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Original poster

What age did your child learn to ride a bike?

132 replies

2022IamHavingYa · 23/01/2022 20:05

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

OP posts:
NoiceToight · 23/01/2022 21:37

Balance bike at 3 - he used to bomb down a big grassy hill near our house on it, and we got him a proper little bike for his 4th birthday. He rode it straight away, without any issues. We didn't put stabilisers on his bike, and he didn't need them. They definitely aren't necessary.

Shuffletime · 23/01/2022 21:37

Eldest was 8, youngest was 3. We lived in a very steep, hilly area when the eldest was little so never really took him out on the bike. Youngest, we'd moved to a flat area so took the bike everywhere we went.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 23/01/2022 21:43

Dds were 5.
Both Gdcs were 3, after using balance bikes.

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FindingMeno · 23/01/2022 21:43

Dc1 never has.
Dc2 at 11 and I did a course myself as I could barely ride, so we could ride together.

Indoctro · 23/01/2022 21:45

@2022IamHavingYa

So he’s 3.5. Had a balance bike for a year and we go everywhere on it. He’d happily stride his bike 10k with me running.

Yesterday he asked for his pedals (strider bike) so put them on and off he went, confident as ever! Did our usual 10k route today and he cycled the whole way like he’s been doing it forever and I couldn’t keep up so got a 20k pb 😂

He’s pretty tall for 3 and I noticed he was pedalling faster than the bike would go if that makes sense? Like it needed a bigger crank or gears. So where do I go from here? I’m not sure the strider will last too long tbh as he has long legs and needs another gear I’d say. Any suggestions on either a bike with 3 easy change gears and light or a bike where the pedals don’t go round so fast without getting anywhere?

He’s confident, can use his brakes and bell all at the same time it seems!

I think he is most likely too small for beinn 20s but personally I concentrated on handling rather than distance until mine were big enough for the beinn (my tall son was 4 and my smaller one 5)

I would go to some pump tracks at MTB woods, they are fantastic for young ones.

Work on balance and slow speed handling, far more important than distance at the moment.

PolytheneRam · 23/01/2022 21:46

Not sure exactly but definitely between the ages of five and six.

DorotheaHomeAlone · 23/01/2022 21:53

Both were 3yo. Balance bike for about a year then just get on a peddle bike and head off. No stabilisers or lessons. Lots of encouragement. Lighter bikes really help.

Nonivknamesforcatapillars · 23/01/2022 21:57

I think my dds were both 3 when they leaned. They had normal 12” or 14” bikes. I took them to the local field and pushed them down a slope.

They both took around an hour to get the hang of it and that was that.

TaylorsSwimShorts · 23/01/2022 21:57

Dds 1 and 2 were 9 and 8, they are now almost 17 and 15 and didn't have balance bikes, stabilisers are crap 😒 ds had just turned 4, ( now 12) and he zoomed about on a balance bike from about the age of 2, dd3 was 3.5 and had been on a tiny puky from about 18 months, dd 4 was 4, same tiny puky from age 2, dd 5 is about to turn 4 and has been on the same tiny puky for 2 years, she has a bit of a hip problem, plus the lockdowns have meant she isn't as good or fast on the balance bike, but she's quite tall so she's getting a 14 inch frog bike for her birthday next week, I will take the pedals off at 1st for a few weeks, and hopefully she will be ready to have them back on by Easter time....I always recommend balance bikes, stabilisers can really hinder them getting their balance ( feel the same about armbands) I also recommend the lightest bike you can afford ( islabike/frog are both really lightweight frames) and also, don't be tempted to go up a size, keep to just right for their height, easy for me as have always had a younger kid to pass the bike down to, but first size bikes always sell well if they outgrow after a year and it really does make it so much easier for them to learn of the bike is the right size .

rhowton · 23/01/2022 21:59

Shortly after her 4th birthday. She had been on a balance bike for 2 years. We didn't put stabilisers on at all.

Echobelly · 23/01/2022 22:00

DD was 4.5 - literally took blood, sweat and tears from her and DH but was worth it as she was one of the first in her class to ride and could bike to school with DH which was great for her confidence

DS - I think 6 or 7; has ADHD and not very coordinated. Hasn't had the chance to ride as often since, though.

I learned to ride in my late 20s, was very nervous (future)DH had a project that took up all his time when i first learned so couldn't ride with me often and for the first 10 years we were living together we had nowhere to keep a second bike. I got a bike last summer but found I have totally forgotten how to ride, so so much for 'you never forget how to ride a bike'

AyeEee123 · 23/01/2022 22:11

One was 4, two were 5 and the other is 7 and still refuses to even try.

