I mentioned in a previous post how Jenn and I got Duncan a bike for Christmas. He's only three, and lest you think I'm trying to push him onto a bike early (which I am), he's really big for his age - his knees hit the handlebars on all the tricycles we could find. So we took him down to BikeSource in Clintonville, our LBS, to "try on" some bikes.
The fellow working there, whose name escapes me, helped us find one that fit him nicely. When he pulled it out, we thought "Good Lord, that thing is WAY too big!" But when Duncan sat on it, we saw that it was just about perfect. They ordered a new one for him that would fit him perfectly, and the seat is all the way to the bottom of the stem which means plenty of growing room. They really did a great job of fitting him.
The bike is a Specialized Hotrock, and it looks cool and seems to ride nicely. Duncan's having a little trouble with the mechanics of riding - he holds his foot down on the pedals at the nadir of the rotation and therefore he doesn't go too far... but he'll get it. He loves riding it, as you can see from the picture, and he's excited to try it more!
People, not speed.
"Get them when they are young and they will follow you forever".
ReplyDeleteAmen, brother. It's working for soccer and it'll work for bikes, too!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I thought my daughter was big for three, but that bike looks quite a bit bigger than hers.
ReplyDeleteYou might consider removing the pedals and training wheels to teach him how to ride if that's the goal. I understand it allows kids to learn balance as it actually works for cyclists unlike how it works when they have training wheels attached. That's what I'm planning to try with mine.
I've heard that, too. I know some folks who won't even try to put training wheels on a bike - they start them on a ride-behind trailer to get the feeling of using your body to turn, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to work with him more on how to use the pedals, though - we're at that point in the game, really. He doesn't get the idea of pushing down and releasing with one foot and doing the opposite with the other foot yet. Turning can come later. Or, I may just raise the training wheels to allow him to lean into turns more. I think that'll afford him the same experience with some degree of safety.
He's only three after all... and just as likely to hop down off the bike to check out a cool rock. :)
Awesome - tell Duncan that's the coolest new bike we've ever seen!
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