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Thank goodness for Cycle Helmets

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  1. DaveC
    Member

    We bought our sons larger bikes this weekend. Little Louis (2yrs) has a wooden balance bike but as it has no brakes I bought him a good S/H metal BB with a rear brake. Unfortunately he isn't good at using it yet and as we live on a hill he tends to fly off down the path and try and stop himself with his feet.

    He wiped out at a low speed but ended up on his front (heavy coast on so ~ok) but his face (head down) scraped along the tarmac. Very fortunately his helmet has a large integrated peak/visor, not the clip on thing I have on mine. So his helmet has a large scrape on it and not his face. Note to self make him wear gloves in future.

    I also popped out and got a snazzy HI VIZ top for Camie (4yrs) from the Workware shop at the top of Leith Walk. He likes to bomb around on his new 16" bike with full suspension (he calls is Spenchiun) and is getting more confident so does go off in the distance.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  2. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Glad that Crampton junior is scraped and scuffed but otherwise fine.

    Gloves are great for kids as if they go down the natural reaction is to put the hands out to break their fall. Much better to shred a glove than a palm or a knuckle!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  3. SRD
    Moderator

    Sustrans does a good hiviz kids vest that you can buy on-line. The 4 year old wears a small; I wear a large :)

    Found some kids gloves on sale online the other day too. Then discovered that EBC does them too (but in a smaller range of colours).

    I could never find gloves to fit me when I was younger - I still have some I used for weight training and kayaking, but have now actually got a women's size small and they fit! Marvelous.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  4. Greenroofer
    Member

    IKEA do hi-viz vests in kids' sizes, and they come in pink for those so inclined (well, they used to, but I can't see them now)...

    You have to be content with an IKEA logo on your back too.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  5. SRD
    Moderator

    You have to be content with an IKEA logo on your back too. and you have to be able to get to Ikea....(yes, I know how to get there by bus, from many a trip, but it's a major project.) Next time we're cycling (maybe)!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  6. ruggtomcat
    Member

    I ride the road to Ikea a lot, its not so bad! there is even a marked cycle lane.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  7. SRD
    Moderator

    I ride the road to Ikea a lot, its not so bad!

    with two kids? The road would be okay (have cycled bits of it), but I don't like the traffic circles out there at all. A702 to Pentland Rd might work better for me.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  8. Dave
    Member

    Perhaps instead of (or at least as well as) buying gloves, you could spend some time preventing crashes through education/training? The OP reads strangely like "my child is forever risking life and limb but it's OK, we can buy something" - perhaps I'm just misreading it.

    Sort of like "thank goodness for seat belts - I'm forever crashing the car" :-)

    You can also pick up one of these for all other waking hours. They're even more effective at reducing injury, and come highly recommended - I'd definitely advise getting one.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  9. kaputnik
    Moderator

    is even a marked cycle lane.

    The bit up to Burdiehouse is OK. The bit beyond that is frankly terrifying. Drivers are blind to anything more than getting onto the bypass or into the shopping sheds as quickly as possible. I've even seen a cyclist, in the apparent "cycle lane", forced up the slip onto the bypass by a car turning across them. I only ever go that way downhill so that speed and gravity are on my side.

    BUT

    There should now be the new route along the old railway line into the back of straiton that chdot had an explore of before it was completed?

    There were murmurings of going for an explore on it and stopping in Roslin for tea and crumpets.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  10. DaveC
    Member

    @ Dave,

    Yep we are coaching them on safety. Whenever a car comes down our cul-de-sac they know to make for the pavement. Camie knows to stop at road crossings and wait for us, and his brakes work well.

    Louis is fine as we accompany him but on down hills he can't slow his speed properly yet. To date I've made sure he goes on the grass but he does like to copy/follow his older brother who flies down the tarmac path, before screaching to a halt, something Louis can't do yet as his breaks are quite stiff to pull.

    Perhaps someone here can suggest a suitable brake lever, as the childs brakes are cheep and cheerfull, but require strength the pull the lever. I can't see me forking out ££'s for Hydrolic brakes (like my MTB) which don't require Sampson's strength to pull.

    I guess I'll just have to watch him for now, and cycle on flat level paths.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    "There should now be the new route along the old railway line into the back of straiton that chdot had an explore of before it was completed?"

    Yes, but -

    It starts at CEC/MidL border - just through bypass tunnel. So Edinburgh side is a bit rough... (For another year or two.)

    Last time I used the official cycle path on the pavement between Burdiehouse and Straiton I was disappointed at the state of the vegetation.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  12. wee folding bike
    Member

    http://www.yehudamoon.com/index.php?date=2011-05-09

    Posted 13 years ago #

  13. SRD
    Moderator

    Great strip - thanks foldie!

    Brakes on kids bikes a problem. K. now has some that she can use, and does use, but we wore out a pair of trainers last summer...(and she ploughed into a woman who got out of a car going down the hill at Dalmeny...both survived).

    Coaster brakes are great too. I was brought up to be snobby about them, but now think they're great for early riders.

    Just a matter of trial and error, I think. Isla bikes said to work better/fit kids hands, but for the moment a second-hand one sourced by a friend is working out great (thanks!)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  14. chdot
    Admin

    "Brakes on kids bikes a problem"

    Yep - too many manufacturers fail to match brakes/levers with (likely) strength of end user.

    It doesn't help that most people (quite reasonably) won't pay much for a basic kids bike so they have cheap components.

    Some brake levers can be adjusted to suit smaller hands. All brakes can be adjusted so that they don't 'come on' when the lever is too far from the handlebars for small hands to pull efficiently.

    Obviously don't adjust so that they still don't work when the they are against the handlebars!

    It's probably worth removing the inner cable and cleaning/greasing (especially if bike is secondhand). Also many kids bikes have outer cables that are unnecessarily long and/or convolutedly routed. Anything that makes pulling brakes smoother (not just for children) is beneficial.

    Brakes on bikes with plastic wheels hardly ever work well.

    One of my horror moments was when we were working in a school and children had brought their bikes in for basic safety checks.

    We watched one child roll down the gently sloping playground straight into a wall.

    Turned out she had only ever ridden it before in her (flat) back green.

    Both survived.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  15. DaveC
    Member

    I'm considering attaching a spare retracting dog lead to the rear of Louis' bike so I can cycle behind him and prevent him from careering away in down hill paths.

    His brake handle does have the screw to move the trigger in but yes your right plastic wheels are rubbish. I saw him last night wedge his welly up against the front wheel under the forks.

    I'll looking at adding a front brake too. I'd like to add a V or Cantilever brake.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  16. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @Davecrampton perhaps you need to invent a remote control brake for kids bikes? Short distance radio link that when you hit the big red panic button on your bike, a solenoid is fired on wayward kiddies bike and gently applies the brake (and perhaps drops the stabiliser?)!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  17. steveo
    Member

    I wonder how much force is applied by an adults hands at the lever?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  18. DaveC
    Member

    @kaputnik,

    I've trawlled the Acme website for the best part of an hour, but not found this item in stock. I guess Coyote has bought all avaiable stock?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  19. kaputnik
    Moderator

    The helmet debate is not restricted to the cycling world.

    Posted 13 years ago #

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