17 years olds and priority

On Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 8:53:18 AM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, June 9, 2017 at 5:40:59 PM UTC-7, wrote:
I am not going to fix them he can you are correct. Frankly he was is like me a runner first the bike is to get around. He just has what I only can dream........1:59 800 meter
Speed. That is faster than some ride a bike.

He laughs at my now 9-10 minute running pace but I could smoke him in a century big time.

Crush him now because you wont have the chance later.

Most kids in my son's cohort were not mechanical at age 17 or particularly interested in bikes. Your son sounds totally normal. My son got interested in bikes in college and can now crush me like a bug regardless of distance, He currently rides with guys who are doing times up the canyons in SLC equivalent to the Tour of Utah riders, which is staggering. My son gets dropped, but he's a big guy and doesn't do the same crazy miles as his friends. Anyway, when we ride together, he lollygags, and I gasp for air. The days of crushing him are a distant memory.

As for fixing his bike, he worked in a couple of bike shops where he got some mechanical training, but he's still not much of a mechanic. He'll get there one day. It's the rare kid who really knows or cares how to fix bikes -- or cars or plumbing, etc., etc. They can, however, Instagram.

-- Jay Beattie.

I built up really nice bikes for my four step kids. The oldest two never got interested. The youngest two race nationally and rode from Oregon to the Atlantic ocean. Then totally lost interest.