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Teach Bike Riding In Minutes
The physical forces of bicycle balancing (click here for more info) guarantee that, if taught properly, a beginner physically ready to ride a bike, with quick enough reflex and sufficient pedaling strength, will learn to ride a bike in just a few minutes.
When you use Pedal Magic the instructions will tell you in minutes the exact point when your child becomes ready for safe launch. The test described here is not an element of the Pedal Magic process but is a quick and easy method for assessing a child's general physical readiness and ability to propel and balance a bicycle.
- Stand about a yard away facing your child.
- Toss a ball, any ball, to either side of your child, far enough away so that s/he has to move his/her upper body to reach for the ball. Do this several times to see how well s/he does.
- If your child reacts in less than a second to catch the ball, s/he may have the right reaction time and coordination to be able to balance a bike.
Joules bicycle balancing reflex/reaction test
Note: S/he does not have to catch the ball, only come close enough to catching, indicating that s/he has the ability to react quickly, mentally and physically, to motion stimuli.
Pedaling strength
Propelling bicycle by pedaling requires muscle strength. If your child is very young or small, you may want to check if s/he has the muscle strength to pedal while you hold the bike up.
Do not run or let your child fall, etc. when you do this. You just want to check if s/he has enough muscle strength to pedal and move the bike.
If you use a bike with training wheels while checking pedaling strength make sure neither training wheel is touching the ground. Training wheels cause drag, distorting test results. It requires less muscle strength to propel a bike without training wheels.
Bike handling and pedaling
If your child passes the two tests described above s/he will be able to keep a bicycle in balance. However, there is sill the practical problem of being able to handle a bike (such as rolling it, paddling while sitting on the bike to launch oneself without parental help, etc.). It is important to be sure that your child has enough strength to handle a bicycle before trying to teach balancing.
If you want to teach your child how to pedal before attempting to teach balancing, it is advisable to use a tricycle rather using a bike with training wheels and risking training wheels dependency.