Bike

At some point in their lives, all children ask for that special Christmas or birthday present: a new bike. From the first tricycle to the latest mountain bike, this will become one of their favourite possessions – and possibly one of the greatest headaches for most parents!

Most children start their cycling adventures with a tricycle and this teaches them the first steps in learning to ride. Indeed, many children learn to ride a tricycle even before they learn to walk. They can learn the valuable lessons of steering and pedalling, under supervision, in the safety of their own house or garden. As soon as they become more proficient they are eager to progress to small childrens bikes with training wheels or stabilisers.

Childrens bikes are usually measured by their wheel size, the smallest having 12 inch wheels. These can have detachable stabilisers until the child becomes secure enough to manage on the bike’s two wheels alone. By the age of two and a half to three years, a child is usually too old for a tricycle and ready for a 12 inch bike. He or she must then come to terms with a new skill: balance. Stabilisers will help with this, as will parental support, but practise, as always, is what will make perfection.

In order to determine the best sized childrens bikes for learners, one useful tip is to sit the child on the saddle with both feet flat on the ground. As long as the knees are slightly bent, the child will be able to use his or her legs to steady themselves without toppling over. However, it is important that the knees do not hit the handlebars when placed on the pedals as that would mean the bike is too small. Later on, when the child is confident, the feet need only just be able to touch the ground when the legs are extended. When seated in the saddle, the child’s hands need to be able to reach the handlebars comfortably.

The safest place for a child to learn to ride with limited supervision is a dedicated area in a park, a level yard or driveway, or a wide pavement area. Stabilisers will slow childrens bikes down, which can be an important safety factor – especially if the terrain is not flat. They will prevent the bike gathering too much speed and falling over. The dangers of speed, braking and cornering should be explained to the child and a cycling helmet should be worn at all times.

Brakes are a very important aspect of childrens bikes. Smaller bikes often have coaster brakes which are utilised by back-pedalling, because younger children’s hands are too small and weak to operate hand brakes. In older childrens bikes, handbrakes are standard. It is imperative to ensure that the breaks function properly and smoothly. Testing their power is a relatively straightforward exercise and should be done regularly.

Before stabilisers became as common and flexible as they are today, the traditional way to teach your child to cycle was by running along behind the child, holding onto the saddle. This was never the best way to teach a child about balance because it took away the child’s independence. Holding the child by the shoulders is a better way to help with balancing.

This may be exhausting for the poor parent but in no time at all, the child will be independent and begging for the stabilisers to be removed. And before they know it, parents will once again be browsing the web for new childrens bikes and digging deeper and deeper into their pockets each time.

No matter what other interests children have, their bikes are always important to them and childrens bikes nowadays have become accessories to those other interests. They almost make personal or fashion statements about the child. For football crazy boys, you can now buy bikes showing off their favourite team, such as Liverpool or Arsenal; while girl’s bikes come in every conceivable girlie colour combination, style and themed design!

Children may get carried away by the latest fashions in bikes, but it falls to parents to keep a vigilant eye on the safety aspects that most children would simply not think about. It goes without saying that childrens bikes need to be sturdy and a quick wheel to frame alignment check takes only a matter of seconds to perform to check that the wheel are properly centred in the frame. Chain guards are another important safety feature to prevent shoe or trainer laces or trouser legs from catching in the chain or wheels. The chain guard needs to leave enough room for the chain to move unhindered, without rubbing anywhere.

Another useful safety consideration is to buy childrens bikes from a local supplier. That way, if anything at all goes wrong, you – or your child – can take it along there and get expert advice in much the same way as you get advice from a reliable garage about your car. Replacement parts will be easier to find and servicing and any other repairs will be much simpler. Even if you do choose to buy from a department store or online, it’s worth checking your nearest bike shop and make contact with them, even if just to compare prices, get some advice or buy a few accessories. If anything goes wrong and, let’s face it, something will – however minor- your local bike shop is your insurance against weeks of fretting and waiting for a solution.

As mentioned before, childrens bikes do not come cheap, so it’s important to encourage children to take care of their possessions. Try to establish a regular cleaning routine to maintain the bike’s optimum performance. Just as the family car benefits from a regular clean and service, so do childrens bikes. Dirt, grime and grit slow performance and wear out parts faster. Keeping the chain clean and lubricated is one of the first steps in bike care. Brakes and all moving parts should be cleaned and lubricated with lightweight oil, especially designed for bikes, to keep them working smoothly.

Childrens bikes are status symbols for kids in much the same way as cars are for adults. Both cost dearly but, when chosen carefully and cared for properly, they will give long service and complete peace of mind for those most dear to us.