Your child.. when did you let them ride on road?

[simon the viking]

As title really... I was definitely riding on the road by 10 (little V s age)... as I took cycling proficiency test at primary school.

But.... roads are a lot busier now and while he is confident in parks and paths I can't let go and let him on the roads

Bearing in mind I still see adults on reasonably decent bikes riding on the pavements...

This is all gearing up to cycle touring with him in a few years

 

[Milkfloat]

Mine started about 3 on our very local road. Progressing to 'collector roads' about 5. Only my daughter at 10 cycles on A roads, I don't trust my son (and drivers) with him at aged 6 yet. My daughter I will let ride solo, my son I am always behind him and slightly further out.

 

[Dan B]

Mine at 5 rides on quiet roads, but only with one or both parents to provide instruction and cover. He can negotiate an oncoming vehicle reasonably successfully, but has to have his attention drawn to it first, and is easily distractable. He's been riding since about Christmas.

I'd say it depends far more on the maturity of the child than their calendar age, but then again I just remembered how long bedtime took last night, so I guess I'd also say "maturity" is not a single-dimensional property either...

 

[hoopdriver]

The road past our house is narrow, busy, badly potholed and unfriendly and so that was a non-starter when they were very young. I go out quite early in the mornings for my rides - 4:30am - and since she was about 11 my youngest daughter would occasionally join me. She comes along quite regularly now, aged 14, and at these quiet times I am teaching her road craft.

Otherwise when they were little we would transport the bikes to the park or the seafront promenade (shared cycle path) for them to get stress-free and safe experience in riding.

 

[EasyPeez]

I'm just starting my daughter out on roads now, aged 9, but we're doing mainly cycle paths and just a bit of quiet country lane/housing estate roads here and there to get her used to being around cars. It'll be a good while yet 'til we're riding amongst 'proper traffic'.

I was definitely riding on roads at a younger age, but I started riding younger than she did (she only started 18 months ago) and there were fewer cars back then.

I don't think there is a right age to start riding on roads - it's all about the child's confidence and ability, how well designed your local road network is and what the traffic flow is like.

The frustrating thing for me is that where we live there are distinct cycle paths running towards the nearest big town and the nearest city, but you can't actually get to your destination following either, without joining busy roads. Seems daft that you have separated cycle paths along the quieter sections and then they merge onto the main roads when you get near to the town/city.

 

[simon the viking]

Thanks for replies I reckon I'll go with him on cycle paths for a while as he doesn't fall off but is still a bit wobbly for the roads....

Get him a bit more stable then see about a road bike for him

 

[mikeymustard]

Took my child out for a ride yesterday. He wobbled around quite a lot, nearly ride into a hawthorn hedge, and twice almost disastrously 'filtered' into oncoming traffic. Unfortunately he's 24!

I now have to tell him the trek hybrid he insisted I buy him makes him look like a girl. When I've plucked up the courage, he's a jujitsu black belt

 

[Crackle]

I can't recall where I read it all now but children perceive road dangers differently to adults and their capabilities change with age. So for instance, below 8 they have difficulty judging speed and below 14 difficulty judging intersections. There's other stuff like their peripheral vision not being fully developed until adulthood, seeing narrow roads as safer than wide roads etc.... So don't be in to much of a rush to send them off by themselves or be frustrated if they don't seem to be getting what you're telling them.

 

[Milkfloat]

I now have to tell him the trek hybrid he insisted I buy him makes him look like a girl. When I've plucked up the courage, he's a jujitsu black belt

My son rode around with these on for about 6 months, he inherited them from his big sister. I was actually saddened when he became aware about social norms and took them off. He still wore dresses for another year though.

 

[mikeymustard]

My son rode around with these on for about 6 months, he inherited them from his big sister. I was actually saddened when he became aware about social norms and took them off. He still wore dresses for another year though.

View attachment 365706

Ah, now that sounds more like my other son, he's just gone into town in nail varnish to match his girlfriend's.
He spent a large chunk of being four years old in a shell pink tutu.
but it is quite telling that my son on his hybrid looked considerably less butch than Louis Spence did in Tour de Celeb

 

[Milkfloat]

Ah, now that sounds more like my other son, he's just gone into town in nail varnish to match his girlfriend's.
He spent a large chunk of being four years old in a shell pink tutu.
but it is quite telling that my son on his hybrid looked considerably less butch than Louis Spence did in Tour de Celeb

Always a problem when he is 21 years old

 

[keithmac]

I was on the road at 10 (30 years ago), the due to the driving I've seen on my daily commute my 10 year old has a cat in hells chance unless I'm with him.

I tell him to ride on the path and always give way to pedestrians when he's out locally with his mates..

 

[growingvegetables]

... This is all gearing up to cycle touring with him in a few years

Just a thought? The cycle touring bit is possibly the easy way in?

I took a 12-year-old across the Pennines from Skipton to wild camp somewhere in the Forest of Bowland. Yeah, I know - that's the easy way. But coming home again, we went by Nelson and Widdup to Hebden Bridge . [We took the train Leeds-Skipton, and Hebden Bridge-Leeds.]

When he was 14, we rode 200 miles to Edinburgh - and he proved to be far and away the tougher, and immeasurably more resilient, cyclist between us two.

However ... would I have let him on the road in Leeds on his own at that time? Nope - except in the very quiet residential streets around his home. [Actually - would I let him on the road alone now, at 25? Not from choice, but some silly DVLA dogsbody has given him a driving licence - be warned .]​

I herded the gaggle of my kids (3-4 of 'em) cycle-camping - across the N York Moors; the Yorkshire Dales; Derby-to-Glossop-across-the-Pennines-to-bypass-Wakefield-and-back-to-Leeds; Alnmouth to Berwick; and all sorts of other shorter day-trips, in the sticks. The first trip? My youngest was 6, I think.

Bottom line - they learned SO much about enjoying the freedom of cycling for what it can be, about roadcraft, about reading traffic, and (damn it!) about repairing punctures on the road. Cycling on their own on city streets in Leeds (or for two of them, in Sheffield where they were students) ... came later?

Not a recommendation! Just how it turned out for us ... with no planning, beyond careful preparation and route-planning for the next challenge. And all four kids are still cycling, in their different ways .

 

[Arjimlad]

My daughter rides on the local quieter village roads with me behind her. She is 7 in October and confident/competent but I'd not be happy with her on the busier B-roads yet due to inattentive drivers. I can coach her on the smaller residential roads where drivers are normally going slower anyway.

She started out on a balance bike and is now on her brothers' 6-speed MTB which fits her very well. She has cycled 14 miles before with encouragement of an ice-cream stop and we hope to make that 20 miles soon.

 

[fatjel]

Can't recall when my daughter first rode on the road.
I know she'd cycle to her grandmas with me aged 6 ish (Carshalton to Redhill)
We had an epic ride across Denmark when she was 9
Sadly now aged 31 she has no love for bikes not helped by falling off my recumbent on Tuesday