For as much as they begged for big bikes, I’ve been surprised at how long it has taken them to get comfortable riding their bikes this spring. One fall and they are done with the bike for weeks.
For the last couple of Saturday’s Rebecca has asked if we could go to the store and purchase me a ‘big bike.’ When this topic first came up, GR suggested I go to the bike shop and purchase a bike there.
“What?! I don’t need a $400 bike, I need a $50 bike. Heck, I’d be happy to repurpose a used one. I need a very basic bike, nothing fancy, nothing expensive.”
Since we don’t get the paper and the only time I read the want ads is when I’m at the in-laws on Sundays, I’ve been looking at Wal-mart and Target. Both stores had what I felt was a pretty good selection and I was comfortable with their price range. The least expensive was around $50 and they went up from there, none of them being more than $200.
We started at Wal-Mart, and ended up purchasing at Target. GR was hoping to find me a bike that was more of a road bike than a mountain bike, and he was also interested in the number of gears it had. Most of the bikes at W/T are mountain-ish bikes… meaning they have wider tires with deeper treads.
We went riding for FHE tonight and Rebecca seems very determined to get rid of the training wheels. GR has told her when she’s ready to take off the training wheels she can get a basket and a horn for her bike, and she is very excited for that to happen. Emily is still in her processing mode. She isn’t very happy that her training wheels aren’t level with the ground (one is slightly higher than the other) causing her to feel less stable on the bike. After a minor tip, she was done, but I managed to get her to stick with it and not quit. She spent a good 15 minutes riding around the cul-de-sac with no major mishaps. I think with more good rides like this she’ll be well on her way to getting a basket and a horn, as well.
4 comments:
I am all for cheap bikes. I had one that wasn't worth $100 when we were in Germany. So did Matthew. We went everywhere on those bikes.
A basket and a horn--wow. I had them for my bike too, and for christmas I gave Matthew a horn that was shaped like a turtle. I could take the basket off my bike to do grocery shopping, and that was quite useful.
i have the old schwinn at my house, and i never got around to assembling it...i should have let you take it with you since it isnt getting any use here
Ahhh don't tell me that! I loved that old schwinn... the blue one? I could have gone for the yellow one as well. That really would have thrown GR for a loop... :)
Oh well until a moment ago GR and I were both happy with the bike choice.
Thanks Suz! :) (no worries it's all good.)
Barb said....
ya know how they say "it's like riding a bike..." and that you never forget. Well, I have forgotten. I can't ride one anymore and i get kinda weird looks and lots of "oh, come on" s when I tell people that. sad huh? Im working on learning though.
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