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For my 6th birthday, Dad hauled up with a new 20" bike. It was a cream and crimson (with blue pinstripe trim) Bluegrass. I can still see him pulling in the driveway, bike resting on the running board, as he held it to the side# of his Chevy panel truck with his left arm. As he halted — I can still hear the soft crunch of the crushed stone in the driveway — he looked out the window with a yard wide grin on his face. I was ecstatic. Sadly, the bike was too big for me, and I struggled for months until winter to get shed of the training wheels, but to no avail. The next spring was no better. Like Charlie Brown though, I had a little red-headed neighbor across the street (she was born the day after I was), and she had a smaller bike, a 16 (or maybe a 12) incher. One day, when she had left it in the front of their house, I commandeered it and started to ride up and down the sidewalk on that side of the street, the only side with a walk. There was a low retaining wall, perhaps 6 or 8 inches high between the walk and the yard, and, at first, I steadied myself with my left foot on the wall. Inside of a minute or so, I found that I needed no such crutch and that I could balance myself just fine without it. I made several more passes becoming more confident, and with no small amount of astonishment that my ability to bike ride unassisted had sprung up, seemingly spontaneously — like Athena from Zeus’s forehead. And it worked when I tried it out on the Bluegrass too! So what was really needed was no so much practice as maturation.
(#) No, I don’t know why he didn’t put the bike in the back of the truck instead.
Watched my sister try to wean off training wheels. I opted to not have them put on. Mom spent less time teaching me to bike ride than my sister and brudders.
I remember when I was looking at my son’s training wheels after he had the bike a week and saw that neither training wheel touched the ground, I got the 15 mm wrench out, took them off and told him to ride. He got on and was gone lol
wfhite 2 days ago
He’s not quite ready yet (Let’s all join in saying “Duh”).
mountainclimber 2 days ago
I remember vividly my first ride without training wheels. We lived on a moderate hill. My dad pointed me downhill, gave me a push and away I went.
A# 466 2 days ago
For my 6th birthday, Dad hauled up with a new 20" bike. It was a cream and crimson (with blue pinstripe trim) Bluegrass. I can still see him pulling in the driveway, bike resting on the running board, as he held it to the side# of his Chevy panel truck with his left arm. As he halted — I can still hear the soft crunch of the crushed stone in the driveway — he looked out the window with a yard wide grin on his face. I was ecstatic. Sadly, the bike was too big for me, and I struggled for months until winter to get shed of the training wheels, but to no avail. The next spring was no better. Like Charlie Brown though, I had a little red-headed neighbor across the street (she was born the day after I was), and she had a smaller bike, a 16 (or maybe a 12) incher. One day, when she had left it in the front of their house, I commandeered it and started to ride up and down the sidewalk on that side of the street, the only side with a walk. There was a low retaining wall, perhaps 6 or 8 inches high between the walk and the yard, and, at first, I steadied myself with my left foot on the wall. Inside of a minute or so, I found that I needed no such crutch and that I could balance myself just fine without it. I made several more passes becoming more confident, and with no small amount of astonishment that my ability to bike ride unassisted had sprung up, seemingly spontaneously — like Athena from Zeus’s forehead. And it worked when I tried it out on the Bluegrass too! So what was really needed was no so much practice as maturation.
(#) No, I don’t know why he didn’t put the bike in the back of the truck instead.
wolfgang73 1 day ago
Six is a little old to be still using training wheels. Got my first bike at five, never had training wheels myself. Not saying they’re bad.
crazeekatlady 1 day ago
Watched my sister try to wean off training wheels. I opted to not have them put on. Mom spent less time teaching me to bike ride than my sister and brudders.
car2ner 1 day ago
my daughter crashed and fell the first time we took the wheels off. We waited a week and tried again, with great success.
MJ Premium Member 1 day ago
I well remember that day. I rode right into the ONLY big tree in the front yard. Direct hit!
cuzinron47 1 day ago
I guess the pep talk didn’t help when reality took over.
Smeagol 1 day ago
I remember when I was looking at my son’s training wheels after he had the bike a week and saw that neither training wheel touched the ground, I got the 15 mm wrench out, took them off and told him to ride. He got on and was gone lol