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[quote=Anonymous]My son's best friend learned to ride her bike right before her 8th birthday! 
It was a combination of factors - she was fearful of losing control when learning to balance,despite being an excellent gymnast, and her parents are pushover types that had never enforced anything much, so did not know how to handle resistance like this.

I suggested the REI class to them, but in the end the mother stepped up and regularly acclimated her daughter to the bike. To mimic the balance bike experience (at that age you'll have difficulty finding a balance bike that fits, but it's really the best way to learn to bike), her daughter first learned to coast with her feet close to the ground, without using the pedals. Then when she could balance for short periods of time (both feet off the ground), she tried to pedal. It took the whole summer and my friend's back really hurt (hence my initial REI suggestion)! But now her daughter can successfully guide her bike, pedal and stop. Starting sometimes required a push and she can't navigate sidewalks yet, but it will come.

Good luck. Quiet persistence pays off. Watch your back please when holding the bike seat: switch arms, do short but frequent lessons.
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