SO: Age for a real two wheeler.

[eepster]

With bike season coming up, I'm seeing a lot of posts about getting kids their first 2 wheelers. I was a bit surprised at the young ages some kids were getting them at, and wondered what was average.

When did you transition from a trike or balance bike? How tall was you kid? Did height influence the decision more than age? What other factors were involved in the decision? Where did your DC first ride their 2 wheeler?

[LuckyMommaToo]

I don't really believe in training wheels, so I won't buy my kiddos a "real" bike until they're very confident on the balance bike. DS would've been able to ride a two-wheeler around 4.25, but he ended up getting his 16" real bike for his 5th birthday. DD is turning 4 in May -- she'll probably get hers for Christmas this year.
-e

[Boot]

I voted between 4 and 5 because that is the age I see our neighbourhood kids riding 2 wheelers without stabilizers. We do have a great area to practice in however so they might be a bit ahead of average. DS is nearly 3 and has a balance bike that he is getting good on. I can see him managing a 'real bike' in about a year since he also knows how to peddle. He just needs to put the two skills together.

[Grace and Granola]

When ds1 was 3.75 a neighbor friend got his first bike (he was almost 4). Ds tried the bike, got right on and started riding, so we got him his own. I bought a 12" bike and it was perfect for him. My then 2.25yo climbed up by himself and started pedaling away. So this year, he get his own bike at 3.25yo.

[MJB]

My oldest got a 2-wheeler at 3.5 and got the training wheels off at 4.5.
My second got a 2-wheeler for his 2nd bday and got the training wheels off at 2.5.
We've never had a balance bike, training wheels seemed to work fine for my kids. They did have a tricycle.

[Drummer's Wife]

Mine started riding a bicycle (w/o training wheels) between ages 4-5. Heck, my 3rd child got a wrench out and removed his training wheels at age 4 and proceeded to ride his bike across the driveway right afterwards. Clearly, he was ready and needed no help. :-)

ETA: my kids each got two-wheeler bikes (w/training wheels) between ages 2-3. They caught on quick learning to pedal and steer.

[annethcz]

My kids were able to ride two-wheelers without training wheels between the ages of 3 and 4. They all started with 12" bikes.

[VisionaryMom]

Originally Posted by eepster

When did you transition from a trike or balance bike?

We transitioned at age 3.

Originally Posted by eepster

How tall was you kid? Did height influence the decision more than age? What other factors were involved in the decision?

He's pretty average height. The biggest factor was coordination. He's actually pretty small body-frame wise, but (perhaps "because of") he's amazingly coordinated. He definitely was ready to make the switch.

Originally Posted by eepster

Where did your DC first ride their 2 wheeler?

He started out just going up and down our driveway.

[angelpie545]

My older daughter taught herself how to ride a two wheeler by herself when she was about seven years old. My younger daughter is seven now and still rides with training wheels, so I guess it just varies. I don't think there is a "right" age persay...just whenever the kiddo is ready.

[AllisonR]

Personality of child? DS is cautious. Never really into biking. He didn't get a balance bike until 4 years. Didn't take the training wheels off his regular bike until he was nearly 5, and though he can bike, pedal and balance, he wants DH running after him! And now we have had solid snow for 4 months, so no biking at all. He probably won't bike totally by himself until this spring or summer.

Location is also a factor. My nephews didn't have their training wheels off until they were 8 and 9. Seems the average in their area was 7-8 years. Here ALL the kids bike, and the average seems to be 4-6 years.

I wouldn't say height was a factor per se, but economics was. The balance bike we were willing to spend money for didn't work until they reached 97cm (over 3y). The nice wooden balance bikes, are three times the price, but then they could have had a balance bike at age 2. We kept our money and waited.

[ShyDaisi]

I don't know yet, but feel he is getting close. He's had his balance bike for almost a year. I have been considering getting one for his birthday next month. Not sure if he will be able to just yet, but feel he should within a month or two after...I chose other.

[out#edbyJs]

My dd started rider her first 2 wheeler (12 in) with training wheels at 2.75. She started riding the same bike without the training wheels at little after she turned 5 (but wearing 3T clothes). Height was a factor in this because she is very small for her age and her feet couldn't touch the ground until then. But she showed signs she was ready to balance before that.

