Ditching the training wheels (or skipping them)
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 91
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Ditching the training wheels (or skipping them)
My daughter is rocking the balance bike, and is very very interested in riding the 12" hand-me-down that's waiting for her. We've done some riding around, with an adult holding on to the handlebars, and she's started to get the pedaling down so that she's not constantly hitting the coaster brakes. So all is good. Except my back hurts, and there's no subtle way I can suddenly drop the handlebars. Plus she's not practicing steering.
So I'm thinking of getting something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Balance-Buddy-...dp/B000MISWIW/
Has anyone tried it?
So I'm thinking of getting something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Balance-Buddy-...dp/B000MISWIW/
Has anyone tried it?
#2
Lula Mae = 15 lbs.
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: I keep hitting <Escape>, but I'm still here!
Posts: 766
Bikes: 2011 Trek Madone 6.5 w/SRAM Red 22
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Or, I hear some folks have had sucess with this pedal-less bike:
(when considering skipping training wheels to help in moving to a pedal bike)
https://www.mystriderbike.com/
(when considering skipping training wheels to help in moving to a pedal bike)
https://www.mystriderbike.com/
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 91
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
That's the balance bike she's currently rocking, actually. But she still needs to learn to pedal and to start and stop. My guess is we're looking at just a couple of weeks of transition here, but I'm not sure. She's determined, but also very little.
#4
Lula Mae = 15 lbs.
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: I keep hitting <Escape>, but I'm still here!
Posts: 766
Bikes: 2011 Trek Madone 6.5 w/SRAM Red 22
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
oops, I should have read your initial post more clearly per balance bike...sorry !!
#5
Full Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 212
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times
in
20 Posts
We've used the Balance Buddy (I think ours went onder a different name though) for our last two kids and it's worked well for us. For heavier kids it can be a challenge to keep up and keep them balanced, but far better than the handlebar/seat grab technique. I recommend you get one
#6
Resident smartass.
Take the pedals off the hand-me down bike and let her push herself around on that. In this way, she can learn to balance on the bike w/o assistance, yet, at the same time, still have the ability to put both feet down at the same time if required. it also familiarizes her with said bike's handling. When she is really scooting around with the pedals off and it's more than obvious that she's mastered balancing, put the pedals back on. It shouldn't take too long for her to get the hang of pedaling.
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Leeds UK
Posts: 2,085
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
3 Posts
Training wheels are the instrument of the devil and should be declared illegal under whatever is your equivalent of the Trades Description Act. They are unfit for purpose and do knack all for "training" them
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Northern Nevada
Posts: 3,811
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Or, I hear some folks have had sucess with this pedal-less bike:
(when considering skipping training wheels to help in moving to a pedal bike)
https://www.mystriderbike.com/
(when considering skipping training wheels to help in moving to a pedal bike)
https://www.mystriderbike.com/
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Bay Area, Calif.
Posts: 7,239
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times
in
6 Posts
Take the pedals off the hand-me down bike and let her push herself around on that. In this way, she can learn to balance on the bike w/o assistance, yet, at the same time, still have the ability to put both feet down at the same time if required. it also familiarizes her with said bike's handling. When she is really scooting around with the pedals off and it's more than obvious that she's mastered balancing, put the pedals back on. It shouldn't take too long for her to get the hang of pedaling.
#11
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 91
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
And she's off! Training wheels and handles off. She still needs some help getting started, but I think she'll progress very quickly from here, and will be biking to school in no time at all (or in spring, depending on the weather here in the midwest).
She's 2.5, for what it's worth. Balance bikes are amazing preparation for riding.
She's 2.5, for what it's worth. Balance bikes are amazing preparation for riding.
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Leeds UK
Posts: 2,085
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
3 Posts
Congratulations - altho' you may learn you have created a monster. If she continues to have problems setting off, you might want to see if you can fit a rear cog with more teeth. We teach them starting with the usual "pedal up" and "big push commands with the emphasis on "push"
Altho' we usually find that they get hold of starting pretty quickly. On the other hand, the youngest ones we've taught have been 3 and up.
Good luck
Altho' we usually find that they get hold of starting pretty quickly. On the other hand, the youngest ones we've taught have been 3 and up.
Good luck
#13
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 91
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I think it'll be a very short-term problem. My son learned the week he turned three, and there was also a short transition period with starting. Her second outing was already much better than the first. She mastered a balance bike, and then had a handle on the back of a 12" specialized, and then we took the handle off when she could go for awhile with no-one holding on.
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Portland Oregon
Posts: 301
Bikes: 70"s Raleigh Superbe, 1959 Murray Vanguard Middle weigh cruiser
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I'm not fan of training wheels (don't do anything) or balance bikes (why bother they're bikes with no pedals). I bought my kids bikes and removed the pedals, and like said above once they got coasting 50' or so on there own found a nice slightly downhill grass hill and made them go down that with pedals. Kids were all riding within an hour of adding the pedals back. And within two weeks of adding pedals to my daughters bike. She and I did a Portland parkways of 8 miles, was a little too much for her, but she loved it.