IMPACT Posted March 2, 2019 Posted March 2, 2019 Was hoping to see Maritz and yourself at the event. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ChrisF 1
BenReaper Posted March 3, 2019 Posted March 3, 2019 Went out for a short ride with my little guy this morning. Mr know-it-all this one I tell you. Beard, IMPACT and ChrisF 3
Shebeen Posted March 13, 2019 Posted March 13, 2019 the junior argus training camp (yes there is a crack in the cameraphone lens) the junior argus fanievb, Charles71, BenReaper and 1 other 4
ChrisF Posted March 17, 2019 Posted March 17, 2019 (edited) Time for a bit of reflection ..... Maritz has been driving since the age of 18 months old - Clear to see his dad had a Land Rover ... Think he was 30 months old when we bought his pedal powered vehicle - When he started to outgrow the red wagon, age 4 years, Maritz and I built his pedal powered truck - complete with lights and hooter, etc ... And YES, Maritz HELPED ... And so he has been "cycling" since a very tender age .... But we would have to wait an enternity before he would start cycling on two wheels .... January 2017 - Maritz finally gets off the black push bike and starts cycling. From here it has been a roller coaster. A few weeks later he got his first 20'' bike, and it was time to learn to ride without side wheels .... Even before his 6th birthday he rode the 12km loop of Hermanus trails with me. It was clear from the start he was 4x4 bush baby, and wanted to be on the trails .... and so the green bike went to his parents house, and we got him a proper 20'' trail bike. By March 2018 we were riding 2 to 3 weekends per month. And we were starting to do single tracks ... I then invested in a coach for Maritz. BEST decision ever !! SPUR league opened a new world for Maritz. First three lap race he was lapped twice ... Then again, for a 7 year old to race against 9 years old must have been frightening .... But he hung in there, and got better and more confident with each race. Last race he almost managed to not get lapped. May also mention that at 7 years of age the kids can shift the gears, when prompted by dad, but somehow they loose track of this when riding on their own, either not having the gear for climbing or simply spinning out on the level .... And after only 13 months and 3 weeks he outgrew the Momsen, and it was time to go 24'' ..... I have worked hard at keeping it FUN .... thus keeping the distances shorter, and the routes fun. For the last couple of rides I have given him the option to choose the routes at Bloemendal and Meerendal .... HE now starts adding more and more hills - knowing this is followed by fun sections such "Homerun". During the yesterday's ride HE chose the routes .... adding up to almost 15km and about 150m elevation ! Imagine my surprize and absolute pride when HE started shifting to the correct gears as he enters the turn to start climbing .... and as he gradually change the gears as he picks up speed on the level .... 7 years and 9 months and his riding is going from strength to strength ..... Each time we are Bloemendal, with its kids tracks, I see just how individual kids are !!!! There are some 4 year olds that ride VERY well ! And then there are 10 year olds figuring out the basics of cycling .... The only constant, you need to SEE their faces when the penny drops and they get the basics sorted ... Edited March 17, 2019 by ChrisF Gen, Pure Savage, Patensie and 4 others 7
V18 Posted March 17, 2019 Posted March 17, 2019 Following. (not there yet myself, but investing in a light weight build with juicy tyres and decent brakes is important. Hell, even a custom build jobbie may do the trick)
l4y3rcake Posted May 2, 2019 Posted May 2, 2019 (edited) Getting a hold on this jumping thing. https://www.facebook.com/christianpretorius222/posts/454903925285882?notif_id=1556740930402539¬if_t=page_post_reaction Edited May 2, 2019 by l4y3rcake
Stoffel76 Posted July 1, 2019 Posted July 1, 2019 Ah... that epic moment for any cyclist parent - when their little one rides for the first time without training wheels! Whoop whoop! My 5 year old on Saturday: The look on his face says it all! He was riding around yelling, "Look at me dad, I'm riding without training wheels!" He also rode straight into his sister and later took himself out in a clothesline type of move as he rode into the merry-go-round, but that just led to a early 'you go where you look' lesson... And best part for him is he's riding before his sister who is 8 (and much to my disappointment just isn't interested in riding, but I deliberately haven't pushed her). Of course, now I have to persuade my wife for two of us that we need new bikes/upgrades, not just me any more... But that hand-me-down pink bike with stupid backpedal brakes needs to go... NotSoBigBen, Gandalf, Beard and 6 others 9
ChrisF Posted July 1, 2019 Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) ..... Of course, now I have to persuade my wife for two of us that we need new bikes/upgrades, not just me any more... But that hand-me-down pink bike with stupid backpedal brakes needs to go... CONGRATS !! Absolutely priceless moments !! ... just tell the minister of finances that you want to send the pink bike for a custom spray job ... but "apparently" a new 20'' would cost less .... Edited July 1, 2019 by ChrisF Stoffel76 1
Stoffel76 Posted July 1, 2019 Posted July 1, 2019 ... just tell the minister of finances that you want to send the pink bike for a custom spray job ... but "apparently" a new 20'' would cost less .... Ain't that the truth - that bike was originally blue and I stripped it, resprayed and put new tyres, grips etc on it a few years back for his sister... and even doing it myself cost me nearly as much as buying a cheapie! ChrisF 1
Pure Savage Posted July 1, 2019 Posted July 1, 2019 I got Swift onto his pedal bike at just over 2 years, he is a bit ahead of his boet Luckily there is an Isla bike at the grandparents house for Kittel when they get back! We were up in Island Lake and the kids just love the space to ride. I strapped my riding lights on them and could watch them ride around the whole empty campsite and we could watch them from the caravan to make sure they did not take a plunge in the lake!
