November 28, 2007 | Hot Hot Hot!, Product Talk

Tandem bikes are one of those things I always look at and think would be kind of neat to have, but it seems like a ridiculous extravagance.

Today I’ve been looking at this Kent dual drive tandem bike, which is down to just $199 with free shipping. That’s less than you can get a regular bike for, most of the time. The reviews are mixed (the main complaint seems to be difficulty putting it together), so definitely read through them if you’re considering it.

My nearly-eight-year-old seems determined to never learn how to ride a bike. I wonder if we could do family rides if I put him on the back of one of these? On the other hand, maybe I should save the $199 for further therapy for him. Decisions, decisions….

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1. 1 Mary says:
   

   dearest pretty mir,

   not only do you help me finish my christmas shopping before thanksgiving, but you provide emotional support as well. I was beginning to fret that my almost 8 year old son won’t shed his training wheels either. Now I know we’re not the only ones. so so pretty. to my pocketbook and my heart.

   November 28th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
2. 2 Beth says:
   

   I was 10 years old when I learned to ride my bike. I found out years later that what I had always thought was a fear of heights is actually a fear of falling… oh, yeah, and benign positional vertigo. Makes it almost as hard to ride a bike as I suspect his sensory overload may.

   Let’s get a shout out from the late blooming bikers!

   November 28th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
3. 3 Katherine says:
   

   Another late blooming biker in my house. My almost 9 yo son still can’t ride without training wheels. But, since they kept falling off, he doesn’t ride his bike at all.

   November 28th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
4. 4 Andrea says:
   

   Hi ladies,
   My now 7-and-a-half year old just learned to ride a bike this summer. I had almost given up hope! My hubby took the pedals off his bike so that he could just master the balancing part first. MAGIC. If you think about it, there IS a lot to riding a bike: balance, pedaling, steering, etc. Within a week, the pedals were back on and he could ride. He’s still wobbly but the confidence is growing. Keep the faith!!!

   November 28th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
5. 5 elizabeth says:
   

   I had a late rider here too - it’ll happen…
   I LOVED tandem bike riding with a friend who had one - when I was young. Ah, the memories you stir up, pretty Mir.

   November 28th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
6. 6 RuthWells says:
   

   I despaired of my kids learning to ride their bikes as well — they just weren’t interested enough. All it finally took was a well-placed bribe from their grandmother (without my prior knowledge or consent, I HASTEN to add), and they were suddenly both up on their 2-wheelers like pros at the ages of 8 & 10.

   My boys’ motto: will bike for Bionicles.

   November 28th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
7. 7 Joanne says:
   

   My kids both had a hard time learning to ride without training wheels. Then my daughter received a Razor scooter for her birthday. After 2 weeks of riding the scooter she was suddenly able to ride a 2 wheeler. We tried the scooter trick with my son and it worked for him also. Perhaps it has something to do with learning to balance, or perhaps just a coincidence?

   November 28th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
8. 8 Nicole says:
   

   Ahh, I thought I owned the only 8-year-old who has no desire to ride a bike! So nice to see I’m not alone. She wants a Razor scooter, so maybe I can use it as a bribe AND use the scooter trick that Joanne mentions??? Fingers crossed!

   November 29th, 2007 at 12:21 am
9. 9 Brigitte says:
   

   Hmmm, I’ve always hated riding bikes, but then, my parents got me a bicycle where both my feet had to be off the ground if my rear was on the seat. I think I would have felt less like I was falling if I could just put both my feet down whenever I wanted.

   That’s probably NOT Monkey’s problem, but just yet another factor to consider. Maybe all there is to riding a bike, as Andrea lists, is just a lot for a lad with sensory issues?

   November 29th, 2007 at 5:44 am
10. 10 Genevieve says:
    

    My nearly 8-year-old says “he’s just not a bike person,” which seems to mean that he’s embarrassed that he still has training wheels (a friend teased him) but when dad made the training wheels uneven so he’d rely on them less, he hated the feeling. Given what someone said above, I should get him out on his scooter more so he can practice balance (though the same friend teased him b/c I had him wear a helmet and elbow/knee pads for the scooter — the helmet is a must and I won’t budge, but I don’t know if the other gear is overkill).

    November 29th, 2007 at 8:00 pm