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The official Riding with Kids thread


TYGA

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.............We got the Momsen for R4 200.  No discount, but with a few extras added to the deal. ................

And a very good looking bike too! :thumbup:

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  • 1 month later...
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My Son is now 3.5years old and a bit of a “shorty”. He is smashing his Chillafish bmx’ie  balance bike but it’s time for his first pedal bike.

 

I will most likely be getting a 14” but the Islabike Cnoc that get such great reviews aren’t available is SA (at least I cannot find any expect for 2nd hand). So now I am looking at the Frog 43. At 6.3kg its seems light enough (though the Isla Cnoc is 1kg lighter). Any one on here has some experience on the Frog 43 or 48?

 

Other options I am looking at are the Muna Comp 14” and the Momsen but the smallest one is the JSL16 (16”). Most important to me is the ride position. The bucks I spent and how long it lasts is not so bike an issue (hes gonna m03r it down the wholetime anyway), but the fit needs to be top notch as he is on the small side.

 

I am also going to link it to my bike sometimes with a "Trailgator" and the Frog seems to have a big enough headtube.

 

What do you guys think?

https://www.frogbikes.com/lightweight-kids-bikes/first-pedal-bikes/frog43.aspx
http://munabikes.com/the-14-range/comp-14/

https://momsenbikes.com/bikes/jsl-junior-superlight/jsl16/

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  • 3 weeks later...

learnt an interesting lesson yesterday .... Maritz became "bike-fit" fast in the summer.  Being winter we have ridden less lately.  Yesterday we did a 3km ride ... last 100m he walked, he said the "Saddle hurt him".  Granted due to the short ride we did not use the padded pants, and there were lots of pebbled turning it into a bumpy ride .....

 

 

We need to be wide awake when riding the young ones ..... 

 

 

But he has the freedom to tell us when he is tired, and we respect this.  So the day ended all smiles   :thumbup:

 

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Hi all...really enjoyed this thread, some very useful tips!  I posted on it a few years back about buying a weeride and the kid I bought that for has just turned 5 and is addicted to his bike!

Which leads to my question - where else in the Tygerberg trails are good for kids who aren't that keen on climbing!

Our go to spot is Bloemendal - he happily rides B spot and will climb from the car park up the jeep track to the end of the first set of vines on the left and join the single track there and shoot down screaming and roaring with joy!  

 

However that's definitely at the limit of his climbing and quite often there's a bit of moaning/complaining on that climb!

 

I've ridden most of the trails but never with a kid in mind so amn't sure where else would be of a similar level for him so we can mix it up a bit?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

 

 

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Hi all...really enjoyed this thread, some very useful tips!  I posted on it a few years back about buying a weeride and the kid I bought that for has just turned 5 and is addicted to his bike!

 

Which leads to my question - where else in the Tygerberg trails are good for kids who aren't that keen on climbing!

 

Our go to spot is Bloemendal - he happily rides B spot and will climb from the car park up the jeep track to the end of the first set of vines on the left and join the single track there and shoot down screaming and roaring with joy!  

 

However that's definitely at the limit of his climbing and quite often there's a bit of moaning/complaining on that climb!

 

I've ridden most of the trails but never with a kid in mind so amn't sure where else would be of a similar level for him so we can mix it up a bit?

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

Koeberg Nature Reserve is great for kids, and not too far away. Just don't go when the South Easter is howling.

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Meerendal is much easier for kids, especially the loop around the dam wall.

 

Just note the Saturday morning park-run times ....

 

nice play area for the kids as well between rides.

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Cheers for the suggestions.....I'll definitely try Meerendal with him next time.

 

 

For anyone who is interested we rode at Oak Valley on the weekend.  The kids area there (just in front of the MTB parking) is fantastic!  Relatively flat with lots of different "trails" through the forest with a load of bridges etc...they loved it.   My 3 year old must have ridden about 5k on his balance bike, he wouldn't stop!

