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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]You do NOT need a class!  I watched the REI video and then taught my very, very reluctant 9 yr. old and later my very very reluctant (almost) 8 yr. old.[/b]

It took about four 15 min. sessions for the 9 yr. old.  Might have been similar for the younger child.  You do not need a balance bike.  the one thing you need is a bicycle wrench (which is about $8 at your local bike store).  This wrench is important b/c it is extra thin and will allow you to easily loosen the nut keeping the foot pedal attached to the pedal shaft.  This is not a complicated process.  You literally twist the nut with the bike wrench and voila!... the pedal will come off.

Once the pedals are both off (just the foot part of the pedal is removed), and you already have removed the training wheels, then you just lower the seat as much as possible, and encourage the kid to push with his/her feet on the ground.  Little by little, he should lift his feet up off the ground and try to glide for a few inches.  Inches become feet.  Ideally, he should glide for the count of 10.  You may have to run behind him and hold the bike steady during the early part of gliding lessons.  This works even better if you have a sidewalk or cul de sac with just the slightest amount of slope on it.

Remind the child to look FORWARD, NOT DOWN.  That will help him steady the front wheel.  Look AHEAD.  Also, encourage the child to keep the handle bars level.  It's very common for them to twist and turn the bars.  Keeping them level will straighten out the front wheel.

After about 2-3 sessions of this, the child should begin to steer the bike to the right and left while gliding.  If the child can glide for about 10 sec. and glide to the left and right, he/she is ready to put the pedals back on.  (you may have to run behind them for just a little while giving a bit of balance when the pedals come back on).

Keep the sessions short (15-20 min.) so that the child doesn't give up.  Do not expect him/her to learn it in one session.  Gliding IS the essence of riding the bike.  Training wheels only teach a child to pedal.  They don't teach the child to balance.  Gliding is balancing is riding a bike.

Neither of my kids had any motivation to give up the training wheels... but both did through this method.  Have your camera ready == when they take those first few pushes of the pedal on their own... OMG! .... it is so exciting.  You must catch their face in a photo.  Very fun.  You can teach your kid to ride a bike![/quote]
Damn, if they're that old 8 and 9, then of course they wouldn't need a class.  Most kids start much earlier than that.[/quote]

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