Riding a bike - What age?

[2wheeler2025]

What age did your child learn to ride a bike?

Noticed a trend of kids not being able to ride a bike until 6/7+. Just wondered how old your child was?

AIBU - It's not an important life skill, my DC will do it when they're ready
YANBU - It is an important life skill and I actively tried to help them learn to ride a bike as soon as I could

I can’t answer your aibu because it pairs different things. Yes, cycling is an important (maybe not vital) life skill. Yes, it’s a good idea to teach your kids when they’re young (by which I mean roughly by the end of ks1) but that doesn’t have to be ‘as soon as you can’ - each child and family is different.

iirc DD was 4/5 when she got the hang of it but DH and I didn’t get bikes so that we could ride as a family till she was onto a midsize bike when she was maybe 8. We only did off-road cycling so before she went to uni,where she needed to be able to cycle as a means of transport,she did a days road training course.

one of the neighbours kids was zooming fearlessly round the cul-de-sac when she was only 3, that was too young to do that.

I'm not sure balance bikes are very necessary, and I used to feel a bit bad that my dd didn't use one as a toddler, but she just never got on with it. Anyway at age 5 she picked up a pedal bike and rode it within about ten minutes. I was amazed! It was an incredibly light weight bike, which made the difference I think. She is in year 1 and they're a mix of stabilisers and no stabilisers in her class still.

It feels like a skill they need to know, but I never ride a bike as an adult.

i dont think at that age it matters if the family have bikes, surely you will not venture far anyway and you will to concentrate on them

Both DC could ride a 2 wheel bike with pedals (no stabilisers) around their 4th birthday.

ds was great on a bike, took the stabilisers off and let him try on the grass, hey presto
dd got a new bike and was showing off in front of our neighbour
dd just needed a bit of encouragement to cycle between me and dh

Dd was 7 at which age all her friends could cycle...reasons for this...we had no bike as we were living in a situation that there was no where to keep a bike and when we did there was no where safe for her to learn...when we moved to a safer location she learnt quickly. Around 5-6 is normal age with most children. Sadly at 5-6 we weren't in a situation for bike learning. I know some learn earlier.

Both mine were on balance bikes at age 2. They then got pedal bikes by 4 or 5.

Just before his 3rd birthday. Started on a balance bike and the transition to normal
bike took an afternoon. . Went on the race bmx competitively. Daughter we had to bribe with cake but she was 3.

5 here; but I was actively trying to get DS riding a pedal bike (with stabilisers at first) from 4. It took us a while as we’re away and busy a lot at weekends so couldn’t devote enough time, but he cracked it at Christmas when I could take him out every day for a week as we were at home.

Around here I often see three year olds on bikes, so I feel guilty for not teaching him earlier, but we’re making up for it now and he cycles to and from school and Beavers etc.

DC 1 & 2 could ride with stabilisers at 5/6 and without at 7

DC3 didn’t have stabilisers. Learned at 6 then stopped until 8 after he fell off and scared himself.

DC4 was 4 and can confidently cycle 10km at 5 years old.

Theyre all different. Just keep trying and keep supporting.

DS got him first bike, with stabilisers, for his second birthday. Was probably about 5 when he was riding without stabilisers.

We live in London and cycle a lot, so we practiced with the children quite a lot and they had balance bikes. One was on a pedal bike before 3! The other one about 3.5

Mine had balance bikes first and could all ride without stabilisers by the age of 5 years old (Reception).

6/7 years old isn't really that old.

Pedal bike no stabilisers at age 3 for both of mine but they were the earliest of all their friends. Typical was age 4-5. Lots of schools do balance bikes in Reception year which for many children seems a bit silly when they've been riding a pedal bike for a year or more (but equally others really need it). I think learning as late as you say is the exception round here not the norm.

But why be so judgemental?

There will be things your kids take longer to do than some others.

My daughter learned to ride her bike at 8. Various reasons. But she’s also so far top of her maths class that she’s finished her work when the others are just getting started, and then she offers to help the others.

I'd hardly describe it as a trend!
My DT, now 7, had balance bikes from 3. Got them pedal bikes at 4, but neither took to them. Getting them bikes this Summer and we'll try again.

Of what? Genuine question. My eldest learned at 8 for various reasons. She’s now on a sports scholarship to an independent secondary, extremely academic, flourishing in all areas.
My second learned at 3. She’s also doing well at school and in her chosen hobbies.
Genuinely not sure what it’s indicative of?

Yeah I agree, seemed odd when my daughters reception class made a big song and dance about the new balance bikes and teaching the children to ride them when she’d been riding her pedal bike for a year 😂

I suspect this is a money thing though. Good quality lightweight kids bikes are expensive, even second hand. In less well off areas I think parents might be more inclined to skip the balance bike and go straight for a Halfords bike with stabilisers (often branded with characters so they appeal to the kids too!) but these are heavy and make the process much slower and more difficult. In those areas balance bikes in schools are probably a lot more necessary than where all the kids have had them since they were 2.

My daughter’s school did a sponsored scoot/cycle last term (they’re y1). My friend realised her daughter was one of very few still on a balance bike and had a bit of a panic about it. So round here it does seem the majority have learned by age 6.

3, had balance bikes from 18 months.

Yeah I was wondering that. Maybe indicative of having less coordination skills at a certain age?

I learned at age 6/7, my older brothers learned much earlier - around 4 I think . I was reading books independently before I could ride a bike 🤷🏻‍♀️ we’re all different.

Me and my siblings excelled in sports and academics at school, were all big readers, and went on to have “good” jobs. I didn’t feel me learning to cycle a few years later than my brothers has affected me 😄 it did indicate in my case that my co-ordination wasn’t as good though I guess.

Some kids learn later due to things like dyspraxia or their parents weren’t able to get them a bike earlier or they just take a bit longer to learn that particular skill. I really don’t feel it’s significant at all though and have never heard it being described as such lol

3, as they were already whizzes on their balance bikes at 2

my post above was meant to be quote this 🤦🏽‍♀️ see this is what happens when you don’t learn to ride a bike until 7 😂

some people never learn

Both were about 3 and had rode balance bikes from about 2. It made a massive difference and it took less than 10 minutes for them to master a pedal bike because they had already got used to balancing.

However, I don’t think it really matters how old they are when they learn. I didn’t learn until I was 8, because I didn’t own a bike before then.

They are expensive to buy but you can rent a good quality kids' bike (Frog, Squish etc) for about a fiver a month with The Bike Club and then exchange for bigger bikes as they grow. I agree that cheap bikes are awful.