If your DC had a bike with training wheels..

[MSWR0319]

At what age did they learn to ride with no training wheels? I just can't get DH on the balance bike idea with me. He thinks kids who learn with training wheels learn to ride without around age 4. I told him I thought he was crazy! I don't think I learned well until 8 or 9, which may be a little late. I specifically remember my dad taking them off, putting them back on, loosening them so they were crooked,etc. so if your child didn't use a balance bike, how old were they when they mastered two wheels?

[lizzywednesday]

I didn't use a balance bike.

My parents put my training wheels on crooked. On purpose. They said they were supposed to teach me how to balance, but I stubbornly rode while leaning the bike on one of the training wheels. (It was awkward.)

I didn't learn to ride until I spent the winter determined to teach myself how to balance, sans training wheels, in our basement.

I was 8.

[KrisM]

My kids had both. DS1 was 4 and DD was 3.5 when they lost the training wheels. DS2 will not have them this spring at 3.75.

The other kids on my street did not have a balance bike and they were 3.5-6 years old when they learned a 2-wheel from training wheels. The little girl next door is a few weeks younger than DD and when she saw DD riding a 2-wheeler, she wanted to and so she learned in a couple days at 3.5.

The oldest one was 6 and that was this past summer, but her parents don't often come out with her, so she had no one to help her.

On the other hand, DS1 has a friend who is on training wheels and he's 7.5 now.

[catpagmo]

My DD is just about 6, and still rides with training wheels. I was going to try and teach her how to ride w/o the training wheels this past summer, but didn't. I plan on doing that next spring. I'll have to wait and see if she's ready. She didn't have a balance bike.

[lilycat88]

DD used training wheels last summer (2010) at age 6. This past spring, she started riding without 3 months before she turned 7. There was no transition at all, when she got her bike out for the first time in March or so, we took them off and she coasted down the driveway a couple of times and that was it. She took off from there.

DD has a balance bike when she was 3-4 but never took to it so I don't really consider she "had" one. She was more of a scooter gal until she got her bike.

[hillview]

DS1 was 6 (well he COULD ride at age 5 but didn't want to /didn't feel comfy), DS2 will likely be almost 5 (imagine next summer he will do it). The neighbor boys next door were 6.5
/hillary

[rlu]

DS was 7 but I think he was ready before that, we just didn't try. We took him to the park so there was lots of open space if he fell but he didn't, he just got on it and rode around and around and around.

[infocrazy]

DS1 went from training to wheels to none in about 2 weeks the summer he turned 5. He could do it the first day, but didn't BELIEVE it...even when I showed video.

DS2 did it the month he turned 4. He probably could have done it the summer before but he had a cheap bike with no brakes so I didn't want to take the training wheels off...that boy needs brakes! The next spring (MI) we got him a new bike. I put training wheels on it so he could figure out how to use the brakes, but he rode off without help the very first time we took them off--he is quite the daredevil though. Completely fearless.

I think it depends on the kid. We didn't have a balance bike.

[lfp2n]

None of DDs friends had balance bikes so were later than her, I'd say the youngest to get rid of the training wheels were six and the oldest its happening right now so 8. In my limited sample a lot had to do with the parents- the early kids had a lot of help and pushing, and the older ones were kind of self motivated!

[rlu]

None of DDs friends had balance bikes so were later than her, I'd say the youngest to get rid of the training wheels were six and the oldest its happening right now so 8. In my limited sample a lot had to do with the parents- the early kids had a lot of help and pushing, and the older ones were kind of self motivated!

peer pressure worked on me as a kid - my folks waited until I wanted to ride like my friends, rather than push me into dropping the training wheels. And it wasn't teasing-type peer pressure, I just couldn't keep up with my friends.

DS asked us to remove his training wheels over this past summer (we had hoped to anyway) as he saw so many kids about his age riding without.

[niccig]

I was about 7. DS had a balance bike and didn't have training wheels and was on a regular bike at 3.5 years old. I was impressed with the ease he learned to ride. His friends lost the training wheels around 5, but some still have them at 7

I think it depends on the child, some are very cautious and want training wheels longer. Others like me just have poor balance, so it takes longer to learn. Others pick it up very quickly. My ILs didn't understand the balance bike either until DS was riding without training wheels and his cousin 4 years older sill had them on her bike.

[AnnieW625]

I was 6 or 7 when I learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. I think my brother and sister were about the same age. DD1 is 5/1/2 and is slowly learning to ride her bike without training wheels. Our main issue is that we live on a semi busy street so we have been teaching her on the sidewalk, which isn't working because she sees the grass as a security and once she gets going she steers herself onto the grass. I am not planning on getting her a balance bike, but might for DD2.

[pb&j]

DS never had a balance bike, and was riding a 2-wheeler a few months after turning 5. We took off the training wheels and encouraged him to use his feet (rather than the pedals) to push the bike. Within days he was pedaling and using his coaster brakes.

