Cycling with a child.

[Sara_H]

I have an eight year old son, who up til now cycles in the park and on trails etc.

I'd like to start getting him used to cycling for transport.

I noticed our trip to his football training is nearly all shared paths, with only one very quiet road section - but one section where I will not allow him to cycle on the road.

Does anyone have any hints about introducing children to cycling commuting?

 

[rusky]

Does his school have any kind of cycle training? Or is there any offered locally?

 

[Sara_H]

Does his school have any kind of cycle training? Or is there any offered locally?

Not until he's 10 at school.

 

[jugglingphil]

Kids do develop differently, how is your son with roads in general? Do you allow him to cross roads on his own?

If I cycle on road with my kids (age 11 and 9) then I will always ride behind them and shout reassurance/instructions. I'm more comfortable about me 11 year olds cycling ability than the 9 year old but think it's perhaps more personality than age.

Can you get bikeability training outside of school?

 

[Hicky]

Go somewhere quiet and teach him road positioning how to act when approaching junctions, what to look out for etc.

At some point you'll have to take the plunge, I wasnt ready but in the ends he was as it turns out.

I take my 7y.o out but he started earlier on fairly quiet roads and canal paths so his bike control is fair for his age.

I always have him infront of me and cycle further into the lane than him to protect him and dominate the road a little....avoid junctions I think are too much and will dismount and walk past (on the path) and remount where safe.
I tend to talk him through the road and possible hazzards and try to shepard him when needed.

Its hard to know when to take the plunge but it has to be done sometime.

Good luck

 

[4F]

Go somewhere quiet and teach him road positioning how to act when approaching junctions, what to look out for etc.

At some point you'll have to take the plunge, I wasnt ready but in the ends he was as it turns out.

I take my 7y.o out but he started earlier on fairly quiet roads and canal paths so his bike control is fair for his age.

I always have him infront of me and cycle further into the lane than him to protect him and dominate the road a little....avoid junctions I think are too much and will dismount and walk past (on the path) and remount where safe.
I tend to talk him through the road and possible hazzards and try to shepard him when needed.

Its hard to know when to take the plunge but it has to be done sometime.

Good luck

Agreed, that is certainly a good starting point. Mine have all been on the road since they were 5 but then we have fairly quiet roads round here.

 

[ufkacbln]

I am an avid "pavements are for pedestrians" type, and cannot stand bikes or cars on the pavement.

However if the road is unsuitable and the child is behaving responsibly then I would have no problems suggesting an exception in this case.

 

[summerdays]

If you think your child is ready for the road, then do it on a quiet road at first - cycle behind them talking to them and telling them what to do as you approach any hazards/problems. My child has been riding the route to school on a daily basis for a few years now on the road (prior to that on the footpath) and he is 10 now. We chat as we go along - either general or me explaining bits such as the sun angle for approaching motorists etc ... sometimes I ride side by side (the road is narrow and parked along one side so there isn't enough room for anyone to pass unless we stop by the side or opposite a gap anyway, but if not I am behind so I can always see him. At a junction I come up beside him so that we can both see. He has now had cycle training at school but he had been cycling on the road long before he had that.

Mostly he knows what to do and is probably bored of my voice but he doesn't look behind enough yet, though does have good observational skills for all the stuff in front of him.

I don't mind bikes on pavements if rode responsibly, and especially when they are very young and therefore on very small bikes so that they aren't so visible on on the road. He was taught from the beginning that he was to give way to pedestrians and not to pass them quickly etc even when he was 4.

 

[subaqua]

what summerdays says.

my 9yr old has been riding on road with me since she was 7 i follow her and shout instructions to her for signalling road position etc. thats how we got using gears cracked. she is really good with hand signals now but i hope she doesn't start using " Whanquer" as a general phrase. ( it slipped out a few times when we got passed a little close)

 

[Arch]

I've ridden with forummer User10119 and her 9 year old, mostly on rural lanes, and she generally puts the Cub in front and calls out instructions and reminders all the time. He's quite an accomplished cyclist now, he's toured with her, but still needs the odd prompt to keep pedalling etc.

Practice on quiet roads is a very good idea, especially for indicating, learning how to stop quickly and so on.

 

[summerdays]

i hope she doesn't start using " Whanquer" as a general phrase. ( it slipped out a few times when we got passed a little close)

I must admit that my son doesn't like me shouting at motorists especially as some of them are parents!! Just occasionally he agrees with me that my shouting was justified. But it must be the only occasion that he sees me not being polite to strangers.

 

[leyton condor]

On quiet roads my 9 year old rides in front of me on the road, but on busier stretches she rides on the pavement with me beside her on the road. Strict instructions given to give way to pedestrians.

 

[Sara_H]

Thanks for the advice folks.

My main worry was about position - I've only ridden on 'roads' with him at Centerparcs before - with two adults one in front and one behind.

He does sometimes already ride on pavements (with me on foot) so knows about taking care around pedestrians etc.

I'm no expert cyclist myself - far from it. Reading posts about sun position etc is making me thing I should approach my local council with regard to having some cycle training myself as I never had any at school.

 

[david1701]

does anyone have any thoughts on persuading mothers that its ok

My whole family share a house and on days where my sister doesn't work she drives her little girl to school then just brings the car home (which is silly), the lane is a mile and a half of gentle descent then gentle climb home (and it is country lane the most traffic on it ever is the school run)

She has pretty poor bike skills (almost all confidence related) but when the car is around I'm going to take her up and down a few miles of shared path to get her confidence up.

But her mother is convinced that only lunatics cycle near roads because morons (like her) drive, any thoughts on persuading her otherwise?

 

[DrSquirrel]

You can't persuade them - if its your child's mother (the wife) the best thing to do is ignore them.

I have an eight year old son, who up til now cycles in the park and on trails etc.

I'd like to start getting him used to cycling for transport.

I noticed our trip to his football training is nearly all shared paths, with only one very quiet road section - but one section where I will not allow him to cycle on the road.

Does anyone have any hints about introducing children to cycling commuting?

Let him cycle on the road, sooner you do it - sooner he will become proficient.

You can always cycle behind him, slightly to his right at this point if it makes you feel better.