There comes a time in your life as a parent when you have to teach your child how to ride a bike. The eventual goal is to watch her ride around on two wheels with joyful, youthful exuberance. The first step to getting to that point is purchasing a bike and putting training wheels on it. Training wheels are the two support wheels on the back of the bike on either side of the back wheel that provide stability for the young rider.
Step 1
Determine the wheel size of the bicycle to receive the training wheels. Look for the size as it is written on the side of the tire or by measuring from the bottom to the top of one wheel. For example, you may find that the wheels on your child's bike are 12-inch tires from top to bottom.
Step 2
Purchase training wheels appropriate for the tire size of your child's bike. Training wheels are generally clearly labeled and each set of training wheels can work on a variety of different bicycle tires. The smallest set of training wheels serve for tires that are between 12 and 16 inches.
Step 3
Remove the nut on one side of the axle of the rear wheel from the bolt using a crescent wrench or a ratchet set. Use a second crescent wrench on the axle bolt of the opposite side of the wheel to avoid bolt slippage.
Step 4
Slip the bolt hole in the metal portion of the training wheel assembly over the axle bolt that holds the wheel to the frame. Point the wheel of the training wheel toward the ground. Reattach the nut and screw it down using a ratchet or crescent wrench. Do not fully tighten the nut.
Step 5
Repeat steps three and four for the other side of the rear wheel. Leave a small amount of slack in the nuts on both sides of the wheel.
Step 6
Adjust one training wheel so that it is about 1/2 inch above the ground when the bike is standing completely upright. Tighten the bolt firmly once the training wheel is in place by using a crescent wrench or ratchet. Repeat for the training wheel on the opposite side.
Tips and Warnings
- Tighten the bolts holding the training wheels onto the bicycle tightly. This will help to avoid accidents due to training-wheel slippage.
Things You'll Need
- Training wheels
- Children's bicycle
- Tape measure
- Crescent wrenches or ratchet set
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