Awesomeness: Fosters Sports

Sometimes doing the simple things for the Hedgehog takes much, much longer than we expect.

Last summer we struggled with helping him learn how to pedal on a recumbent tricycle.  His physiotherapist suggested moving to an upright style bike, as at three he was old enough. 

We started with a balance bike, which, just.did.not.work.  He stood over it, but due to the lack of balance and core strength, could never actually balance on the seat. 

Close to tears one day in July he sat down told me he just wanted a two wheel bike, with pedals and training wheels like everyone else. 

Ok... momma can do that. 

I just didn't think it would take me until October to find a bike shop who would help us get a bike that meets his needs and that he can grow into.

Earlier in the year we had attended a bike rally hosted by OCTC to give us ideas of what is available, and it quickly became apparent that customized medical bike was not for him.  He did not need nearly everything that comes with medically adapted bikes. 

We called a few of the bike shops we had dealt with in the past, dropped by a few while we were out wandering.  Each one gave us the same answer.  There is no way to customize a kids bike.

Did they not understand what we wanted or did just not care enough to help us.  I kind of lean both ways some days. 

One day while reading OpenFile - news website that has been on hiatus for months, I read an article highlighting bike shops in town.  One really stuck out for me.  A shop talked about customizing a bike for a sixteen year old girl so she wouldn't need an adult tricycle. I knew if anyone could us it would be them. 

It was Fosters Sports. 

I called and they encouraged us to come down.  By this point we were way past cycling season.  Well into the fall.  So far in fact we had already packed our bikes away for the season.  They warned us there wasn't much choice but that would do their best. 

We came down and worked with the bike tech and woman on the sales floor.  They helped us find a brand that had kids bikes whose parts were compatible with the adult version.  We switched out pedals, adjusted angles, heights and most importantly, they helped us come up with a back rest. 

One of the Hedgehog's problems was balance and leverage against the pedals.  They went through their catalogues and came up the plan to adapt a back piece from a trail-a-bike to fit the seat post of the new Marin kids bike to give the Hedgehog his leverage. 

It is awesome.

They are awesome. 

The folks at Fosters had the same goal we had: to give our kid a bike that looks like everyone else's, makes it fun, and meets his needs.  They knew that he needed these things to get interested in biking and to want to learn. 

We spent most of the winter practicing getting on and off and bike and hope to spend this summer building the strength and coordination to pedal. 

Thank you Fosters Sports for helping us find a solution and keeping him interested.