What Age to Ride Bike with Out Training Wheels?

My boys were 6, 6 & 4. My step-daughter was something ridiculous like 10. I think that the mistake made with my SD is that my husband bought her first bike waaaayyyy too big so she was 4 riding a bike that really wouldn't fit her until she was 7 or 8, so she hated it because it was so hard. Then her mom also got her a bike that was much too big. Having the bike the right size from the beginning so it's not too hard to ride was, I think, a key part of the younger boys really enjoying riding with training wheels and ready to ride without later.

My daughter was able to take the training wheels off this summer, when she was 6. She wasn't motivated until she saw her BFF was able to ride without training wheels.

My oldest was 6, my middle was 4, and we took the pedals off and let her run with the bike, my youngest was 3 and we actually bought him a strider bike when he was 18 months. So he was able to ride a little sooner.

I think it varies greatly. I personally think anything under 5 is very young. I think between 5 and 7 is probably average. But it depends on the child's exposure to bikes and other kids on bikes, his or her motivation and enjoyment of riding and of course practice and natural balancing and coordination. My son is 4 1/2 and no where near riding a bike with no training wheels. He just really doesn't enjoy riding a bike.

I was 4, as was my neighbor's daughter a couple years ago.
My brother was 5, and my son was 5 1/2 and WELL ready by the time we did it. I felt bad for him a little bit.....he was ready for a couple months before, but I'd hurt my knee and my husband had back surgery, so we had to heal up first, lol. We took the training wheels off, Jeremy walked him back and forth a couple laps in an empty parking lot, letting him feel the weight of the bike and getting the idea. Then he jogged a lap, then let go and Joseph just took off!
My sister is 9 and hasn't learned to ride her bike yet.

It all depends on the kids. Some just have a more natural sense of balance than others. My daughter rode exceptionally early, but she was very small framed and as long as she could reach her legs to the ground to brace herself, she was ripping all over the place on two wheels.

My son took a little longer to figure it out, but he was bigger at the same age as my daughter. He was by far more a daredevil once he had it down. He wanted ramps and jumping curbs and things. Protective gear is a necessity, for sure.

I think all kids learn the balance thing at different stages. It just takes practice, practice, practice.

My granddaughter was 9 or so and the only reason she was able to do so then was because I bought her the right sized bike without training wheels. She didn't want the wheels taken off her first bike. She needed to be encouraged to learn without the wheels. The training wheels were a crutch that she was afraid to lose.

My grandson is now 10 and still can't balance on a bike. He has sensory issues and may not ever be able to ride a bike. He's a whiz on scooters tho.

Grandson was 5 granddaughter was more like 4. She rode BMX too at that age.

my son turned 6 this fall and i am thinking next summer for sure...we are not super active/athletic people, we don't tend to push a lot on the stuff like this. i was going to go by a combination of size plus when he felt ready. hoping for next summer!

Totally depends on the kid. My son learned just after he turned 3, but he's an only child and I rode all over with him in a trailer so he really wanted to learn to ride for himself. He spent a month on a push bike, then went to a little bike with pedals.

IMO there's no need to rush a child who doesn't want to ride, nor is there a reason to stop a child from learning when their interested.

My daughter learned at 3 and my son at almost 4. We spend several hours outside every day so they had logged a ton of hours with training wheels by then. I have taught several kids and have found that teaching them on bikes that are too small helps them feel more secure and learn faster.

My son was 6 and 1/2.

My daughter was 4 and 1/2.

Yeesh. 7?

We didn't live in a bike friendly area (gravel driveway, no sidewalks, streets w 45mph speed limits... So we'd have to drive 10-30 minutes to ride a bike, and no bike rack). So bike riding just wasn't something my son did much if ever until he was (I want to say) 7. Maaaaaybe once or twice a year. Instead he had a plasmacar & razor & skateboard that all threw into the car (or under an arm for the bus).

At (6ish?) he got a bmx, but he didn't really want to ride at all until a friend bought a house with a looooong paved driveway. At about age 7. Used the training wheels, his friend as well, for about a year. Then off. Said friend's sister was 3 and had them off in a year, also.

These numbers are approximate... Because we're just not bike people. It's just not a good area for them where we live. So he still only rides a bike a couple times a year. Stuff we really DO I can tell you ages for, but these 'once a blue moon' things, I can't with any real accuracy.

((Ex: Gymnastics @ 3 to 10, Snowboarding @6-10, breakdance at 9-10, etc. LOL, he's 10 now... So those are ongoing)).

