Has anyone tried one of those Strider toddler bikes - without pedals?

best toddler balance bike image

Rose Arizo

Wondering if it's a fad, or really is easier for toddlers to get the hang of.

Answer
We are planning on getting one for our 2 yr old...my brother in law is a bike mechanic and says that it teaches balance and most kids can even skip the training wheels.

Does all my center pieces have to match?

nomore

I will of corse make them match in a way. There are so many beautiful types I have been seeeing, and I could by color/material make them match. I really hate the same everything, on every table, but don't want to look off in anyway. I would spread everything out, so that it would balance. I guess i was thinking more of the visiual look to it all. Is it possible that i could do that. Or does it sound ....messy?

Answer
gosh no it doesn't sound messy! that actually sounds like fun! as you say you can colour match or material match them, but making each one different or at least several different ones would be very cool.
i would say go for it! ours were a tad different as we were married on the beach and used seashells and candles for centerpieces. so while the candles were all white square pillars the sea-shells were all very different. so each table was a bit unique - and it worked very very well.
friends of ours had a really cool idea, they had photos of themselves from the time they were babies to their rehearsal dinner. their centerpieces were pillar candles in hurricane holders, surrounded with four or five photos per table.
of course every table had different photos-some of him as a baby and her as a toddler, both of them learning to ride their bikes, or her as a cheerleader and him showing off a fish he had caught as a youngster. their halloween costumes, first car, the prom, that kind of thing.
so while having their cocktails people wandered about checking the photos all out - it was a great ice-breaker for the guests and kept everyone occupied for an additional thirty minutes or so prior to the bridal party arriving! everyone loved it!
your idea sounds good - go for it - and btw happy wedding

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How come I hear training wheels are bad for learning how to ride a bicycle?

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Pac 2.0

But I had training wheels, and I learned how to completely ride my bicycle in about 30-40minutes when I was 5 years old.

These same people come on yahoo answers and ask for advice teaching their children but many people say training wheels are bad (including the asker sometimes) and give a false sense of security and its better to lower the seat all the way so the feet touch the ground or something. It also may take them days to learn this way.

Answer
i think training wheel are a good way for a kid to learn the basics of riding and balance. but don't keep them on for years like some people, just a few weeks for them to get used to the bike

How do I install training wheels around a rear derailleur on a 20" bike?

StanleyLiv

Just purchased Wald training wheels for kids bike (16" to 26"). The right side has a gear derailleur on it, which extends further than the axle. I can't put the training wheel bar on the axle since I don't have clearance.

Can this axle be extended out farther somehow?

Answer
There are better ways to learn how to ride a bike. Remove the pedals and lower the saddle so they can flat foot on the ground and push them self around and learn to steer. Then try coasting down a small slop with the feet down and then lifting the feet. Next replace the pedals and gradually raise the saddle.

http://www.wikihow.com/Ride-a-Bicycle

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What is a good dirt bike for a little kid?

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Sami Rae

My son, Cayden is turning 3 on October 8th. Don't tell me he's too young to be riding dirt bikes. The kid has been riding dirt bikes and quads since my dad bought him a little ones on his first birthday. Right now Cayden is using my little brother's old dirt bike that he had when he was 3. I want to get him a brand new one but what is the best dirt bike?

Answer
DMR Transition dirt jumper is suitable for both amateurs and experienced riders. The great advantage of 26in Transition is its weight that encourages the riders to go for dirt jumping and you would not feel the weight when you are in full swing. Specifically designed drive-train of this jump bike gives great momentum and pushes the bike with good agility while airborne. No doubt, DMR Transition 26in is the right bike for dirt jumpers and street style riders.

How to transport a kids dirt bike?

Lisa S

We bought my grandson a dirt bike and I was wondering if anyone has ever tranported one on the back of the car on one of those platform things that you put in the trailer hitch?

Answer
The trailer hitch is the strongest type of on car transport. Ask this question in Cars & Transportation -- Motorcycles for more experienced answers -- this is actually the section for Bicycles.
Merry Christmas.

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How do you teach your kid to pedal riding toys?

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eaglewanna

We have bought our four year old son a toddler bike with training wheels but he refuses to pedal and only makes a half-heared attempt at it.

Answer
The wheels on most bikes turn when the wheels move. Just put his feet on the pedals and then push him around. He probably doesn't like having to work it himself. But if he sees how fun it can be, he'll probably get motivated and want you to stop pushing him so he can do it himself. Try it on the driveway where it's easier to pedal.

What should I buy my baby cousin for his 1st birthday?

DreamBelie

I was thinking diapers but is there anything you'd prefer? He likes to put things in his mouth btw... Also if I buy him clothes what kind of clothes? Onesey, shorts..ect? Its almost summer time but its cold here in Alabama.

