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Writer's pictureDoug Ballew

It's Like Riding a Bike...

When I taught my own children to ride bikes 20 years ago, the way most parents introduced bikes to their kids was on a cheaply made bike with training wheels. It provided immediate gratification for children (and parents). Pedaling on a bike with training wheels gave the appearance that they were “riding a bike”. 


After a couple of years on the training wheels, when when my children were around 4 and 6 years old, we decided it was time to take the training wheels off. But without training wheels, they didn’t really know how to ride a bike. After several months of trying to teach them to ride the bike without training wheels, with a great deal of frustration and tears, they eventually learned to balance, pedal and ride a bike. 


As a Cycling Instructor, at that time, I had only taught a few students (including my own kids) to ride, while instructing older children and adults on intermediate/advanced bike handling skills and how to safely ride on the road. So I started doing more research on teaching people to ride and found what at the time was a somewhat new concept. That method was “Balance-first”, teaching the new rider first to balance, then once they had mastered balancing, how to pedal. The Balance-first method is now used universally by Instructors. Training wheels, however, are still found on many kid’s bikes. Why? Because people buy them, not knowing about the Best Practice of the Balance-first method. 


We now realize that training wheels actually delay learning how to balance as children become dependent on the training wheels (as my own kids were). After the training wheels have been removed, children must “unlearn” their dependence on the training wheels, before they can start balancing on a bike. I can usually teach a child to ride that has never been on a bike more easily than a child who has ridden training wheels extensively. 


The “Balance-first method” uses a Balance Bike to teach new riders. A Balance Bike can be either a bike designed without pedals or a regular bike with the pedals removed. The seat is lowered to a point where, while sitting on the seat, they can place both feet flat on the ground, with slightly bent knees. Instead of pedaling, the bike is propelled forward by the rider pushing with their feet on the ground. Once the new rider can propel themselves forward while keeping their feet off the ground for 30’ or more, they are “gliding”, and most of the time, they are ready for the next step, learning to pedal. 



While Learn to Ride instruction has come a long way, (I just co-authored a National Learn to Ride curriculum, look for a separate blog on that), there are many variables associated with teaching a child to ride. One of the biggest barriers that I see (starting with my own children) is “parent-child dynamics”. As a parent, of course we want our children to succeed, and we do our best to make that happen, but often, our children resist against our best efforts. 


Over the last 10 years of teaching new riders, I have seen and heard this from many parents. And when parents have hired me to teach their child, I have a 100% success rate teaching them to ride (as long as the child stays with it). I owe much of this success to woom bikes, https://woom.com/en_US/ who provide me with lightweight, high quality kid’s bikes from their headquarters here in Austin for all of my youth classes. The weight of the bike makes a huge difference in children’s ability to learn to ride and enjoy the nimble feel of a “real” bike. Historically, children’s bikes have been manufactured cheaply, often weighing 2/3 of the weight of the child. As a 170 lb. adult, I can’t imagine riding a bike that weighs 113 lbs.! It would not be easy (or fun!)


Nearly all of my students are ready and eager to learn, and I love seeing the “wheels turning” in their development toward learning to ride. Another factor that I have found to be a positive influence, is the presence of other children in the class around the same age and ability. It becomes an unspoken game of “if they can do it, so can I”. So much fun to watch! 


My experience shows that gentle encouragement from a parent, while mostly remaining on the sidelines during the class, is a positive. With small classes of 2 - 5 new riders of similar abilities, most children are “gliding” by the first or second lesson, and pedaling by the third or fourth lesson. Of course, every child is different, and results vary! I have had children pedaling proficiently after the first class, and other children still getting the hang of gliding after three or four classes.  


In my next Blog, I’ll talk more about the new League of American Bicyclists Learn to Ride Curriculum, that I cowrote and my hope that it raises awareness about best practices for parents teaching their children to ride! Also, look for a discussion about choosing the correctly sized bike and how to set it up for success as a Balance Bike. Lots more Family biking blogs to come! 

Author's daughter,2009.


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