Let's Roll Get Bike-ready, Age By Age

Want to encourage a lifetime of fitness, fun and freedom? Bicycling offers all three and today’s young riders are safer than ever. Child fatalities from bike accidents have dropped 62 percent since 1999 according to U.S. government statistics.

- Malia Jacobson

That doesn’t mean you should turn your child loose on two wheels without proper preparation. Bike-related accidents still send more than 240,000 kids to the emergency room each year with 26,000 of those having traumatic brain injuries. Here’s how to get tots, teens and in-betweens safely rolling along.

Early Years

Balancing Act

Training wheels and tricycles aren’t the only options for toddlers who want to ride. These days, more children are hopping on balance bikes — two-wheeled bikes without pedals — to get up to speed before graduating to a pedal bicycle. Balance bikes can help kids as young as 18 months build strength and confidence, and may help them learn to ride a traditional bike sooner.

“Balance bikes are really easy to use and there's no learning curve,” says Richard Giorgi, founder of Carrboro-based ReCYCLEry NC, a nonprofit teaching bicycle repair and maintenance, and helping community members earn bicycles. “Balance bikes are stable. The don't rock side to side or tip over, and the child always has their feet on the ground.”