Teaching kids to ride: losing the training wheels

As a dad and bike enthusiast, my kids were highly motivated (mostly by me) to move to the next level of bicycling, graduating early from training wheels (5 and not quite 4). There are a few sources that suggest one or another method, but I have now successfully shed training wheels from 4 or 5 kids’ (fortunately not all mine) bikes with a minimum of fear and skinned knees. I hear the question from time to time, and Santa is on his way pretty soon, so I thought more might be interested in this little how-to on going from training wheels to two wheels.

Step one, wobble your training wheels:
Once your child gets some comfort riding with training wheels, move them up so there is a little wobble back and forth, then maybe a little more. Wait another few days and then you will be ready for the no training wheels try.

Next, push and glide:
First, take the training wheels and pedals off your child’s bike. Lower the seat so they can comfortably put their feet on the ground while sitting on the seat. Give them a few minutes to push the bike around with their feet. Tell them to pick up speed and then pick up their feet and glide. Once they can push and glide for 5 seconds or so, you’re ready to put the pedals back.

Third, add pedals:
Reinstall the pedals and with the seat still low, hold the back of their seat and give them a solid, single push (no need to run) and make sure they know to start pedaling. With the low seat, they will be ready to put a foot down if needed. Now they are on two wheels!

The final step: self starting. Once your child has made a few passes with a quick push from you, they may be ready to try to start on their own. It’s second nature to you, but no so for them. Tell them to put one “power pedal up” in the 1-2 o’clock position, kick with the other foot and start pedaling, or for an easy way for them to remember: “Power pedal up, one kick and go!”

Some final notes. Some advise the push bike (a bike without cranks, pedals, etc) a marketer’s invention to speed the transition from tricycle to bicycle. I agree with the late great Sheldon Brown (whose more detailed article on this subject is available at the Harris Cyclery website here) that the push bike (like-a-bike, others) is a dead end in that once kids know how to glide, they are ready for pedals again, so you might as well just take the pedals off a fully functional bike so you will be ready for that time.

Also, you are probably aware that kids under 16 are required by Georgia law to wear helmets. Please be sure your kids put a lid on. Happy cycling!

Jingle Bell Ride in Jekyll

Holidays are on the way. Kick yours off to a fun start down in Jekyll with the Jingle Bell Ride, organized by our Glynn County friends with the Coastal Georgia Greenway:

What better way to experience Jekyll Island’s Christmas celebration than to be cruising through the historic neighborhoods on your own “clean green machine,” namely, your bicycle. No combustible engines. No rolled up windows, isolating you from experiencing the celebration of the season. No, just you, your family, and your closest friends, pedaling peacefully through our colorful history, illuminated with the brilliant colors of the season.

The Jingle Bell Ride, scheduled for Saturday, November 28th at 9:30am, is an eighteen mile, casual, family friendly ride around Jekyll Island. The one to three hour ride will be held in conjunction with the Jekyll Island Christmas Tree lighting Festival. The festival includes a tree-lighting in front of the historic Jekyll island club hotel, holiday crafts, family fun, delicious food, and outstanding Christmas decorations.

The ride is being held to offer a fun family activity, and to promote not only Jekyll Island, but also the Coastal Georgia Greenway, which when complete, will offer pedalers and hikers in Georgia paved paths from south in St. Marys north to Savannah, ultimately part of the East Coast Greenway connecting 3000 miles between Maine and Key West.

Online preregistration is available here!

Horizon: Wheelie weekend, Wheelmen banquet, Ben Sollee

First, campaigners, a reminder on your weekend plans — the Jerry Jaycox Fort Pulaski Wheelie begins from the picnic area at Fort Pulaski Sunday 11/15 at 2pm, cookout to follow.  Great scenery, great weather, great fun!  Bring a dish and BYOB.

Next, the following weekend, Saturday Nov 21, the fastest folks on two wheels here in SAV, the Savannah Wheelmen, will hold their annual banquet.  Not just for racers, all bike lovers are welcome to join in the fun:

The banquet is open to all cyclists and cycling fans – you don’t have to be a Wheelman to attend.  Please join us for some good food at a great location with good friends.

This year our guest speaker is Savannah’s own Ken Laidlaw.  Ken won the Tour of Scotland in 1957.  He competed in the 1960 Olympics.  During the 1961 Tour de France, after an attack on the final climb of the 19th stage, Ken was named most aggressive rider for the stage.

What: Savannah Wheelmen Banquet
When: November 21st at 6:00 PM
Where: DeSoto Hilton Hotel – Harbor View room on the 14th floor (great view)

Finally, and this is really exciting for fans of music and bikes.  Ben Sollee, a renowned cellist and singer-songwriter is taking his act on the road down the coast and is coming to play Savannah on Thursday, Dec 10.  Ben was here as part of the Sparrow Quartet (Bela Fleck, Abigail Washburn) during the 2008 Savannah Music Festival.

Before you say, “Wait, since when was this organization about music,” what’s amazing is that Ben is bringing this show from Louisville, Kentucky down the coast on bikes.  More to come on this show, but I must say we’re pretty excited.  Look for an announcement of our plans for his visit next week.