My ds started riding a trike at 2. When my dd finally grew taller enough for a new bike we spray painted her old bike blue and put the training wheels back on for him, he was 3. But we noticed how well he balanced on a razor scooter so we took the training wheels off and he learned to ride with no training wheels at 3.5. He is small for his age but his legs are long enough to reach the ground. He is 4 but just started wearing 3T clothes.

Both of them ride on the road in front of our house. We live in a cul-de-sac so there is not a lot of traffic. That seems to be a big factor because some of our family friends live on busy roads so they learn later.

[Minxie]

Originally Posted by eepster

With bike season coming up, I'm seeing a lot of posts about getting kids their first 2 wheelers. I was a bit surprised at the young ages some kids were getting them at, and wondered what was average.

When did you transition from a trike or balance bike? How tall was you kid? Did height influence the decision more than age? What other factors were involved in the decision? Where did your DC first ride their 2 wheeler?

Age 3 and yes, height played a part in the decision. DS was 43" and his balance bike was too small at the highest height. His two-wheeler has training wheels because he's still working on his balance and we ride on a bike path on a road.

[peaceful_mama]

My older one was 4.5, last spring/summer.

DD was *barely* 2.5, like maybe 2 and 7 months.

Just seemed the right age for ds1, plus he really started becoming friends with the neighbor kids, who all had bikes.

I got one on freecycle for DD because she was wanting to ride DS's. I didn't really have anything for her, no trike, bike nothing, so I went with a 2 wheeler with training wheels--figured that was what she wanted, to be more like the rest of them.

I suppose DS2 will ride one pretty much whenever he can and wants to now that there will be one available. (Maybe NEXT summer, not this one coming up!)

[mamatoablessing]

Both my girls started riding a two wheeler, with training wheels, bewteen 2 and 3 years old. DD #1 started close to 2 1/2 and got her training wheels off at 4 1/2. DD#2 started riding at just after 2yo and at 3 1/2 has just got her training wheels off.

[AAK]

I voted for between 4 and 5. Two of my kids were 4, one was 3. But, keep in mind, the little two wheel bikes have stout training wheels. My kids weren't riding without training wheels until 7 and 6. My third is still using training wheels.

Amy

[indignantgirl]

I think both of mine started WITH training wheels when they were around 3yo.

My oldest had just turned 7 when we took his training wheels off, largely because we lived on a busy street with no sidewalks and no driveway to speak of (meaning no place to practice). Well, that and he's one of those really cautious kids. But at that age he "got it" really quickly.

My middle son was 4 when we took off his training wheels (he insisted we take his off when we took his big brother's off).

They are both short for their ages (short mommy and daddy) so that was a bit of a challenge for my middle son especially, finding a bike that he could "reach" the ground AND the pedals.

My DD is 3yo now and she is just now able to reach the pedals on her trike well enough to pedal around well, so it'll be a while before she gets a two-wheeler. We actually got her a new trike last week because the old one broke (we went through two Radio Flyers already...they don't make them like they used to) and we tried her on a 12 inch bike at Walmart which fit her okay. The "wobblyness" made her nervous though.

[emaye_to_2]

I voted between four and five years. My son learned to ride with no training wheels at 4 1/2. My daughter, however, won't be ready until 5 I think. And both received bikes with training wheels for their third birthdays.

[4evermom]

I bought ds a trike at some reasonable age like 2 1/2 (he's a late summer birthday so it was the spring after he turned two). Then I picked up a used bike with training wheels mid summer. He did not get on the trike again. The bike was so much easier to pedal. He always enjoyed training wheels. I don't get everyone's issue with them.... He particularly loved to get the training wheels stuck on something with his main back wheel in a puddle and then pedal furiously. He'd make an enormous fountain of water and get soaked.

He's a cautious kid and wanted to work on peddling before balancing. Whatever.

What I don't understand is why people get huge bikes for little kids, ones where they can't touch their feet to the ground.

[Hey Mama!]

My oldest dd got a 12in bike at 2.5. She rode it pretty well from the beginning with training wheels. Middle dd was 3, and same thing. Youngest dd is 4.5. She does not have a bike yet because her motor skills are lagging and she just could not pedal the last time we really tried her on an old bike. I think I'm going to get her one this year, she's been going to dance/tumbling class since Sept and it has helped her out a lot.

So, I guess for me it was a question of ability to pedal, because size was not a factor.