My first memories of learning to ride a bicycle are not good. Oh my…

I remember precariously balancing on my new “Black Panther” bicycle at the top of a fairly gentle little hill in our yard. As I started to roll forward I hopped on the saddle with my legs splayed. My bike had pedal brakes only, and my feet were no where near them.

As I rolled down the hill, I was completely focused on trying not to fall over. I weaved and swerved as I gained speed, barely staying upright.

The bottom of the yard leveled out and ended in a bed of rose bushes. I was frozen on the bike and I tore into the rose bushes… and the thorns tore into me.

I still remember sitting in the bathtub, with scratches all over my body and it stinging like crazy.

It’s a wonder I ever got on a bike again.

When I taught my daughter to ride a few years ago, I was determined that she would not suffer the same fate. Here’s what I did… it worked great. She was quite a daredevil but never crashed once. She has since, but that’s

How to Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike Without Tears… or Backache

1. Buy a small bicycle with pedals that is suitable height for you child. With the saddle in the lowest position, they should be able to straddle and reach the ground comfortably. They should not just be able to touch the ground with their toes, make sure they can put their feet flat and there is a slight bend at the knee.

2. Remove the pedals from the bike. You don’t need them at this point, they just get in the way and can actually hurt our novice rider.

3. Hold the seat from behind and run behind them as they “walk” along with their feet. Here’s where a Bike Balance Training Handle comes in handy, as it allows you to have complete control over their bike without breaking your back!

It serves many other functions too. It let’s you slow them down if you’re on a downhill, they get away from you fast, which can be dangerous. This happened to me a couple of times, our road gradually gets steeper and steeper. Holding on to the seat is not safe under such conditions, you need something like the Bike Balance Training Handle so you have a secure grip. It let’s them steer and lean and get the feel of the bike, balancing, and how steering affects balance.

4. Once you are confident they can scoot and steer… let ’em rip! If it’s a safe area, flat, low traffic, you can take the training handle off. Let them experiment and scoot around by pushing themselves forward with their feet. (That’s why they need to reach the ground comfortably, so their legs have a little bend and they can push.) They will very quickly learn to balance and steer, and will naturally start lifting their feet so they glide further. Once they gliding for fairly lengthy distances, about 15 feet or more…

5. Put the pedals back on. Yup, they are ready. If you have a training handle that you’ve removed, you could put it back on just to be extra cautious and guide them as they make the transition to pedaling; but in my experience it is unnecessary.

If you want to make your life easier, and your child safer, I do recommend getting a Bike Balance Training Handle.

Good luck! Here’s to many years of happy riding together.