Pimp My Ride

This summer I accidentally backed over James's bike. He didn't miss it at the time because he was preoccupied with his 3-wheeler (Razor Scream Machine; looks like a sturdy Big-Wheel). But after he built up enough confidence with that, I felt it was time for him to try a bike again.

I got him a cool-looking 18" bike, complete with blinking green lights on the valve stem covers. The training wheels that originally came with his bike were sturdier than most, but still not enough for him to ride with confidence. After his training wheels were starting to bend over to one side, he fell back to his Scream Machine. I looked around for "heavy duty" training wheels, but almost everything I found turned out be junk. After some looking, I found the answer: Fat Wheels (http://www.fatwheels.com). They understand special needs and even have adult-sized models (up to 300 pounds).

Delivery was relatively quick. James was excited to see the box because he watched me order it on the Internet. When we opened it we were not disappointed. I almost wept when I saw those thick brackets. Finally, good old-fashioned American steel. I ordered the model with inflatable 12.5" wheels, good for up to 150 lbs. In about five minutes I had the old training wheels off and the new ones on. I gave James about 1/4" to 1/2" clearance under the wheels, and for some reason, he tended to stay more in the center, off the training wheels at times (better-weighted balance I suppose).

This weekend we took his new ride out at for a test drive. Although the helmet bothered James and it took a lot of effort to keep him on one side of the trail, he did enjoy himself. I find after a lot of "heavy work" James seems to be calmer, less impulsive throughout the day.





Now I want a bike.