Is it OK if your child's legs are not touching the ground while seated on his bicycle?

Training wheels are usually attached to bicycles with wheel size of 12″ up to 16″. These bicycles are suitable for children of age 3 to 4 years old.



It is alright if their legs are not touching the ground when they are riding on bicycles with training wheels.

For children who can cycle well, it is best that both the tips of their shoes are able to touch the ground when they are seated on their bicycles. That way, should they stumble during a mishap, they will have better control of their bicycles. The legs touching the ground can also help them to balance themselves if they have to cycle slowly because of obstacles or (human) traffic. Their legs can also work like a brake should they have to stop unexpectedly.

You can adjust the saddle height by lowering the seatpost if the tips of their legs are not touching the ground.  The bicycle wheel size maybe too large for their age if their legs are not able to touch the ground even after you have lowered the seatpost to its lowest position.

Take a look at this chart to see if you need to change the bicycle.

Install the training wheels correctly

Bicycle size 12” right up to 16” are installed with training wheels. They are meant for child age 3 to 7. The reason why most kids still need training wheels even after they have outgrown their bicycles is because the training wheels have been installed leveled with the rear wheel.

The training wheels should be installed with a clearance of less than half an inch from the ground. That way, the child will learn to move his weight from left to right and vice versa each time he feels like he is toppling over.

There are training wheels in the market for 20” bicycles and they are adjustable to fit 12″ to 16″ too. Make sure that you get one that comes with metal instead of PVC cap, as shown in this photo.



Any brand of bicycle with no gears can be fitted with training wheels. Just make sure that they are not installed leveled with the rear wheel.