Quote Originally Posted by withm View Post
Does her bike fit her? Wobbly steering could mean the bike is just too small for her.
I switched her this weekend from her old bike to my Townie because she had outgrown her old bike. At 5'4" she really needs an adult sized bike, and the Townie is infinitely adjustable while also giving her the ability to get her feet down to the ground quickly if she needs to (which she did, lots of times). I'm thinking, though, that she would do better with something less laid back. That's a comfy bike for flat paved trails, but is very hard to control going downhill and hard to push going uphill, and it's so big that you can't steer it easily. She's drawn to cruisers--she really likes the look and comfort of them--but overall I think she'd be better off with a good hybrid. But we don't have the money for a new bike just now (or used, for that matter) so we'll have to make do with what we've got.

There's a four mile stretch on the way home that is mostly uphill. I was so proud of her for making it most of the way on the bike--she had to get off and push only a couple of times. While sweating and straining on the uphill, she was inventing a solar-powered bicycle motor to make the hills easier without harming the environment.

I've looked into safe cycling classes in our area but can't find anything. I'll have to ask at my LBS--there has to be SOMETHING in this area, surely? With two major cities, a state government that's encouraging more cycling, and so many adult riders out on the roads that every weekend ride starts to feel like an organized event, you'd think someone would offer a basic safety skills class. But all I've found online are beginning racing skills, basic maintenance classes, and commuting classes at a community college for adults.

And now this has me thinking--the college where I work has a summer "kids on campus" program with week long half-day classes on all kinds of topics. We also have a motorcycle skills class with a safety course on campus in a big empty parking lot (lines to ride on, practicing turns and stops, etc.). We also have a branch of a big LBS across the street. I think this is the ideal place for a road cycling skills class aimed at middle schoolers. I might have to push for this idea for next year.

Sarah