Hello everyone.
It’s Takagi here.
Hot pot is great on cold days, isn’t it?
I have two children, aged 7 and 4, and while I’ve talked about how incredibly cute they are... they really are just so cute.
Once you’ve bought a bike, let’s ride it!
I introduced the merits of Yotsuba as a children's bike, but at Circles, we believe the best way to enjoy a bike is to actually ride it. Let’s talk about getting out and practicing with your child once they’ve got their cool new bike.
I hope this serves as a helpful reference for anyone wondering, "How should I go about practicing?"
Persistence is key for both kids and parents. You can do it if you try!
My eldest son couldn't get it right at first, and he would quickly say, "I can't do it!" So, like Timon D's Mr. Taka-gishi, I kept saying, "You can do it if you try!" until he was finally able to ride with training wheels.
Once he was able to pedal straight and understood the feeling of steering with the handlebars, I immediately took the training wheels off.
After that, it's just a matter of hunching over, holding the back of your child's bike, and chasing them for all you’re worth.
Child: "I can't do it!"
Me: "You can do it if you try!"
Continue practice
Child: "I can't do it!"
Me: "You can do it if you try!"
Me: "Ah, my legs and back are killing me..."
Child: "You can do it if you try!"
Me: "Oh, right. I'll do my best..."
Parents' patience is important, too.
And so, he managed to learn how to ride without training wheels.
Working together is important. I’ll never forget the look on his face—the joy of learning that "you can do it if you try," and the pride of being able to do something he once thought impossible.
Once they can ride a little, let's play with bikes! – How to improve while having fun
Once they can ride without training wheels around a place like Meijo Park, what's next?
That's right—it's GONZO PARK.
GONZO PARK is an off-road bike park. You can have a blast riding balance bikes, BMX, or mountain bikes! We have rental bikes available, and for beginners, we even offer free safety lessons, so both adults and kids can enjoy themselves.
At Gonzo, once you've mastered the basics—riding, steering, and stopping—you can learn the joy of controlling the bike!
Of course, a parent's patience is crucial here as well.
Child: "I can't do it!"
Me: "You can do it if you try!"
It's a continuous cycle.
We went in the early afternoon; he couldn't clear the bumps in the asphalt area at first, but by the evening, he’d cleared the kids' course!
I praised him so much. I was basically acting like Mutsumi-goro-san.
Taking on challenges—whether you succeed or fail—is what's important.
And if you succeed, unleash your inner Mutsumi-goro-san.
I think it’s good to talk about what went well when they succeed, and how to approach it together when they don't.
I think my son enjoyed the process of working hard with me, because he told me he wants to go back to GONZO PARK again!
I hope you all find an opportunity to go and check it out!
Gonzo Park website is here
https://www.gonzopark.com/
In the end, what matters most is the whole family having fun together!
This is just the Takagi family philosophy, but I hope it serves as a reference. I’m just happy that they’ve learned that bikes are fun, that they've learned that if you work hard you can do things you once couldn't, and that we can now ride bikes together.
Riding a bike might seem easy, but it’s hard; it might seem hard, but it’s simple. Either way, the time you spend working hard with your child will be a memory that sticks with both of you.
I still have memories of my own father holding the back of my bike while I practiced when I was little. I clearly remember the time I crashed and scraped my knee after he let go without me noticing, and I turned around to check.
Instead of pushing them by saying things like "You have to be able to ride a bike!", it's better to encourage them so they can do their best, and for parents to enjoy the practice along with them. It will definitely strengthen your bond as parent and child!
Circles has many other recommended kids' bikes
I think a bicycle is a wonderful gift for a child. You can work hard together, after all.
Circles currently stocks Yotsuba Cycle, Grown Bike, Kona, and more. Please inquire about other brands, as we may be able to order them for you.
Please come visit us with your children, and feel free to have them lift the bikes or sit on them!
Of course, we have MTBs for adults as well, so if you're interested in riding together with your child, please come and consult with us!
Every household needs a full-rigid, hardtail, or full-suspension MTB! (Just don't buy one without consulting your wife first, haha.)