Jerry Jaycox Fort Pulaski Wheelie

Campaigners —

In memory of our friend Jerry Jaycox, SBC will lead a guided bicycle tour of the McQueen’s Island Rail Trail, Cockspur Island and the dikes surrounding Ft Pulaski, so be sure to bring a bike with fat tires. Jerry was a force to be reckoned with, and this was his favorite Wheelie, so of course we named it for him.
Jaycox Pulaski Wheelie

We’ll start and finish at the Fort Pulaski picnic pavilions. Fort Pulaski has generously offered free entrance to Wheelie participants — just let them know at the gate you have come for the ride! This is a unique opportunity to experience the fort’s history from a new perspective. The ride is approximately 10 miles, though there are opportunities to make it shorter (2 or 6 mile options). It’s a really fun ride, and as always, kids are welcome. Please plan to stick around after for the cookout in Fort Pulaski’s picnic area—burgers and dogs will be provided. Please bring a dish to share and BYOB. The more the merrier!

Trailblazing from Tybee

We hope everyone had as much fun riding as we did putting on the ride today. Some good press from WTOC, and some photos on SMN Spotted in addition to our own in this slideshow…

Thanks again to the City of Tybee, in particular City Manager Diane Schleicher, Mayor Jason Buelterman, and City Councilman Paul Wolff for their help in organizing the ride, Fat Tire Bikes for bringing bikes back to Tybee, Savannah Outriders for sponsoring the rest stop, and All Points Cafe for the coffee at the start!

We should also relate an interesting story from the ride: the mayor got two flat tires while on the Tybee section of the ride. Running back to his house to borrow another bike, he fell behind and lost the escort. He pressed on and faced the hair raising danger of the Lazaretto Creek Bridge without the cocoon of safety the police provided all of the other riders. How is that for raising awareness?

We raised a small amount of money today for the Coastal Georgia Greenway’s efforts to build trails in coastal Georgia. If you believe strongly in the call for safety and economic development that bringing a trail connecting Savannah with Tybee would provide, please support their mission and consider becoming a member.

Tybee, East Coast Greenway, 2W2W and Geekend

Get on your bikes and ride!

It’s a huge weekend for the bike people. Starting bright and early tomorrow, Friday Nov 6 (did you forget?) is 2Wheels 2Work — join us at the Habersham Village start at 7:30am, at the Johnson Square finish or anywhere along the route (mostly Habersham and Lincoln) for the monthly commute with Jittery Joe’s coffee and some yummy breakfast treats.

Then, Saturday night join the geeks at Geekend Block Party at SEED Eco Lounge at Montgomery and Broughton. Our own Minister of Foolishness, David Acuff, and his band of bike minions will be operating the bike powered blender to mix drinks for you. Your donations are, of course, welcome.

areg_blue_lgFinally, don’t miss out on the first Tybee-Savannah Trailblazers’ Ride Sunday morning at 9am.  Just a few spaces left until we reach our cap of 150 riders, so be sure to head on over to active.com and register now!  We’ll finish at Johnson Square for a celebration of the East Coast Greenway Alliance’s national meeting in Savannah, so catch us there if you miss the ride!

Ride your bike to work on Nov. 6

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The Savannah Bicycle Campaign’s 2 Wheels 2 Work commuting event returns on the first Friday in November. As usual, a group ride will leave the Habersham Village shopping center parking lot at 7:30 a.m., bound for Johnson Square. If this route corresponds with your normal commute, please join us. If not, make your own way to Johnson Square and enjoy free coffee from Jittery Joe’s, starting at 8 a.m.

The U.S. Census reports bicycle commuting is up 14 percent since 2007, 36 percent since 2005, and 43 percent since the 2000 Census. So get on your bike and get with the trend! If you’ve never commuted by bike before, check out this Web site for tips to get started.

Update: Picnic in the Park Wheelie

Did we say 3pm?  We meant 4pm this Sunday October 4 for the ride starting and finishing at Forsyth Park in advance of the judging for Picnic in the Park which begins at 5pm.  Remember that SBC members who come by the ride or the bike valet will get a free entry to the Dutch Utopia exhibit at the Telfair!  We’ll have also have some of Leopold’s new Dutch chocolate ice cream created for the exhibit to give out starting at around 5pm during our ride stop at the Jepson Center!

Bring your friends!  Bring your neighbors!  Bring your kids!  Bring a picnic, but by all means, bring your bike so we can park it for you at our bike valet, even if you don’t do the ride.  Our valet attendants will keep a close eye on your ride until the music is done.Dutch Wheelie

We have it up on facebook too, so this seems as good a time as any to suggest becoming our fan!

Take 2 Wheels 2 Work on 2 October

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Earlier this year, League of American Bicyclists President Andy Clarke testified before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming of the U.S. Congress and presented this compelling fact, gleaned from the Department of Transportation’s National Household Travel Survey:

“In our metropolitan areas, more than 40 percent of all trips are two miles or less – a very manageable bike ride – and more than one-quarter are just one mile or less.”

How many such trips are made in Savannah every day? Thousands? Easily. Tens of thousands? Probably. And, with Savannah’s flat terrain and the coming cooler weather, what counts as “a very manageable bike ride” is surely more than two miles. Imagine the positive impact on our community if more of these trips — including commutes — could be made by bicycle instead of by car!

On Oct. 2, Savannahians don’t have to settle for imagining this scenario, they can be a part of it. The SBC’s monthly 2 Wheels 2 Work commuting convoy will depart from Habersham Village Shopping Center at 7:30 a.m., bound for SCAD’s Ex Libris bookstore, where bicycle commuters will enjoy free coffee courtesy of Jittery Joe’s. As always, helmets are strongly encouraged. In the event of heavy rain, the ride will be rescheduled for Oct. 9.