Sam and Nate got their new Spider-Man bikes last summer. We looked at a few different designs and models before we saw these bikes, and the boys were convinced from the first moment we saw them. The only real difficulty we encountered with buying these bikes was getting the boys to stop riding them in the aisles of Walmart long enough to pay for them. Since that day, Sam and Nate have ridden their bikes just about everywhere: to the park, around the neighborhood, on the river trail, in the garage. They have really enjoyed having bikes and being able to go fast.

Until yesterday, they were still riding with training wheels. While at a play date last week, they learned that two of their classmates had learned to ride their bikes sans training wheels, and from that moment the boys were on a mission. Of course, this mission could not be carried out without their parents, and yesterday we were finally able to go to the parking lot at the church across the street from our house and give two-wheel riding a whirl.

Like all new endeavors, the boys started off a little shaky. One disadvantage of using training wheels is that kids get in the bad habit of just sitting on their bikes without really balancing. Both boys learned pretty quickly that if the bike isn't moving, it will fall over. We took some time to practice putting a foot out and using the brakes. We also learned the concept of looking where you want to go, keeping hands on the handle bars, and keep pedaling (I may write more about his later).

After about 15 minutes, both boys were riding completely autonomously. Well, not exactly, but they were able to pedal themselves up and down the parking lot without falling over. In fact, the only real injury was to Gina, who got  her toe stepped on by an aspiring cyclist. Other than that, I would say this was a successful adventure. You can see photos of this first voyage in our photo album.