When Should Training Wheels Come Off?

It depends on each child. My oldest son was 3 when one of his training broke off. It didn't matter to him. He was riding without training wheels from that point on. My daughter was 8, and still refusing to learn to ride without the trainers. We took them off, and told her she didn't have a choice. Now at 10, she is riding an adult bike with no problems.

My son learned this summer at 3 1/2 years old!!!!! I know, it's amazing, i couldn't believe it either!! He loves riding a bike and has amazing balance/skills. I was planning on trying next summer, but my family spontaneously suggested trying on father's day....and he got it!!! By, the second time we tried, he was riding perfect!!! It all depends on the child, not their age! I would definitely try it, we did it on grass first! Good luck!

Age doesn't matter. What does is your childs balance. Have you lifted one side of the training wheels up to see if he is riding steady on 2 wheels? If he is maintaining proper balance that way then go for it!
Best, M.

I think training wheels should come off when the child is ready. All of my kids so far have been 4. As long as they are confident that they can do it, they should have no problem whatsoever. Make sure that they can easily reach the ground though when you take them off. The seat should be lowered from where it was before, bc they have to be able to stop themselves and put their feet down if they have to. You could always start on the grass if you or they are a little nervous and then move up to a really good paved area, like a basketball court, so it is totally smooth. Make sure they wear their helmet. Good luck, i hope that my suggestions helped!!!

Every child is different...If your son is requesting you take off the training wheels...do so. Give him a chance to develop his balance...Make sure he's wearing a bike helmet that fits properly and supervise...make sure he's safe where he is riding and that he understands and follows your rules...
When I was his age, I was driving a farm tractor!

the boys on my street were four years old when dad took them off. All kids are different but I have seen some 8 year olds who still can't ride a two wheeler so perhaps younger is better?????

6 is a great age! Give it a try, I bet he'll be riding by the end of the day. If not, just wait a bit and try again. It is all balance and your kid's interest in doing it.
My daughter was 5 when she learned. She is not athletic, not very coordinated, but does have good balance. She is now going into 3rd grade-- I am shocked by how many of her classmates are only learning to ride 2 wheelers now. It's given her a lot of confidence that she was the first to ride 2-wheels. She might not run or dance as well as the other girls, but she can ride a 2 wheeler!

You can always try. I was able to raise the training wheels so my son could feel secure that if he got shaky, the training wheels were there. Eventually, we did it with one training wheel and then none.

A.,
My 2nd son was 3 1/2 when we took his training wheels off, it was his choice. He got his bike for Christmas and was riding it without the training wheels by that afternoon with me having a heart attack. LOL So I say leave it up to your son, if he wants them off then take them off and see how he does. For all you know he may be a natural just like my son was. By the way it was my son who taught his older brother and older sister how to ride, they were a bit afraid to take them off until he did it then they felt stupid.
Hugs,
T.

Our oldest was about that age - my husband bent one of the training wheels so it wasn't even hitting the ground & let her ride like that for a few days, then the other & w/in a week or so she was riding w/out them. He tried not to let her see b/c if she did, she would get a little nervous. Good luck!

Our oldest let us know when she was ready for the training wheels to come off... I believe it was mid way through her 5th year. Our second still has them on and he's 4. The boys across the street, the oldest didn't have his taken off until he was almost 7, but his younger brother has had them off since he was 4. Every kid is ready at a different age. Try it and see how he does. If he's too scared, just put them back on and try again in a month.

I think it depends on the child, their interest, strength and coordination levels especially. My son turned 7 this summer and he had VERY little interest in his bike. Consequently, we never took off the training wheels. Our neighbor boy tried but didn't succeed until he was 8, so I think there's a range of ages (for some it could be as early as 5) and you just have to guage their strength and interest level.

both of my boys learned at age 4! It's just a matter of when your son is ready!

It depends on how ready your son is. My daughter attempted it at age 6 but still kept falling over and gave up. Two years later she did it within five minutes. Her friend, on the other hand, has been riding a two-wheeler since she was 5. Let your son give it a try; he'll let you know if he's ready. And if he's not, there's no shame in waiting until he's a little older to try again.

Hi A.,
I wouldn't necessarily set an age. A lot of kids can ride a bike at 6, but some can't. If he's doing really well riding with the training wheels, then he may be able to do fine without. My daughter was 5 when she rode without training wheels. I'll tell you that my son was always very shaky on the training wheels, but eventually they have to come off, he must have been 7 when we did it, and he just took off - no dad holding the back of bike to steady him, no falling over and scraping knees, he just rode the bike
Good luck

I have a cousin whose father took off the training wheels at 3. Scared me to death but the child did learn. I was a slow learner. My dad took off my training wheels at around 6 or 7 about a year and a half later I finally mastered riding a bike with no wheels.

I would fall, hurt myself and quit. Being a strong willed child I would just refuse to get back on that dare contraption. Had to coaxed into trying, tooks months of coaxing and that is why it took so long. Even to this day I hate falling down, scraping any part of me. It is really sad but I am better at trying and trying again,

Age has nothing to do with it. Watch him ride his bike. If it looks like he doesn't actually use them, try lifting (turning) them so they don't touch the ground without actually taking them off to see how he does. If he needs them, leave them on.

One of my grandsons is only 4 and doesn't use them. Never did either! He just jumped on his bigger brothers bike one day and started riding it. On the other hand my grand daughter is 7 and is still using them and is terrified when anyone mentions taking them off.

there's no rule. it all depends on the childs' ability.
my children were 2 years apart on when they learned to ride a 2 wheeler. one was 8 and one was 6

my son turned 6 in July and his dad bought him a big boy bike. After about 2 wks he was riding completely by himself. You actually don't have to wait till he's six. It depends more on the balance and steadiness of the kid. My son lacks coordination. He's accident prone. So we waited and it paid off because he got it really quickly. Do what you feel is best for your son.