Below is the short video version of bike camp, but I plan on writing up a long and boring description of exactly how it all worked, since several people are interested in specific details. And you know I'm really good at specific details. Enough to bore you away from the blog. So I'll put a disclaimer on that post so you can skip it entirely. I promise not to reveal anything that would be interesting to the casual reader!
The only thing you need to know about Lose the Training Wheels is that the bikes that they use are modified by having a cylinder where the rear wheel would be. There is a hierarchy of eight cylinders, each one being more tapered towards the ends, to provide more tilting of the bike. The gradual change in angles gives the rider the opportunity to practice balancing with less risk of toppling over. The last two cylinders are engineered to match the way a regular bicycle wheel works, so the rider can then transition to a regular bike.
Lose the Training Wheels now requires riders with Down syndrome to be at least 11 years old. I have to say I agree with them. Their success rate has increased dramatically since they started the age requirement. I know several kids who are younger who are successful independent bike riders, but they are a small minority.
If you child is too big for a bike with training wheels, you might want to look at Fat Wheels. They turn any bike into a "quad" bike and are much cheaper than a Trike.
Hannah will need to practice every day for a while before she is a completely independent rider. She needs to be more aware of her surroundings, get better with steering, touch up her balance, and learn to use her brakes more "gently". Our goals for Hannah were for her to have fun and gain skills. Those were accomplished, plus she only has some polishing up before she'll be hitting the bike trails!
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