PW50 training wheels? Yes or no?

Badd127
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3/26/2019 2:36am Edited Date/Time 3/31/2019 11:32am
My son is 5, he is on the verge of riding a bicycle without training wheels, but just as he was getting the hang of it winter set in. Now the snow has melted I got his PW50 out of the garage (that he has never ridden) he was pumped to get going on the moto. I took him for a ride with me on the back, doing all the controls.
Now he is really keen to ride more, but I don't want to be on the back with him all the time obviously. I just did it to show him that the bike isn't scary. Do you guys think I should go with training wheels till he gets the throttle, brake and balance thing sorted, or just let him figure it out?
I don't want him to become dependent on the training wheels, but don't want to scare him off the bike if he gets out of control or crashes.

Any tips?
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Airick
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3/26/2019 2:54am
I have been in your spot with two of my boys. The training wheels were a bad idea for us, they only work on flat, straight surfaces. They make the bike into a kinda wobbly three-wheeler. I rushed it with my first kid, and he lost confidence and didnt want to ride for awhile afterwards. Depends on the kid obviously, but I'd hold off on the training wheels and say if you want to ride the dirtbike better start practicing on the bicycle.
AZRider
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3/26/2019 3:17am
No. Just my opinion and you asked.
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Badd127
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3/26/2019 3:23am
AZRider wrote:
No. Just my opinion and you asked.
All responses are appreciated. Smile

The Shop

agn5009
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3/26/2019 3:30am
I don’t get all the hate about training wheels. I used them for my son. He was riding with training wheels at 3 and without at 4. He’s 5 now and tears around no problem.

I feel like someone popular here said nay to training wheels about 10 years ago and people just followed suit. It’s similar to a bicycle-would anyone Not put training wheels on a bicycle?
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Badd127
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3/26/2019 3:38am
agn5009 wrote:
I don’t get all the hate about training wheels. I used them for my son. He was riding with training wheels at 3 and without at...
I don’t get all the hate about training wheels. I used them for my son. He was riding with training wheels at 3 and without at 4. He’s 5 now and tears around no problem.

I feel like someone popular here said nay to training wheels about 10 years ago and people just followed suit. It’s similar to a bicycle-would anyone Not put training wheels on a bicycle?
I think some of it is to do with the fact that we are in the strider bike generation, so a lot of kids are learning to balance before they need to learn how to pedal. So they skip the whole training wheels faze.
I started my son with a strider super early, with training wheels, then he relied on them for too long. I kind of wished I waited till he could just use the strider normally.
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49weasel
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3/26/2019 3:42am
I say no, especially if they can touch the ground.
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Gus
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3/26/2019 3:42am
I think the mistake I made was getting a TTR 50. My thought was it could grow with him a little longer than the PW. In hind sight I’d start with a PW. The ttr is heavier and a shade taller. Kinda left me in a spot where he had to roll with the trainers until he was tall enough and strong enough. There’s upsides to both schools of though I guess. The trainers got him on the bike sooner and he liked it. Wasn’t hard to get him off the trainers, just waited until he was taller and stronger. We also worked with him on a bicycle a lot before we pulled the training wheels.
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3/26/2019 4:13am
The bike is very awkward to turn with the training wheels. I say just use your best instinct on whether to use them. Its fine either way.
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731chopper
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3/26/2019 4:13am
I didn’t do training wheels for my oldest (who is currently 5) for either his motorcycles (oset and pw) or bicycle.
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kage173
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3/26/2019 4:30am Edited Date/Time 3/26/2019 5:13am
Dont do it. It will set him back a year or two.

I've seen my 6 yr olds friend that got on training wheels and refuses to get off them.

Mine never used training wheels on anything and it was best move. Yours has that carrot in front of him. Let him earn it by riding the wheels off the bicycle. You'll be surprised by how fast he gets there.
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Flip109
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3/26/2019 4:38am
I'm not really sure on the training wheels.........I bought my son a 4 wheeler when he was 3 so that he could learn throttle and brakes. Lots of fun stories on that one haha. That whole year I worked on him riding without training wheels on his bicycle. He got it down that year and his 4th birthday I got him a PW50. He jumped on and took off across the pasture like a natural. I would just really press him learning on a bicycle without training wheels. On the switch side I have 4 year old daughter now and I cannot get her to take the damn training wheels off her bike. When I do she really doesn't try and balance it. She gets scared really easy so all kids are different. Tough call but the good thing is you guys will be riding together in no time!! Best thing in the world!
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dustmx
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3/26/2019 4:52am
No to them, I did not use them for my kids on bicycles or moto. Strider get the balance and go.
I think that the training wheels change the way you learn to ride, you are not able to lean into turns and the weight pushes you to the outside as you turn totally different without.

