What age did your child learn to ride a bike?

[2022IamHavingYa]

Exactly that. Ride a 2 wheeled bike without any stabilisers? What bike did they have to learn on and what did they progress onto?

Thanks

My eldest learned age 9, took him about 2 hours to master it at a learn to cycle event. My middle aged 7 in about half an hour by the same organisers! Neither had cycled before. Ordinary bike with the pedals off to start, then once they were balancing and gliding, the pedals went on and they were away. Along with bikeability levels 1 and 2 at school soon after, both proficient and confident on and off the road.

DD was 4.5, she had a 14” bike and we took the pedals off so she could use it like a balance bike. After a couple of weeks scooting around we put the pedals back on and she got the hang of it very quickly. It helps that we do the school run by bike so she got lots of practice. She’s now about to turn 6 and on a 20” Islabike.

One was 5 and one was 4 but we go on cycling holidays every year so had prioritised teaching them when they were young after they mastered balance bikes.

4 but he had been in a two wheel scooter for a year or so so he was quite good at balancing his weight by the time we took the stabilisers of the bike out.

Age 6

4th birthday. Dd had had a lovely little balance bike (puky) for her second birthday. She rode it a lot, then when we gave her a pedal bike she just got on it and rode away!

All were competent enough to go for a family bike ride by age 4 apart from eldest who was just turned 5. It took a solid day with each of them pushing them off then they got the hang of pedalling and eventually went further and further. Luckily we have a very long grassy garden so soft landing when falling off!

About 4 iirc. They just rode on a normal bike. We took the stabilisers off when I read about how they hinder rather than help and learned to balance without pedalling before just naturally pedalling themselves. I don't remember doing anything special.

He had just turned 7. He lacks confidence with physical skills a bit and had been trying for a long time. We went to an organised class and he mastered it during the second session.

Both just before their 4th birthday. They had been racing around on balance bikes since they were 2 so it was an easy enough move.

3y4m ish. He's less of a prodigy in other ways

One was age 3, the other was age 4.

Although kids do seem to be doing it a lot lot later these days. Saw an 8/9yr old with stabilisers in the park the other day which my son thought was odd (his words)

The earlier the better surely?! Then they can go to skateparks and do BMX type fun stuff!

Ds1 5
Dd 7
Ds2 2yrs 11 months
Ds3 22 months

Youngest 2 had balance bikes. Ds3 had a Puky LRM. Best littlest pedal bike is the smallest islabike but they were out of my price range.

3.5 he’d had a balance bike since about 18 months, took him about half hour once we mastered starting off, balance bike are amazing!

One just turned 4 and the 2 year old mastered it first.we were teaching the 4 year old and the 2 year old said look just do this

Mine were very different and not as you'd expect.

DD1, generally very cautious, doesn't do physical things quickly and nervous, learnt to ride her bike in about an hour age 3.6yo.
DD2 (missing a hand so not as easy), generally throws herself into things and just does it without worrying about getting hurt and physically tended to be the quickest etc was about 7yo. Rode fine until she did bikability at school where they refused to take her because they didn't like the (professionally approved) adaptions on her bike and she hasn't ridden since.
Ds normally very good physically spent about a fortnight learning aged 5.6yo. During that time he fell into every nettle patch on the estate. Doesn't enjoy riding and hasn't ridden much since he was 7 or 8yo, and takes his scooter when others are riding.

DS 1 only just before bikeability in year 4 and only after some private lessons. He struggles with gross motor skills and balance. DS2 was younger - 6 probably. He probably could have done it sooner but we're not massively into cycling.

7 or 8, has ASD and dyspraxia.

3 and just 4, after using the tiniest Puky balance bike from age 2.

I had a real struggle learning, as a child, and so I didn’t let them have a scooter until they were confident on the balance bike. So they used it lots (London, so mostly they biked and I walked, we rarely used the car).

just under 5, in a few hours. We had a balance bike & just progressed to a normal one. The young one will take longer!

My neighbours' two grandchildren (different families) have both learnt around the age of 5 - one a month before his birthday and the other two months after theirs.

Both started with frog balance bikes and went straight to bigger frog bikes first without pedals, then with pedals. No stabilizers at any point.

My kids had balance bikes and never had stabilisers. Each child followed in the older ones footsteps and learned earlier. Eldest got a balance bike for 3rd birthday and started school at 4 years 2 months riding a pedal bike confidently 1 mile each way. Second child had balance bike a bit earlier and was riding a pedal bike by 3.5 years. Third child had his balance bike at 18 months and first mastered a pedal bike just after his 3rd birthday.

But we used to take them out with bikes a lot, and obviously the younger ones were keen to catch up with the older ones. If you get a balance bike and leave it sitting in the shed they won't learn that quick. But it's definitely true that stabilisers actually stop kids learning to balance properly. To get balance you need speed. Kids can't pedal fast enough to get the speed to balance, and stabilisers slow you down.

I was about 8 years old - that was in the early 90s. Got my first every bike then, don't think we could afford one before that.

Kids seem to do it younger and younger these days, maybe it's the rise of balance bikes?

Age 5, took about 15 mins in a private lesson! I had always thought them unnecessary but it was brilliant and I’d do it again for my younger one too.

8 (nearly 9) and 10. It was my one success of the first lockdown! We’d tried a few times before but my back had always given out before they got it.