kids and cycling at school

I'm getting more and more infuriated by the staff at my daughters school.

(yes I'm going to go see them)

She's started safe cycling lessons in school (she's P6), first things they do is check the bikes.

1. Her tyres are too soft.
well, no, they're not, I did pump them up, but she weighs bugger all and likes a little bit of cushioning! They're not supposed to be rock hard.

2. Her bars aren't high enough.

she's the only kid with an islabike with a set of cut down monkeylites on it, at maximum height on the steerer.

3. Her saddle is too high, she can't put her feet flat on the ground.

Good grief.

She's comfy on her bike, tells me if she's not and I try to sort it.

Now they're on to road positioning and road sense. First thing they do is tell them that they should tuck tight into the kerb so that cars can go round them. My daughter spoke up about this one, saying that she'd been told by me to position herself a bit further out so cars have to go round her and don't squeeze by. This was met with 'how does your dad know?' when she told them about my biking they responded with 'well a mountain bike track is a lot different to a road'

cheeky feckers.

so, anyone having similar experiences?

Yep singletrack is different than the road 🙂

Get them a copy of the cyclecraft book – recommended by the government cycling schemes, published by the government, it is pretty much the official book about riding on the road. You could perhaps highlight where it says where to ride in the road.

That way, you aren't just some mad mountain biker who knows nothing ranting on at them, you're showing them what the official line that they should be following is.

http://www.cyclecraft.co.uk/

Joe

When my Nieces did their cycle proficiency (or what ever it was called) my dad set their bikes up for them accordingly.
Yup exactly the same list of what was wrong with the bikes,
so some numpty knows more about setting up a bike than some
with 50+ years experience.

There comes a stage in every child's life where they realise that teachers know absolutely bugger all…

I'd personally go down the route of telling her to nod and keep her mouth shut. Anything else is just going to have you marked down as "That pain in the arse" by the teachers.

should the people who teach bike skill know how to ride properly i.e. should they not be certified to do so? sounds a lot of dangerous misinformation being passed on to her. complain to the powers that be!

Was gonna ask why you haven't volunteered to help out, but then remembered that they don't do volunteers anymore – everyone has to go off and get a few days training & then do it as a job like – or at least that is how it is in Bucks now.

Having said that I think being in charge of a group of 25 kids with various other parents helping out is possibly one of the scariest things I've ever done – if little Tommy wants to swerve in front of a bus there is very little you can do to stop them once you get out on the road stuff – so have a heart & be nice to the tutors even if you don't quite see cycling tuition exactly as they do 😀

"There comes a stage in every child's life where they realise that teachers know absolutely bugger all… "

There also comes a time when you realise your parents are not the all knowing gods you think they are.

Amused by the cut down monkeylites on an islabike too 😀 I do like STW.

Who's actually giving the training? Is it in house or someone brought in (who should know better)?

It's the same stuff I remember my dad arguing with my school 25 years ago, check up with CTC whether their instructors are properly qualified.

Was gonna ask why you haven't volunteered to help out, but then remembered that they don't do volunteers anymore

exactly. these days you have to be security checked thrice, insured to the hilt and know bugger all about the subject you are teaching.

People who dont do what we do dont understand bikes like we do like setting up and the differrent equipment we use etc etc. Its like trying to explain to a complete bike novice what type of bike they should get to start them off. It becomes the most complex issue ever and most of the time i end up telling them to just go to their supermarket for the cheapest, plastic, fully suspended, big seat rubber cushioned, 102 grip shifter geared bike they can get cos i get fed up of justifying why they should get a decent hardtail!

I dread to think of what you have to endure explaining anything to the school.

Slightly off track here, but my 12 yr old has decided to cycle to school approx 2 miles away and through the centre of Skipton. Started off wearing a helmet but stopped after a couple of days as he was 'laughed' at when passing the 2 schools before reaching his own school. What I'm going to do is write to all 3 schools and insist the kids wear helmets as mandatory if they bike to school. Am I being overprotective or am I doing the job of the Education Committees Cycling Proficiency Officer?

Am I being overprotective or am I doing the job of the Education Committees Cycling Proficiency Officer?

You're bonkers.

