Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Flip

Original poster

when is the average age for riding a bike with no stabilisers??

23 replies

Nemoandthefishes · 27/09/2008 19:31

DS is 5 in a couple of weeks and is desperate to ride his bike with no stabilisers on it but he just doesnt seem to have the confidence to do it. Around here he keeps seeing children riding around who all seem to only be between 3 and 5 yrs old which seems really young to me.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

belgo · 27/09/2008 19:32

I'd say age 5-6. Three is very young, four is possible.

Nappyzoneneedssleep · 27/09/2008 19:32

dd started school last sept and is comming up 6 - this summer lots of her friends learnt to ride so 5 i am thinking

slayerette · 27/09/2008 19:34

DS is in Yr 1 and has just started to practise without stabilisers. We take him to the astroturf near us and he rides there - not on the roads/pavements yet.

mimsum · 27/09/2008 19:37

dd never had stabilisers (used one of the balance bikes with no pedals from 2) and could ride her bike at 3

ds2 only let us take his stabilisers off at 6 and a half - he's v good at cycling now though (he's 8)

ChasingSquirrels · 27/09/2008 19:39

ds1 learnt just before he started reception, so 4.11y. A couple of slightly older friends were already riding, but most of his reception class seem to have learnt over the last year.
so 4-6 on average?

MNHQ

YetMoreTech · 27/09/2008 19:39

The best way to teach children to ride a bike is take off the stabilisers AND the pedals. Put the saddle down really low, so they can scoot along with their feet.

See this for a more detailed explanation. It really works.

GobbledigookisThrifty · 27/09/2008 19:40

I think it just depends when you get round to doing it with them!

Ds3 can do it now - he is just 4.

Ds1 was 6 and ds2 was 4 - simply because we helped them both at the same time on holiday.

Original poster

Nemoandthefishes · 27/09/2008 19:41

mm so can reassure poor ds he is closer to the normal age range then. All he keeps saying is mummy look at that tiny boy riding with no stabilisers and I cant...actually got another thread going about a balance bike for dd2 for xmas so maybe would benefit all 3 little fishes

OP posts:

Original poster

Nemoandthefishes · 27/09/2008 19:46

yetmoretech thanks for the link
I have actually spent 2 hours today running up and down outside with ds who doesnt particularly seem to have much balance. It also isnt helped by the fact his bike is a 14inch one and even though he is tall I think it might be a little too big for him without stablisiers. It was fine with them and even dd1 has been riding on it today with them on but once it comes to balancing he is struggling and then panicking..

OP posts:

eekamoose · 27/09/2008 19:46

DS has just turned 5 and only just learned to ride without stabilisers (ie. in the past week or so). Most of his friends of the same age do seem to be able to manage without stabilisers, tbh.

But DD was very nearly 7 when she got the hang of it. And lots of her friends, 7+, still can't.

Maybe boys are just more keen to do it?

foxinsocks · 27/09/2008 19:54

about 3-10 I reckon

Original poster

Nemoandthefishes · 27/09/2008 19:57

lol cheers foxinsocks
I can remember trying to learn in my nan and grandads garden so I must have been around 7

OP posts:

singersgirl · 27/09/2008 19:57

There are loads of 3 and 4 year olds riding bikes where we live (but parents here are pushy about everything and I think riding without stabilisers is another of those milestones!)

Both mine are on the slow side; DS1 was just over 7 and DS2 nearly 7, though to be fair with both of them we hadn't bothered before that.

ChasingSquirrels · 27/09/2008 19:58

it depends where they are riding aswell, our village paths are rubbish and ds1 had gone up a bike size which was actually no longer stable with the stabilisers on. So it was learn or don't ride.

Miyazaki · 27/09/2008 20:00

Mine was 7 if that helps.

foxinsocks · 27/09/2008 20:00

I can't remember when mine did

but I tell you what Nemo. It's like that stage in a boy's development when they realise they can run but they haven't learned how to stop themselves do you know what I mean? The minute ds learned to cycle, he would go as fast as possible the faster and faster without being able to stop or understand how to stop. Gawd, it was terrifying! So perhaps it's not such a bad thing waiting a bit .

MegBusset · 27/09/2008 20:01

I didn't until I was 26

foxinsocks · 27/09/2008 20:01

then faster and faster

Smee · 27/09/2008 20:03

The kids riding without stablisers at 3+ are usually the ones who've never had them. If you start them on the scoot along no pedals bikes - it teaches them balance far earlier, so they progress more easily. My son could ride a normal bike at 3 because he had one, but no way would he have if he'd had a bike with stabilisers.

singersgirl · 27/09/2008 20:04

I first got a bike the Christmas I was 7.5 and had never ridden before. I don't think most of us had bikes at 3 or 4.

foxinsocks · 27/09/2008 20:06

yes that's true isn't it singersgirl (I was born in the early 70s). Don't think I got a bike till I was 8/9 somewhere around then.

Original poster

Nemoandthefishes · 27/09/2008 20:15

oh that is very true singers as I learnt on my uncles bike who was 5yrs older and didnt have my own bike until I was about 12 and that was second hand from another uncle

OP posts:

noonki · 27/09/2008 20:17

ditto smee

but I got rid of my stabiliers at about four

Flip