{"id":23459,"date":"2015-09-05T23:04:07","date_gmt":"2015-09-05T15:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/?p=23459"},"modified":"2019-05-24T08:29:46","modified_gmt":"2019-05-24T00:29:46","slug":"reflections-ocbc-cycle-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/2015\/09\/reflections-ocbc-cycle-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"OCBC Cycle 2015 \u2013 Joys and Lessons from Cycling"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"OLYMPUSHello from OCBC Cycle 2015!<\/p>\n

This is a comprehensive post for parents who wish to know how to teach their kids cycling the pain-free way, how to sustain their interest in the sport, including practical ways to transport their bikes around so that the entire family can start creating unique memories through cycling.<\/p>\n

Stray dogs and an unused quarry:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Go Dana Go!\u2019 I urged her as she pedaled hard when the starting horn for the OCBC Cycle 2015 sounded!<\/p>\n

\u2018Go Dave Go!\u2019\u2026Cycle Faster! Faster!\u2019 Strangely even as I egged my daughter on, I remember virtually the same words shouted by my cousins 30 years ago. Except mine was at an unused quarry in a kampong back in Perak, Malaysia. We were not racing but cycling for our dear lives from some stray dogs that were chasing us because we had unsuspectingly wandered into their territory! Fortunately despite the uneven gravel paths, we escaped unscathed.<\/p>\n

From the gravel roads of an unused quarry in Perak to the streets of Penang, I cycled to school. From the streets of Melbourne where I cycled to lectures, to the meandering tracks at Labrador park where I cycled for leisure, cycling has created so many fond memories and brought me through many of life\u2019s journeys, literally and metaphorically.<\/p>\n

Why Cycling?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cycling is among one of the life skills (along with swimming) that would be important for the kids. In fact, for me cycling is more than that. Cycling helps creates unique memories and as a sport, cycling brings us farther, faster and is less punishing on the knees (as compared to running).<\/p>\n

It is no surprise that when Dana came along, one of the skills I\u2019m determined for her to acquire would be cycling. When she was shy of 3 years old, we got for her a balancing bike, complete with helmet and pads. Today, she cycles confidently on her 16-inch two-wheeler.  Like my own childhood, I would like to fill hers with many fond memories of the cycling fun we had.  We even cycled along the coast of Hualien, Taiwan each time we were there on vacation.<\/p>\n

\"CyclingInHuaLien2\" \"CyclingInHuaLien\"Cycling in Hualien, Taiwan circa June 2012<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS\"OLYMPUSCycling in Hualien, Taiwan circa December 2013<\/p>\n

How we taught Dana cycling:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Getting my daughter to cycle on a two-wheeler didn\u2019t get off to a good start.<\/p>\n

Two weekends was all it took for me to gave up on the traditional method of teaching cycling \u2013 Dana on the 2-wheeler and I would push, then yell at her to pedal hard. We went to a flat open space the nearby basketball court. But with this method, she fell every single time,  trying to juggle both pedaling and balancing at the same time.  It was not making as fast a progress as I wanted to. Though Dana is quite hardy, I could sense the frustration and phobia building up in her. That was when Angie discovered the balancing bike\u2026and it was a prayer come true!<\/p>\n

Balancing Bike Method: a pain-free and injury-free way to learn cycling<\/strong><\/p>\n

The balancing bike way of learning cycling has proven to be very effective and relatively injury-free. Simply put, it breaks down the skill of cycling into two parts \u2013 learning how to balance first before you learn how to pedal, which actually makes a lot of sense. Much like swimming \u2013 you learn to float first before you learn to swim. The traditional method which we all learnt cycling confuses children as they struggle to balance but still have to pedal to move forward, which requires quite a bit of strength for any young child.<\/p>\n

With the balancing bike, Dana would whiz around, then lift up her legs straight as the bike cruises. To stop, she simply needs to put her legs down. We would practice on a slight slope and believe it or not, after about two sessions, she was balancing effortlessly. This method also enabled her to learn how to steer the bike confidently. There are lots of videos showing how to use the balancing bike to make the learning of cycling fun and safe. Here\u2019s one<\/strong><\/a> that even shows you how to turn a regular pedal bike into a balancing bike.<\/p>\n

