Make 9 year old learn to ride a bike?

I can’t ride a bike. You’ve met one now. My abusive father tried to teach me how whilst verbally abusing me (he’d promise not to let go, he’d let go, I’d fall over, and then he’d scream at me for not “just peddling”). It made the whole experience so extremely unpleasant that I still can’t ride a bike. My ex couldn’t ride one (wasn’t essential to him), and my DH can’t ride one (AuDHD-related dyspraxia). So that’s three right there. My ex and DH have almost nothing in common except ADHD and lacking the ability to ride a bike.

Same here! I literally don't know anyone of my generation ( I am early 60s) who can't ride a bike. In these days when we are trying to be less reliant on cars and so many towns and cities are investing in cycle lanes surely it is even more relevant.

But Mumsnet is a funny place. People will be adamant that swimming is an essential life skill and yet be dismissive of cycling. How many people are likely to swim to work?

Yes, I bought a lovely one for my eight year old GS last autumn, so he could learn to ride. It was a little bit too big for him then, but it should be fine now, so hopefully he will learn now that spring is here.

I agree that riding a bike is an essential skill in life, like swimming, driving, being able to read analog clock, etc!

Could it be generational in that boomers are less likely to cycle than greatest generation, given greatest gen had less access to cars?

My gran and grandad were probably roughly the same generation as your mum and they cycled everywhere too. But my boomer mum never learned.

Your millennial stepdaughter being unable is an outlier. That honestly is incredibly unusual. Again I do accept regional variations may exist to some extent though.

Do not use stabilisers. The are a hindrance to learning a bike. And do more harm than good. You just cannot learn to cycle with stabilisers as you have to balance, and you can't do that on 4 wheels.

There are two things to cycling: balance and pedalling. Use a balance bike or a normal bike with pedals off. Learn to push and balance. Once balance is properly learnt (ie balancing for a long old while), introduce the pedalling.

I mean do you really think he will never in his life be in a situation where he might need or want to ride a bike? If you think this will even happen once just teach him now. He will learn in like two weeks at 7. Not so easy at 27.

It’s not generational. My mum rode her bike everywhere. It’s still in our garage because I couldn’t bear to part with it. My millennial stepdaughter can’t either and certainly doesn’t show any sign of being disadvantaged.

Get a cheap second hand one and go enough that he can do it, he doesnt sound very active and it gives him wider horizons. This is a great age to be trying all kinds of things and to spark interest, he's unlikely to have the same enthusiasm for trying new things that everyone else is already good at when he's high school age.

Totally agree. Rest of Europe are all avid ride bikes: France, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany….the list is endless. Really bad attitude from the Brits yet again. No wonder we are a nation of unfit, overweight couch potatoes.

OP, yes get him cycling. It’s important for many reasons: meetings mates in late primary- up to late secondary-age; being independent before learning to drive; sightseeing as a family or when he’s a young adult with mates (loads of bikes to hire in London and European cities). Maybe it’s not a life skill like swimming, but it’s a skill that is easy to learn as a child and gives way to numerous opportunities

Agree it could be generational. My mum is 75 and can’t ride a bike.

But learning to ride a bike is surely (now at least) one of the very most basic childhood rites of passage. Comments here are surprising.

It's not essential. We're about to sell DS7's bike from when he was 5 - he never did manage it without stabilisers and isn't bothered. He plays football and rugby and can swim.

From age 12 and being more independent I got a bus if I needed to go anywhere. If they weren't running it was because it was snowing on the Pennines so nobody was going anywhere!

We live in a town centre with nowhere to store adult bikes to go out with him. If DS had one I wouldn't want him out on our busy roads/one way system on his own anyway.

It’s just something that everyone can do. You wouldn’t want to risk your child being in a situation where their friends were going to ride bikes and they couldn’t. I’ve never met anyone who can’t ride a bike. Lots of adults cycle and it’s encouraged in work places even. Great for fitness and a skill you have for life. I’m really surprised at the comments 😂

I can’t think that I’ve ever met an adult who can’t ride a bike. Obviously varies depending on where you live but in my area bikes are just part of the culture and it’s an absolute given everyone can ride one.

So it’s not an essential skill as such but definitely an expected one. Like being able
to read an analogue clock or something.

Riding a bike can enrich your family life too as it gives you a ready made activity for nice weather weekends.

I think you and he might both feel a bit crap about it later on if you just don’t bother.

Learning to ride as an adult is horribly hard.

I agree. I’m astounded at the comments.

I’m actually staggered that people don’t think riding a bike is an essential life skill?

I’m staggered anyone thinks it is. How can it be essential when some people have never done it? I can walk 2km, actually I can walk 10. I don’t need to ride a bike.

All my boys can ride bikes, but none of them have ever used one for essential transport. They would walk/use public transport before learning to drive.
Useful skill, but not an essential life skill.

I’m a bit puzzled by the idea that cycling is an essential life skill. Swimming, yes, as you are likely to find yourself in the sea or a pool at some point in the Western world but lots of people would never choose to get on a bike. My eldest loved bush cycling on his mountain bike and would go off for hours as a teenager, I don’t think either of my other two could ride a bike now, it wasn’t something they liked to do. Ask your son if he wants to learn and be guided by that.

I’m actually staggered that people don’t think riding a bike is an essential life skill? How did you get around before you could drive? It’s so cheap and accessible. Need to go somewhere 2km away? Get on a bike. Buses aren’t running? Get on a bike. Traffic bad? Get on a bike. Can’t afford petrol today? Get on a bike.

perhaps it’s a generational thing - my mother also doesn’t cycle and she’s mid 70s. I’m late 30s and I don’t think I know a single person who doesn’t know how to ride a bike, and I’m hardly a cycle enthusiast.

Don't his mates have bikes?
On our street the lads his age 'call for each other' and go out on their bikes.

In year 5 and 6 a lot if schools do Bikeability and they have to be reasonable riders to fo level 1 and 2..
Would a bike still not fit in your car with back seats down and front wheel off?

Is it? I’ve never managed it and have managed to live a perfectly normal life for 72 years.

My daughter did classes called pedal project when she was about 9, and it really helped her build confidence with cycling, and I agree with previous posters, it really is a good skill to master when you’re young, and could give him independence when he’s older to travel alone.

He can learn later. I don't think it's an essential skill at all - how many adults cycle regularly in the UK? I never used a bike for actual transport when I lived there, even as a teenager. I don't agree it's hard to learn as you get older.

How is it an essential skill?