Is riding a bike an important life skill?

[Octagonchecker]

DD7 has a bike she rides with stabilisers. We don't get it out very often because it's locked in the shed at the bottom of the garden which is more hassle compared to the scooter which is in the hallway. And you have to walk quite far from our house before the ground is suitable to ride on and its cumbersome to carry or push if she decides she doesn't want to ride anymore.

She's getting too big for the bike so she'll need a new one soon. But I'm wondering whether there's any point? She's not that enthusiastic about riding her bike and me and DH don't have bikes so we'll never be going on family bike rides. If she had a new bike it would be so that we can teach her to ride without stabilisers. The school says it's a life skill and they like all children to learn to ride without stabilisers by year 5. I'm wondering whether it's actually important? Me and DH don't ride bikes and that's never been a problem. In the last few years my cousin and my MIL have both nearly died in bike accidents, both had a bleed on the brain despite wearing a helmet. I think cyclists are very vulnerable on roads. So tbh I wouldn't encourage DD to do her commute by bike in future anyway. Is there something I'm missing here which makes it a vital life skill?

Basic life skill, the mistake was putting stabilisers on , need to start with those ride on things with no pedals

I would not call it essential, but a valuable one to have. Saves embarrassment and good exercise. Also a value in persevering as a life lesson and not giving up because something is difficult.

I think it’s quite important for confidence. I’d have her learn before school bikeability. Most kids can by then and she might feel left out if she can’t. As others have said there are courses and classes. Have a google in your area. Being able to do it is more important than owning a bike I think. Spend your money on a few fun learning sessions.

Find a cycling school near you. Pay somebody to get her cycling without stabilisers. Then forget about cycling if you want. Once you’ve learned you don’t ever really forget! It gives her the option to cycle to school or as exercise as she gets older or heck EVs are expensive to insure for new drivers and cars cost a fortune she could even cycle to work instead.

I agree it’s an important life skill but it’s also really good for general physical development. Children need to learn to throw, kick, run etc. Riding a bike practices balance and helps core strength as well.

Yes it is. take the stabilisers off and put it in the hall for a few week (half term) she needs to scoot the bike to learn to balance first then add the pedals. once the sun comes out it should be more pleasant.
there are sometimes courses that teach kids to ride have a look in your area if there’s anything near you. My son did one it was 5 days for 45 mins he could ride by the Friday. She’s perfect age for this now!

Teens don’t tend to use bikes here as the rural roads are so dangerous so no one would know if you could ride one or not. Bikes are useless here really as it’s just not safe. If you’re the sort of person who looks down on someone if they can’t ride a bike, I think that says more about you.

Learning to drive is more essential here and most teens learn to drive at 17 here and have a car straight away.

It’s a useful skill and would be quite embarrassing to admit that you can’t ride as a teenager.

Riding a bike used to be a life skill, same as horse riding was a century ago, but I think the majority of roads are far too dangerous now for riding a bike, unless you live in the Netherlands.

Far too many serious accidents and deaths!

Teen DS doesn’t ride and neither does DH. I can ride, but I won’t risk it.

It's important. Imagine reaching adulthood and not being able to ride a bike. You can hire them at our local Forestry Commission place. I would do that, as a family.

It's one of life's great pleasures.

It's embarrassing as a teen to have to tell your friends you don't know how. I know someone who didn't learn as a kid and he really wished he had.

I think it’s unfair not to teach her, imagine being an adult and not being able to ride a bike. As an adult you need to make the best choice for her. Stabilisers are not good and shouldn’t have been used in the first place. Straight from balance bike to pedal bike is best.

I never learned to ride a bike and it isn’t an essential life skill unless your ambition is to cycle or repair bikes for a living. I was banned from the cycling proficiency class at school, after I damaged a car and drove over the instructors foot due to a lack of coordination! I’m in my sixties and have managed perfectly well all my life without riding a bike, I’ve certainly never felt embarrassed about it.

She needs to be able to ride a bike, she doesn’t need to cycle on main roads though.

