H is 8 and up until yesterday, he couldn’t ride a bike. We’d tried riding a bike with stabilizers; we’d tried taking the pedals off to create a balance bike; we’d done everything we could think of to try to crack it. It had all failed and H’s confidence was suffering. I thought there must be someone out there teaching children to ride bikes. We couldn’t be the only family who had experienced this problem.
So I had a look around the web and came across Lisa Costa, via links from two local council’s cycling pages. Lisa has some impressive testimonials on her site, including one from Chris Boardman. After reading these and speaking to Lisa on the phone, we decided to go ahead. Lisa said that she would provide bikes and helmets, but encouraged us to bring along our existing ones too, so she could check them and provide advice.
As H’s confidence was low, he was a bit worried about the session beforehand. We did our best to reassure him and told him we were getting a professional in to train him. Lisa did her best to put H at his ease from the very start and he soon responded to her. Lisa first made sure that his bike was the right size for him. She pumped up the tires and sorted out the brakes. We had thought the bike was too small, but it soon became clear that it was a good size to learn on, once the height had been adjusted to the max. H was happy to be learning on his familiar bike and it was now fit for purpose.
We went with Lisa to a nearby disused car park. As there was no traffic, it was a safe environment to learn in. It was mostly flat and the surface was pretty even, which helped too. We’d previously tried learning on grass and on a slope and H has fallen a few times. This time he didn’t fall at all. Lisa teaches on a one to one basis, so H got all the attention. As parents we were there to encourage and to understand the key points to focus on for the future.
In a series of steps Lisa worked to build his skills and confidence. Once he’d mastered one skill, she took him onto the next. He got to grips with his balance and then added she added pedalling. She covered learning turning and starting off. Lisa is a great sports coach, she was always positive. When H encountered problems, she showed and told him how to correct them (and he did correct them). When he succeeded, she praised and encouraged. She never let him get frustrated. If he was struggling with a skill, she helped him improve. She seemed to recognise when he was getting tired and built in some short breaks, so he could get a drink and a snack to keep him going.
Within two hours H could ride a bike. He had gone from having no confidence and no balance to being able to ride around secure in his abilities. He learnt to turn as well as ride in a straight line and he learnt to be able to start off from a standing start. We were really pleased with the training and the outcome, plus it was well worth the money. In fact, learning to cycle has cost a good deal less than learning to swim and getting expert help was money well spent .
After the lesson Lisa gave us advice on the best size of bike for H. His current bike is a 14″ wheel one, but he will need a 20″ wheel one soon. He tried her 20″ wheel bike out and it did look a good size for him, but we can use our existing bike for a bit longer, while we build his skills and stamina. She also suggested a helmet size and recommended cycling gloves to help avoid blisters.
Lisa regularly teaches children and adults to ride a bike from scratch. She also provides road safety training.
Liz Burton says
May 5, 2015 at 1:32 pmReally useful post. Ruby’s just not interested in learning and I think it’s confidence. I’ve been thinking about booking some sessions so I’ll look into it further.
angela hamilton says
May 5, 2015 at 1:51 pmYay well done H. What a fantastic initiative. I am going to see if there is anything like this in my area.
susankmann says
May 5, 2015 at 5:20 pmLovely. Way to go H. I can’t believe how quickly he leant in the right environment. x
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Sarah Bailey says
May 5, 2015 at 5:59 pmWell done H that is awesome what an achievement for you! x
Louise Edwards says
May 5, 2015 at 6:19 pmWell done H – awesome stuff! x
Michelle says
May 5, 2015 at 6:51 pmAhh well done H, I bet he’s so pleased! xxx
Amy Squires says
May 5, 2015 at 6:53 pmWay to go H! My son was similar he found it really hard to learn he’s also 8 and I think it was just fear putting him off. Now he rides everywhere!
Pinkoddy says
May 5, 2015 at 7:53 pmI am so pleased for him. You know I had never thought about getting a professional in and like you say it is much cheaper than learning to swim.
Kate Thompson says
May 5, 2015 at 8:21 pmWonderful! The twins *finally* learned (aged 9) this Mother’s Day!!! It’s so great when they finally “get” it, isn’t it?
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Emma T says
May 5, 2015 at 9:10 pmAs I said on my other post, I’m amazed there’s an instructor for learning to ride a bike, but totally makes sense. Crikey, I wish they had a swim instructor who could teach children to swim in a few hours.
