Parents and Kids On Organised races

[Guest]

Had a good sniff from a bottle of spirits of salts my dad kept in the garage. Curiosity kicked my ass properly that day.

[Oufy MTB (Roadie)]

The parent should be named and shamed for not getting their child a tubeless set up! Who rides with toobs anyway?

My eldest sons are 5 & 6 years old and they both ride slime in their 16 Inch bikes. The eldest can put his chain on when it comes off, next is to teach them how to replace a tube with table spoons (who remembers that!). I will always be close by but they have to learn.

[Skubarra]

My eldest sons are 5 & 6 years old and they both ride slime in their 16 Inch bikes. The eldest can put his chain on when it comes off, next is to teach them how to replace a tube with table spoons (who remembers that!). I will always be close by but they have to learn.

 

My dad never bothered to show me how to change a tube - just fitted my bike with perma tubes... (no wonder I hated cycling when I was small..)

[Riamich]

This past weekend I rode the Choc Believe MTB event at Northern Farms.

 

Due to a bout of flu I only rode the 10 km but family members rode 25 and 50 km rides.

 

My problem was the amount of young kids out on the course riding alone and without a parent.

 

MTB is a dangerous sport accidents happen.

 

Yet kids of 9 or 10 are allowed to ride without adult supervision.

 

5kms into a 10km ride I came across a young guy Jaden pushing his MTB.

 

The front tube had blown, so he was pushing his bike.

 

He had no way of contacting Mom at the start nor do he have any spare tubes or a pump nor a repair kit.

 

I stopped, took my 29 tube out my pack inserted it into his tire, with a section folded over and pumped it just enough to get him going.

 

I then cycled the next 5 km with him to make sure he got back safe.

 

Mom was totally unaware he had a problem.

 

Its not my job to play Mom to kids who have been sent out without proper thought or care.

 

NOT COOL.

Totally agree on a lighter note well done for helping the boy Kudos

[Patchelicious]

My dad never bothered to show me how to change a tube - just fitted my bike with perma tubes... (no wonder I hated cycling when I was small..)

I also had this fitted on BMX in primary school, this bike was my transport to school and back.

 

Hated it. Hey, at least I did SS before it was cool.

[DJR]

Great of you for helping!

[Oufy MTB (Roadie)]

My dad never bothered to show me how to change a tube - just fitted my bike with perma tubes... (no wonder I hated cycling when I was small..)

don't blame you, I bought the one 16inch from another dad. It had perma tubes, geez that is heavy and crap. took it out and put slime tubes. Could never let him ride that.

[Gen]

My dad never bothered to show me how to change a tube - just fitted my bike with perma tubes... (no wonder I hated cycling when I was small..)

Argh.. those damn perma tubes.. remember them well.. not fondly though.

[rudi-h]

so maybe I wasn't 10, but at 12 i started cycling to primary school, tennis lessons and friends' houses on friday afternoons...

 

it was never far, but I did cycle up to 5 km's out to the tennis courts on a good day and never had a pump or a tube anywhere near me.  Once or twice the tyre got flat, so i sucked it up and walked home.

 

maybe times have changed, but I don't see the problem with a kid having to walk a few km's of a MTB course to get back to his mama.  there was never an issue with us riding on our own back then.

[Skinnyone]

Had a good sniff from a bottle of spirits of salts my dad kept in the garage. Curiosity kicked my ass properly that day.

My youngest had a good swig of turps...climbed on my workbench and reached up to get it off the shelf above the bench...spent the night in hospital for observation for his troubles....

[Bateleur1]

Argh.. those damn perma tubes.. remember them well.. not fondly though.

 

So do I.  When I was little my dad also thought it was great to put them on my bike.  Changing the tyre was a nightmare though.  I still remember clearly how my old man battled to get the tyre off.  I learned quite a number of french words that day from my dad.