Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Bicycle Bugaboo

OK, so we went to my mom's today and I told DS7 that I was going to bring his bike over there, and he could ride it if he wanted. I told him I'd hold the handlebar all the way if he wanted. Well, we went half a block with me holding the handlebar and he said he didn't need me to hold on anymore. And he had so much fun! Finally! I guess sometimes it just takes time.

I think I heard someplace else years back about these. Hum...

Good ideas, thanks!

Oh, wow!

That bar looks like an interesting option. My hubby has a bike he bought just so he could ride with ds.

And, yes...his vision checked out at normal for his age just last month.

I'm wondering if it would help to get a Medical Pedaler? He could practice the motion without actually moving.

I'm coming back to this post years later because Christmas is coming and I just know some parents are wondering about bikes for their children.

DS eventually rode a bike with training wheels when he was in Kindergarten. I thought he'd never get over his fear!

His dad is his most trusted adult (yes, as a mom I'm a bit jealous), and was able to coax him into spending more and more time just sitting on the bike with the training wheels. Then dad pushed him a bit. Next, dad had DS try to make the bike go by pushing the pedals.

The time-line on this was at least three months. Then, BAM!!, DS was off and pedaling down the drive way!

He had a similar trajectory when dad said the training wheels needed to come off.

That was over two years ago. We recently bought him a new bike for Christmas because he has outgrown his trainer bike. I watched him ride that old bike over the weekend and reflected how much he has grown; both physically and emotionally in such a short time.

Anyway...if your child is bike phobic, please don't give up. The smile on their face when they eventually ride on their own (even with training wheels) is something you'll never forget.

Happy Cycling!

Just chiming in to say that the balance bike was magic for our son. We took pedals and chain off and he paddled around for several months. He got really fast! Then we put the pedals and chain back. He was off like a shot and never used training wheels at all. It is honestly the way to go. They have such a safety net - and then they don't need it!!

My 2-cents is to make sure the bike fits, a lot of parents try starting kids on bikes that are too small or too big. They should be able to put their feet flat on the floor while standing over the bar. (Less of an issue for girls bikes.) And on tippy-toes while on the seat. Larger wheels are easier to balance than smaller ones, but it shouldn't be too big. We were lucky and got a hand-me down 18" bike from a friend. It's a trickier size to find, but it was the right size for both my kids when they learned without training wheels. And my son has a short inseam for his height so I've always had a tricky time finding him the right sized bike.

I am pretty sure that when I was a kidv4 year olds rode tricycles. I think we are just getting a bit silly with our expectations. That said ds7 had a wooden running bike at 2.5 and switched to a 16 inch bike without training wheels on his fourth birthday. Ds5 refused to switch from his plastic 3 wheeled bike until 3.5 and isn't really interested in his bike but will ride a running bike.

I prefer scooters for city kids anyway. They are easy to carry and store and they can stay on the footpath.

Yup.. when I was a kid we rode tricycles and big wheels until we were around 5 and then went straight to bicycles without training wheels. My parents didn't seem to even know training wheels existed. My younger brother not to be left out, simply taught himself on my bike & a few other neighbors kids earlier and my parents ended up breaking down and getting him his own bike earlier. At that age we were allowed out to play on a quite side-street in a group, with usually only one mom looking out of her window to make sure we were OK. Very different in those days.