Two-Wheelin'

Haven't had time to blog about it, but I really am thrilled that 2 of 2 threw off the shackles of training wheels last week started riding his bike the way God™, or at least Schwinn™, intended!

At 6½ years old, he was probably on the old side to have still been using training wheels, and his quick success without them tells me that he was definitely ready, from a balance and coordination point of view. So did we wait too long, or was this the right time? Is there any real value in falling over and over again while trying to learn to ride?

We did the same thing with 1 of 2, though he actually asked us to remove the training wheels. But they were both about the same age and both had similar immediate success.

So what was the technique? We took him to a local park where there was a short, moderate slope followed by a large flat area. He mounted the bike and put his feet on the pedals while I held the bike upright. I gave him a bit of a push and told him to steer and pedal, and he was off! Step 2 (of 2, of course), was to describe how to start from a standing position. It took a few tries, and is still the hardest part of riding, but he's on his way.

The only problem that has arisen due to 2 of 2's new mode of transport is that I spent a lot of time jogging beside him during those first several minutes. I'm not in the proper shape for that. My shins were killing me for several days afterwards.

So way to go, 2! Your triumph is now permanently recorded in the blogosphere.