 

Definitely worth the trip through for it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thought I'll share this.

 

New Bike day woes . . .

 

1ste.

So my boy is turning four early next year and he is all over the place with his balance bike.

Quite competent on it, and even builds "plank ramps" in the driveway.

(about 2 planks on top of each other)

The seat tube is already extended a little beyond the maximum, and his feet is still squarely on ground when seated.

 

2nd.

His little sister, turning two in February, is everywhere after him on her "weird 4-wheel thing" she inherited from him. She even attempt the plank ramps on it. And every now and then, when he is not on his balance bike, sister tries to get on it, but this saddle is to high. Then I push her around on it which is just about the best thing according to her, other than being on her StarSeat on dad's bike.

 

So.....

 

Yesterday, being a cyclist dad an all, I decide it is New Bike Day. :clap:

Then I can lower the seat of the balance bike, sister can have that, and the world will be a better place.

 

So I got him one of these.

 

 

 

I get home, all exited, even Mom suddenly likes bicycles and told him it was coming. :clap:

So he comes running over to the car and I very eagerly open the boot, revealing the new bike.

 

"IT's NOT RED" . . . . is the first response. :blink: :wacko: (The balance bike is red by the way)

(How can I not know that is a system requirement?

 

But all is still good. We are all still exited.

 

Adjust the seat height as low as it will go, he gets on, and he has to point this toes to just touch the ground. To stand "platvoet" he must tilt the bikes a little to side.

This is not cool with him.

He pulls the brakes before riding or does not pull them and struggle to stop.

The pedals and cranks are in his way and the coordination to pedal forward is still lacking.

 

Five minutes later he is back on the "RED" balance bike and the world is good.

 

So much for NEW BIKE DAY. :lol: :rolleyes: .

 

All I could do was smile, me getting more exited about the bikes than the one it is for.

Makes me chuckle and again realise that they already have their own ideas. :)

 

His sister came over after all this, insisted I put her on the new, way to big bike, and push her around the yard. She digs it, my back don't.

 

Later the evening when they were in bed, I took off the crankset and BB and made him a big balance bike. When he gets comfortable with it and figures out the brakes, I'll put back the cranks for round number two.

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Edited by IH8MUD
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Hehehe ...

 

Tooks ours 9 days ... from balance to riding trails.

 

 

The brakes have a "pre-set" screw, turn it in a LOT, push those brake levers back so his short hands can operate the brakes.

 

 

You could possibly "gain" about 10mm by reversing the seat clamp "into" the seat.  I had to do it ours ....  If you show a pic of the seat clamp we could confirm if this is possible ( I can take a pic of what I did with ours, to gain those crucial millimeters ..)

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I replaced the Momsen seatpost, to the more traditional clamp system.  This allows me to install it upside-down, with the seat rods below the bolt -

 

post-110956-0-48982000-1508426847_thumb.jpg

 

 

It is only needed for those first few weeks when their toes hardly reach the floor ....

 

NOTE - it is a real lady-dog to mount it like this !!  

Edited by ChrisF
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I replaced the Momsen seatpost, to the more traditional clamp system.  This allows me to install it upside-down, with the seat rods below the bolt -

 

attachicon.gif20171019_172224.jpg

 

 

It is only needed for those first few weeks when their toes hardly reach the floor ....

 

NOTE - it is a real lady-dog to mount it like this !!

Thanks for the info.

But I think the way I have it now is going to work.

He was already on it when I got home last night and insists on trying to ride it in the house like the small balance bike.

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I replaced the Momsen seatpost, to the more traditional clamp system.  This allows me to install it upside-down, with the seat rods below the bolt -

 

attachicon.gif20171019_172224.jpg

 

 

It is only needed for those first few weeks when their toes hardly reach the floor ....

 

NOTE - it is a real lady-dog to mount it like this !!  

that's really smart, wonder if it is by design?

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