Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Mach on February 1, 2009 at 11:14am

Okay, at the risk of talking to myself (Jen, you are SO FASCINATING...) let me start. We started C. on a smallish hand-me-down bike with training wheels, but she could not get the knack of pedaling. Then, last summer we scored a larger bike at a yard sale for $7 (I bargained them up from $5). This bike had no training wheels, but was a much better size. My father told me, in his best Massachusetts farmer voice, "Well Jennifer, we never used training wheels for you, we just held you by the scruff of the neck."

So that is what we did for C. I am shorter than my husband, and it turned out that I am the perfect height for neck-holding. Right hand on the neck, left hand on the handlegrip as needed, I trundled along with C-- doubtless the neighbors were amused. She caught on very quickly and soon I was merely running alongside. I can't wait for the sidewalks to be clear so we can start again.

Her next hurdle is starting and stopping on her own. She is almost there on stopping, but starting is very hard, especially since her pedals end up in the wrong spots when she stops. Any hints?

Cheers, Jen

Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on February 1, 2009 at 11:28am

I've actually got no tips, since my son is only 16 months old, but was thinking I'd start him on a "run bike," as I've heard they help the kids master balancing a bicycle, and that the transition to a regular bicycle is often seamless.

I'm looking to avoid the whole training wheels thing as Jen did.

Any experiences with these run bikes?

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Mach on February 1, 2009 at 2:52pm

Joe said:

Any experiences with these run bikes?

I have heard great things about the run bikes. Another parent also recommended just taking the pedals and cranks off a regular bike, thereby essentially making it a run-bike.
Jen

Permalink Reply by Homebuilt on February 2, 2009 at 6:48am

We've been doing the training wheel bike, last summer, my then 4yo did at least two rides that were 1 mi.+ and she was getting pretty good at steering, including taking the curvy sidewalk thru' the park. We also have her on the trail-a-bike when we can, and my hope is that that will help her get a feel for the balancing.

Other options: removing the pedals (mentioned before) also, take a strong broom handle and jam it behind the seat above the rear tire to give you a handle (better grip than the scruff of the neck) I heard that that's how the dutch do it.

Permalink Reply by spacemodular on February 2, 2009 at 5:18pm

My son learned to ride in different stages.

We first set him up with a 16" wheel bike when he was tall enough to stand over the top tube (about 4 years old) and used training wheels at this stage.

He learned to stear and gain momentum with the training wheels and to brake as well. The first bike had a coaster brake and caliper brakes with hand levers. The coaster brake was the main brake - but the hand brakes were there to introduce the technique.

He was able to ride around with a pair of sisters from down the block who he was between age in. Both of them had already learned to ride without training wheels. On his last day of kindergarten he came home and with the girl's dad's help - took off his training wheels (I was working at the bike shop then).
He took an initial spill but the sisters encouraged him and pushed him to start again and he was off.

Before this happened - he had bought a new bike from a friends shop with his mom (my wife) and would ride it sometime. It was a bmx/mountain 16" style bike with only a coaster brake. After having it a few months, we took the pedals and the training wheels off and lowered the seat so he could scoot around on it. At this point, he didn't really take to it, because the bike with the training wheels was much faster.

So there it was - my son learned by taking a leap from training wheels to none and did it easy. I don't expect everyone with kids to have them to make the transition this way, but that was my son's story. I have good things about using scoot bikes sans pedals for very young children, but those might be good for indoors before getting the first bike. The first bike should be as serious as an adult bike, but scaled to the needs of a young person.

My son rode on his first three critical mass rides on training wheels with both of his two 16" wheel bikes. We rode him there with the trailer with his bike strapped on the back and then he rode during the mass. He had a blast - as did both his mom and I.

Permalink Reply by Garz on February 3, 2009 at 5:52am

I was blessed by having a huge driveway downstate. My oldest son learned by the time he was 4 how to ride. I just delt with running behind him. My youngest also learned by trial and error with his older brother running behind. Lots of spills and thrills but they bith fly now.

Permalink Reply by Jane Healy on February 6, 2009 at 9:51am

There is a great book that talks about this: _Biking with Children_ by Trudi Bell.

Training wheels are pretty controversial in the biking circles, as they teach kids improper riding technique (like leaning AWAY on turns, rather than into). Most avid cyclists prefer the scooter method, although I've seen those new trainer bar attachments and that looks pretty good to me as well.

The scooter method involves removing the pedals of a small child's bike and having modified brakes from your typical kid's bike. One of the most difficult things about bikes is that they are inherently unstable at slow speeds---and kids are scared to go fast in the beginning, but that's when bikes are at their most wobbly!

It's recommended that the bike have a right HAND brake or two full brakes (you can get them added at any decent bike shop) rather than back pedal brakes. Back pedaling requires a child to do a full 180° reverse to get the brakes to engage, and that can be hard to little kids to understand. Hand brakes seem to be easier for little kids to 'get.' Just make sure that the brakes are for KIDS bikes and not for adult sized bikes. If your kidlet can't get a grip on the brakes, get spacers installed so they can actually close on the hand lever.

Lower the bike's seat to it's lowest level.

Remove the pedals (remember that pedals release by twisting down toward the *back* wheel, regardless of which side of the bike you are on).

Step one: Lean the kid against a wall or garage door. Let them practice with balance and using the brake.

Step two: Let your child "scooter" around on the bike. As they get better at it, get them to start coasting longer and to go at faster speeds. Get them used to the fact of going faster. Get them comfortable with gliding around corners. Taking them to a large open area can be great for this... like a park or open parking lot. You can let them take the bike down grassy hills, too, to get comfortable with speed. The goal is to get them to balance and to go fast comfortably. Some kids will master this stage in an hour, others will take a couple of weeks.

Step three: Add the pedals, but still keep the seat low so the child can touch the ground. Let the child ride using the pedals. Chances are they will go flying off! After a week or two, you can raise the seat up to a more comfortable height.

Hope this helps--
Jane <---mom to three kids, who ride all the time

Permalink Reply by Liz W. Durham on October 2, 2009 at 9:47am

Regarding experiences with run bikes....we bought a "skuut bike" for our 2 y.o. son last summer. He is now 3. He started out pretty slow in the scooting department, really just walking with the bike under him. Now though he just takes off! He goes from pushing with his feet to cruising along while holding his feet in the air. He has definitely learned about balancing on two wheels. He is still a bit wobbly on the slowing down part but hasn't had a topple in quite a few months.

I am holding off on a bike with pedals until next Spring. I think that as long as we get him a bike with hand brakes instead of pedal brakes he will do fine. He knows how to pedal from riding his tricycle so the only real transition will be pedaling on the two wheel instead of just holding his feet up.