Children and Bicycles
In the months since we went into shutdown mode, I have been noticing a wide variety of bicyclists passing by my house. While I write this blog mostly for adults, I'm mindful that, as always, lots of children are out there too, starting with the crew who live right across the street from me. If you have children in your life, or just in your neighborhood, you may be wondering about advice for them. So this week's post is about children.
When you are towing a trailer, be aware of your wider turn radius, so that the trailer doesn't hop a curb or go over a grate or debris while turning. Riding in the street will provide a smoother ride than on the sidewalk. If you are worried about the visibility of a trailer, put a flag on it.
As the child becomes a toddler, you may wish to graduate to a child seat. You can purchase ones that mount either in front of you or behind you. This article summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Perhaps surprisingly, many bicycle educators are not keen on training wheels. The problem with training wheels is that they do not teach balance, as the child can come to depend on them too much. Thus, reliance on the training wheels can actually make the learning period longer than it could be, and make the child afraid to take them off. An alternative to training wheels on a regular bike is to make it into a balance bike by removing the pedals. This video shows how to do that.
The next challenge after balance is starting and stopping. If you live near to a parking lot with a slight incline, which is empty during off hours, the child can practice starting by coasting down a small paved hill to get up enough speed to put the feet on the pedals.
Of course make sure the child knows how the brake works, although they will take a while to get comfortable with it. Small child bikes will have a coaster brake, a.k.a. the "pedal backwards" brake. (More on brakes here.)
This article relates one instructor's experience with teaching kids to balance and steer, especially reluctant ones: Two Secrets Teach a Child How to Ride a Bike.
By the way, all this bike fit advice applies to everyone, adults as well as children.
While raising or lowering the seat can sometimes be enough adjustment, it isn't always. A simple way to judge fit it by looking at the rider's leg extension. At the bottom of the pedal stroke, the leg should be 80-90% extended, but not quite:
If the leg is more fully extended than this, there is a risk of muscle strain, as well as difficulty controlling the bike. So you might not want to call a too-large bike good enough for now because "they'll grow into it".
On the other hand, a bike that's too small can cause muscle fatigue over time, and will be uncomfortable and tiring for the kind of longer rides that older children and teens may want to take. You want to make sure that the knee remains below the waist at all times while pedaling, even at the top of the pedal stroke.
There can be much more to bike fit than just leg extension. This article goes into more detail.
On the other hand, quiet residential streets are also perfectly fine for the same supervised, low speed youngsters. Riding in the street instead of the sidewalk has the advantage of making you both more noticeable and relevant to car drivers. If the supervising person knows what they're doing, and the child is capable of controlling their bike moderately well and following the adult's directions, even moderate traffic streets can be okay.
In my opinion, the prevalence of teens and adults riding on sidewalks reflects a combination of the healthy concern for cars that our society instills in children, with the unfortunate fact that most people never receive any formal education about safe bicycling in traffic. So as adults, instead of seeing themselves bicycling as a valid part of traffic, with the same rules and the same rights on the same roads, they just revert back to the last thing they were told as kids, to stay on the sidewalk or otherwise "out of the way" of cars. It's understandable, but unfortunate, because it is disempowering.
This picture is from an article and video by CyclingSavvy instructor Gary Cziko, who is part of the family group shown here. In the article, Cziko relates the basic skills and knowledge needed by both children and their supervising adult to be successful at teaching children street skills. The best position for the adult is to the left of the child, called the "wingman" position in the graphic below. This allows the adult to easily supervise and communicate with the child, while maintaining vantage around corners and protecting them from passing traffic. This can be done on almost any street, starting with quiet residential streets. Begin by stressing the need to stay on the right half of the street, riding in a straight line. If there are parked cars, avoid getting close enough to be hit by an opening door, and leave the child plenty of room to do the same. Obviously, teach them to stop for stop signs and red lights, and obey other rules of the road.
How Young is Too Young?
Parents who are very into cycling themselves usually can't wait to get their babies on bikes, starting with a child trailer. Pediatricians caution that the baby needs to be old enough to hold their head up by themselves, while wearing a small helmet that fits them snugly. The baby must be strapped in.When you are towing a trailer, be aware of your wider turn radius, so that the trailer doesn't hop a curb or go over a grate or debris while turning. Riding in the street will provide a smoother ride than on the sidewalk. If you are worried about the visibility of a trailer, put a flag on it.
As the child becomes a toddler, you may wish to graduate to a child seat. You can purchase ones that mount either in front of you or behind you. This article summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Getting Them Started
There are a variety of things that will help kids get started biking. Balance is often the biggest hurdle, so a two-wheeled "balance bike" without pedals, or even a small scooter, can help the child to develop the required balance before adding the challenges of pedals and brakes. |
| A "balance bike" |
Perhaps surprisingly, many bicycle educators are not keen on training wheels. The problem with training wheels is that they do not teach balance, as the child can come to depend on them too much. Thus, reliance on the training wheels can actually make the learning period longer than it could be, and make the child afraid to take them off. An alternative to training wheels on a regular bike is to make it into a balance bike by removing the pedals. This video shows how to do that.