Answer
Babies that age love the toys that they can push around. They also love the toy version of pots and pans. Go down the aisle at the store that has the toys for babies and look at the age recommendation on the labels. They will tell you if it is recommended for babies/toddlers that are 12-18 months. Babies also love the security blankets that have a stuffed animal attached and satin binding around the edges. If you want to get something fun, there are some low to the ground scooting riding toys like tractors or four wheeled scooting bikes.

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How do people get into street bike racing?

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I love emo

Not racing down the streets of the city, racing at stadiums like moto GP and stuff.

Answer
Here in Australia many of the guys start out racing mx and I do know someone who made the shift to road not that long ago. The reason for starting on mx bikes is that here you are not allowed to road race till you are 16 years old, so there is nothing for the kids prior to that.

Not everyone does it that way but many do. It is hard to get into due to the cost of the bikes and one race is going to set the rider back quite a bit unless they have support which is not all that readily available here in Australia.

what are my babys chances of living with Hypo-plastic left heart?

Kerri

im 26 weeks right now and my baby boy has hypo-plastic left heart syndrome. so i was just wondering what are his chances of survival, what are some of the complications after birth and when you get to take the baby home? also i was wondering are the surgeries actually legit. will he be able to be a normal kid? i'm very scared about all this. i know the is a very serious condition and sometimes fetal, but i need some advice and on these questions. i really don't wanna lose my baby i don't know what i would do.

Answer
Hi, I'm Rebecca, I'm 13 years old (14 in a week or so) and I was born with both complex hypoplastic left heart syndrome *and* total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. Your little boy *CAN* survive with HLHS and *CAN* be a normal kid. It is soooo *NOT* true when people say kids with HLHS will never run around or ride a bike or kick a football. As a group we're growing up, going to school, playing sports, going to uni, holding down jobs, getting married just like "heart healthy" people.

Your boy's chances of surviving now are higher than they have ever been. On average survival rates worldwide are around 60% but there are centres in the world with significantly higher numbers of HLHS kids making it to their 5th birthday (which is how survival rates are calculated), even as high as 90%. The toughest, most nerve racking, riskiest time is the few days after the first of the surgeries. As a general rule, HLHS babies who make it through their first surgery and immediate recovery period almost always seem to make it home.

Make sure you check out the survival rates of the hospital and surgeon though as they are *very*, *very* variable. Don't know where you are (In Australia, you want to go to the Kids Hospital in Melbourne; Auckland's good too; in the UK, have your baby treated at Birmingham Children's Hospital or one of the London centres (Gt Ormond Street, St Thomas' or the Royal Brompton). Don't know which are the best hospitals to go to in the US - make sure you take advice from other local HLHS parents before deciding rather than just going with the doctors' recommendation. Much though will depend on the extent of your son's HLHS and his overall health at birth.

when you get to take the baby home? If you live near enough to the hospital you should be able to take your baby home after his first surgery (done within the first couple of days of life); if you're too far away you may have to stay local to the hospital but should still be able to take him out of hospital either to parent accomodation or rented accomodation. You'll have to return to the hospital for his second surgery, usually done at around 4 - 6 months old. Providing he comes through his second operation, you'll get to take him home and not have to return to the hospital except for check ups until his third surgery, usually done when the child is aged 3 or 4 (i.e. prior to starting school). In the US it is usually done earlier though at around 2 years old.

i was wondering are the surgeries actually legit.
By the surgeries I presume you mean the 3 stage reconstructive surgery (Norwood, BCPS (or Glenn) and Fontan). Yes, they are legit. The first Fontan surgery was carried out on babies in something like 1972 - it's a surgery that's been done on heart kids for a looong time anyway. The first Norwood operation was done in 1982. It used to be done as one surgery but is now divided up as babies do better that way. My point anyway these are long standing surgeries that have been used successfully on heart kids all over the world for many, many years.

will he be able to be a normal kid?
See above

i'm very scared about all this.
Of course you are.

You and your son do have one big advantage though; he's been diagnosed before birth and so will be setting out on his surgeries etc in the best possible condition. The cardiac team will be expecting him, he can be transferred immediately to either CICU or the Children's heart ward (depending on his condition and local policy), he can be started on the prostaglandins at birth to stop any of the pre-birth holes in his heart from closing. He won't be arriving as an emergency already in cardiogenic shock and/or total circulatory collapse as can happen when HLHS isn't diagnosed until the baby is already several days old.

i know the is a very serious condition and sometimes fetal (sic), but i need some advice and on these questions.
You need to start making contact with other HLHS families in your location. They'll be able to reassure you most of all. They can also tell you the best cardiologist, best cardiac surgeon etc in your region.