ETA: We live in a kid- and bike-friendly neighborhood. There's a lot of pressure to learn to ride!! ;) It seems that the kids on our street were all off training wheels by 6-ish.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

She had training wheels, hated her balance bike and decided on her own to take the trainers off before she turned 4. She just said she wanted them off one day. It was shortly after the snow melted and she started playing outside again. She probably would have had them off sooner, if we didn't have snowy weather here. It was a month or so before turning 4.

ETA (Embarrassed to announce): at 33 years old, her Mama learned to ride this summer. I refused to use training wheels, embarrassed enough as an adult I was lame and didn't know how to ride:bag:bag:bag:bag... I am still nervous and shaky, but better!

[sarahsthreads]

I was probably 8-ish when I learned.

DD1 still has them at 7. I bought her a balance bike this past summer. She refuses to ride it, refuses to try her regular bike without training wheels, and had an absolute fit when DH made her training wheels lopsided.

I actually don't care that much when she learns, so it was not worth the argument this past summer. Maybe next summer she'll want to learn. And if not, I still really don't care. She never goes biking with friends (we don't live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids, and it's not a kid-friendly area for biking anyway) so there's never going to be peer pressure to get those wheels off - unless, of course, her little sister figures it out first. And I'm having a hard time seeing any reason to force her to learn before she's ready! (For the record, I'm 100% sure she *could* do it, she has excellent balance and coordination, she just has to get past the fear.)

Sarah :)

[Binkandabee]

My DD lost the training wheels at 8 years old.

I was in first grade, so I was 6 years old.

[baileygirl]

She had training wheels, hated her balance bike and decided on her own to take the trainers off before she turned 4. She just said she wanted them off one day. It was shortly after the snow melted and she started playing outside again. She probably would have had them off sooner, if we didn't have snowy weather here. It was a month or so before turning 4.

ETA (Embarrassed to announce): at 33 years old, her Mama learned to ride this summer. I refused to use training wheels, embarrassed enough as an adult I was lame and didn't know how to ride:bag:bag:bag:bag... I am still nervous and shaky, but better!

This is awesome! I don't think I would have the nerve to learn to ride a bike as an adult!

DS1 could ride a bike at 3.5 (was riding the first try), we used a balance bike...but honestly he doesn't spend a lot of time riding. My brothers and I learned to ride when we were 4 (using training wheels first).

[Simon]

Ds1 will be 6 in a few months and is nowhere near ready to lose the training wheels. He is very afraid of his bike w/ or w/out training wheels, but it is in his nature to be cautious, so its not terribly unexpected. We will be buying a balance bike for Ds2, with the thought that Ds1 will likely take to riding it as well.

[MSWR0319]

I really don't care when he learns to ride or if he needs training wheels, we're just trying to decide which bike would be best first bike. I had him get on a small regular bike with training wheels today and he couldn't get the pedals to go and kept getting stuck with the brakes. I also noticed he was leaning funny on it trying to stay balanced I think, not really sure though. It just seemed to me that maybe a balance bike would be better for him to get comfortable on before we move up. I just don't know how much he'll really use it. DH doesn't get the whole balance bike idea (even though he's an engineer?) and swears he was riding a real bike at 3 with no training wheels. I think he just wants to get DS the bike he saw because he thinks it's cool!

[roseyloxs]

DS got a balance bike when he was a little over two. On his third birthday he got a real bike and was riding by himself in less then 10 minutes. It was incredible. I love balnce bikes. We have recently moved to Germany and all of the kids here are on balance bikes. No training wheels in sight.

[niccig]

I had him get on a small regular bike with training wheels today and he couldn't get the pedals to go and kept getting stuck with the brakes. I also noticed he was leaning funny on it trying to stay balanced I think, not really sure though. It just seemed to me that maybe a balance bike would be better for him to get comfortable on before we move up.

This was our experience when DS hoped on a friend's bike with training wheels. DS had been riding his bike without training wheels for over a year, and he had difficulty riding a bike with training wheels. He immediately got off and hoped back on his bike whizzing around the park. I think training wheels make learning to ride more difficult. Heavier bikes are also more difficult to learn to ride on.

The key with any bike, balance bike or bike with training wheels, is practice. DS rode his balance bike the 1 block to the park a few times a week, and quickly mastered it and moved on to regular bike. Friends got their DD a balance bike at same time, but she rarely used it, so she took an extra year over DS to learn how to ride a regular bike.

[Moneypenny]

We got DD a balance bike when she was 4. She hated it with a passion and refused to ride any kind of bike until she was 6 (she had previously ridden a tricycle quite happily but the balance bike turned her off of all bikes for two years). This summer we convinced her to try a bike with training wheels. She mastered it over the summer when she turned 7.

[mctlaw]

DS learned to ride his bike w/o trainers at 5 and a half, but where we lived until recently did not have a good flat area to practice. Judging by how fast he learned to ride independently when we took the trainers off (on his second try), he probably could have learned way before he actually did.

[MelissaTC]

M was 4 almost 5.