The next challenge after balance is starting and stopping. If you live near to a parking lot with a slight incline, which is empty during off hours, the child can practice starting by coasting down a small paved hill to get up enough speed to put the feet on the pedals.
Of course make sure the child knows how the brake works, although they will take a while to get comfortable with it. Small child bikes will have a coaster brake, a.k.a. the "pedal backwards" brake. (More on brakes here.)
This article relates one instructor's experience with teaching kids to balance and steer, especially reluctant ones: Two Secrets Teach a Child How to Ride a Bike.
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| A "tagalong" is another option for kids and adults to ride together |
Bike Fit
As children grow, sometimes rapidly, a challenge for parents is provide their child with a bike that fits. It can be tempting, and cheaper, to pass on a sibling's bike, or acquire one from a neighbor whose child has outgrown theirs. But it's important to consider the size, because a poorly fitting bike is going to make it harder for the child to learn, could be unsafe, and ultimately provide a less enjoyable experience.By the way, all this bike fit advice applies to everyone, adults as well as children.
While raising or lowering the seat can sometimes be enough adjustment, it isn't always. A simple way to judge fit it by looking at the rider's leg extension. At the bottom of the pedal stroke, the leg should be 80-90% extended, but not quite:
If the leg is more fully extended than this, there is a risk of muscle strain, as well as difficulty controlling the bike. So you might not want to call a too-large bike good enough for now because "they'll grow into it".
On the other hand, a bike that's too small can cause muscle fatigue over time, and will be uncomfortable and tiring for the kind of longer rides that older children and teens may want to take. You want to make sure that the knee remains below the waist at all times while pedaling, even at the top of the pedal stroke.
There can be much more to bike fit than just leg extension. This article goes into more detail.
Where Should Kids Ride?
Many parents are more comfortable having very small children ride on the sidewalk than in the street. They may even be more comfortable on the sidewalk themselves.The most important thing to realize about sidewalks is that great care must be taken at all driveways and intersections. It will be more of a problem the faster the bicyclist is going, which is why we do not recommend sidewalk riding for older kids, teens, and adults. Faster speeds also present more danger to pedestrians. But for very young children, who presumably will always have an adult with them anyway, sidewalk riding can be adequately safe at very low speed and close supervison.On the other hand, quiet residential streets are also perfectly fine for the same supervised, low speed youngsters. Riding in the street instead of the sidewalk has the advantage of making you both more noticeable and relevant to car drivers. If the supervising person knows what they're doing, and the child is capable of controlling their bike moderately well and following the adult's directions, even moderate traffic streets can be okay.
Teaching Kids to be Street Savvy
Riding in the street is also is a good start to teaching kids that bicycles can be a valid part of traffic, following the same rules. They can think of it as their first "drivers education" lesson. And, it will greatly expand their cycling horizons when they get older, since not every road has sidewalks or bike lanes, or ever will.In my opinion, the prevalence of teens and adults riding on sidewalks reflects a combination of the healthy concern for cars that our society instills in children, with the unfortunate fact that most people never receive any formal education about safe bicycling in traffic. So as adults, instead of seeing themselves bicycling as a valid part of traffic, with the same rules and the same rights on the same roads, they just revert back to the last thing they were told as kids, to stay on the sidewalk or otherwise "out of the way" of cars. It's understandable, but unfortunate, because it is disempowering.
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| Family cycling in Eugene, OR |
This picture is from an article and video by CyclingSavvy instructor Gary Cziko, who is part of the family group shown here. In the article, Cziko relates the basic skills and knowledge needed by both children and their supervising adult to be successful at teaching children street skills. The best position for the adult is to the left of the child, called the "wingman" position in the graphic below. This allows the adult to easily supervise and communicate with the child, while maintaining vantage around corners and protecting them from passing traffic. This can be done on almost any street, starting with quiet residential streets. Begin by stressing the need to stay on the right half of the street, riding in a straight line. If there are parked cars, avoid getting close enough to be hit by an opening door, and leave the child plenty of room to do the same. Obviously, teach them to stop for stop signs and red lights, and obey other rules of the road.
Helmets
Many states, including Maine, require helmets to be worn by children, typically under 16 years old. With less experience, a wider variety of handling skills, not always good judgment, and more likelihood of risky behavior like ramp jumping and tricks, a helmet can be literally a life-saver. You should purchase a helmet new, and make sure it is fitted well. It should sit level on the head, and the straps need to be firm.
Accurate and timely advice. Thanks!
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