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What's the best bicycle for my kids to learn to ride without training wheels?

best kids bike to learn on image

Gina W

My husband says we should get a lighter weight bike for my daughter but I think that would be even more likely to fall over. Is there a brand of bike that has a low center of gravity or something similar that would make it easier to learn to ride? She's 6 and has a rather heavy "Cool Ride" by Dynacraft.

Answer
Your husband is right - a lighter bike would be easier to balance on: less weight = less work to balance. With a heavy bike she has to balance her weight plus the bike. Unfortunately though, they don't really make lightweight bikes for kids - they all seem to be horribly heavy.

A low center of gravity might help a bit, but you're not going to find a bike like that - all the weight goes into the structure, and anyway, the heaviest thing she's balancing is herself - the bike is only a minor part of the weight.

What you may want to do is get a 'balance bike'. These bikes train the child to balance - they have no pedals and the kid runs the bike along. The idea is to get the child to pick his/her feet up and start to learn to balance. After that, you can buy her a regular bike and she'll already have the balancing skill.

what is the biggest dirt bike they make without a clutch?

o.O

my brother is pretty young and he is interested in getting a new dirt bike because he is outgrowing he old one. and he dosent want to have to worry about having a clutch to deal with.

Answer
Not many.....the only ones really any more are kids bikes. Tell him to suck it up and learn to ride like the rest of us!

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How is it like living in Richmond Victoria or its surrounding suburbs?

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Q. We are moving to Australia in two months time. And all the feedback I am getting from friends and family who have gone there are positive so it is making us really excited.

But since they are family they might be a bit biased. So I would like to get strangers opinion.

How is living in Richmond or Melbourne?
What are things I have to beware off?
What should I be prepared for when we get there?

Answer
Richmond is an inner eastern suburb of Melbourne. It is walking distance to the city and is well serviced by trams and trains. Parking can be a hassle and traffic is bad, particularly at peak times. There are a lot of restaurents there, particularly Bridge Rd. and if you like Vietnamese, Victoria St. (it is a 'little Vietnam'). The shopping is very good there (both boutiques and factory outlets). There are a lot of pubs, some with live entertainment. You will be very close to the MCG, Rod Laver Arena and several other sporting/entertainment areas. Richmond is a pretty eclectic area as far as the people who live there and the types of housing. There are still are lot of old Victorian houses, lots of terrace houses, lots of apartments and some housing commission flats, so there is a mixture of well off people through to new refugees. It has become pretty fashionable for double income no kids people who like the closeness to the city/restaurents/entertainment in the last decade or so. It is quite expensive to buy into now. There is not too much to be aware of, maybe the odd low life/drug addict/alcoholic that hangs around any big city. If you intend working in the city I would suggest either walking (through the Fitzroy Gardens) or cycling along the bike track by the Yarra River.
Surrounding suburbs include Kew, South Yarra, East Melbourne and Hawthorn. They are all very nice - they tend to have bigger properties, leafier streets and no housing commission and maybe a bit quieter.

Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Why do people ride BMX bikes to get around instead of bikes that fit them?

JC

I see it all the time- an adult man who does not look athletic, might even have a gut, and certainly doesn't look like he's going to be grinding, jumping off of or over anything, or doing any tricks. They're obviously too tall for the bike, so why do they ride them? It doesn't look comfortable, and there's no way they can get anywhere very fast or far on them, not compared to a road, mountain, or hybrid bike.

Answer
Poor families will often their kids bike to get around, since they don't have enough money for a car, or to get themselves a more suitable bike, but they want to get their kids a bike, for transport to school and to their friends house, so they ride the kids bmx from here to there, sometimes.
No adult, who is looking for a mode of transport, will buy a bmx to get around, over a mountain bike, unless they intend on using it for trick-riding purposes.

I am 32 yrs old, and 6'0. I own 4 bmx's, 1 mountain bike, and a '67 Mustang Fastback. I am also the current National Champion Amateur Flatland BMX Champion for 2009, in Australia, so I can do things on a bike that 99% of kids in the country cannot. It's a skill and ability that takes years to master, requires a lot of discipline and dedication... attributes that most young kids do not possess... which is why the age-range of BMX Flatland riders in Australia is between 22-40.

In other words, a BMX is not a means of transport for some people... it's a piece of sporting equipment.

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Who is more likely to get thrown the farthest off a motorcycle, a heavier person or a lighter person?Lets say?

best bikes for hauling kids image

DC

all conditions are exactly the same for both riders,same speed same bike,same gender etc.only difference is one weighs more than the other.

