Bike recommendation for 8yo Aspie wanting to lose training wheels
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Anonymous
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Does anyone have a bike recommendation for an 8yo boy who is desperate to lose his training wheels?
I am not a cyclist and don’t know if mountain bikes or street bikes or light/heavy are easier to learn on. We know we made a mistake when he was 6 and just learning by letting him keep his stabilizers because he was anxious. So this time we are going to remove the pedals and follow more of a balance bike process for his “big kid” bike. Unfortunately, there aren’t any classes/ programs near us where he could learn in a group. I was just going to take him to REI and beg for help. So any guidance is appreciated! |
Anonymous
| Go to the bike store in Silver Spring - Silver Cycles and ask for the owner. REI is useless. |
Anonymous
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I can shine bike camp gives good recommendations on their site:
https://icanshine.org/parents/ican-bike-parents/ |
Anonymous
| Thank you- we aren’t in DC anymore. I was hoping for a local i can shine program but it was cancelled. I will head there. |
Anonymous
| Lighter bikes are easier to learn on and generally more expensive. You want to get him a flat-footed bike. Go to a bike store, not Target. |
Anonymous
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Woom bikes
https://us.woombikes.com |
Anonymous
| We are working with an OT to learn bikeriding. |
Anonymous
Scroll down that page to the presentation. The first video is selecting a suitable bike. |
Anonymous
| We absolutely love our mobo triton (sorry I can’t seem to insert a link). It’s basically a recline. Ds feels super safe and it’s cool enough that other kids and adults love it. |
Anonymous
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Thanks for all of the recommendations! We went to a bike shop and the mechanic there was another Aspie who totally got my son. He made all of the same suggestions as the I Can Shine website so it was perfect.
They spent some time looking at bikes and my son found one he is really excited about. The mechanic fit it to him and was so kind and encouraging- it was amazing. He also has a colleague who could do 1 on 1 coaching in case I fail as a teacher. But he was already gliding around in straight lines last night, so I am really hopeful this could work. Our next option is a recumbent- so thanks for that Rex too! |
Anonymous
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Try using this technique ..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADkm4qkXAj8 Make sure his bike is in good mechanical order and that it fits him, since a too small or too large bike is a major hurdle to learning to ride, but other than that, no need to buy a special bike. |
Anonymous
| Yea OP! That’s great. No offense to the poster above but many of us have tried the techniques in the REI video, and everything else under the sun and they don’t work for our kids. So yes, sometimes a special bike is needed. |
Anonymous
| I would call the I can shine bike people and ask them what bike shop they were going to partner with. We did the program and really liked it. My kid could ride after finishing it. Initially I thought it sounded a bit scammy in that they do send you to a bike shop, in our case Takoma Park Bike Shop, to get fitted with their trained fitter. Our bike was about $200 but I don't remember the brand. The tires are a bit thicker than a cheapie kids bike. The bike is as much responsible for his success as the class. |
Anonymous
| So excited you found a great bike! Which bike shop did you end up going to? |
Anonymous
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We aren’t in DC anymore and I called the local bike shop and they sent me to REI because they had more kid bikes.
And a local church decided to sponsor an iCan Bike session next week and we got the last spot. So I am hopeful this might all work out. |