Learning to ride – for adults and children.
Cycling UK has as great website with lots of useful videos and guides for adults and children who want to learn to ride for the first time, or take up cycling again after a gap, plus how to choose the right type and size of bike. Our Maidenhead Cycle Hub team in our Nicholson Centre shop can also help you find the right size bike and try some for size.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/advice/beginner-cycling
https://www.cyclinguk.org/teaching-adults
How to support a nervous cyclist to ride | Cycling UK
Once your child has their first bike the next step is to learn how to use it. Learning to ride can be fun for both you and your child. It is possible to teach a child to ride a bike in as little as 45 minutes; however, this will depend on your child’s confidence and their coordination.
Have a look at these videos from Cycling UK’ and Bike Club with lots of useful tips to help you.
Children’s Bike Stabilisers? – pros and cons.
Advantages
• Immediate Confidence: Stabilisers provide stability, allowing children to ride independently almost immediately. This can boost their confidence quickly.
• Ease of Use: Bikes with stabilisers are easier for young children to manage, as they do not have to focus on balancing while pedalling.
• Learning Curve: Children can start riding sooner, which is appealing for parents eager to get their kids cycling.
Disadvantages
• False Sense of Balance: Stabilisers can create a dependency, preventing children from developing the necessary balance skills needed for riding without them.
• Longer Transition to Two Wheels: Kids who learn with stabilisers may struggle more when transitioning to a two-wheeled bike, as they have not practiced balancing effectively.
• Limited Skill Development: Relying on stabilisers can hinder the development of coordination and control skills that are crucial for cycling.
Summary
While stabilisers can help children gain confidence and start riding sooner, they may also delay the development of essential balance skills, making the transition to riding without them more challenging.
We recommend starting younger kids on balance bikes or teaching older children to ignore pedals until they gain the balance skills.
We believe most children will develop confidence quicker this way and can be two wheel cycling faster.
Parents know their children, and can decide which route is best, but we have also seen even cautious children excel with the balance method.