This is a HUGE issue here. We've been discussing options for YEARS. Both boys have issues. Luk tires out quickly and has zero balancing abilities. Kai cannot see where he is going, has less than zero balancing skills and he despises riding and cries real tears. They have little bikes with training wheels. The training wheels are NOT enough to balance a boy with zero balance. They are meant to assist, not save. So they both fall off, down and over a lot. Neither one is able to detect when they're going to fall or do anything to prevent the fall. It's super hard to watch.
Problem is: as a family the rest of us love bike riding. Currently we ride separately with a girl or three leaving one of us behind with the boys. This hurts Luk's feelings. He wants to ride.
Clinics haven't proven helpful. The lending library at Queen Alexandra is a joke. Rusty old equipment to try then very extremely expensive bikes to buy that have jacked up prices because they're adaptive. Ultimately not solving the initial problems of Luk's exhaustion and Kai's lack of vision.
In amongst the boys issues. Eric does NOT love bike racks. They're a tangled mess to deal with when you have 7 bikes. The bikes are on the back of the moho and we can't stop anywhere or the bikes will go missing. We need to use the utility trailer which means I'm towing. Cramped in the campground and parking is an issue. Also pretty easy for someone to take the trailer with all the bikes.
We have a trail-a-bike for Kai and we're hopeful it will work with Eric.
I was thinking possibly a trike for me with a trail-a-bike for Luk. Pro, stability. Con, wide bike to ride, he might tire and I end up with extra weight of bike and kid to tow also it won't go on a bike rack or fit in the car.
Today Eric was trying to figure out how to hook their two bikes tandem, so a four wheeler. Kai for muscle and Luk looking and steering. Another thought was to add wheels to the trail-a-bikes making them three wheelers.
After much debate We went to Canadian Tire to get a tire for Jia's bike. And to look around. I had suggested folding bikes to Eric. Solving the bike rack, carrying in the moho problems. I also wondered with them being so low if Eric and I might be better balanced and able to hold our ground without the boys toppling us over. He wasn't keen on the idea.
We had the boys with us and we talked options for quite some time. The salesman will go home with stories to tell about the whack a doodles trying to get the boys he met out riding. Kai was dancing and sing songing his nonsecal babble. He doesn't even know about the girls. Haha.
We ended up buying three folding bikes for me, Eric and Jia and a second trail-a-bike. We are very cautiously optimistic that we might manage a bike ride come Monday. Eric was impressed with the folding bike.
I'm sure there will be more issues we haven't considered yet. We think we might still have to turn the trail-a-bikes into three wheelers. Eric already has a plan for adapting them using wheels from a bike stroller/wagon.
I'm on the deck by myself blogging and look who joined me!
She's panicking but sulking around and checking it all out.
Imagine if she actually started going outside like a real cat. It's too exciting to even consider.