Rupertgrintismyguiltypleasure · 23/01/2022 22:22

DS was 3.5 and dd was 7, she prefers her scooter and when she rides her bike she’s like a drunk person on it 😅
Me and my bro were 3 when we learnt without stabilisers.

Original poster
2022IamHavingYa · 23/01/2022 22:23

We go a couple of times a week To a bmx track. He loves that! It had a small mountain bike section that he goes on as well as the main skater park but but he hasn’t yet tried with his pedals.

I’ll get some cones out next weekend and get him to practice some slow and controlled manoeuvres (I probably need to do that on my bike too!)

OP posts:
Footnote · 23/01/2022 22:49

Both aged 2, after using balance bikes. Their first pedal bike was a 12” no name one. Their 14” ones were the lightest ones Decathlon had

Fifthtimelucky · 23/01/2022 23:43

Eldest was a month before her 4th birthday. She had a 16" bike for her birthday but we gave it to her a couple of months early so she could use it in the summer.

The youngest was a few months older. She was much shorter and learned on an old 12" borrowed from neighbours until she could cope with the 16".

They hadn't previously had balance bikes (I don't think they had been invented in those days)!

bagelsandcheese · 24/01/2022 00:05

one was a couple of days after their 4the birthday and the other just after their third birthday. both travelled pretty much everywhere on balance bikes from around 18 months so they learnt to balance that way first.

plantastic · 24/01/2022 05:29

DC1: two weeks short of 8th birthday
DC2: 3 and 3 months (before older sibling)

Exactly the same approach - balance bike (neither were that interested in the BB though) then a light frog, but eldest has ASD and is hypermobile. We used a trailer bike with her for ages as well but just had to wait until she was strong enough- she started horse riding 3 months before which really helped both core strength and confidence.

We're really keen cyclists so were desperate for her to learn!

Bunnycat101 · 24/01/2022 05:59

Balance bikes do seem to be the way to go. My 5yo didn’t have a balance bike and has struggled to remove the stabilisers despite actually having very good balance and coordination. We haven’t prioritised it as much as we should have done though. Once the weather gets nicer I’m determined to get her sorted in the spring.

MotherWol · 24/01/2022 09:09

He’s pretty tall for 3 and I noticed he was pedalling faster than the bike would go if that makes sense? Like it needed a bigger crank or gears. So where do I go from here?

@2022IamHavingYa it sounds like he’s ready for a bigger bike; he’s pedalling fast because tiny wheels don’t cover much ground with each revolution. I’d look to move him up a size.

Decoratedchicken · 24/01/2022 09:28

My oldest son was 5. On his 5th birthday actually.
My daughter 3 years and 8 months - within 5 minutes, couldn’t believe it.

Think the difference was he had a bike with stabilisers and she had a balance bike. Maybe she learnt how to balance better?

Sartre · 24/01/2022 10:09

Mine were 8, 9 and 10, it was during the first lockdown. They learnt in about 2-3 days in the garden.

ElephantOfRisk · 24/01/2022 10:51

Pre balance bike days, DS2 learned at 2 and a bit, Ds1 was 4. As they are only a year apart, this meant that in real time DS2 could cycle first.

DS1 was a bit lazy and DS2 had been towing him on their pedal cars for ages so he was stronger and more used to pedalling.

We do however live in an area that is completely flat and quiet so opportunities to be outside on ride ons, scooters and bikes were great.

We had a small hard wheeled bike that they both learned on and went on to proper sized normal bikes after that. There wasn't a lot of fancy pancy lightweight things around then either. Not in our price range anyway.

DSs are now 21 and 20.

ElephantOfRisk · 24/01/2022 10:54

DS2 who learned early was diagnosed with dyspraxia as a 17 year old and is now completely uncoordinated. The consultant said his issues could have been caused by a severe strep infection he had a few years later but not sure.

bigbluebus · 24/01/2022 11:01

Age 4 - but balance bikes weren't a thing back then. He went straight from a trike to a 2 wheeled bike with pedals and stabilisers. We gradually moved the stabilisers up until he was pedalling on just 2 wheels with no support then took them off. He fell off his bike and asked for one stabiliser back on - which we did but it was at 90° to the ground so totally pointless other than for DS to feel more confident! It soon came off again as all the children in our cul de sac were riding around without them.

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