At first I tried to help her by running along side holding up the bike, but that wasn't working. She felt very tippy and that scared her. (Read that as she was screaming and crying at every little bump and wobble.)
So, I had a new idea and it worked like a charm. Here's my recipe for biking success.
1. Get a good bike. For Caitlin, this meant trading in the steel tube 60lb el cheapo bike from Toy'R'Us for a super-lightweight aluminum bike from a real bike store. Caitlin just couldn't pedal a bike that weighed more than she did. And, the nice folks at the local bike store (Race Pace Bikes) have a fantastic buy-back policy. When Caitlin out-grows that bike, we'll trade it in and our total cost will be less than what the steel tube bike cost.
2. Spend a little time with the training wheels. Caitlin spend one summer with training wheels and that taught her how to pedal, brake, and steer.
3. Here's my secret ingredient - when you take the training wheels off, don't pedal the bike: scoot. I lowered the seat so that Caitlin's feet could be firmly on the ground on each side. Then we found a nice level place to practice. She pushed off with her feet and just tried to keep the bike from tipping. Her feet were close to the ground and caught her from falling. Eventually, she really understood what it felt like to balance on two wheels.
4. Start to pedal.
5. And you're done!
Caitlin went from completely unable to balance to riding very confidently in five days.
She is so proud of herself and so are we!
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