\"BalancingBikeDana’s Balance Bike from Kettler\"KettlerBalancingBike150\"The initial apprehension at transiting from a tricycle to a balance bike…but once they get the hang of it, the rest is history!<\/p>\n

After learning to balance well on a balancing bike, we started looking for a proper bike for her. It\u2019s unbelievable how many different models, features and price tags kids’ bikes come in (ranging from S$60 to over S$600 and up). For us, we looked for some important features:<\/p>\n

1. 9-incher, the perfect size to boot: This size was perfect as it could fit into the sedan car boot together with our foldable bike (foldie) which I bought to accompany her on our cycling expeditions.<\/p>\n

2. No unnecessary weight: Don\u2019t add any baskets or attachments to add to the weight for beginners. No need for fanciful gears too. For beginners, the essential is to gain confidence from cycling.<\/p>\n

3. Price: There is no need to buy anything beyond $150 for a beginner\u2019s bike. Like kids\u2019 shoes, it serves a short functional purpose and your child would outgrow it real fast. Save the money to buy a good adjustable helmet and protective pads instead.<\/p>\n

4. The \u2018hand brake\u2019: There are models, mainly western ones that have a reverse pedal function which works as a brake. I didn\u2019t go for that as I wanted Dana to learn the proper method of braking using \u2018hand brakes\u2019 rather than having to unlearn and re-learn later on.<\/p>\n

Just to be safe, I bought her a 9-incher with training wheels. But as it turned out, the training wheels were unnecessary. Since she could already balance on the balancing bike, all it took was a lesson from Coach Kenneth of Singapore Bike School<\/strong><\/a> and Dana was on her way cycling independently!<\/p>\n

\"CyclingwithSGBikeSchool\"CyclingwithSGBIkeSch147\"Learning how to bike with Coach Kenneth from Singapore Bike School<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Transporting our bikes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Dana turned 6 last year, we upgraded her to a 16-inch bike. Along with that, I bought a Mountain Bike so that Mommy could use the foldie when we go cycling as a family.<\/p>\n

\"Bikes025<\/p>\n

To transport our bikes, I got the \u2018Safest Bike Rack in the World\u2019 – the SARIS Bones 3 Bike Rack.  The rack arms are adjustable to hold both an adult bike and a kid\u2019s 16-inch bike. The ‘Made in USA’ SARIS Bike Rack has soft silicon grip pads and harness that ensure the bikes are safely strapped to the back of the car. It takes about 15 minutes to fix before mounting the bikes on. It removes easily when not used and can be easily flat packed and stored. It\u2019s perfect for families as it can carry kids’ bike (16 inch and above) as well as adult bikes. The SARIS Bones 3 Bike Rack carries up to 3 bikes and comes with lifetime warranty.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"It’s a breeze to transport 3 bikes at one go using the the SARIS Bones 3 Bike Rack…<\/p>\n

Sustaining interest in cycling:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once Dana knew how to cycle, there was no turning back. We sustained her interest in cycling through the various ways:<\/p>\n

1. Weekend Cycling: Where we can, we cycle on weekends. Here are some of the parks we go to for cycling: West Coast Park, East Coast Park, Labrador Park, Bishan Park and Gardens By The Bay. We avoid cycling at roadsides (dangerous), pavements (illegal) and stadiums (not allowed!). We also cycled overseas on vacations.<\/p>\n

2. Participating in the annual OCBC Cycle: One of our earliest cycling memories was at the OCBC Cycle when Dana was 3 years old – cruising on her little Fisher-price Trike. Then, she moved up to a 9-incher with training wheels. This year, she rode on a 16-incher two wheeler.  OCBC Cycle has literally seen our daughter ‘grow’!<\/p>\n

\"OCBC\"OCBCOCBC Cycle 2011 <\/p>\n

\"552014_10150671013137226_575411632_n\"\"OCBCOCBC Cycle 2012 <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why we find the OCBC Cycle special:<\/p>\n