Parents ask me questions about this often, so I decided to lay out the path we took here. There are three bikes that were the main tools to develop my son's riding skills. He did have other "toys," but the bikes on these pages were the main ones we used to get him to where he is today.
Of course, each family will have a unique path and unique challenges. Bike setup and personal safety are other topics that may vary by the individual rider and the adult taking responsibility for coaching the young rider.
ATGATT: All The Gear, All The Time - is the only standard that we can encourage. While we are guilty of breaking the ATGATT recommendation, we do not encourage others to do so. A properly sized and rated helmet, along with protective clothing and body protection, is always best practice.
Each bike listed below is explored in more detail on its own page. There, you will find a paragraph about our personal experience with the bike. We also have product links to make exploring available options easy.
The Strider bike on a rocking base was our first bike. My son would play on this before he could even walk. As he started to walk, we removed the rocking base and used it as a balance bike. That gave our front yard and living room a new sense of freedom.
The steps we took to maximize the use of this bike are detailed on the Balance Bike page. We strategically used this bike to build good muscle memory for the bikes that were to come. See our full Balance Bike page for more details.
The STACYC electric bike was my son's second bike at 4 years old. Throttle control and getting his feet off the ground and onto the bike were the first goals with this bike.
After that, it was "smiles for miles" as we just enjoyed riding together and shaking down the neighbors for chocolate chip cookies. See our full STACYC page for more details.
The KTM SX-E 5 was my son's first full-suspension, full-power bike. It has striking similarities to the adult KTM E-bike and can actually keep up with it. On this bike, we started practicing lean/counter-lean, brake force control, more advanced throttle control, and knowing when to back off.
It is easy to get carried away on this bike, so starting off by mixing "free runs" with deliberate slow-speed skill exercises has kept us where we need to be. Soon, he will be able to start learning how to get airborne with the help of some cool ramps we have been looking at. See our full KTM SX-E 5 page for product links and more details.
Follow us on social media to see our bikes and where we are on the motorcycle journey now. We would love for you to ride with us and join the discussion in the comment section.