I think it's pretty rare that 3 year olds are riding without training wheels. I've only met one. When my oldest son was in preK at age 4, he was the ONLY one in his entire class that was riding a 2 wheeled bike (out of some 20 kids). Athleticism runs in our family. He had a bike day in the school gym, and I was afraid he was going to run the other kids over because he was so much faster without training wheels. He learned on/about his 4th birthday by practicing endlessly on a "balance bike" (basically, a tiny garage sale bike we found and took the training wheels off), and my youngest learned when he was about 5. He had a couple minor spills around age 4, and was scared to try again for a while after that. He finally learned when he was on vacation at grandma's house.

My main concern regarding your child would be that he hurts or scares himself and then doesn't want to try it again for a long time. My neighbor's 7 year old is like that. In fact, he is going to turn 8 in a month, and he has absolutely NO desire to learn to ride a 2 wheel bike. He just continues to run around on his scooter or training wheel bike.

You know your child's personality best. Is he persistant? Willing to put in the effort it takes to learn? Does HE want to try it? What might he do if he falls and hurts himself? Shake it off? or get upset? etc.

Good luck! It's so much more fun when they can drop the training wheels.

My son was 5. Many of his friends learned at that age too. Some when they were 4, others still need them and probably will until they are six. I think 5-6 is pretty common.

If you want your child to learn sooner, have him practice on a balance bike. We used an old bike and took the pedals off so we didn't have to buy a specific balance bike that we'd never use again. Once they can balance on that, learning to ride without training wheels is pretty easy.

My oldest just turned 6 when she asked me to take the training wheels off. She then got on the bike and rode off. I think it helped that she had a smaller bike and wasn't as afraid to fall off.

My youngest is 4 and has no interest in riding the bike with the training wheels, so no idea when they'll be removed. Many of the kids on our street rode two wheelers at 4 or 5, but some were as old as 7.

My son was 5 and very self-motivated to learn it and taught himself.

My daughter was 6 (end of 1st grade) and really afraid. What helped her gain confidence was me taking her to school on the back of a Adams-trail-a-bike. She could feel what balancing felt like and she could pedal.

There are new bikes for 2+ year olds called RUN BIKES and I wish I had one for my daughter from the very beginning.

Here's a video to see it in action:
http://www.trail-a-bike.com/video/run-bike-fun/

We took the training wheels off my sons bike on his 4th bday (per his request) and he was riding by himself within minutes. My daughterv was 5 and needed more time, but was riding on her own within a few days of concerted trying.

My older daughter learned just before her 4th birthday. My younger daughter was 7. Just depends on the kid.

My autistic one just started this year at 7 the 2 older ones were somewhere between 5 and 7. I was probably an early teen but that was cuz I didn't have access to a way to learn or the space.

5 or they take a lot of teasing. Maybe 6...depends.

Every kid is different...but I think 'normal' is at or around 5/6.

Mine were: 5, 6, 7, 4, 6, & 10. (boys)
The one who didn't learn until he was 10 was my youngest nephew and he wasn't at ALL interested early on and had to wait till all his cousins and his brother were off riding and being free until he realized that it was pretty cool! The 4y/o was my youngest boy and he learned the quickest (one trip down the driveway and he had it) but he was also the youngest, you know what they say about the youngest/baby of the family, they catch on quicker b/c they have been watching all the older siblings do it first....that and my youngest boy is just one of 'those' kind of people who is just amazing at everything they try!

My one and only girl is still only 4y/o and isn't ready to try it yet..we are hindered a bit, IMO b/c we live where it snows so we have a definite 'bike season'!

Ugh . . . Our oldest was 6, but our youngest is 8, and still has zero interest in learning. I would love for him to learn, but we live on a small farm, not in a neighborhood, so there really isn't anywhere for him to ride (long gravel driveway isn't ideal). The thing is that when he goes over to friend's houses now, they ride bikes. He takes his scooter instead of a bike, and it's working out alright, but really, he needs to know how to ride a bike. Sigh . . .

Both boys were between 6 and 7 when the training wheels came off. Some of their friends were closer to 5, and others were older. It depends on how often they ride their bikes, among many other things (we have a pretty short bike riding season here).

my daughter was 6 when she learned. My son is 5 and still uses his trike, lol! We tried to get him a real bike for his birthday in July, but he didn't want one. I think we are going to have to next spring/summer (when it warms up again) because he will get too big for his trike (it's a larger radio flyer trike, not the toddler kind)

My son was 5.
My daughter was about 7.

It does not matter about the age of the child.
What will determine their bike riding, without training wheels, is:
Their ability and desire to learn without training wheels, IF there is someone who will teach them, and if their current bike has been outgrown and is too small now and if they have... a new bike that is sized according to, their current height etc.

6, 4 and almost 7.
Every kid is different!