Proud Daddy taught his daughter to ride

[bianchi10]

I tried teaching my daughter to ride without training wheels a couple months back but she couldn't get her balance and started to get really frustrated. After getting frustrated she started to complain and not try anymore. I brought her back 2 weeks later to try again with her bike and she still had trouble. Again, she got really frustrated, which lead me to get frustrated. I decided to take the training wheels off of my 3 year old sons bike which was smaller and thought maybe she would be able to control a smaller bike as well as put a foot down easier if she felt like she was going to fall over.

I had the bike and her helmet in the car before going to pick them up from daycare, so after I got them in the car, I told her what we were going to go do. She immediately looked deflated as if she knew she was going to fail. I gave her a little pep talk as I was getting her gear on and she seemed to feel a little more determined. She told me not to let go until she was ready. the first 2 minutes, I thought...."crap, here we go again!" because she was not getting her balance, wasn't pedaling, wasn't listening. Literally, 3 minutes later, she was off like the wind! She was turning to avoid objects, using her brakes to slow down and by the end of the hour she had taught herself to push off and pedal without me! I think like a lot of dad's who are cyclist and teach their kids to ride, I had this daydream of getting her first real road bike and going on rides together. I'm so proud and excited.

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u30/blknslvrgsxr/2013-10-24180712.png

[Saint Vitus]

Congrats!

I tried to teach my oldest son when he was 5-6 and it didn't go well at all and I let it be figuring he needed to decide for himself. One day months later as I drove up from work, there he was riding up and down the alley, confidant and proud of his achievement. He wanted to ride like his father and some additional competition from the boy next door pushed him to that edge.

[chuckred]

Especially the body armor! Nice job....

[vqdriver]

Very cool
Congrats

[KF9YR]

Congrats! My daughter didn't learn to ride until she was in Kindergarten.

I was a little disappointed that she didn't seem to like riding but didn't push her. As the years passed her interest grew.

This summer she turned 13 and has really turned a corner. She loves both road and mountain biking and has decided she is going to race MTB next year as a freshman in High School.

Her goal this year is 1000 miles and she should easily reach that. I just looked up her stats tonight and we've spent a little over 80 hours on the bikes together this year. I bought a pair of Cardo headsets and we chat while riding, it really makes me appreciate the time we have together.

Congratulations again and enjoy your time with your daughter.

[Javaman]

"I think like a lot of dad's who are cyclist and teach their kids to ride, I had this daydream of getting her first real road bike and going on rides together. I'm so proud and excited."

Yup, exactly what I was hoping for when my first daughter learned to ride when she was 4. She's 10 now and her interest in riding, well, to do anything outdoors has sadly decreased. But I'm not losing hope and plans to someday build her her first modern steel bike.

Congratulations and enjoy!

[jh_on_the_cape]

check the mtbr riding with family forum for some crazy upgraded kids bikes!

[dogdriver]

Nice. One of the great adventures of parenthood!

[ultraman6970]

Congrats... advice, dont rush going riding with her, the problem is not speed the problem with some kids is maturity because they just go and stop to look at the flower they saw in the middle of the road and stuff like that (following rules and instructions). Just like the 40 year old sucker that goes doing zig-zags in the road because he is having fun riding his bike, kids tend to be like that and the only solution is just wait till they are ready for more serious quests. :)

Congrats :D

[tiretrax]

Congratulations. Those were great moments for me with my children. They still enjoy going out for a spin, but no one wants to ride with me yet. Just be sure to stay patient and not let your childrens' frustration transfer to you.

[Idris Icabod]

Both my kids have balance bikes (Pink Giant Pre). Haven't tried pedals yet, but my oldest (just 4) has great balance and flies on it, once she gets up to speed she does hundreds of feet without putting down her feet, 2 year old not so much. I'm hoping the transition to pedal bikes goes smoothly since they will hopefully have the balance part worked out.

[cachagua]

Good for you, and good for her! That's fantastic.

I had a STUPID hard time learning to ride. I don't know what made me persist through all the frustration. But once I got it, you couldn't get me off the thing.

I wish you many great miles together!

[Dale Alan]

A proud moment,congrats to the two of you !

[mcgillicuddy_p]

That is great! I had the same experience with my 4 year old son in August (he is now 5). We gave him a balance bike along with a wheeled bike with training wheels. He wanted the training wheels removed in July, but had not really liked using the balance bike. I told him that when he mastered the balance bike I would remove them. He started focusing on the balance bike and got the hang of it quickly. Once he was coasting and balancing for long distances I kept my promise and took off his training wheels. I helped him for 5-10 minutes and then he was off on his own. It was amazing. We take trips up and down our dead end street now. He wants to know why he can't join my small group rides. That day will be here soon. Great times!

[nrs5000]

Congratulations! Sharing riding with my kids is huge fun.

A tip for other parents: If your kid can do a balance bike, go straight to pedals without training wheels when they are ready. Once a kid gets used to training wheels it's hard to get them off.

[JWDR]

My 3 year has been able to ride his 14" Spawn Gremlin for almost a year now but still enjoys riding his Raleigh balance bike. My almost 6 year girl swaps back and forth between the 14" Gremlin and her 20" Specialized Hotrock 6 speed. Both of them continue to get tricked out due to the trickle down of parts.
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/236B318E-110A-49F8-AA56-ABE777D08228-6614-0000096B23B170E4_zpsa3ee9eef.jpg

[tcbc]

Fantastic! I know exactly how you feel, as I just went through the same thing with my 5-yr old daughter. She had nice balance on her balance bike but was pensive about removing the training wheels on her 16" bike. I finally got her a used 12" bike and after holding her for a couple of minutes, she was off and running on her own, going around poles and "blasting up" a slope! I'll never forget that confident smiles on her face.

The first thing she asked the next morning was "Daddy, can I ride my bike today?" :)

[pinoymamba]

one day i'll get to experience this awesome feeling.

i'll make sure to dress him/her appropriately...

http://www.japanprobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/keirin.jpg

[scho74]

great story, your girl is a trooper! can't wait til my 5 month daughter learns to ride.

[Louis]

can't wait til my 5 month daughter learns to ride.

What are you waiting for? This is from Tiger Woods' web site:

Born on Dec. 30, 1975, Woods grew up in Cypress, Calif., 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles He was not out of the crib before he took an interest in golf, at age 6 months, watching as his father hit golf balls into a net and imitating his swing. He appeared on the Mike Douglas Show at age 2, putting with Bob Hope. He shot 48 for nine holes at age 3 and was featured in Golf Digest at age 5. He won the Optimist International Junior tournament six times at ages 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 and 15.