Answer
A friends son who is a very big boy seems to bounce heaps better when he comes of the bike due to the extra padding that he has on his body. But there are way to many variables as with this boy on his bike the set up for the bike has to be way different as it is like hauling around an extra kid. My son is very light and he doesn't bounce very well and has had quite a number of injuries but his bike can sometimes be faster as he is not as heavy on it as some of the other riders.
All in all they can both get hurt if they stack bad enough

Are 50cc gas powered dirt bikes legal for kids aged 13?

William

I'm 13 years old, I've been thinking about getting a gas powered dirt bike for kids, there are trails about 40 blocks away from my house, I plan on riding there, doing a jumps, and riding back. Is it legal to do that?

Answer
XYZ is correct as are the others.
Your parent will have to haul the bikes the 40 blocks to the trails. You cannot operate this on the road. Illegal.
I will give you credit for asking before making the decision to spend money on a motorized toy.

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I would like to start bike riding to shed some baby weight what are the best bike trailer/bike combos?

best cargo bikes kids image

Yeah Momma

i need a bike and want to buy a bike trailer, what type of bike should be used?

Answer
- how much do you want to/can you spend?
- what kind of trailer - cargo or kid?
- how long and where do you want to ride (urban/country, flat/hilly/mountainous)?
- commuting or sports/training?
- what's your weight - and do you do any kind of sports?
- are you fixed on a bike/trailer combo, or would a (two or three wheeled) bakfiets be a practical alternative?

Unless you want to lay down at least 4k$/â¬, there's no sense in talking about 'best'. You can start thinking about 'good' (enough for everyday use) with 2k$/⬠and either the willingness to learn basic maintenance or a friendly LBS within reach.

As a short guide to what I'd consider best (I'll just throw in a few buzzwords, use google or come back here if you want to know more):
- steel frame, touring geometry, Rohloff dropouts
- Rohloff internal geared rear hub
- SON front hub generator
- Edelux front bike light, b&m rear light
- Magura hydraulic disc brakes
- disc brake rims, Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires in 26x2.00, DD stainless spokes
- Brooks leather saddle
- closed chain box, e.g. Hebie Chainglider

That'll cut down the yearly maintenance to the gear oil change and regular inspection (and occasional exchange) of brake pads and chain.

- Weber hitch
- brand trailer - for kids, Chariot or Croozer, for cargo, Roland or Carry Freedom

What are my best options for toting three kids around with my bike?

B

Is there a trailer for 3 kids? Would it be ok to have a "trail-a-bike" type option then connect a trailer to that? Or get a child seat plus the trailer? Kids are 4 mos, 2.5 yrs, and 5 yrs old.. The 5 yr old can ride a bike, but very slowly and not very far.. Thanks!

Answer
You have a few option, although I agree with those who mention 4 mos may be a little young for any kind of biking. The only way I would bike with infants is if I can either carry them very close to me, or if I can strap them into a reclined seat where they don't have to fully support their head while going over bumps etc.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bend,OR&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.460237,67.763672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bend,+Deschutes,+Oregon&ll=44.05157,-121.315155&spn=0.28771,0.529404&t=h&z=11 Front mounted seat.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FIH0EG?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwgalttechco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FIH0EG Top Bar Mounted

In Denmark they often ride with the youngest in a front basket or cargo bay laying down in blankets.

I've tried my kids in trailers at 9 mos and found it didn't work for me with any of them because I couldn't watch how they were doing and couldn't attend to their needs at all without stopping, dismounting etc. AND until over a year they didn't do well enough with head control. The trailers actually ride fairly jouncy and bumpy because the kids are sitting right on top of the wheels.

Moving on....

I have seen people do the tag along and the trailer, but for regular use it seems to long and unwieldy to me.

I'd go the cargo bike / long tail route: Madsen Cycles has a model that seats 4 with seat belts (takes the optional extra seat to get to 4 - standard is 2) http://www.madsencycles.com/
A review of cargo bikes: http://www.metaefficient.com/bicycles/longtail-bikes-a-review-and-buying-guide.html
And Riding triple on a long tail http://surfabike.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/mundo_bilby_side_m-preview1-jpg.jpeg

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Where can I get a fairly inexpensive bike trailer?

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Q. I really could use a bike trailer to transport my mellophone to and from football games, parades, ect. I really don't have all that much money to spend on it but, security isn't really a huge issue since I would not be carrying little kids or anything all that breakable. I also really don't care if the trailer is used or new.

Answer
Check on ebay or Craig's list for a used baby trailer.

Is there a bicycle rack that will carry kids bikes?

Myron

Mine only seems to carry the 10-speed type frames with the horizontal bar.

Answer
http://www.bikerackshops.com/grouphitchmountedtrayrack.html

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