[roseyloxs]

This was our experience when DS hoped on a friend's bike with training wheels. DS had been riding his bike without training wheels for over a year, and he had difficulty riding a bike with training wheels. He immediately got off and hoped back on his bike whizzing around the park. I think training wheels make learning to ride more difficult. Heavier bikes are also more difficult to learn to ride on.

The key with any bike, balance bike or bike with training wheels, is practice. DS rode his balance bike the 1 block to the park a few times a week, and quickly mastered it and moved on to regular bike. Friends got their DD a balance bike at same time, but she rarely used it, so she took an extra year over DS to learn how to ride a regular bike.

Same here. My son could not ride a bike with training wheels after learning how to ride a bike without them. The balance is all wrong. He eventually learned because he wanted to ride his friends lightening mcqueen bike but it took at least 6 tries and he still had trouble turning since he couldn't lean into them.

[jren]

DD learned to ride at 4. It took a few minutes and she was off and riding. She never had a balance bike. She started on a smaller bike (10") even though 12" was her correct size.

DS has a balance bike, but isn't interested in riding the 10" yet. He's just newly 3, though.

[georgiegirl]

Right after she turned 5 this spring. No balance bike. About 2 months later I bought a strider for DS when he turned 2.

[khm]

mine were both four. a friends son was newly three!! that kid is physically very ahead of the curve.

our neighbor was six and that was fairly "late" in kids i could see around here.

my youngest had the only balance bike in the neighborhood. he ignored it completely the summer that it fit (when he was three) and used it for one week when way too small the next summer right before taking off his training wheels.

i actually did the bike teaching for our kids (and the six yo neighbor). my dh the cyclist did not think them ready. i had them stand on one leg and explained how they wiggled to keep balance. when riding i held them at the shoulder rather than the bike seat.

[Tondi G]

We followed the suggestion of the guy at the bicycle store to try to get DS1 to ride his new bike without training wheels.... he was 6 at the time. He was so nervous and fell and after 2 weeks of trying, refused to ride the darn bike for a year. When he finally decided to try it again he demanded the training wheels... so we put them on. When he was almost 8 he decided to try without the training wheels and learned very quickly.... never looked back! DS2 started with training wheels ... he loved his bike .... then he got a Razor scooter. :( He is now 6.5 and still in love with his Razor and has no interest in riding his bike. I am assuming when he is finally ready to try sans training wheels he will be 7+ and will probably pick it up fairly quickly.

[kerridean]

DD1 was 6 and DD2 was 4. They both learned the same summer. No balance bike.

[MommyAllison]

DD1 had a bike with training wheels, and when she got to 5.5 and was making zero progress towards riding without training wheels, we offered DS' balance bike to her. A few weeks later, we got her bike back out, took training wheels off and she rode off like she'd been doing it all her life. We are now balance bike believers! I'm guessing DS will switch to a 2 wheel bike next summer.

FWIW, both DH and I remember getting training wheels off when we were 5-6 years old, but it took quite awhile before our dads didn't have to run alongside to catch us. It was amazing when DH only ran alongside DD1 for 5 minutes!

[Jen841]

#1 - 5.5
#2 - almost 5

We did not do the balance bike thing

[SnuggleBuggles]

We are still using training wheels here at 9yo but, in fairness, he has little chance to ride a bike (like 3 times/ year). He is not a fan of no training wheels! We took them off this summer, he tried for 10 minutes and quit. I wish we had pulled the plug on them ages ago.

Beth

[zoestargrove]

I think it depends on the child. I bought a balance bike, but neither of my boys liked it. My boys learned to ride without training wheels at ages 6 and 7. Some of their friends learned a year or more earlier and some of their friends took another year beyond them.

[mommytoC]

I really don't care when he learns to ride or if he needs training wheels, we're just trying to decide which bike would be best first bike. I had him get on a small regular bike with training wheels today and he couldn't get the pedals to go and kept getting stuck with the brakes. I also noticed he was leaning funny on it trying to stay balanced I think, not really sure though. It just seemed to me that maybe a balance bike would be better for him to get comfortable on before we move up. I just don't know how much he'll really use it. DH doesn't get the whole balance bike idea (even though he's an engineer?) and swears he was riding a real bike at 3 with no training wheels. I think he just wants to get DS the bike he saw because he thinks it's cool!

What kind of bike did he try? DD#1 got her first bike (a 16" Specialized with training wheels) at between 2-2.5 years, after outgrowing her (Radio Flyer) trike (she's very tall for her age). She climbed on, and took right off! She tried a 16" Trek, too, but had some difficulty (similar to your son) - it was just too heavy for her, at the time.

DD#2 will occasionally ride this bike (DD#1 now has a 20" Specialized), though she prefers her Schwinn trike. She does well, but does struggle with the pedal brakes a bit (since she's used to pedalling backwards on her trike).

We took off DD#1's training wheels at 4, though she was probably "ready" at 3.5. In our neighborhood, where kids ride bikes a lot but balance bikes are rare, most have training wheels removed around age 5.