My grandfather tried to help me learn how to ride a bike by sending me down his sloping backyard with a little push. I can’t remember if I fell off or if I crashed into the fence at the end of the yard. Both equally terrifying for a young lad.
Because whole ordeal with my granddad spooked me, it must’ve been my dad who later removed my training wheels and helped me learn how to ride.
However, since getting my nephew a balance bike, and seeing other young kids riding them through the London parks, it now seems like a much more obvious way to learn.
What really matters is learning how to balance. Training wheels are designed to compensate for poor balance, whereas balance bikes get kids to focus solely on building up their balance and coordination muscles before worrying about other things like peddling.
This feels like a much more natural way to learn how to ride a bike, and is a method I anticipate will continue to grow in popularity.