Beard Posted July 2, 2019 Posted July 2, 2019 Ain't that the truth - that bike was originally blue and I stripped it, resprayed and put new tyres, grips etc on it a few years back for his sister... and even doing it myself cost me nearly as much as buying a cheapie! Ive made this mistake too! As much as it was fun pimping out a bike for your kiddo as a holiday project, it certainly was not a cost saving exercise!
Stretched@Birth Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) My youngest hijacked his big brothers bike on Sunday, as he has nearly outgrown his Frog bike, so I guess I’m in the market for another small 26er... Edited July 9, 2019 by Stretched@Birth ChrisF, BenReaper, DJuice and 2 others 5
ChrisF Posted July 27, 2019 Posted July 27, 2019 I do believe "riding with kids" should also include "bike maintenance" .... Picked up a bit of play on the front wheel last week, so this morning we set about servicing Maritz's bike. Initially thought it would be a 5 minute job to take up a bit of play on the axle ... turns out it felt very "notchy/grinding" ... Opened it up, to find the one side got some dirt in at some point. Grease was dark, and tacky .... As good a day as any to do a proper job and to teach Maritz .... He had to count the number of ball-bearings, and had to count out the new ones. Cleaned all surfaces, applied new grease Maritz placed the new balls, on with the ends ... Front done Thought we might as well check the rear, even though it felt okay. Did I mention the Holdfast bike rack is VERY handy when working on wheels ? Turns out the rear dust seals are very good on the Titan kids bikes !! The rear bearings are still in perfect nick ! Cleaned and re-greased the old balls. What better time to clean the chain, and to polish the frame, than when the wheels are already off the bike 12 months of trails and this Titan is still in perfect condition. The only "wear" on the bike is where the cables rubbed against the frame. Seriously impressed with these Titan bikes !! Stretched@Birth, BSG, BenReaper and 3 others 6
l4y3rcake Posted August 8, 2019 Posted August 8, 2019 Haven't posted in a while so here are some new pics: Pure Savage, Jako De Wet, ChrisF and 2 others 5
BSG Posted August 8, 2019 Posted August 8, 2019 Haven't posted in a while so here are some new pics:Nice, very brave. Where is the seat of the bmx? l4y3rcake 1
ChrisF Posted August 11, 2019 Posted August 11, 2019 Scary how quick they grow up !! February 2017 the training wheels finally came off his bike .... The next week he got his first 20'' bike. Last year he got lapped at the SPUR events. This year he seems to be improving with each ride !! Used to be that going out with him was going to be a "relaxed ride", with my average hart rate being about 115bpm .... 10 August 2019 is recorded as the day this changed for ever. Circled the parking lot twice, then headed straight up Bloemendal, just over 50m climb in just more than 1km. I knew he was going to slow down half way up ... uhm, NO .... he kept his pace all the way to the top !! Nice run down Homerun. Got to the bottom, and immediately turned around for the second run. This time he slowed down a bit halfway up, but was a bit faster on the down run. Okay, with an average hart rate of 126bpm I certainly have a fair bit in reserve, but gone are the days when I would sit up and wait when riding with Maritz..... And he only turned 8 last month !! BSG 1
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