Children develop at different stages, so there’s no clear deadline when it comes to transitioning your child from a balance bike to a pedal bike.
However, there are a few clear signs to keep an eye out for that can indicate that your little one is ready to hit the pedals:
- They have mastered a balance bike
- Good hand/eye coordination
- Asking for a pedal bike
It’s important that your child is showing all of these signs before you throw them in the deep end, as learning to pedal is a big challenge and very different to riding a balance bike.
They can confidently ride a balance bike
In order to confidently ride a balance bike, your little one needs to be able to do more than just a few laps around the garden. A master of the balance bike should be confident travelling at a distance and over varying terrain, so make sure they can ride over grass, gravel and a range of different surfaces with ease.
Before upgrading to pedals, ensure your little one can complete the following:
- Ride over a mile
- Weave around obstacles
- Ride up and down a curb
- Shift their weight in and out of a turn while maintaining balance
- Lean forward or back when going up or down hills
- Perform sharp turns
- Steer into a fall to prevent falling
As your child learns to ride a pedal bike, they’ll enhance plenty of these balance-based skills, but they will also have other skills to be learning, such as braking, gear changing and pedalling. It’s a good idea not to rush to a bigger bike and to take the opportunity with a balance bike to really master the art of good balance first.
They have great hand-eye coordination
When it comes to hand-eye coordination, you should look out for a few things to signal that your child has started to develop good hand-eye coordination.
Your child needs to be able to pedal and balance at the same time, so just because they can balance on a balance bike doesn’t always mean that they are able to pedal at the same time. It really is a case of trying at this stage, so remember to be patient with your child. Eventually, they will get the hang of both at the same time, but do expect a transitioning period.
They ask for a pedal bike
They might be tugging at your coat, asking for a ‘big bike’, which is a great indication that they’re eager to adventure further than a balance bike can allow them.
However, mastering a pedal bike doesn’t automatically open up more adventures. Learning to ride a bike is hard for even the most confident kids, so a good idea is to purchase a pedal bike if you feel they are ready, but not to throw out their balance bike straight away1.
Kids who have mastered a balance bike can typically do much more on a balance bike than on a 12” or 14” pedal bike, so you don’t want to take the fun element of riding away from them as they learn the hard parts.
Kids generally want to continue to ride their balance bike too, as they find it so much easier to ride up ramps, jumps and hills. Once your child starts to master the pedals, they’ll start to transfer more technical skills to their pedal bike.
A pedal bike can make your skilled balance bike rider look less skilled, this is because they may avoid tricks that they used to tackle with ease on their balance bike because they’re a lot harder to do using pedals.
What to avoid
There are a few things that you should avoid doing to ensure you don’t put your child off riding altogether:
- Wanting them to learn to ride by a certain age
- You want them to keep up with you
- They’ve outgrown their balance bike
- You want them to learn by a certain age
There’s no need to push your child to learn to ride by a certain age, and in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter what age they transition, just that they do when they feel ready and confident.
Forcing your child away from their much-loved balance bike before they are ready can cause fear and anxiety around bikes, which could discourage them from riding altogether.
You want them to keep up with you
Most balance bikes are slower than regular pedal bikes, and little legs can only go so quickly before they start to get tired. Kids can often ride for miles at a decent pace while on their balance bike.
If the balance bike is limiting the distance that the rest of the family can ride, then why not bring along a bike trailer so that kids can still enjoy the freedom and fun of exploring the great outdoors? If you have a large trailer, you could even put the balance bike in the trailer once they get tired of riding. This way, they can get the best of both worlds.
They have outgrown their balance bike
Most kids can still ride their balance bike a little while after they have outgrown it. While it’s not ideal as their weight may be putting a little more strain on the tyres, you don’t need to rush out and get a new bike immediately.
Because kids grow quickly, they might not be ready to ride their pedal bike before they end up outgrowing it, which could end up being a waste of money just sitting in the garage, so don’t purchase a pedal bike until you feel they’re ready.
If your child is ready to hit the pedals, then check out our handy guide on how to teach a child to ride a bike. If you need to upgrade your child’s bike, then shop our range of kids’ balance bikes and pedal bikes over at Halfords.com.
Kids CycleCare Plan
To give parents extra peace of mind, our Kids CycleCare Plan is a great addition when buying a new bike. For one year, it offers an unlimited 10% off bike accessories, two puncture repairs, a bike check with tyre inflation, and free accessory fitting – all redeemable in-store. It’s the simple way to make sure your child’s new bike always stays safe, accessorised and ready to ride and is available now for just £20.