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GasGasOrAss
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3/26/2019 4:57am Edited Date/Time 3/26/2019 5:00am
My 3 year old has training wheels on his pw. He can balance a strider just fine but was having trouble with the bike. With the training wheels on he has learned throttle and brake control. Also we got it in February and there has been snow on the ground ever since and the training wheels allowed him to ride on the snowy road instead of it sitting in the garage. The other day I asked him if he’s ready to take the training wheels off and he said no, so now that will be the next bridge to cross. I feel like he’s dependent on them and it will be a tough transition. I’d say if your son is 5 and you have ample room for him to ride and learn (like a field) then skip the training wheels
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Hoseclamp
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3/26/2019 5:02am
In also recommend no training wheels. They do make the bike hard to turn. Without getting to windy I saw it hold my one son back and said we're not doing that with the daughter. That was the right decision for us for sure. I say get him going good on the bicycle, then turn him loose on the pw. My daughter was good on a bike and started the pw at 4, shes now 5 and we stepped her up to an xr50 just this week. She rides it like a champ just flying around comfy as can be, and refuses to touch her pw now haha.
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ama530
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3/26/2019 5:06am
agn5009 wrote:
I don’t get all the hate about training wheels. I used them for my son. He was riding with training wheels at 3 and without at...
I don’t get all the hate about training wheels. I used them for my son. He was riding with training wheels at 3 and without at 4. He’s 5 now and tears around no problem.

I feel like someone popular here said nay to training wheels about 10 years ago and people just followed suit. It’s similar to a bicycle-would anyone Not put training wheels on a bicycle?
Agree with this. Both my sons were on the PW50 with training wheels at 3. Gives them a chance to get the hang of throttle control and the brakes while not worrying about balance. Once they had a good grasp of the basics, they came off and I worked with them to get balance. Usually that lasted one weekend and they were off for good. The training wheels are no good for uneven or rough terrain. And once they look like they are high-siding in the corners, it is time for them to come off. But to say that kids shouldn't use them is foolish. Parents need to use some common sense and judge their kid's abilities. I know some adults that could use them.
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Hman144
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3/26/2019 5:08am
I teach the MSF Dirt Bike School. Have taught dozens of kids how to ride. I think its best to teach them to handle a motorized two wheeler only after they have the size and skill to balance it. I won't teach a kid on trainers. Then again, the MSF rules limit student age to a minimum of 6, so at that age, most are big enough. I taught my own son at 5 on a KTM mini, only after he could ride his bmx well enough. The other bike handling habits are compromised by trainers, so they set the stage for bad habits. My 2cents.
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cjmx
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3/26/2019 5:08am
no. I told my son he couldn't ride his dirt bike until he could ride a pedal bike without training wheels. Do you have a strider or one you could borrow? After a day on a strider, he'll be ready.
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jbutah3000
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3/26/2019 5:49am
Definitely a no. Just went through this. I have a 5 and 8 year old. They both got very comfortable on a peddle bike with no training wheels, then easily took to a pw 50. In my opinion training wheels teach the opposite of what they should be doing, like leaning out in turns instead of in.
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Badd127
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3/26/2019 5:57am
He was on a strider with training wheels when he was super small, then we took the training wheels off, and he was fine. Then he went to a bicycle, but I think the dimensions were a bit off for him with the length of the pedals/crank ect... so he had a hard time pedaling, I took the pedals off the bike for a bit so he could use it as strider, but he loves those damn training wheels.
His bike has no training wheels at the moment, and he's not interested in riding it.
He said when he is 5 he will start riding the PW, and now he is super keen. But somehow we missed a step along the way.
Badd127
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3/26/2019 6:03am
I think I will screw in the governor on the throttle, so he can just creep along and see how that goes, Unless you guys have any comments or recommendation about the throttle stop screw?

