Let’s Go Shopping For New Bicycle Accessories
My daughter got a new bicycle for her birthday. She just turned 10 and a bike represents a lot of things to a little girl, mostly the ability to go off on her own and explore the world. She also got some money from several relatives so that she could buy accessories for the bike. She totaled up her money and we looked at a website that I knew about together to choose which accessories that she wanted.
My daughter told me before we even got to the website that she had also been saving her allowance. She was sure that she could buy all of the bicycle accessories that her little heart desired. I like it that she had been saving her money for what she really wanted.
There were some accessories that I felt she had to have, for safety reasons and then some that she would want because she was a girl.
I told my daughter that first we need to find all of the bicycle accessories that would make riding safer. She agreed. We found a 12v Generator with a Krypton bulb. I will be a lot happier with her riding her bike when the sun is going down if she has some light to show her the way. Actually, at 10, I wasn’t going to let her do much night time riding, at least not alone. But the generator was a good thing to have. She could see as well as being seen by others.
She liked the idea of the headlight and agreed to it. She found another safety item for her new bicycle accessories. She found red flashing safety lights. I think that she said she thought they were cool. I really love it when cool and practical are the same thing.
A bell was the third of the bicycle accessories to get picked. I wish it was as loud as a car horn, but I think it really will be effective for its intended use. She saw a plastic horn and thought that it was stupid, so we didn’t get that.
I told my daughter that if she wanted to ride her new bike to school, then two of her new bicycle accessories needed to be a lock and a helmet. She had trouble finding a helmet that matched the paint on her new bike. And, of course, being a girl, the helmet had to fit a certain fashion statement. Don’t ask me how. I don’t understand it. I told her that we could go to a local sporting goods store to find the right one. She also preferred a different kind of bike lock than this website had to offer. I thought a combination lock would be best so she wouldn’t have to keep track of a key and she agreed. So, that’s what we got.
We had a good time finding the bicycle accessories for her new bike. I think that she is going to have a lot more fun and freedom. When I was a kid, that’s what the bike meant to me, freedom. But, I suppose that’s a subject for another article. But, what is important to me is, she should be as safe as I can make her. And, if she locks up the bike like she should, then there is a smaller chance it will be stolen by some other kid. I am thinking that I may want to sign my daughter up for a bike safety class and also a minor bike repairs class. Both of those would teach her a lot.
James Hoag