[RoughDobermann]

The worst I've seen are the little kids just off training wheels. You go past the mom or dad (with a verbal "on your left") okay, but then the parent warns the kid, who invariably looks over his shoulder and starts weaving all over the trail (usually in my direction!). Cute little critters, but they've put me on the ground more than once...

[IYAS9YAS]

That's kinda like the new drivers...they turn the wheel in the direction they are looking. My little critter is going to be on a motorcycle before a bike. Like I was. It helped me in learning to control the bike better. I rode a motorcycle at four and a bike at five. Of course, when I hit puberty, coordination and I had a vast parting of ways. We haven't gotten together since.

[cyclotic]

RE: Kids just off training wheels. My wife and 4 kids ride a local trail hundreds of miles a year. I'm quite the annoying ride leader and agree with you about the little tykes. I watch a few hundred feet ahead of us for problems and when I see someone with kids, we slow our parade down, I make plenty of noise well before I get to them and tell my kids loudly to watch out for the new riders "Cause they're not watching for us."

As we go by, I always tell the new rider that they are doing a great job. Never ended up on my butt doing it that way.