Convincing Wife to Let Children Ride

[JG2]

Now that my twins are 5 I am mentally preparing myself for the pending "discussion" (all-out war) with my wife about getting bikes. I think a StacyC is a good step but she is no dummy and knows exactly what the next step after the eBike will be.

My wife is not a fan of bikes as a result of some of the injuries I have incurred through my own stupidity (fractured vertebrae, broken thumb, scars from Maclean branches etc.) - she was with me in the hospital while the spinal surgeon was debating whether or not to operate and that has really turned her off the whole thing.

I think our shared off-road / MX obsession is a great idea for imparting valuable mechanical and troubleshooting skills, teaching responsibility (If you can't maintain bike and do your chores you can't ride), keeping them out of trouble, something the kids & I can do together and it has been a lifelong passion of mine.

Have any of you had a real battle getting your significant other on board with kids riding and if so, do you have any advice for me?

Thanks in Advance.

[kjo417]

Now that my twins are 5 I am mentally preparing myself for the pending "discussion" (all-out war) with my wife about getting bikes. I think a StacyC is a good step but she is no dummy and knows exactly what the next step after the eBike will be.

My wife is not a fan of bikes as a result of some of the injuries I have incurred through my own stupidity (fractured vertebrae, broken thumb, scars from Maclean branches etc.) - she was with me in the hospital while the spinal surgeon was debating whether or not to operate and that has really turned her off the whole thing.

I think our shared off-road / MX obsession is a great idea for imparting valuable mechanical and troubleshooting skills, teaching responsibility (If you can't maintain bike and do your chores you can't ride), keeping them out of trouble, something the kids & I can do together and it has been a lifelong passion of mine.

Have any of you had a real battle getting your significant other on board with kids riding and if so, do you have any advice for me?

Thanks in Advance.

my husband and I both ride so we both are on the same page with riding.
RMDRA has our 4th Annual Kick Off Party on March 2nd. That might be an opportunity to bring the family, meet other's who have kids that ride.
There are more than a few club members where one rides and the spouse does not ride. The Kick Off is an opportunity to bring everyone together.
Maybe getting to know others in the offroad community might help her feel more comfortable with the idea?

[trailguy]

X2 on attending the kick off party.

[cerealkiller]

I don't have any particularly great advice for you - but I'm at a similar stage with my son so I can empathize. My wife isn't opposed to the whole idea of bikes; living on an acreage with a track I think she realizes its inevitable. I want to hurry up and get my son a stacyc though and she's not convinced that's a good idea, at least not yet.

I've been talking them up on the grounds that my kid is pretty competent on his balance bike and, with the battery removed, the stacyc is basically just a very nice balance bike. I assume you can then start them out on a low power setting to get used to twisting the throttle. He already rides around my track on his balance bike but its a bit of a slog to get over the whoops and up the hills etc. without any power-assistance and he usually switches to climbing the tires, digging in the dirt or hunting for bugs after 15 mins or so.

My wife seems to think a quad would be safer - mostly on the grounds that he's been riding a powerwheels around the farm since he was two. I know there's been pro racers who started out on quads, so I assume it wouldn't do him any irrepairable harm - but I'm not convinced it's safer. Might not tip over as easily, but it's inherently bigger and heavier too.

I've always focused my arguments on extolling the benefits of spending time with my kid and sharing a hobby etc. The stacyc certainly seems like the perfect intermediary step. Even if a dirt bike is your end goal, maybe you can worry about that later and focus on the benefits of the stacyc for now. Kids can ride it in parks, on trails to keep up with you on a pedal bike, for entertainment while you camp, in the backyard etc. I think there's more reasons to get them one than it being a step towards a dirt bike.

[cedric]

We have a lot in common JG2, including twins, moto related spinal injuries and wives that don't ride. Mine are 9 and have been riding for a few years now. I'm hoping to make it to the party, maybe we can get our wives talking. I'll be the guy with the twins...

[trailguy]

Looks like the Vitards were useless as always - what a train wreck over there.

[cedric]

Huh? Come again?

[trailguy]

Huh? Come again?

vitalmx.com forum

[JG2]

I pretty much knew what I was in for with the Vitards; I laughed out loud and hung my head in shame with each post. Some diamond in the rough posts there though.