Originally Posted by
JonathanGennick
There's lots of pushback against training wheels in the enthusiast community. I've drunk some of that Kool-Aid myself, but now I'm not so sure that there isn't a place for these devices after all.
Tuesday I was in Millennium Park in Chicago whiling away a few minutes prior to a meeting. Saw a mother strolling the paths with her young daughter who was pedaling along on a training-wheel bike. Daughter was maybe four. (Just a guess). Mother walking. Daughter Pedaling. Both enjoying the day. It is difficult for me to imagine that scenario playing out with a balance bike. What kid is going to want to kick the bike along with her feet for that sort of distance?
Then there is my neighbor's experience. He bought a balance-bike last year for his son, and his son would not, and still won't, touch the thing. Zero interest. Nada. The kid is not dumb, and sees that everyone else has pedals. This year the kid has a pedal bike with training wheels. He'll ride that one, but never the balance bike. (He rides a kick-scooter however, and surely is learning some balance from that).
Two years ago I'd have said reflexively to avoid training wheels. These days I'm not so sure.
I think you have it right - training wheels don't teach kids how to ride a bike - they let them have fun on a bike before they are able to actually ride. Emphasis on "fun". That's the part that will make them want to learn for real.
+1 on the scooter. That is what I did with my son. I read a funny funny blog post that basically said " 2 steps to teaching your kid to ride a bike: 1. Buy them a scooter. 2. Sit back and have a beer."
The scooter teaches them the steering corrections needed to ride a bike. When they can do a figure 8 on the scooter, they are just about ready to bike - but the kid needs to be the one to make that decision.
I didn't buy a balance bike, but they seemed like a good idea, so I made a poor man's version - I took the crank off my son' s bike. He tried it, but didn't like it. I've seen other kids scoot all over the place on them, so I suppose it really depends on the kid.
My thoughts: training wheels teaches pedaling + scooter teaches steering = new bike rider!
Good luck - and have fun!