I’ve been Zwifting now for a couple of weeks, and my twin 5-year-old girls have loved to watch, especially when my avatar passes through the lava lakes inside the volcano of Watopia. They are always quick to point out when other riders pass me. “Daddy, you got to catch that guy!” they say.
Anyway, after my ride the other day, I decided to setup my trainer for their 14" bikes, and they LOVED it. Together they’ve logged nearly 20 miles, and now they try to talk me into ending my workouts early so that they can ride. Note to others with Zwifting kids: the old 1up USA trainers are compatible with a wide range of wheel sizes, down to 14" at least. Setting my girls up on Zwift seems like an excellent way to help them build leg strength, so that they can graduate from balance bikes to pedal bikes this spring.
Here’s the catch: The software does not have 14" tires as an option in the dropdown menu for the Garmin ANT+ speed sensor I am using on their bikes, so their speed and power output is inaccurate. Could a 14" tire option be added? My girls, and potentially other kids, would really appreciate it. Also, I have created a minor account for them, but the minimum weight I can type in is 99 lbs. Any chance we can get the minimum lowered for the minor accounts (they weigh ~40 lbs)? And finally, they are obsessed with catching and passing other riders in Zwift, but they are quite bummed when their 50W output can’t keep up. Could we get some organized rides for kids? What a great way to encourage healthy lifestyles for kids. In fact, there is probably a lot of government grant money available to fund this type of effort (I’d love to help write a proposal for such a grant, should the Zwift team be interested–I’m a scientist that happens to write grant proposals for a living).
Anyway, just thought I’d drop this note to share another way Zwift is being used. I’m interested to hear others’ experiences with their kids on Zwift, so please share in the comments…