1.
Find a safe place to practice. Concrete is the easiest surface to ride on but is unforgiving if you fall. Short grass or even tidy gravel would be acceptable alternatives for anyone who feels panicky about falling, but be warned that these surfaces make balancing harder and offer more resistance to bike tyres.
2.
Make sure you know how to ride a bike safely. If it is your first time riding, consider lowering the seat so that you can put most of your feet on the ground while seated. Helmets are necessary and helpful.
3.
Make sure you know how to brake. While practising, it’s a good idea to allow yourself a long distance over which to brake gently so that you feel prepared to dismount if necessary.
4.
Get onto the bicycle. With the seat lowered, this should be a breeze.
• SPECIALIST ORTHODONTISTS • INITIAL ASSESSMENT RECOMMENDED AT 8 - 9 YEARS OF AGE • EXPERTISE IN STRAIGHTENING TEETH AND THE ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT OF DENTAL DEVELOPMENT AND BITE PROBLEMS • NO REFERRAL NECESSARY DR ANDREW PEPICELLI • DR DANIEL SABLE DR ANNA MEYER • DR ANDREA PHATOUROS
134 Tanti Avenue Mornington T 03 5975 5166 F 03 5975 5177 smile@peninsulaortho.com.au www.peninsulaortho.com.au 72
Peninsula Kids – Summer 2014/15
5.
Practice balancing on the bike. Push yourself along a flat surface with your feet and get the feel of how the bike leans and steers. Do this until you have a good feel and some confidence about steering the bike. Try pushing yourself along fast and ‘gliding’ with your feet up in the air, steering only with your hands. Balance is easier to keep when the bike is moving faster. Going too slowly while riding will not keep the rider safe. If you’re practising with a helper, have them hold the bike from behind you and try to steady it as you pedal.
6.
Practice gliding down gentle slopes. Walk the bike to the top of a slope that ends in a sizeable flat area, mount it (keeping one or both feet on the ground until you’re ready), and glide down, allowing yourself to slow naturally in the flat area at the bottom. When you are confident you can put your feet on the pedals and coast for a few metres. Try not to put your feet down so you train your sense of balance. When you’re comfortable putting both feet on the pedals, practise braking gently on the way down the hill.