I think it’s an important skill so would definitely encourage your DD to persevere. Of course it’s not a ‘life or death’ life skill like swimming but it could be the difference between being able to get herself around/to work/to study etc as an adult or being much more restricted.

I always thought I’d be able to drive as an adult but after starting to learn I developed a huge amount of anxiety and so was never able to get to the point of doing a test. However because I learned to cycle as a kid (and actually I was really encouraged as my dad was a keen cyclist) it’s not been a massive issue. I cycle to work and generally to get around. It definitely helps to live somewhere with reasonable cycle routes though.

Younger kids ride bikes for fun but I don’t think most teens would care. I asked my 17 and 22 year old whether their friends can ride a bike and neither had any clue about most of them. My 17 year old says most of the teens on bikes are up to no good. 😬

As teens they are more bothered about gaming and getting a car at 17, not riding a bike. For fitness they seem to go to the gym and/or run. It would be more embarrassing to be riding a bike once they are at driving age.

To add, I haven’t rode a bike since I was about 13. Most adults I know don’t cycle. My friends and I run, swim, do yoga etc for exercise and use a car getting to places.

Just to add, I have a number of friends who never learned to ride a bike when they were kids and it’s been very difficult for them to learn as adults, it’s doable though! But so much easier for children to learn those skills.

LOLing at the number of people who have said imagine being an adult who doesn't know how to ride a bike, like I need to imagine that?? I can't ride a bike and it's completely fine, I've never been in a situation as an adult where I've had cause to ride a bike. I've never been on a holiday where anyone suggested a bike ride, or anything like that.

But I do take the general point that it's better for her to learn than not learn. I was thinking in terms of hundreds of pounds for a bike and whether that's worth it but I see some locally on FB marketplace for £30 or so, so not such an investment.

Going to the shed is a hassle? that’s a very lazy excuse.
I had an abusive upbringing with no skills/clubs which made me determined to do my best for my DC, they could all ride a bike, swim and read by 5, and good hobbies growing up.
Bike riding is handy, my youngest has her bike at uni with her and always hires one abroad, all of her friends can cycle. It’s a skill that lasts you a lifetime.
Stop being lazy!

@Jamesblonde2
I can’t ride a bike, I’ve never been the least bit embarrassed about it, anymore than one of friends would be embarrassed that they couldn’t ride my horse. It’s really not a big deal.

I booked my daughter onto bikability courses that were run in the holidays. So she knows how to ride a bike but never wants to so I’m fine with that. Swimming on the other hand is an essential skill (we live by the sea)

i grew up in the country so rode a bike everywhere but you rarely see kids on bikes now (apart from groups of little shits) so I’m glad she ‘knows’ but is never likely to use

I definitely think it's an important life skill. Maybe your daughter will end up preferring to cycle than drive - and for every person who does that, the less cars they'll be on the roads to harm cyclists in the first place 😀

I'm a crap bicycle rider but I'm glad I can do it - of a fashion!

I think it's a really useful life skill, rather than an essential one. If you move to a city where cycling is the norm, not cycling is very inconvenient. Even if you don't cycle, it may well become more and more a normal mode of transport over the coming years as car transport becomes more expensive and is discouraged to improve air quality etc. If you do cycle as an adult, even in towns where cycling isn't popular, it's usually quicker than any of walking/driving/public transport for peak time journeys and journeys in the 1.5-4 mile range, which certainly for me, is a lot of my travel. I think being able to cycle offers a lot of freedom and do think it's important to make sure children have the option to cycle once they're adults - which is best achieved by learning to ride as a child. It also gives them a lot more freedom in their teenage years before they can learn to drive (or while it is too expensive to learn to drive!).

@InABalletBubble
My DD is at uni, has her bike with her and plenty of the students cycle, it’s cheap and easy way to get between campus and their flats or halls, very few of them have cars as they’re in a city.

I’ve laughed at that too OP. I have never been asked if I can ride a bike as an adult. A lot of mumsnetters do have husbands with hobbies they can’t mention as it would be outing though. It must be cycling and obviously they join in too. 😂 🚲