Put me in the proud parent gang.

[Paul]

Louis (5 next month) started pedalling on Wednesday. My heart is full to bursting.

He's been ready for it for almost 12 months, but just wasn't keen to do it.

He'd had a balance bike from 2, and learned to balance on that.

Christmas 2009 he got a CNOC 14, but it was too big for him. Last summer he started to use it in earnest. I tried him with the pedals, but he just didn't want to, so I figured it was too soon, and took them off.

He took to the bigger bike beautifully, and got the hang of the brakes too, but just didn't want to try pedalling.

Then this year we got a trailabike. He got the hang of pedalling. But he remained adamant that he didn't want the pedals on his cnoc until he was 5 (I think the "not until I'm 5" thing came from a friend's daughter who started cycling at 5).

I thought I was okay with that, but it must have been bugging me - not least because I could see that he was getting to the point where he would soon be too big for the cnoc.

So on Wednesday I happened to be home from work early and, before he knew what was happening, I had fitted the pedals and sat him on the bike. With one push he was off and pedalling.

I knew he was ready.

He hasn't got the push off yet - he prefers to do a couple of scoots to get moving before planting his feet on the pedals, but that will come.

We've been out for a long, leisurely ride in the gorgeous autumn sunshine this morning; footpaths and quiet lanes.

Magical.

[Oscar's dad]

Nice one. If you know what's right for your kid just trust your instincts and do it.

[clarion]

*contented smile*

Another one started.

[welshwheels]

me too my son had suffered with asthma really bad when he was a baby slowly it has cleared and as I have encouraged his cycling he has gradually become stronger today he was absolutely bombing down some forest tracks and really trying to carry the speed and momentum to climb the small rises on the track ( note to self he was actually listening when I was teaching him how to carry speed ) well done Tom  http://www.flickr.com/photos/62357974@N02/6902830111/in/photostream/lightbox/

[Paul]

today he was absolutely bombing down some forest tracks and really trying to carry the speed and momentum to climb the small rises on the track

Fantastic! Tom looks very capable.

( note to self he was actually listening when I was teaching him how to carry speed ) well done Tom 

I'm quite sure they hear it all - what they choose to act on is a different thing.

[clarion]

  Excellent stuff.

[rogerzilla]

me too my son had suffered with asthma really bad when he was a baby slowly it has cleared and as I have encouraged his cycling he has gradually become stronger today he was absolutely bombing down some forest tracks and really trying to carry the speed and momentum to climb the small rises on the track ( note to self he was actually listening when I was teaching him how to carry speed ) well done Tom  http://www.flickr.com/photos/62357974@N02/6902830111/in/photostream/lightbox/

I was in A&E with asthma, then on serious steroids, when I was about  a year old, although it fairly quickly settled down to "exercise asthma".  I've always ridden bikes, albeit slowly because of the asthma.  When I was about 14 I changed GPs and the new one suggested I take salbutamol before exercise rather than when symptoms came on (when it doesn't work anyway since you can't breathe hard enough to get any in).  The next week I came second in school cross-country instead of last, where I'd been languishing for the previous 4 years.  By my 20s I could take the inhaler and then go out and ride for an indefinite length of time, since after about 20 minutes I broke through some sort of barrier and the asthma went away of its own accord.  This also happened without the inhaler, but the first 20 minutes were, of course, pretty awful.

By my mid 30s I could ride in warm weather without an inhaler.

By 40 I stopped using it altogether.  Last week I rode to work when it was -12 and bone dry.

The moral is: get a doctor who knows what he's talking about, and your son will probably grow out of it.

[welshwheels]

He has pretty much grown out of it he did start being chesty when we were renting a house that had a lot of dampness* but he has been fine for about 18 months now     





*we only stayed there for 2 months

[Paul]

And yesterday dylan did it too - on the same bike, but a year younger (at 3 and 10 months) than his big brother.

This neighbour on the close asked "First time without stabilisers?" to which Dylan replied "I never had stabilisers!".

It was Dylan's idea to put the pedals back on. I'd taken them off when he inherited the bike from Louis, and he'd been scooting around on it for almost 10 months. On Sunday he came back from the park with Louis and Mummy and - frustrated with always lagging behind L, asked me to put the pedals back on. I thought he might be a bit young, but found and fitted them yesterday pm. We went out onto the Close and all he needed from me was a little push. He cycled off like he'd been doing it for weeks.

He can't quite start from standing yet. he prefers a push but he can get going under his own steam with a few scoots first.

I can't tell you how wonderful it felt - watching him cycle under his own steam.

 

[matthew]

This neighbour on the close asked "First time without stabilisers?" to which Dylan replied "I never had stabilisers!".
 

    

[clarion]

Excellent!