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Louisa says
May 5, 2015 at 9:37 pmThis is a great idea. My mom has recently learnt to ride a bike but would really have benefitted from something like this to boost her confidence
Abi says
May 5, 2015 at 10:21 pmWell done H! My son has been riding for years but his twin is just not interested, when she is we may well have to look for a similar instructor 🙂
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Lucy Dorrington says
May 5, 2015 at 11:12 pmWhat a great idea! I am so glad he cracked it. I am convinced some children find it harder than others, but it really can affect their self esteem.
Kara says
May 6, 2015 at 7:37 amwe are stucK at the same point with Isaac, he has no confidence at all – well done H – off to see if there is something similar local to us
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Jaime Oliver says
May 6, 2015 at 2:02 pmoh wow this is fantastic .. i took years to learn to ride and even now i am not confident
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lisa prince says
May 6, 2015 at 5:25 pmoh its such a milestone to be proud of, i have this to come this summer
Jen aka Muminthemadhouse says
May 6, 2015 at 5:30 pmWell done to H. Both of my boys just did it off their own bat!
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Lisa Costa says
May 6, 2015 at 9:10 pmThanks for an interesting article Erica – However, H was the real star of the day! He listened and had trust in what I asked him to do…. hence he was cycling in 90mins! Well done H and thanks for making Monday’s session extra easy for me!! For any parents struggling please note I offer a nationwide service – Happy Cycling Lisa Costa
Emma says
May 7, 2015 at 8:25 pmaww well done H. It took Dyl until he was 10 and he still isnt confident. I think many of us take riding for granted.
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Beth says
May 8, 2015 at 11:54 amWell done!!
I am wanting to learn my youngest to ride a bike this summer and lear my eldest to ride a bike with no stabilisers! scary stuff!
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Anne says
May 8, 2015 at 1:29 pmwow, that’s brilliant. I know how frustrating it can be for parent and child when bike riding doesn’t come naturally. I so remember the problems we had a Center Parcs when the bikes where pushed more than rode. My children did get the hang of it eventually but how wonderful that there is help out there for the less confident child. Well done H!
Merlinda Little ( @pixiedusk) says
May 8, 2015 at 1:45 pmThis made me cry. Sorry I am a bit emotional today as I am PMSing. See I once ridden a bike. But that was when I was a little girl probably in year 4 or 6. When my father bought me a bike as a teenager in the Philippines I got excited. The air in your hair … the wind in your face. Biking is amazing. But when I tried it I cant do it again. So those saying that you wont forget it once you learned it is not true, at least to me.
So my son is learning and I fear that my not knowing how to bike is hindering on this chance to learn it early. He is late at it as it is.
I wish I can call on Clair but I dont have the means to pay her and to buy a bike now.
Well done to H! I love this story so much. #pocolo
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Erica Price says
May 8, 2015 at 2:06 pmI hope your son learns soon Merlinda. He’s younger than my H so there’s still time. x
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Globalmouse says
May 8, 2015 at 2:56 pmI LOVE this. I have a nervous 8 year old and he can’t ride a bike. What a great solution…. Thank you!!
Erica Price says
May 8, 2015 at 7:07 pmGood luck – I think Lisa will travel to teach if you’d like to try her.
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Verily Victoria Vocalises says
May 9, 2015 at 5:58 pmWhat a really brilliant thing to be able to do – and he looks like he is having so much fun in the process too, bless him. Great achievement! Thank you for linking to #PoCoLo x
Rebecca Smith says
May 10, 2015 at 4:32 pmThis is a really helpful post as we are planning on getting Jack a bike for his next birthday
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Emma TheMiniMesAndMe says
May 13, 2015 at 8:53 pmWell done H a great achievement! x
Mummys little blog says
May 13, 2015 at 10:55 pmwoop woop well done H
Ickle Pickle says
May 15, 2015 at 7:10 pmWow that is fantastic! Well done, such an achievement. Kaz x
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Kara says
May 21, 2015 at 11:29 amAfter seeing this post I looked to see if we had anything like this locally but sadly not. It is such a shame as it is a fabulous idea and I think she could really help a number of my friends children too
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Farmerswifeandmummy says
July 1, 2015 at 9:26 pmThis is such a brilliant idea. My daughter does not respond well to me teaching her things but she does with other people. I will definitely be looking this lady up. Thank you so much for sharing the link 🙂
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