Getting the Girls on a bike

[Ridgeway]

Whilst i like tootling off on the bike by myself, there are times when i feel like i'm abandoning my tribe..... that and when we go camping it seems even worse to leave them all by the pool, lake or town. So over the years as the 4 girls have grown i have gradually managed to get them all into cycling to a lesser or greater degree:

No1 daughter has her Electra Cruiser
No2 daughter has recycled No1's mountain bike, it got a revamp last year which she enjoyed giving it some personal touches
No3 daughter has one of my old road bikes, a Scott Roadster that i've fettled with a shorter stem, lady saddle, and some more aggressive tyres as she takes it through every terrain you can think of
No4 daughter has my old Specialized hardtail mountain bike, again rebuilt this Winter to her liking

Then Mrs Ridgeway has her Cube Cross Hybrid (e-bike)

So over the last 2 years it may have cost me a small fortune in parts and upgrades on the bikes but at least we have managed to recycle 3 of them within the tribe.

No3 daughter (12yrs old) has taken to the road with the most enthusiasm and she really enjoys our trips around the lake and she's already a Café expert

One day i'll get a pic of us all on an outing, i usually take the Brompton on family rides, cleats a supermarkets are and bad mix as i've found

 

[icowden]

Congrats. I'm working on my (smaller) tribe. Eldest daughter is enjoying going for some longer rides. She's on a Raleigh Pioneer Trail Low Step. Furthest ride so far is 13.5 miles. Youngest daughter finds it all a bit tiring at the moment... !

 

[Ridgeway]

Yeah it's tough when they are on smaller wheeled bikes, the take off point for ours has certainly been that step up to adult sized bikes and then it all seems much easier and distances become possible. Was only 3yrs back when the we thought a 27km flat ride was an achievement, which it was with a 7yr old in tow, think i pushed her half the way back. Now she's 10 and can just squeeze onto a full size bike it's all a bit different and she's happy to try different routes, surfaces and reasonable distances although she still isn't too keen on hills (like her fat dad...). Whilst 2 of ours are on mountain bikes it does give them a harder rolling resistance and hence why No3 snapped up my old road bike, she's already claiming she's first in line for the Pinarello

 

[Sixmile]

This year my eldest girl is coming 8 and has chosen a Wiggins Road bike for her birthday. I'm all to aware of the change in feel going from a steady hybrid to a lighter, faster and twitchier road bike. I've concerns over how wee hands can adjust to drops and the change of gearing and braking especially, but i know that'll come with practice. My younger girl (just turned 6) is so much less inspired to cycle. She loves the cycle trips but hates putting in effort which means I'll be hanging onto the trailer for at least another summer!

 

[Ridgeway]

This year my eldest girl is coming 8 and has chosen a Wiggins Road bike for her birthday. I'm all to aware of the change in feel going from a steady hybrid to a lighter, faster and twitchier road bike. I've concerns over how wee hands can adjust to drops and the change of gearing and braking especially, but i know that'll come with practice. My younger girl (just turned 6) is so much less inspired to cycle. She loves the cycle trips but hates putting in effort which means I'll be hanging onto the trailer for at least another summer!

Yeah that was why i shorted the stem and rotated the bars a bit to make her feel a bit more comfy. We went out last Saturday afternoon, only 30km and she insisted on a cafe stop, i realise now that she has sussed it all out. I also take plenty of food for her on the way so they soon seem to run out of juice, she had about 10 dried apricots in that ride and was farting like a trooper later on A lady saddle was our next purchase (last year) and it seemed to go down well, it is a Liv but forgot exactly which one.

 

[atbman]

This year my eldest girl is coming 8 and has chosen a Wiggins Road bike for her birthday. I'm all to aware of the change in feel going from a steady hybrid to a lighter, faster and twitchier road bike. I've concerns over how wee hands can adjust to drops and the change of gearing and braking especially, but i know that'll come with practice. My younger girl (just turned 6) is so much less inspired to cycle. She loves the cycle trips but hates putting in effort which means I'll be hanging onto the trailer for at least another summer!

Our Saturday Bike Club has youngsters of your daughter's age on road bikes and doing road training (on closed circuit) after testing that they can cope with gear changes/braking/riding one handed round cones/taking and handing back bottles, etc. Our experience (21 years and counting) is that gear changing tends to only become more or less automatic around 10-12 years tho' there have been quite a few exceptions. If there are any Bikeability courses near you, she should qualify on age grounds next birthday.
Anyway, good luck and many happy rides with her.

 

[Ridgeway]

Managed to get No2 daughter out on a road bike (borrowed her sisters) and sh'e being quite enjoying it:

She's an avid Ice Skater so the Winter season will soon start and she was looking for something to keep her legs in shape, she also does a lot of freestyle in-line skating in the summer but wanted to try something different. So far she's coping well with 30-40km rides with up to 500m of climbing in there, she's certainly got the strength in her legs. Some how i think this is going to cost me.....