balance / running bike

[tommu56]

Has any one got one for their kids / or grand children
and skipped the training wheel cycle all together?

 

[Ranger]

My grandson had a like-a-bike when he was about 3 years old. The like-a-bike is a bike with no pedals. It could be pushed with feet and ridden like a bike but without concern for pedals. My grandson could really go on that thing. One night, with me riding my bicycle, we rode slightly over 3 miles.

At almost 5 he had finally outgrown the like-a-bike and moved up to a regular bicycle with training wheels. The pedals were problematic to him at first since he one without pedals had been so effortless for him.

I think the like-a-bike was great. Even some of the "big kids" (12 -14 yrs old) in the neighborhood were impressed with his performance on the like-a-bike.

My grandaughter had also used a pink version of a small bike without pedals. Each child has greatly enjoyed the bike without pedals.

Go for it! I think it will be fun for everyone involved!!

 

[whistlepig]

Has any one got one for their kids / or grand children
and skipped the training wheel cycle all together?

I was taught this way. My parents ran along the bike and helped keep it upright. They gave me a lot of encouragement. This was done in a couple of hours one summer afternoon. I am thankful that my parents taught me this and not the training wheels.

 

[schmism]

why have the training wheels?

spend some time teaching the kid and let him go.

Watched a 5 year old just zoomin up and down the neighborhood street the other day on a TINNY little bike with peddles (no training wheels) i mean just TEARING it up!

then i go over to my friends house and here is his 7 year old still pedel'n around on his training wheels.... :confused2:

as we watched the pathetic display we both traded stories about being the same age (7) and both never haveing had training wheels and zooming around the neighborhoods we grew up in.....

 

[Egon]

Somehow I have this feeling that if a group of children and a pile of trainer wheel less bikes be put together with no adult supervision there will be a group of children that know how to ride a bike before their time!:thumbsup:

 

[Reg]

My grandson had a like-a-bike when he was about 3 years old. The like-a-bike is a bike with no pedals. It could be pushed with feet and ridden like a bike but without concern for pedals. My grandson could really go on that thing. One night, with me riding my bicycle, we rode slightly over 3 miles.

At almost 5 he had finally outgrown the like-a-bike and moved up to a regular bicycle with training wheels. The pedals were problematic to him at first since he one without pedals had been so effortless for him.

I think the like-a-bike was great. Even some of the "big kids" (12 -14 yrs old) in the neighborhood were impressed with his performance on the like-a-bike.

My grandaughter had also used a pink version of a small bike without pedals. Each child has greatly enjoyed the bike without pedals.

Go for it! I think it will be fun for everyone involved!!

One of the standard ways to teach adults how to ride bicycles is to take the pedals off so they CAN'T get gouged up ankles and CAN'T get confused with the pedaling task.
Have them just scoot around until their balance is GOOD - good enough to no longer being trying to STEER with the bars.
No shame in it, & it beats getting beat up ankles (-:

 

[LBrown59]

I used to set on the handle bars and ride a bike backwards.
Been a lot of years since but bet I could still do it after giving it a few tries.

 

[bdeboer]

When the kids are ready to ride, we start them on a slight slope on the grass next to the house. If the kid is not interested in riding without training wheels yet, wait and try again.

 

[s78wingrider]

In the country with nothing paved, all I ever saw training wheels do was cause them to wreck. Best way to learn ( if you have a place) is to get them to coast first to learn balance, after you see their getting it, encourage them to try pedalling. Told my 5 year old grandson this and came home one day and he said, watch, I can ride around house. I didn't believe him but he did. His 4 year old brother and his 7 year old sister couldn't take it and learned with in a week!

 

[charlz]

My kids were about 3 when we started them on bicycles... so training wheels it was They moved to bigger bikes quickly and while they had training wheels I moved them up so they really only came into play when they went to stop the bike.

When we moved here and I started riding dirtbikes again and my son, now 5, wanted a dirtbike so I bought him a PW50 with no training wheels. I told him the only way he could ride it is if he learned to ride his pedal bike without training wheels. He immediately asked me to take the training wheels off. He would start out on the pad in front of the garage, go onto the dirt and around the hedge. When he tipped over he would call out "I'm ok!" So for the next hour or so all I heard was:

"I'm ok!"
"I'm ok!"
"I'm ok!"
"I'm ok!"
"I'm ok!"
"I'm ok!"
"I'm ok!"
:laughing:

He got it though and started riding his dirtbike. Still loves dirtbikes and pedal bikes today. He has a little track out back, he will ride it on his dirtbike and then go get his pedal bike and ride some laps on it.

My daughter, one year older, magically learned to ride without training wheels shortly after he did. :thumbsup: