Riding a 2 wheeler bike
My daughter is now 13 she has spastic diaplegia CP she can walk a little and has rode a trike for 7 years but has been desperate to ride a 2 wheel bike like her friends. We bought her a bike with 24 inch wheels and took pedals off to encourage balance maybe we put them back on too soon as she was desperate to ride it. She can sit on the seat with feet on floor and she can put one foot on pedal but struggles to get other foot on pedal when she pushes down with first foot. She can also ride and steer if I hold seat but its hard to hold seat as not much to get hold of and she is bigger than most children learning balance. we looked at stabelizers but on a 24inch wheel these would have to be adult stabelizers which are 12 inches big in diameter and she point blankly refuses to let me get them for her as she says she wont use them and wants to ride by herself. Has anyone managed to ride a 2 wheel bike with SD CP? How old were you when you learned? any tips to help her succeed?
Thankyou Chris this just whay I Needed to hear. I have jsut found out there is a place near us that has a selection of bikes for disabled people and they do 1-1 sessions Going to go this week and see what options she has and if they think they can help her achieve independent 2 wheeling biking. Fingers X at least I know there is help? available now.
Hi,
I too have that CP and rode a bike from when I was about 8... by pure stubborness! I was determined, like your daughter... and many mamy plasters and wounded knees later I rode. I did for years... stopped in my late teens and now wish I hadn't as it really helped to keep me fit back then. Encourage all you can - it will help with confidence, balance and fitness. And will give her the mobility freedom she so desires... I remember it well :)
Good luck!
C. xx.
Thankyou for your support I would like to let you all know She managed to ride a 2 wheel bike on the Friday 10th August she went to the 1-1 sessions on wednesday and pushed a 2 wheel bike without pedals on then she put one foot on pedal and scooted along. We went back for another session on friday and she worked on the one pedal but wasnt getting far next thing is the instructor was holding the bike with her on getting her to pedal he loosened his grip slowly and she kept going. He was surprised but pleased there are a few things to work on next time and prob for a while they are working on keeping her balance while riding and stopping safely after that they will work out how she is going to get herself getting off maybe that will come with time confidence and a bit of strength. Carn't believe after 2 sessions she got this far. No stopping her now :-) Hopefully. She has rode a trike for years but was so desperate to fit in and be the same as the other kids.
Hi, I have an 8 year old daughter who is unable to ride a bike but would love to. We have tried her but she just needs to practise more but also have more confidence. She just gives up too easy and gets very frustrated and upset. Where did you go for 1-1 sessions?bod you have any tips for her?
It is so nice to hear that people with spastic cp have managed to ride a bike and I will definitely be reading these comments to her tomorrow.
Jo
Hi Madlydia I Hope your daughter manages to ride too. We bought a 2nd hand bike and took pedals off to help with balance but she too was impatient to get pedals on and just GO. We found a place that has Bikes for disabled and ordinary bikes too it wasnt far from us and I didnt know they did 1-1 sessions to learn to ride it wasnt very expensive either with it being a charity it cost £4. to Hire bike and £6. for 1-1 training for 1.5 hrs which thry split into bite size chunks so she didnt get too tired having to do it all in one go. They even had a members fee option which meant we paid £15. for the yr and we get everything HALF PRICE. I'm not sure IF you put Bike Training for disabled in Google whether it would come up with anything but Definetly worth a Go. We are in Cumbria England and the place we went to is called Watchtree Nature reserve. We really didnt know IF she would ever manage the bike we did the ground work at home but they knew what they were doing at Watchtree but she surprised them too as she didnt follow the normal progression plan thankfully the instructor saw MY child and made calculated guesses that paid off. She didnt self propel very fast to get her speed up, she couldnt get her 2nd leg up onto the pedal quick enough but that didnt matter to him. He got hold of the handle bars and seat and got her to pedal then released his grip on the handle bars and then seat and she rode without knowing she did it first :-) She did manage to set off herself but needs more practice to ride confidently and stear. Cannot believe SHE showed them all SHE CAN ride a BIKE. MESSAGE to your daughter If I may NEVER GIVE UP (on anything you want to do) You will show them all exactly what you CAN do. Good Luck.
Hi, I have SD CP, and ride a two wheeled bike, and have done since around age 10, before that I rode a trike. I believe I gained my sense of balance by riding on a tandem bike with my dad for a few years before I began to try to ride a two wheeler on my own. I started to teach myself to ride a two wheeler by scooting around on a small childs bike, then building up speed on slopes to give my self time to get my feet on the pedals.
I had lots and lots of accidents, (and still do!!!!), but didn't let it stop me, and as a teenager I even used to build my own bikes, and had a shed full of different bikes for different things, such as a racing bike and a bmx bike.
I have always found it easier to ride a bike thats quite low, and having the seat slightly lower than what I need so I can get my feet down quickly, and jump off if I feel my balance going.
hope this helps
chris