Thanks for all your input guys. I think we will give it a go without the training wheels. It's always good to hear from someone that has been there, done that.
agn5009
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3/26/2019 6:50am
jbutah3000 wrote:
Definitely a no. Just went through this. I have a 5 and 8 year old. They both got very comfortable on a peddle bike with no...
Definitely a no. Just went through this. I have a 5 and 8 year old. They both got very comfortable on a peddle bike with no training wheels, then easily took to a pw 50. In my opinion training wheels teach the opposite of what they should be doing, like leaning out in turns instead of in.
My son used training wheels. The day I took them off he was ripping around like a natural. He had absolutely no issues what so ever with balance or turning. I honestly don’t think there’s any negatives to using training wheels. Kids learn so fast either way. For me, I was more comfortable knowing my son already knew how to and when to use the brakes before taking the trainers off.

Regardless, at 5 years old most kids should possess the proper strength and hand/eye coordination to ride without training wheels.
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agn5009
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3/26/2019 6:52am
Badd127 wrote:
I think I will screw in the governor on the throttle, so he can just creep along and see how that goes, Unless you guys have...
I think I will screw in the governor on the throttle, so he can just creep along and see how that goes, Unless you guys have any comments or recommendation about the throttle stop screw?

Thanks for all your input guys. I think we will give it a go without the training wheels. It's always good to hear from someone that has been there, done that.
Just be careful how far you screw it in without training wheels. Creeping along isn’t necessarily good for learning balance. Think about how much more difficult it is for you to creep along in first gear compared to cruising at a comfortable pace.
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slipdog
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3/26/2019 7:00am
agn5009 wrote:
I don’t get all the hate about training wheels. I used them for my son. He was riding with training wheels at 3 and without at...
I don’t get all the hate about training wheels. I used them for my son. He was riding with training wheels at 3 and without at 4. He’s 5 now and tears around no problem.

I feel like someone popular here said nay to training wheels about 10 years ago and people just followed suit. It’s similar to a bicycle-would anyone Not put training wheels on a bicycle?
I did not put training wheels on my kids bikes or PW. To each his own though, there's no one right way.
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Hoseclamp
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3/26/2019 7:04am
Badd127 wrote:
I think I will screw in the governor on the throttle, so he can just creep along and see how that goes, Unless you guys have...
I think I will screw in the governor on the throttle, so he can just creep along and see how that goes, Unless you guys have any comments or recommendation about the throttle stop screw?

Thanks for all your input guys. I think we will give it a go without the training wheels. It's always good to hear from someone that has been there, done that.
In my experiance setting the trottle stop srew in will make the bike very slow to get going which sucks for the boy, then once going it still just keeps going faster and faster. Top speed will probably be way faster than you are comfortable with. I had better luck with a restricting washer in the exhaust. It should give enough torque to get going ok but limit the top end speed.
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JM485
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3/26/2019 7:07am
Training wheels should be nuked with the quads, that’s the worst thing you could ever do for a kid learning to ride. I’ve seen so many dads struggle just to get their kids to ride the damn things once they take the training wheels off because they’re convinced in their head they need them, so don’t even give him the option. Not to mention they have to learn cornering all over again since they’re used to not being able to lean and end up just skidding with the back brake everywhere. Eventually they’ll grow out of it, but that initial period with be a PITA.
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AngryBear
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3/26/2019 7:12am
push bike -> pedal bike with no training wheels -> pw50 (once able to handle the skills of the bmx bike, and the weight of the pw)
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TJ 755
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3/26/2019 7:20am
depends on how big the kid is and if they can balance. 3y.o. here just working on throttle and brakes. thats the important part once you set them loose.


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591MX
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3/26/2019 7:48am Edited Date/Time 3/26/2019 7:50am
We did the strider, then Stacyc with our two year old and it worked out better than I would have ever hoped. He got the balance part down on the strider then hopping on the stacyc was no problem. I love the fact that it gives him a chance to learn the throttle and brakes without the intimidation of the pw’s weight. Now our two year old rips around his little track having skipped the whole training wheel phase which is awesome. I know they’re not cheap but I was shocked how easy it made the transition and might be worth looking into for your son.
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