.
I clearly remember trauma when the talk came to taking off my training wheels, so i just rode my bike until they fell off on their own, or maybe my dad loosened them a little.
I even remember the place where my training-wheels fell of, or rather the last of the 2, and i remember the pride i felt cuz "god damn now i was really cycling"

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Yeah i forgot to add, i do think its better than training wheels, i assume the jump from pushing yourself forward with your feet to moving them around in a circle to get momentum is more of the same.
I clearly remember trauma when the talk came to taking off my training wheels, so i just rode my bike until they fell off on their own, or maybe my dad loosened them a little.
I even remember the place where my training-wheels fell of, or rather the last of the 2, and i remember the pride i felt cuz "god damn now i was really cycling"

 

[SawMaster]

When I was introduced to riding without training wheels I found the bike easy to balance and steer, but in the fun I lost track of the need to keep pedaling so when the hill and my momentum ended I promptly fell over After a few tears over the skinned knee and elbow I was made to try it again although I didn't want to at the moment. That time I remembered to pedal and I returned back up the hill like a pro It was smiles all around except for my brother whose bike I had scratched up when I crashed It was some time after that before I got a 'real' bike but the training wheels on my tiny one went away after that and somehow my knee and elbow didn't hurt nearly as much anymore as I rode around without them

Phil

 

[Deleted member 46308]

When I was introduced to riding without training wheels I found the bike easy to balance and steer, but in the fun I lost track of the need to keep pedaling so when the hill and my momentum ended I promptly fell over After a few tears over the skinned knee and elbow I was made to try it again although I didn't want to at the moment. That time I remembered to pedal and I returned back up the hill like a pro It was smiles all around except for my brother whose bike I had scratched up when I crashed It was some time after that before I got a 'real' bike but the training wheels on my tiny one went away after that and somehow my knee and elbow didn't hurt nearly as much anymore as I rode around without them

Phil

 

[Dashmellow]

I remember back when I was a kid learning to ride a bike my dad took one training wheel off and left the other. If I got scared that I might fall over all I had to do was lean to my left back onto the training wheel to feel secure. Then I could lean back over the other way until the training wheel came off the ground to experiment with my balance until I had it down.

 

[DT MI]

I remember the first 'mod' I did to a bike. I was probably 8 or 9 at the time and thought it would be really cool to remove the fenders to reduce weight and go faster. It was cool - until the first time it rained and the streets/sidewalks were wet. I then understood why my dad was just standing by smiling as I was doing the 'mod'.

 

[kamkar]

well real racers ( 10 speeds or is it 20 speeds nowadays ) they don't have fenders, you just suck it up and keep pushing those pedals.
On my last racer back in 1990 i had a plastic click on fender for the rear, it was mounted most of the time as i by then just used the bike for personal transport.
I cant recall modding any of my childhood bikes, and i got my first 10 speed at the age of 11, and it too like all bikes aside for one was stolen.
And the one that was not stolen was run over by a tractor trailer making a right turn in front of me at a intersection, only parts surviving was the brakes and brake handles and the hubs for the 2 wheels, all the other nice Campagnolo parts and the light weight frame was flat as a pancake.
Took the surviving parts and build my last racer with them, and it was then stolen after 7-8 months or so.

My dad both raced oval track and road races, some times they drove like 80 - 100 Km to get to a race, then do that and then bicycle the 80 - 100 km home again.
People was tougher back then just after the war.
I think my personal longest trip was like 200 km or so, but 80 - 100 Km was not a problem most days, it was either bicycling or be together with other people i dident really like, so i logged a lot of Km back then
Okay when you reach 10 hours or so in the saddle it do start to get a bit boring

EPO or not the guys doing TDF and other races always had my utmost respect

 

[Dashmellow]

I remember the first 'mod' I did to a bike. I was probably 8 or 9 at the time and thought it would be really cool to remove the fenders to reduce weight and go faster. It was cool - until the first time it rained and the streets/sidewalks were wet. I then understood why my dad was just standing by smiling as I was doing the 'mod'.

Did you put baseball cards in the spokes with clothes pins? I sure did.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Did you put baseball cards in the spokes with clothes pins? I sure did.

Don't you wish you had those baseball cards now?

 

[DT MI]

Did you put baseball cards in the spokes with clothes pins? I sure did.

Yep - 4, 1 on each side of both wheels. When you're that age more is always better.

 

[Dashmellow]

Don't you wish you had those baseball cards now?

Hah! I was thinking the same thing as I typed that post!

 

[Rajagra]

The little bikes without pedals a great idea for kids to learn on. The U.K. has only recently caught up with that idea.

But we do have many mopeds without footrests.

At least I assume that's why they ride along with their feet sticking out. [emoji2]

Sent from my tap-to-talk using Tapatalk

 

[Gibson99]

Did you put baseball cards in the spokes with clothes pins? I sure did.

My brother and I found that green magnolia leaves work better than cards, but crushed plastic water bottles seem to be the choice of the kids in my neighborhood today.

 

[Dashmellow]

My brother and I found that dried magnolia leaves work better than cards, but crushed plastic water bottles seem to be the choice of the kids in my neighborhood today.

My childhood bicycle days were before plastic water bottles of course, but I'll bet they make a great sound! I can see where magnolia leaves would be cool too.

Today's vehicle sound for me was that I discovered a hole in my muffler, probably from all the salt on the roads around here this winter. I guess I might have to stuff the hole with a crushed plastic water bottle until I get down to my mechanic's place.

 

[Gibson99]

My childhood bicycle days were before plastic water bottles of course, but I'll bet they make a great sound! I can see where magnolia leaves would be cool too.

Today's vehicle sound for me was that I discovered a hole in my muffler, probably from all the salt on the roads around here this winter. I guess I might have to stuff the hole with a crushed plastic water bottle until I get down to my mechanic's place.

you disappoint me.

you just need some JB weld, and maybe one of these.

and if you can't find one of those, you can probably cut a patch out of a soda can and JB weld it on.