Originally Posted by
smashndash
This is false. Balance bikes have exploded because it has been shown time and time again that the hard part of biking is NOT pedaling. It’s staying upright. And while to an experienced rider “the bike balances itself”, we all apply very very small inputs to both a) stay upright and b) go in a straight line.
OP, no matter what anyone tells you, do NOT use training wheels or even focus on the act of pedaling. Figure out balancing first. I would go as far as to say don’t even scoot. Sit low enough on the bike that you can “walk” with your butt on the seat. Walk a couple miles like this. Try to keep in a straight line. As you start to pick up speed and confidence, switch to scooter mode. Then try pedaling.
Do you know how to ride a kick scooter? The fundamentals of riding a bike are basically the same as those of riding a scooter. You can get a Razer A scooter from walmart for $40. Once you have mastered this, the transition to biking should be fairly simple.
EDIT: Whoops. Should have read the whole thread. Congratulations OP! I’ll still keep the reply above because I think a scooter is a much cheaper and simpler entry point into the mechanics of biking.
I'm excellent on bikes, and mediocre at best on kick scooters. They are manifestly NOT the same balancing skill. It's absurd. It's a completely different position with an entirely different center of gravity and a completely different propulsion system.
The balancing part on the bicycle is actually quite easy -if the bike is going, it pretty much is going to balance itself. The trick for an adult is to get it going first, which is easier on a slope, get the feel for the balance, and then learn to pedal to keep it going. Scooting is just basically walking. An adult has had enough practice at that that there's really no reason to stick at that stage for any length of time.
Yes, you really should have read the thread first. If OP had listened to you, it would have screwed it all up.