Description

An admitted shoe geek waxes philosophical about running, triathlon, and life in general.
Comments welcome!


Thursday, March 31, 2016

Kids are amazing

Much has been written about how it is far easier for a child to adapt to riding a bicycle if they never have training wheels. I'm glad to say that my daughter is well into that curve on her first venture outdoors on her kick bike. Check the video below for just a short example of how daring she got within just a few minutes.



And for the record, "One more time," was actually about another 100 times.

This is actually her second kick bike (both Mjolnir Cycles creations). I made the first one with the saddle much lower, as she was only 15 months old at the time, and on the 35th percentile of height. That forced the rear wheel back, making the wheelbase long and the bike difficult to turn around. This one has a shortened wheelbase, much better for riding in the house and maneuvering around furniture and toys, and she's had it for about a month. She's just 2-1/2 now.

When I came home from work yesterday, my wife and daughter were out behind the house enjoying the sun. It didn't take long for her to find the slope to the asphalt slab and use it to gain speed, gliding with her feet in the air and steering to maintain balance. And most importantly, even when she fell a couple times, she just dusted her hands off and got right back on the bike to try again.

She favors "pretty" shoes and loves to wear tutus. But she is also very physical. 

We're betting she'll be looking to get into BMX racing soon -- in patent-leather bike shoes, pink helmet, and a racing tutu.