Here’s how to use Training Wheels to teach kids to ride a bicycle.
Pros & Cons of Training Wheels
You get bicycle for kids that come with a set of training wheels. While as parents you may think that bikes for kids ought to have training wheels, its often not the best way to teach a child to ride a bicycle (read more on balanced bikes here).
Advantages of Training Wheels
The biggest advantage of training wheels is that it gives a child the confidence to try to learn to ride a bike.
So training wheels give confidence to kids so that they can start learning to ride.
It’s also reassuring for parents, if they are trying to teach their kids to ride.
Problems with Training Wheels
These also have a few downsides:
The child is going to take longer to learn to ride a bicycle.
Often, kids have a frustrating time transitioning from training wheels to “without-training wheels”.
Training wheels don’t actually teach a child how to ride a bike, because the kids don’t learn how to balance (there is a right way to use the training wheel though).
While turning, weight of the bike shifts from the rear wheel to the outside training wheel, reducing the braking power of the rear wheel.
Riding a bike with training wheels can also be wobbly and awkward for the child, if the wheels are not properly aligned (and if the child has not learnt how to balance).
A bigger sized bicycle with training wheels can be riskier for the child as opposed to a smaller sized tricycle. A bike going faster can topple over while taking sharp turns.
(Make sure, you lower the height of the seat as it will allow the child to sit deeper into the wheels and will feel safer, if they can touch the ground with their feet).
How to Increase the Effectiveness of Training Wheels
Over the past few years, the balance bike has been growing in popularity and many feel that a balance bike is better (compared to the training wheels) in order to learn to bike.
While that may be correct to some extent, training wheels are useful in certain scenarios.
What if someone (friend or family) has gifted your child a bicycle?
In that case, why not make the most of it, by attaching training wheels to it?
What if a grownup child wants to learn to cycle?
In that case, the choices of balance bikes may be limited.
Also, the grownup child will have much developed motor skills and will be able to deal with balancing, using pedals and brakes, much faster. They might need support for some time, and that can be best provided through the use of training wheels.
Also, I have seen that some kids just don’t feel comfortable on a balance bike, and they are going to be even more reluctant to use it if they fall down when using it (may happen when they are trying it for the first time, although it won’t hurt due to the low height).
So, training wheels do serve a purpose in specific situations.
And you also need to use the training wheels in a certain manner, in order to increase its effectiveness (to help the rider learn to balance).
The trick is to gradually keep raising the training wheels over a period of time.
Here’s the Right Way to Use Training Wheels.
Even with the training wheels attached, a bike should always have a little bit of lean; there should be a small amount of tilt from one side to the other.
The training wheels should ideally not touch the ground.. These are meant ‘to stabilize’ and not really meant to convert the bike into a quad. So the training wheels should ideally not touch the ground at the same time.
Once the child is accustomed to pedaling, steering and braking, you should raise the training wheels (a bit at a time). And its best not to tell your little one about this, and not do this task in front of him/her as they can object or throw tantrums.
When the training wheels are raised, the bike will tilt more (become more tippy) which will encourage the child to learn to balance. Gradually, the child will learn how to balance and the training wheels will be off the ground most of the time.
Once the child has become adept at balancing the training wheels can be removed. When the training wheels are off, ensure your little one can touch the ground with the feet as it is much more reassuring.
You may increase the seat later on, once your child is able to ride the bicycle with confidence.
So, let your child ride the bicycle (with the training wheels attached) for a few days or even for few weeks.
You can then raise the wheels a bit so that the wheels do not touch the ground.
Let your child ride that way for some time. You need to check initially if the tilt is something that your child can handle. And they should be, since you won’t raise the height much, and they would have gotten comfortable on the bicycle by now.
Again, after a few weeks, you can raise the wheels a bit.
Gradually, you will reach a stage where your child won’t need the wheels and you can get rid of them.
So, training wheels can be useful, when used in a certain manner.
Even though I had bought a balance bike for my son initially, I later bought him a bigger sized bicycle and used training wheels for some time.
My son knew how to balance and steer, but I wanted to be sure (because the height of the new cycle was more). I gradually kept raising the wheels and eventually got rid of the training wheels.
Buying Training Wheels: Factors to Consider
If you have decided to go ahead with training wheels for cycling, you should take into account the following factors.
Compatibility: Make sure the training wheels you are buying are compatible with your child’s bike. Check the wheel size and frame to ensure a proper fit.
Stability: The training wheels should be stable and provide balance to help your child learn how to ride a bike.
Durability: Choose training wheels that are made from durable materials to withstand the wear and tear of frequent use. You do not want the wheels to quickly wear off completely as it can cause the cycle to tilt and fall.
Adjustable Height: Look for training wheels that can be adjusted in height as your child grows, allowing for a gradual transition to riding without training wheels.
Ease of installation: Ensure the training wheels are easy to install and remove, allowing for adjustments as needed.
You will need to attach training wheels to the cycle, so some assembling is required although the installation is quite simple and requires few tools. Most purchases come with the necessary tools (wrenches) to set these up. If you have a better set of tools at home, feel free to use them to secure the wheels to the bicycle.
HUWAY Training wheels / bicycle stabiliser: These universal training wheels are made from Thermoplastic Rubber and can be used with a range of bikes. It fits wheel sizes from 12″ all the way to 20″, so you can use the appropriate bike size.
It comes with all the necessary mounting hardware and installation instructions.
Funtoyworld is a family-managed website with me (Ben), and my wife doing most of the work. We are proud parents of two wonderful kids and love reviewing toys. We have a firm but friendly “democratic parenting” style and offer several practical suggestions backed by extensive research. Our own experience with raising two children prompted us to share our knowledge. Read more.
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