TYC2R Overview

This course is designed to support you, the biking ally, parent or coach in teaching a family member or friend to ride a bicycle without using training wheels. Most adults learned using training wheels and it will likely be the most familiar way to teach. Training wheels do work, however, they can often teach skills that need to be unlearned and give the child a premature sense of accomplishment that makes it more difficult for many individuals to ultimately master balancing a bike. If this is how you learned, it is likely you will be tempted to hold onto your child and push them along during this process. I encourage you to give this method a try and resist that urge. This method is easier on your back, works better for larger groups of riders and even works for adults.

Mindset
Learning to ride a bicycle is the perfect way to teach a Growth Mindset, as coined by researcher Carol Dweck. It is a difficult task at first, but not forever. Most individuals learning to ride take between 10 minutes and 4 hours to ride on their own. If they already have balance skills from riding a scooter or ice skating (for example) they will generally progress faster. With a Growth Mindset, however, we focus on the process of learning itself vs the speed that they achieve the outcome. This experience is an exploration in practicing learning instead of focusing on the end result of learning to ride a bike in one session. Framing it to the rider in that way usually relieves some of the pressure to perform and allows them to enjoy their effort and earned progress.
There is usually an uncoordinated start and awkward middle of the process before their walking/gliding movements become integrated into their muscle memory. This may seem like it goes on forever, however, be assured it is necessary and eventually gives way to smoother coordinated movements, gliding, and eventually independent riding.

This course will guide you through preparation, practice, and share tips along the way. Use the course along with your instincts to create an great learning experience for everyone.

Here’s a video about the method.