Tips for encouraging our kids

[Doseone]

Seeing the picture of Maggot's 9 and 11 year old in the "Show us your kid's bikes" thread has just made me feel a bit jealous. I would love to do be able to do that with our kids.

My 11 year old daughter is quite good, she had a new bike for christmas (Trek 3500 in a 13" frame). She will come for a ride with me, on or off road, but stamina is a problem and she suffers on hills.

My 9 year old son is really sporty, I thought he'd love cycling, but he just does not want to know. He can ride, although isn't confident, which is a bit of a vicious circle - because he's not confident he doesn't want to ride, but he won't get more confident unless he rides.

Any ideas for tips, tricks or bribery gratefully received. Mrs Doseone is a good cyclist and we'd love to go for family days out on the bikes.

 

[ColinJ]

How about "Ride your bikes, kids, or I'll get my good friend Mark Zuckerberg to shut down Facebook!"

 

[atbman]

they may be a bit out of your way, but try http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/clubfinder and check Wales as home country and region and go-Ride club as club. This should bring up about 6 clubs including Newport Youth Velo cycling club. As Go-Ride clubs they are dedicated to providing good quality coaching and riding experiences for youngster.

Alternatively, you could pop up to us in Bradford, Yorks., every Saturday

 

[qwiksilver]

find a good adventure playground or somthing similar and ride to it but dont tell them where they are going pack a picnic etc or eat out while your there, thats how we got our kids into it now they ride for 20+ miles to get to somewhere we tell them theres something good at the end then ride the 20+ bk usually its me n Mrs Q who need the rest when we get bk as the ride is easy but keeping up with them running round places when we are there takes it out of ya

 

[lukesdad]

Not very flat round Brecon, what sort of places are you taking them to ride ?

 

[Doseone]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

they may be a bit out of your way, but try http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/clubfinder and check Wales as home country and region and go-Ride club as club. This should bring up about 6 clubs including Newport Youth Velo cycling club. As Go-Ride clubs they are dedicated to providing good quality coaching and riding experiences for youngster.

Alternatively, you could pop up to us in Bradford, Yorks., every Saturday

I liked the sound of that and ran the search, but unfortunately nothing within an hour of here

Not very flat round Brecon, what sort of places are you taking them to ride ?

No it isn't, but we try and pick places that are as flat as possible for the kids. The Mynydd Illtydd is a favourite (where the Mountain Centre is) - it's actually surprisingly flat around there.

 

[Luv Handles]

We do cycle training and the kiddies love it. It can be harder to learn from parents, but when they do it with other kids, they naturally want to show their skills and participate. Confidence with cycling comes with time and if they are shown the right skills - its easy as pie.

 

[Shaun]

[QUOTE 1749903, member: 45"]With respect, this is a forum, not a place to spam with free advertising for your business. That's naughty.[/quote]

I've explained that in a PM to Luv Handles so hopefully they are now clear on our policy.

 

[Luv Handles]

Oh sorry, we have changed our emails and did not receive that, so I do apologize. I will pull all correspondence if that's the case. I thought the transparency of my notes was not cheeky but rather clear and informative. In the end of the day, it's tried and tested. SPAM ?? Hardly, its information that was though out and carefully answered, based on the question at hand.

Its amazing that there are so many people disguising themselves, and here we are being honest...and get called naughty ?

 

[Shaun]

Luv Handles - all of your posts this evening have included links back to your business. Read the PM I sent you (Inbox at the top right) or read the site Terms (bottom right) and you'll see we don't allow advertising.

You are more than welcome to participate in the site and may even include a link to your business in your signature but your intent so far seems to be seeding our site with links back to your cycling business. You're not the first and won't be the last to do this but now you're aware of how we operate you can hopefully participate in an informed way and within the guidelines that others follow.

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[Doseone]

[QUOTE 1744189, member: 45"]Have they got any friends who cycle? I took ours out with 4 of their friends a few weeks ago and had none of the complaints that are common with hills, tiredness etc. It's like when I'm riding, I go much further without noticing when I've got someone with me.[/quote]

Thank you, this has worked - daughter and her friend just gone off on their bikes

Just got to work on the boy now.

 

[MontyVeda]

stop his pocket money until the cost of the bike he's not interested in has been fully repaid.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Sell the car and move miles away from bus routes/school.

Tough love

 

[jonathanw]

definitely can be difficult

Our 8yr old twins have been cycling the 2.5 miles to school, and then back the same way (uphill), for 2 years, so we get few complaints these days.

At the weekend we use a combination of bribery and forewarning.

Bribery - 30mins exercise equals 1 star on the wall chart, 5 stars equals 1hour of time on the Wii (insert console of your choice, others are available). Stars get removed for bad behaviour too

Forewarning - often if we spring a bike ride on them, we get the whingeing and histrionics, but if they are warned on thursday and friday that there will be a family cycle on saturday and/or sunday, it happens smoothly more often than not.

Taking other wee pals on bike rides works too, as does cycling to the playpark etc etc

Just wear them down, you just need to have infinite patience

 

[Speedywheelsjeans]

Make cycling, fun, do some singletrack, encourage them to jump their bikes and go fast downhill. Taking your children 20 miles along a cycle track while you and the wife natter away together looking at the scenery is going to be slow and tedious for them, kids like adventure, ride to get somewhere interesting, follow unknown paths through woods to see where they go etc.

For me when I was a child I would be out on my BMX from sun up to sundown. We would build jumps from bricks and wooden planks off curbs onto landing ramps and try and jump it further and further each time. Or we would ride to the top of treacherous slopes and fly down them... the more excitement, danger and adventure you give them, the more interested they will be in it.