Learning to ride a bike

[Jean-Pierre 7]

In Germany they seem to quie like bikes with "back pedal" brakes (Rücktrittbremsen). Now this is pretty unusual in the UK, and I'm not wildly keen on them - it would seem to me that pedalling backwards would not be an instinctive reaction to stop the bike in an emergency.

Does anyone have experience of teaching kids to ride a bike with a back pedal brake? Ideally comments from people who have taught their kids to ride both a back pedal brake bike and a handlebar brake bike would be welcome.

 

Jean-Pierre

[a nonny mouse 0]

My kids all learnt to ride bikes with backpedal brakes and it is really no big deal. The only thing to watch out for is when they ride a bike with handlebar brakes for the first time and try to brake by back peddaling. Have a camera waiting. The look of panic in their faces as their legs are going ten to the dozen back pedalling and nothings happening is something not to be missed.

[xedthestyx 0]

Strange thing to want to know J-P!

Ok, both my kids learnt to ride on bikes with Rücktrittbremsen. (My daughter was still 2 yrs old when she rode without stabilizers - something I still cant get my head around). They both now ride with 'normal' brakes but the transition was quite difficult, if I remember correctly. In the part of Germany we were living (Niederrhein) bikes are like sheep in Wales, there are so many. I remember when the kids got new bikes from their grandparents one Christmas (they'd ridden used bikes until then), it was like 'cool! - Now where's the lego'. They were not seen as real presents, rather as practical objects that everyone has and needs. It was also expected that they react like that. I couldn't quite fathom that either. Sort of like giving them an umbrella, I suppose.

[Jean-Pierre 7]

Hmm, I'm more interested in the safety aspects of it. A Rücktrittbremse just seems so illogical. It's a child's natural instict to put their feet down to stop, but if they do that then they have no breaks. All very well if they're just slowing down to stop in front of your house, but what if they're stopping before a road junction? Also, in order to operate Rücktrittbremsen effectively in an emergency, you need to have the pedals correctly aligned and you need to do a little shifting of your bodyweight, neither of which is the case for handlebar brakes.

The only advantage I can see is that Rücktrittbremsen work better in the wet, but there must be other advantages otherwise the Germans would have got rid of them ages ago.

 

Jean-Pierre

[sillypoint 346]

 

but what if they're stopping before a road junction?

You teaching them to ride their bikes on the public highway then?

 

I think one of the reasons for Rücktrittbremsen is that small children may have difficulty using handlebar brakes. My son learned to ride when he was three. His bike had RT brakes and one handlebar brake. He found it much easier to pedal backwards to stop. as his hands were too small to operate the hand brake properly. Now the kids are bigger and old enough to cycle on the road they have bikes with handlebar brakes.

[Jean-Pierre 7]

Well not quite. But I guess he would cycle slowly next to us on the pavement. Stop at the junction, wait until it was clear and then cycle across. I mean, we do have roads where I live!

 

Jean-Pierre

[Bombi 2]

I'll never forget riding a back pedal bike for the first time as an adult, I couldn't get the hang of it!!! I was annoyed everytime I back pedaled and it braked! :D

[far-lands 11]

Awful things they are.

I couldn't get the hang of it. I prefer "normal" brakes and propper gears.

[Hannah 8]

 

Hmm, I'm more interested in the safety aspects of it. A Rücktrittbremse just seems so illogical. It's a child's natural instict to put their feet down to stop, but if they do that then they have no breaks. All very well if they're just slowing down to stop in front of your house, but what if they're stopping before a road junction? Also, in order to operate Rücktrittbremsen effectively in an emergency, you need to have the pedals correctly aligned and you need to do a little shifting of your bodyweight, neither of which is the case for handlebar brakes.

The only advantage I can see is that Rücktrittbremsen work better in the wet, but there must be other advantages otherwise the Germans would have got rid of them ages ago.

 

Jean-Pierre

huh? One more time I don't get the problem or misunderstand something wrong.

Bikes with Rücktrittbremse have also handlebar breaks. So if the kids put their feet down (to the ground you mean?) they still can use the handlebar break :huh:

[Jean-Pierre 7]

It only operates the front brake, which it not advisable to use on its own unless you like flying over handlebars.

 

Jean-Pierre

[Adi 12]

J-P

 

Both my kids learned on bikes with the 'back pedal' brakes. No problem. It also becomes an automatic reaction to pedal backwards in an emergency... it's just a learned beahviour. Woof, woof.

[Tim Hortons Man 543]

It's not just the Rücktrittbremsen thing, but the whole cityrader bike, any other place in the world no one would be caught dead riding a mama and papa bike like that. On the other hand I got rid of all my mountain bikes and switched to a 3 speed city bike for me and 7 speed internal gear bike for the wife. Rücktrittbremsen I can take or leave but I love the internal gears, you don't need 28 speeds for most uses, I'm happy with three.

 

I also find the leaning over to be very uncomfortable, my hands fall asleep after a while. Regardless of what you like, Germany as far as I know is one of few countries to offer a wide selection of bike styles. I haven't seen a 3 speed bike in Canada in proboly 20 years or more. The only choicie you have is those hunched over million gear mountain bikes which are useless for anything but looking cool.

[Jean-Pierre 7]

 

Both my kids learned on bikes with the 'back pedal' brakes. No problem. It also becomes an automatic reaction to pedal backwards in an emergency... it's just a learned beahviour. Woof, woof.

You're probably right. I guess it's because I learnt on a handlebar brake bike. It just seems odd that to brake in an emergency you may have to continue pedalling for another half revolution before your feet are in the correct position to get any significant braking effect!

 

Here, have a doggie biscuit.

 

Jean-Pierre

[Rebecca 880]

My daughter learnt first on a bike with a back pedal brake and the worst part was every time she wanted to start off she had to wheel the bike backwards to get the pedals in the right position. Then a friend showed her a technique of running to get going and then finding the pedals with her feet wherever they were. Then another friend let her have a go on an English bike which was much easier. The most important thing was getting the seat low enough that her feet could touch the ground.

 

I hate backpedal brakes, I'm sure as my daughter has learnt on one these bikes it's easy for her but I still worry she may just brake hard on the front wheel and go over the handlebars.

[Rebecca 880]

And if anyone knows where you can buy an adult bike with hub gears and brakes on both handlebars...I would like to know.

[Jean-Pierre 7]

I've got one. I bought it in Carrefour in Belgium for 180 Euros.

 

Jean-Pierre

[Rebecca 880]

Now that's a good idea - only problem is when I go that far to shop I usually have the entire family in the car.

I will give this more thought as I am so bored with the stopping to put the chain back on when I mess up the gear change.

[Nomad 0]

Hi

 

This may sound a bit silly, but i doubt that your child will use the brakes much at the start anyway. Generally when they first learn to ride with out stabilisers, there is so much going on in the little heads that they forget about the breaks in an emergency. They will remember to slow down though when it is called for. but it does not take them too long to pick it all up though.

 

Good luck

 

Tony

[Guest]

When I was a boy, many many many moons ago, the coolest bikes all had back-pedal brakes.

Cool because if you went really really fast, you could then do a hand-braker type stop and make really long skid-marks along the road. Not good for the tyres I know, but who cares when you are a boy? Handlebar brakes were no match to the wonders of the pedal ones ;)

[far-lands 11]

Yep, I did know about that - well, untill I fell off my bike doing it and grazing all of my left side, ruining a brand new pair of trousers. My folks went ape !!!