Photo Erin Faulds.
Local rider, Jeff Faulds, helps his almost 2-year-old daughter learn to ride a run bike during a trip to Vancouver’s north shore.
Seeing children out riding on our local trails is a wonderful thing.
The little shredder on a run bike with her parents chasing on foot; the young girl with the handlebar basket who completely gets that it’s all about having fun; and, the bigger kids who are just starting to venture out on their own.
Of course, teaching kids to ride a bike safely isn’t always fun. A lot can go wrong. Let’s start with bike sizing. To keep it simple, consider the largest wheel size available without moving to a frame that may be too big. Larger wheels roll over bumps more easily. To size the frame, check for a safe gap between the child’s legs and the top tube. Kids should have enough room to bend their knees slightly while standing flat-footed over the frame. It’s imperative for any rider to be able to reach the handlebars and pedals without feeling or looking too stretched out. A rider’s knees and elbows are their shock absorbers and they must have room to bend them while riding.
Finding an appropriate seat height is the next challenge. This can be tough, even for many adults. Balancing personal comfort level between feeling too high off the ground and being able to pedal effectively is a trade-off, especially in the beginning.
Parents should start with their child’s seat low enough for them to touch and balance themself safely on the ground. Start low, and then, as kids progress in their riding, begin creeping that seat up. A low seat greatly limits how much power little legs can deliver to the pedals.
In the early years, parents may wish to consider starting their child on a run bike (aka balance bike, Strider bike, etc.). Run bikes teach balance and steering while maintaining the secure feeling of having both feet close to the ground. It’s now common to see kids as young as 2 riding their run bikes on trails, pump tracks, and all over town. The skills they develop help many of them skip right past training wheels. Tip: if you’re handy, you can also just remove the drivetrain from any existing bike.
Training wheels, although they simplify the process of learning to pedal, can set back the development of good balance and cornering habits. Coaster brakes (i.e. foot/pedal brakes) complicate the learning process as well. Both are shortcuts that get kids pedaling sooner, which is great, but ultimately create habits and muscle memory that have to be unlearned later. Of course, teaching a child to use hand brakes comes with its own set of challenges that must be balanced with parents’ goals and comfort levels.
When deciding how much to spend on a kids’ bike, more isn’t necessarily better but a quality name brand bike will retain a high resale value for much longer. Keep it simple by avoiding extra features like gears and suspension until you know your child will benefit from them. They can add cost and weight and don’t always work well on entry-level bikes. A rigid single-speed bike is perfect to start.
Looking for more information? The Bike Dads (thebikedads.com) is an invaluable resource for everything related to kids on bikes. They review bikes, accessories, trailers/carriers, and much more.
We’ll move on to adult bike setup next month.
This month’s trail tip: Spend more on a helmet that you actually like and wear it every time you ride. Your kids won’t want to wear a helmet if you don’t.
A Single-track Mind by David D’Agostino
