A family bicycle workshop
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is proud to help the next generation learn to ride confidently and comfortably on two wheels at the Freedom From Training Wheels Family Workshops across the city. In car-free spaces like Golden Gate Park or during every Sunday Streets instrucors are on hand to help caretakers and kids glide and ride on two wheels.
In 2010, nearly 200 families attended these popular and fun workshops. Bring a bike and helmet (if you have them) and maybe a snack to share. We provide the tools needed to get your child gliding, and a few additional bikes to lend if needed. Workshops are 'drop in' and children of all ages are encouraged to attend!
2011 Schedule:
The popular Freedom From Training Wheels was held at every Sunday Streets event in 2011 and in the car-free JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park for Healthy Saturdays!
Thank you to the hundreds of parents and children who attended the workshops throughout 2011. As we enter the winter months, we will be scheduling the courses for 2012 and beyond. Please sign-up to be kept up to date on future courses below!
We need Freedom Leaders! If you are interested in assisting with our 2011 Freedom From Training Wheels workshops, please email Grace. We need your help in coaching parents and the next generation of San Francisco bike riders! It's fun, easy, and so rewarding!Read our Parent Instructions document (PDF) to learn how to teach a child how best to ride!
Email Marc if you have questions.
Bike About Town:
Freedom From Training Wheels
By Linda Atkins
Jess Zak teaches Emma Cooney Geisler to ride a bike with guidance from SF Bicycle Coalition.
This is our Bike About Town column, which appeared in The Chronicle on June 30, 2011.
Does the approach of Independence Day have your youngest friends and family members craving two-wheeled liberation? If so, head for a Freedom From Training Wheels class, where children as young as 3 learn to ride bicycles on their own. The free classes are offered at Sunday Streets events throughout summer and fall, and on car-free John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park on winter weekends (weather permitting). Instructors from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition have been known to help get dozens of tykes on bikes in a single day.
No Training Wheels
The ritual of removing training wheels is one many adults recall and that seems built into the process of learning to ride a bike. But the Freedom From Training Wheels approach teaches kids to ride with no training wheels at all, ever.
“Never introducing the training wheels means you never need to take them away,” said Jess Zak, a Freedom From Training Wheels instructor.
Read the rest of this article on our blog
