Why we still sell steel roadsters
A heavy, simple bicycle that runs for decades with very little care.
Teaching a child to ride without stabilisers
Lower the saddle, take off the pedals, and let them glide first.
Many parents bring a bicycle in to have the stabilisers removed and then struggle for weeks with a child who wobbles and falls. There is a gentler way, and it usually takes a few afternoons.
First, lower the saddle until the child can sit with both feet flat on the ground. Then take off the pedals; we do this for free in the shop. Now the bicycle is a balance bike. Let them walk it, then push off and glide with their feet up. A gentle slope on a quiet lane or a school ground helps.
Within a day or two most children glide for several metres. That is balance, which is the hard part. Put the pedals back on, keep the saddle low, and hold their shoulders, not the bicycle, for the first few pushes.
Teach braking early, with both levers, before they get fast. And let them stop when they are tired; falls happen at the end of a session. Once they are steady, bring the bicycle back and we raise the saddle to the right height.
