This tiny cyclist deserves to go viral!

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Enjoy...I think I have watched it at least 8 times. I want to squish him...so cute!

[Biciclista]

cute but he never rides his bike!

[Velocivixen]

That's cute. My "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters is 6 and just got a bike without training wheels and has a helmet. I told her mom I'd help her learn how to ride. Any suggestions????

Great video.

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cute but he never rides his bike!

I wish the video showed him riding. I assume that he successfully rode without training wheels just before that was filmed.

He cracks me up...he could be a coach, someday!

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That's cute. My "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters is 6 and just got a bike without training wheels and has a helmet. I told her mom I'd help her learn how to ride. Any suggestions????

Great video.

I don't recall what we did with DS. He had training wheels until he was 6, I think. He is very stubborn and refuses to do anything until he knows he will do it well. So he rode with the training wheels pretty much until he thought he could do it without falling. I think he had one fall, but after that was like a madman on the bike.

I've seen some things where you can run behind the bike and a handle attaches to the saddle, but I'm not sure this will work with all bikes. I've also seen bikes that have no pedals, so that a rider can first learn to balance just using their feet to get the bike moving.

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Yay, when I first saw this video yesterday it was at ~3k views. Overnight it's up to > 128k!

[Becky]

My "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters is 6 and just got a bike without training wheels and has a helmet. I told her mom I'd help her learn how to ride. Any suggestions????

When DH and I were working at the bike shop, we would help both kids and adults learn to ride (or at least become more steady). The thing that worked best with both groups was to lower the saddle until they could put feet on the ground while seated, and then have them practice "scooting" with their feet. As they got more confident and excited, they would pick up their feet and practice gliding. The gliding really helps tune the balance, something that training wheels don't necessarily do, and get a new rider ready to add pedaling into the mix.

At the shop, we didn't have the luxury of time, so the pedals stayed on. However, I recommend taking the pedals off entirely if you can- less interference when scooting and no temptation to pedal.

[limewave]

What a cute video! That kids excitement and enthusiasm is contagious!

I've heard that it also helps when you set them going down a small hill.

I did everything wrong when I taught DD. I tried doing some of these suggestions (like taking the pedals off, lowering seat, etc) but DD is so hard-headed. She knew our bikes had pedals and, therefore, her bike needed pedals too. She has a unique personality. She doesn't respond to encouragement and she fights us tooth-and-nail if we try showing her how to do something. I finally figured out the best way for DD to learn to ride a bike was to let her figure it out herself. I sat outside sipping lemonade while DD tried riding over and over and over again. If she asked for help, I gave it, otherwise I kept my mouth shut and my rear planted.

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I did everything wrong when I taught DD. I tried doing some of these suggestions (like taking the pedals off, lowering seat, etc) but DD is so hard-headed. She knew our bikes had pedals and, therefore, her bike needed pedals too. She has a unique personality. She doesn't respond to encouragement and she fights us tooth-and-nail if we try showing her how to do something. I finally figured out the best way for DD to learn to ride a bike was to let her figure it out herself. I sat outside sipping lemonade while DD tried riding over and over and over again. If she asked for help, I gave it, otherwise I kept my mouth shut and my rear planted.

I think just knowing a kid's personality, like that, and working within the bounds of that is key. We just plain never pushed our son to learn to ride a bike until HE pretty much taught himself. He is 10 and still refuses to learn to tie his shoes. We haven't fought him on this, either...because, heck, except for running shoes *I* never wear shoes with laces, either. Dane has 0 patience and loves the shoes with the elastic toggle device, like a lot of trail shoes and Keen sandals have. If we forced shoes with traditional laces on him I am pretty certain he would simply refuse to tie them and would end up tripping himself and breaking his face.

The stubborn is strong with that one.

[pll]

Of all places, the video was linked from an article about doping in the Tour de France in VeloNews... http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/...-podium_176880

<poor kid, that's one bad association>

[radacrider]

That's cute. My "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters is 6 and just got a bike without training wheels and has a helmet. I told her mom I'd help her learn how to ride. Any suggestions????

For my son, we talked about first being comfortable with balance, then worry about pedalling. We went to the school yard and they had a small berm and the grassy area was a long gentle slope from there.

I said he could leave his feet off the pedals (greater feeling of security) and just feel keeping balance. First run he coasted nearly 100 yds. 2 more times and he wanted to try pedalling. 1 pedalling on the grass and he wanted to try on the paved area. He's been riding ever since.

Part of that was explaining that the bike needs to go a certain speed so the wheels can help keep balance. Some time before that I had shown him how the bike wheel when spinning is like a gyroscope.

ETA: The large field also alleviated fear of dealing with stopping, the grass slowed the bike down, again, allowing him to focus on one thing at a time in a safe area.

Anyway, coasting on the field helped him to not worry about the hard pavement and made it more comfortable to go fast enough to feel what balancing on the bike feels like, separate from also having to learn to pedal.

[linzq]

Oh, I needed this video this morning, THANK YOU!

I have managed to freak myself out about riding my road bike outside, and I think this is the best encouragement I could get!

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Yay, 1,398,384 views...he's viral!

[TsPoet]

Yay, 1,398,384 views...he's viral!

Funny, I couldn't make it through the video. The shouting little brat was too annoying for me.
Guess there's a reason I don't have kids

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For once auto-tune is used for good...it has a good beat and I can dance to it.