Why You Should not Use Bike/Bicycle Stabilizers With Your Child’s First Bike

Buying the very first bike for kid is a special moment in parent’s life that they always remember. For generations, people are buying bike with stabilizers to help children learn to ride their first bike. But, you might have listened to stories where bike with stabilizers made the learning of bicycle really difficult for kids. Undoubtedly, Bike/bicycle stabilizers do help the kids to understand motion of bike and how they can use bike. If you are thinking of buying bike stabilizers for your child’s first bike, then do read drawbacks of using training wheels before making any final decision.

Bicycle stabilizers teach kids pedaling & not balancing a bike

It is a known fact that bike riding is all about balancing and pedaling. Stabilizers help kids learn the art of pedaling. Stabilizers provide support to kids when riding bike. A child gets the feeling of bike rider as soon as he begins riding bike with the support of stabilizers. But despite all this, the major problem with bike stabilizers is that they do not teach kids how to balance a bike. Everyone knows that the one of the most important parts of learning to ride a bike is balancing. Kids who do not learn balancing a bike, cannot ride it properly and safely.

Children are scared of moving from 4 to 2 wheeler bicycle

It is a fact that kids easily and quickly learn to ride a bike having stabilizers. Once stabilizers are removed, kids lose the confidence stabilizers have given them, they are unable to balance the bike and as a result they fall from bike trying to balance it without stabilizers and get injured. The kid who once falls from the bicycle while learning to ride it after the removal of stabilizers often refuses to move to bike with no stabilizers. That is why; shifting kids from 4 wheeler bike (bike with stabilizers) to 2 wheeler bicycle often becomes difficult for parents.

Stabilizers cannot be used on bumpy surface

Bike with stabilizers cannot be ridden on rocky paths. Bike with training wheels is best to ride on even, flat and smooth surfaces. If a kid rides a bike having stabilizers on a surface banked to one side, bike will lose its balance and will fall on the ground. It means stabilizers can limit kids’ bike riding adventure.

Extra money is spent on buying stabilizers

First, you have to spend money to buy first bike for your child then if you want to buy stabilizers too, you will have to take out more money from your pocket to buy bicycle stabilizers. That is why; some parents consider training wheels as additional burden on their pockets.

Stabilizers lessens maneuverability of bicycle

Training wheels reduce maneuverability of bicycle. While cornering, stabilizers act as hurdle in the natural lean of the bicycle. As training wheels vertically hold the bicycle, therefore it becomes difficult for bike rider to steer the bike easily.

Apart from these drawbacks, training wheels add more weight to the bike; they are also noisy and fragile.