Riding a Bike

X-man has outgrown the Iron Man 16" bike we got him last year, and we know that riding a two-wheeler is coming down the pike. So we took him to Champaign Cycle to find him a bike that will be able to take the continual beatings of being put down when our child learns. When he first got his Iron Man bike, he fell off twice, and pieces of plastic snapped off and rolled away everywhere. 

X-man was excited about it at first. Then when we got there, he backed away from the bike with no training wheels. The shopkeeper was very nice to him, and took him over to a selection of bikes that were hooked up to a trainer (an item that lets you pedal a bike while it's standing without it falling over). X-man thought it was a rather cool invention. So he got on the 16" bike, and he was at the biggest size confirming that he'd grown. Then he mounted the 20" bike and was on the smallest setting of the 20" bike. The only way to go is up, right? 

What Champaign Cycle recommended doing was taking the pedals and the training wheels off of his Iron Man bike and letting him scoot around on it like a balance bike to get used to it. Then to start him off on trying to ride his big boy bike. I'm guessing that we'll be doing it in October, which is convenient, because the Savoy Recreation Center is having a "Learn to Ride Your Bike" session for children ages 5-10 from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1 on the Softball Field in Jones Park. The cost is $10 for Savoy residents and $13 for non-residents and you can register online. :-) (Non-Savoy Residents can register on August 16... residents can register now.) 

I figured this was a good thing to sign up for because 1) my child often rises to the occasion when we're not the ones showing him how to do something and 2) he'll see other kids having difficulties and falling and know that it's normal.

However, on the way out of the store, X-man wanted to get on the new bike pronto. So he rode around while MacTroll held onto the backseat. :-) That was encouraging for all of us. We also get 25 percent off the labor on fixing the bike here on out and a free check up/maintenance visit after 30 rides. MacTroll and I also picked up new helmets as ours from 1998 were getting ridiculous. :-)