He's had a coaster bike and now a pedal bike with the pedals off. He can coast along feet up no problem – seems more than ready. Put the pedals on but he doesn't have a clue…. Knees seem to come up fairly high but I don't want to put the seat up until he's got the idea – do I bung stabilizers on so he can work out how to pedal?

My nephew started uses a pedal bike with stabalizers when he was about three. He's still using them now at five, not sure what age you can take them off.

whenever they can balance and pedal at the same time I guess. As I say, the balance is sorted, he just has no idea how to pedal

Do you have a turbo trainer? Best thing that I ever used mine for!

Fixie + zip ties on shoes/pedals + hill = solution 😉

Our little girl learned balance on a balance bike, and pedalling on a trike. She took to a "proper" pedal bike almost immediately (10 minutes!). Do you have access to a trike of some sort so he can learn pedalling without also worrying about staying upright?

He's only three! Will work it out himself in about 10mins. If he can balance that's the hard bit.

Just keep on lettuing him sit on it. He'll get frustrated and then one day it will just come to him. Brennan had a pedal bike from 3 and a half, but couldn't ride the thing until just after his 4th birthday.

Our 4 yr old is similar, just pedals backwards – again after using a balance bike. Neighbours gave us a smaller kids bike with stabalisers & fixed gear – she got on and surprisingly just pedalled away (forwards!). She's getting there on the proper bike but now just prefers to dap about on the bike with stabalisers all the time.

My three year can balance quite happily on her balance bike but was not so keen on her new pedal bike. I've put the stabilisers on until she gets 'pedaling'. She will get there in her own time, it's not a race and I don't want to rush so she ends up getting frustrated and hating it.