Finding balance

Balance bikes are beautiful, simple things. They distil cycling down to its most fundamental skill and help children master it. Learning to turn pedals, pull a brake lever or change gears can wait. Because none of these things are any use without balance.

My son’s journey with his balance bike, a little blue Hoy, began nervously on our back lawn. G turned the new bike upside down and spun the wheels with his hands. He eyed it suspiciously. Of our suggestion that he get on and try riding, he seemed to be thinking: “Are they crazy?!”

After a while, he did right the bike and climb on. At first he’d simply shuffle along astride the top tube. But his confidence grew. And before long he was off, drifting into corners with one foot down like a speedway rider. The transformation was remarkable, and well worth the shoes he wore out.

We’d set off for long walks on the hills. Well, the dog and I would walk; G would wheel along on his balance bike, his small presence incongruous in the big landscape. He was a naturally cautious child, but the little bike expanded his ambitions, the miracle of balance enabling him to glide along. Inevitably he grew tired, and inevitably I ended up carrying both him and his bike the rest of the way. But, in terms of his cycling journey, there was no turning back.