I help run the cycle courses at my sons school and the woman from county hall knows **** all about bikes or cycling and learnt from a manual

First thing they do is tell them that they should tuck tight into the kerb so that cars can go round them. My daughter spoke up about this one, saying that she'd been told by me to position herself a bit further out so cars have to go round her and don't squeeze by.

on the bike set up think i'd just grin and bear it – but the above if correct is not only bad advice but dangerous advice – like many i drive as well as ride and i hate seeing (usually)inexperienced cyclists put themselve in danger by in effect encouraging dumb passing manoevres

here was the CTC proposed revision to the Highway code – it wasn't included as far as i know but represents good practise

Insert before Rule 58:
“When you are able to keep up with traffic or where it would be unsafe for you to be overtaken, you should normally ride in the middle of the left-hand traffic lane. In faster traffic and where there is space for you to be overtaken safely, you should ride to the left of other traffic but never closer than 0.75m to the road edge or another vehicle.” This wording encourages cyclists to use road positioning to maximise their safety, in accordance with recognised good practice advice (e.g. in the Stationary Office publication ‘Cyclecraft’).

maybe a quick letter asking if your child misunderstood what was being suggested?

My lads school had lovely new bike sheds put in by the main front gates so that kids who had done the cycle training could ride to school.

Except the main gates can only be accessed by riding along the main road through the village – which gets pretty busy at school times, parked cars, buses, impatient commuters and school run mums…..

And you can't get into the school buildings via the front door anymore – you have to park your bike, then go back out the gates, walk alongside said busy road, and down the footpath to get to the side gate, which is how you now get into the school.

D'oh! Joined up thinking! 👿

what part of the world are you in, wookie?

I work as a BikeAbility instructor, in Devon. I'm teaching cycling to school children all the time.

CTC, Cycle England and the IAM all disagree with what the school are saying. Whoever is endangering your children needs to be sorted out soonest.

email me off-forum if I can help.

Yeah, bike setup I've pumped her tyres up a bit more.

My wife has started up a bike train type thing, just involving the kids nearby for now, we're not far from the school and it works pretty well so far, but of course, what all the kids are being tought by teachers and teaching assistants sometimes contradicts what she believes is best practice.

I will be asking what guidance and experience they have, just to make sure they know what they're doing. There's a cycling officer type from the council who visits every now and then to supervise the progress of the cycling initiative. I don't want to push too hard though, as I know other parents will too or we may risk the school abandoning the initiative, maybe, I don't know.

My daughter is already known for being a little outspoken anyway, she has a few slight dietry intolerances which the school don't quite get, as the information has not been backed up by doctors opinion (we didn't ask, and we've been keeping her off dairy to help clear her eczema). Another banging heads against a wall….

Saying that, I do fear she's being seen like the girl in Jonny Briggs who always used to start with…'my mum, who's a nurse….'

eek.

thanks Bassspine, I'll have a chat with the head to see what they're looking at for guidance and take it from there.

Amused by the cut down monkeylites on an islabike too I do like STW.

ahem, I was looking at a nice set of retro 160mm middleburns on ebay……hmmm, maybe on her next bike…;-)

heh heh – my eldest has a set of cut-down carbon DH bars to go on her bike soon; she's outgrown the early 90s hyperlite flats 😳

+1 to what Bassspine says. I did the BikeAbility instructor course last year and do training for my kids school, scouts and brownies. They're off beam on their advice certainly, but it sounds like they're putting the effort in and well organised, so try and steer them round gently and show them where to get the up to date good practice guidance from. It'd be easiest for them to just turn round to their boss and say "right I'm not doing it then, since I've not had the proper training". If you point them at these links,
Cycle Training National Standards[/url]
they might even be grateful. Obviously getting in properly trained instructors is the ideal, but if they haven't the budget it's not going to happen that way.

great, that's good, I'll steer them. 🙂

Obviously getting in properly trained instructors is the ideal, but if they haven't the budget it's not going to happen that way.

I spent 10 years cycle training in London before seeing the light and ditching it last Autumn. From my experience the local authority should have a Road Safety Officer. Talk to her (rarely it's a "him"), ask to fund BikeAbility trainers, kick up a fuss. Don't tolerate incompetence.

My sons now ride through Windsor to school. The school rule is no helmet no ride. But it isn't enforced. The family exception is when one of teh boys rides to school on the KMX

– let's just say he gets a lot of attention and friends 8)

We also have the rule that they wear a yellow gilet as their road sense is not fantastic. That one gets some derision from Son1 as the other kids don't, but otherwise the bikes stay in the garage and they walk…

regards,
Daren

Daren – thats like setting your kids up to be odd from the start – a training recumbent?!

Well they queue like choirboys for a ride after school. The KMX is really a recumbent made with angle iron and BMX components. It's pretty kid-proof. It's flat here, otherwise it would be weight training as it weighs about 30lbs+!!!

Regards,
Daren