Make 9 year old learn to ride a bike?

[SherbettAnna]

So DS is 9 now and hasn’t had a bike since he was about 4-5 (with training wheels) and he had a balance bike aged about 4.

We don’t live somewhere where he can just ‘ride his bike’ in the garden or outside the home. A bike wouldn’t fit in my little car so we would be limited to walking to a nice area he could ride to (I would walk him) once per week at the weekend. Wouldn’t be able to ride to school.

He isn’t bothered about a bike.
(He swims/ plays football x2 per week so it’s not like he’s not active).

I don’t know if I should spend money on a bike so he can learn to ride it eventually by practicing every weekend - only as I think he should be able to ride a bike.

YABU- Don’t get him a bike.

YANBU- he is 9 he should be able to ride a bike GO AND BUY ONE

All opinions welcome thank you.

If you can walk to the nice area, cant you go after school as well? Is he being taken to school by car?

If he isnt bothered why make him?

It is a faff but worth doing, and you never know, he might end up really taking to it. Had similar w my 9yo, a bit on/off, but then I just did it: researched all the bikes, bought one (2nd hand from Decathlon) and despite tremendous initial resistance, my 9yo now asks to go cycling. And if it is too much hassle you can take a break and try again another time.

Leisure centres often do little teach them to ride a bike sessions for only a few pounds in the school holidays

It’s a useful but not essential skill. If you’re going to make him ride a bike, you should probably get yourself one too (if you don’t already have one) and ride it with him.

Second hand kids bikes are good value

Yes, he really should know how to ride a bike and it's worth spending time on like you would swimming. Will he do cycling proficiency at school? He won't be allowed to take part if he can't ride a bike.

It's not essential but it's quite handy when they're older. My 15 year old does a paper round every morning by bike and rides to the station to get the train to school. Also cycles to scouts/friend's house etc.

9 is late to learn but might find it easy. Don't get stabilisers they hinder not help.

At our school they do Bikeability (cycling proficiency) in year 6 but you need to know to ride. If all his mates do it he might feel a bit daft not knowing how.

Agree that it'd be good if you got a bike so you can go for proper bike rides once he learns. Riding round a playground is boring for a 9 year old. Once he's learnt to ride safely you can ride on the road together (assuming you don't live in a massive busy city).

Riding a bike is an essential life skill. Teach him while he’s still young , it’ll be harder for him to learn as he gets older. As others have said, is it something you could do together?

How is it an essential skill?

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.

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.

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

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?

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.

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.

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 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.

Learning to ride as an adult is horribly hard.

I agree. I’m astounded 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.

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 😂

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.

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.

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