Current Projects chat and miscellany

training wheels

I know those are still a thing among the BSO buying classes, but surely as a proper cyclist you should be going balance bike first, and then no need for stabilisers on the first pedal cycle

The ostentation I was referring to was the naming convention that Velo Orange used : )
Sorry about the stock situation, but I didn’t realize you needed a non-27.2 size.

Found this bike abandoned in a sad state in July 2020. Feel like I've spent a fortune overhauling it even though I tried my best to keep costs down but my friend has just ridden it away, which is exactly what I hoped would happen when I picked it up.

Feels good to have saved some parts from the bin (even though I had to buy new brakes)

2 Attachments

He has a balance bike and rides it well and for reasonable distances, but has not pedaled yet so the wheels are there for the initial period.
And he has just turned three, so I don't really think of him as a proper cyclist, though I have lined him up to have a crack at the hour record

My experience with nephews says once they have mastered the balance bike, the transition to pedalling is rapid and painless without stabilisers. I have a feeling that stabilisers will actually be a hindrance to somebody who has learned on a balance bike.

yeah, they will come off as soon as he shows some skills, but for xmas morning driveway learning they'll be fine. I remember when I learned to ride it was just two wheels and a push, but parenting has changed since then

Sorry about that. I do like the IRD tho.

Thank you

No sweat

when I learned to ride it was just two wheels and a push

And you were probably coming from a tricycle, which steers completely differently. Somehow we lived, although my little bro was covered in bruises before he got the hang of it.

The balance bike as child's introduction to cycling is a revolutionary device, yet it's just a Draisienne which had been forgotten for over a century after it was supplanted as the state of the art adult bike by pedal powered machines.

I agree, amazing to see children go from balance bikes to pedalling almost seamlessly

Xmas morning driveway learning

Do the Sustrans method (remove the pedals first).

hadn't seen that before, will give it a try

Yeh having spent last year teaching kids for a charity that specifically taught kids. Unwritten rule was no stabilisers.

Balance for 2 seconds or more put kid on bike without pedals. Go from there. In fact I taught adults who had never ridden in the same manner.

Going from balance bike to stabilisers was like teaching another uneccesary step. Obvs all opinion and YMMV etc.

And he has just turned three, so I don't really think of him as a proper cyclist, though I have lined him up to have a crack at the hour record

A new contender, eh? I’ve got my 3-year old lined up for that too!

That is excellent.

Delighted to see that this lives on

Thank you, really enjoyed taking it out for a ride as well, made for a good day

Bought this a few days back. Drilled from factory for a front brake. Will be ordering some matching gen2 SR brake levers and calliper and it will be my “only on special days” bike and a piece of art for my wall.

1 Attachment

gen2 SR brake levers and calliper

Will belong here when that happens

After multiple days of parcelforce being a bunch of useless fucks, this finally turned up.

So far the plan is bigger tyres, inline post and toying with the idea of converting to flat bar.
Also going silver post, stem and bars rather than black and a fancy silver wheelset.

1 Attachment

Fantastic

Gears and braeks? You’ve changed man.