Kids - How far do you cycle with yours?

[Legs]

We had our first family road ride yesterday, with 5-year-old Andrew on his Isla Cnoc, Mrs L on her bike, and Daniel (2) riding in my Hamax. We had to plan our route carefully so as not to take in any (even slight) inclines but made a loop of just under 3 miles.

 

[Sixmile]

A few weeks back my 6 y.o. daughter did her furthest ride of 18 miles. I had planned it so the first 4 or so were mostly downhill, the rest was flat. Afterwards we got the train back to where we'd started.

Next week we're hiring a Circe tandem for a few days so her record is there to be broken!

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

A few weeks back my 6 y.o. daughter did her furthest ride of 18 miles. I had planned it so the first 4 or so were mostly downhill, the rest was flat. Afterwards we got the train back to where we'd started.

Next week we're hiring a Circe tandem for a few days so her record is there to be broken!

That's fantastic! What bike does your daughter have? I'm asking mainly as I'm wondering about its weight.

I bet she enjoyed the train ride just as much as the bike ride.

 

[Sixmile]

That's fantastic! What bike does your daughter have? I'm asking mainly as I'm wondering about its weight.

I bet she enjoyed the train ride just as much as the bike ride.

She has a 2018 Carrera Saruna (the older models are heavier). It's not quite Islabike light, though not far off, but much lighter than the standard Apollo and lower end Carrera bikes.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

She has a 2018 Carrera Saruna (the older models are heavier). It's not quite Islabike light, though not far off, but much lighter than the standard Apollo and lower end Carrera bikes.

All Apollo bikes I've seen in Halfords are extremely heavy, as can be the lower end Carreras. My daughter's got a Frog 62 which is 300g heavier than an Islabike of the same size and she whizzes about on it. She started on a Indi Krypt (another Halford's special) which was extremely heavy plus she couldn't shift from 2nd to 1st gear as the difference between the two was huge - she wasn't strong enough to turn the grip shifter for that gear. We ditched the Indi, bought the Frog (second hand) and have never looked back. Weight can make a huge difference for kids. For my daughter, it meant she could cycle up hills where with the Indi, she couldn't. My only gripe with the Frog is that it has a longer wheelbase than the Islabike. But Frog's are cheaper than Islabikes. Swings and roundabouts.

 

[Sniper68]

Easter Saturday my son and I did a hilly 28miles with 2600ft of ascent.He struggled a bit on the last proper climb but this was due to the heat rather than the hills.We sat in the shade of a drystone wall for a while to cool down and he was fine for the last 8 undulating miles.
He's cycled in the heat in Provence without issues so not sure why it affected him so much.He had plenty of sunscreen on and wasn't burnt so I can only assume it was the humidity/lack of wind that took it's toll.He was out on his BMX a couple of hours after getting home

 

[Sixmile]

A few weeks back my 6 y.o. daughter did her furthest ride of 18 miles. I had planned it so the first 4 or so were mostly downhill, the rest was flat. Afterwards we got the train back to where we'd started.

Next week we're hiring a Circe tandem for a few days so her record is there to be broken!

...and broken it was! Day 1 she managed 45 miles, day 2 35 miles. It'll be a while since she beats that I'd say!

 

[youngoldbloke]

6 year old twin grandsons on their first proper ride on their new, geared, bikes - 13 miles.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

...and broken it was! Day 1 she managed 45 miles, day 2 35 miles. It'll be a while since she beats that I'd say!

View attachment 466335

Wow! They’ll sleep tonight after all that pedalling!

6 year old twin grandsons on their first proper ride on their new, geared, bikes - 13 miles.
View attachment 466337

Proper bikes! Enjoy your rides and I hope they get the hang of gears quickly.

 

[Andy in Germany]

This is a tough one for our family. Elder Son (17) is happy with ca. 100 when I can persuade him it's a better use of his time than Girlfriend or Computer. Middle Son (15) isn't so enthusiastic but I managed toget him out for 40-50 on occasion, while Younget Son (14) is okay with up about 40k.

As other parents have pointed out, other incentives help.

Beautiful Daughter (4) is fascinated with everything and she absolutely loves the Xtracycle becsause I can take her for 'Long bike rides' on it and find exciting things like Towers and Farmswithrabbits and Reallyhighbridges. I've taken a different approach with her and am encouraging her to see a bike as something for adventures, with help from YouTube videos about cycle tourists (especially female tourists) on cold wet days in the hope she gets the idea.

 

[BrumJim]

Just come back from the New Forest, where my 6 3/4 yr old son did 21 miles on roads and forest tracks on a BMX-style bike. And could have done a few more too, he reports. A gentle 5.5 mile/h average, with stops for lunch and tea, but he had a great time.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

Quick update.

When I started this thread in February 2018, the furthest my son and daughter had ridden was 8 miles.

On Sunday, they did 30 miles.

Practice makes perfect

 

[steven1988]

They're not doing bad @LeetleGreyCells