Off topic- The Glider

So I built this thing...I'll call it the Glider, late on Memorial Day. I had picked up a discarded small girl's bicycle a while ago to do this. This is a replica of something I had seen for sale online once. The real ones are $100 new.

The concept is to make a non-pedaling bicycle with a very low seat height. A young child can sit astride it and push themself with their feet, and glide along on it. It is supposed to teach the child how to balance themself on two wheels, without the complication of having to master pedaling at the same time. Once they are good at balancing, they can move on to a real bicycle. I think it is a great concept.

I cut the seat mounting post way down. I cut the upper struts from the rear wheel and layed them down. I cut the handlebars all apart and made them flat and low (can't really see that from the photo). I took off the pedals, sprocket, and chain. An hour or two with a hacksaw, grinder, and welder, and it is done. Maybe I should have taken a before photo so the changes are more evident. To give you some idea, the seat is now at about half the height from the ground as it was before. It's 14 at inches now.

I do somewhat remember learning to ride a bicycle. I seem to recall that it took me a long time. I don't know if something like this would have helped me, and I don't know if it will help "k" either, but I saw the promo video online and the kids on there were zipping around like it's the greatest thing.

Ultimately, I think this is still to tall for k right now. She is only 18 months old at the end of this month. She's only been walking for like 6 months. Perhaps by the summer she will be more ready for it. Maybe I should cut it and mount the seat even lower. She did see it tonight, and she stopped to look at it and touch it, so she is interested in it. I didn't want to set her on it, as it was time for her to go inside and have her dinner then anyway.

So it took an hour or two, but it was a fun little diversion. Didn't really cost me anything. Hopefully she will be able to use it. Knowing her, this will be too "easy", not enough of a challenge, and therefore she will not want to use it. Either that, or after an hour on it I will see her doing wheelies. Daddy's little daredevil.