Skuut: Save your lower back

Here's a recommendation for all parents with kids at least 2 years old and ready to graduate from a tricycle to training wheels.

STOP and read this FIRST!

Having experienced the trials of teaching a 5 yr old to ride a bike sans training wheels a few years back, I can say with absolute authority that it SUCKS.

My daughter was hell-bent on learning to ride confidently the summer before Kindergarten.  We spent several agonizing hours together, with me running behind the teetering bike, arms outstretched to support her weight, while yelling a stream of encouragement.  The day was spent wobbling, falling, scraping, bandaging....and that doesn't even consider what my daughter went through.

I'll admit that on the fourth day, knowing that my lower back could not withstand another weekend of torture, I offered her $10 if she could ride down the street by herself.  I have to hand it to her, she is nothing, if not goal-driven and obviously money-motivated.  She spent the next couple of hours determined to do it alone, refusing any more help, while testing the resiliency and regenerative powers of her body.  Thank GOD for helmets and skateboard pads.

Anyway, all's well that ends well, and needless to say, I handed over the green just as sunset approached, pride swelling my heart.  Or was it just my blood pressure returning to normal, as the stress of watching my baby soar projectile-motion over the handlebars, finally dissipated? Either way, we both went to bed proud and satisfied, with the effort and subsequent success, of hurdling this latest milestone.

Flash forward a few years to my son.  I knew, unequivocally, that we had to do things differently, and not just for my own selfish reasons.  Yes, my back spasmed with the memory of that tormenting experience, but more importantly in this case, my son has no stamina for pain and suffering. He'd gladly suffer personal humiliation as the only 5th grader on training wheels rather than willingly risk skinned-knees.  For him, risk-aversion is where it's at, and that's that.

Burdened by this knowledge, I began my search early to find an alternative approach to the training-wheel dilemma.  What I discovered was brilliant and logical, yet oh-so-hard-to-find here in Seattle two years ago, despite being commonplace in Europe.  The Balance Bike.

As you can see above, the bike has no pedals, but rather, is propelled forward by pushing with your feet.  From a purely logical perspective, it makes sense that you would learn to balance first, which is the challenging aspect of riding a bike, then add on the pedaling after, which is easy. 

After searching high and low, I found the LIKEaBike at Tottini, that super-pricey, adorable kid-store across from REI downtown, and had our 3-yr old son try out the demo-bike in the store.  He was literally comfortable within a couple minutes, whizzing around between the aisles.  The $300 price tag did make me choke, but the owner of the store assured me that this was the type of heirloom-quality toy that would be passed down through the generations.  That's nice and all, but it was really that bike-training memory that haunted me enough to bite the bullet and throw down the credit card. We bought the demo-bike, cuz we all know how I feel about "assembly-required", and watched, in utter amazement, as our 3-yr old hurtled down the sidewalk in front of the store with his feet off the ground, balancing like an old pro.

He learned so quickly on this bike, actually, that he was ready for a 12" real bike almost immediately.  Yes, there was that 15 minutes of a steep learning curve the first day to adjust to pedaling instead of scooting, but my back was singing the praises of the balance bike when my son was off and biking around the park, without training wheels, in less than 30 minutes.  

I did learn one other lesson I can bestow upon anyone who wants to benefit from my experience. My son used the LIKEaBIKE all of 10 times, which brings the cost-per-use down to a gag-inducing $30 per hour.  Do I have any younger children to further justify this "investment"?  NO, (and that's a firm I'm-absolutely-NEVER-going-to-have-another-kid-EVER kind of NO).   Yes, I could probably send it back east to my cousin's daughter, but really, do I need to add on shipping to the whole experience? 

The solution was to get online and sell it.  Considering the little rubber hairs on the tires were still intact, the LIKEaBIKE was practically new and in stellar shape.  I advertised it for $200 and had a taker within an hour, cash in hand.  Wow.  Mind you, this was two years ago, and these balance bikes were hard to find.

So, my advice is to buy an inexpensive or used one and save yourself the regret of paying too much.  Today, there are TONS of options, from Costco, to Target, to any local bike store.  The one above was at REI, and it sells online for under $100.  Frankly, I still think that's too much unless you're Octo-Mom and can really get bang for your buck. 

Of course, the other option is to remove the pedals from any small bike, 10" or 12" is ideal.  I hear of parents doing this all the time, but of course, that would require tools and re-assembly, both absent from my repertoire.

Chiropractors all across America are cursing the Balance Bike as we speak.....