Pedal Guide

GET THE COMPLETE LEARN-TO-RIDE EXPERIENCE

When balance and steering are mastered, transitioning to a bicycle with pedals or a motorcycle is easy.
A child needs to experience the feel of leaning and how steering affects the balance of the bike.
Congratulations on taking the first step toward teaching your child to ride! Welcome to Team Strider!
You are one of the many adopters who are changing how kids learn to ride and are establishing the
standard for how young children explore the world on two wheels. We’re so happy to take this journey
with you and your child. If your child is still working on their balancing skills, we suggest using our
Learn To Ride – Stride Guide before beginning to transition to a pedal bike.
Once the 14x pedal kit is attached, the narrow pedals allow your child to stride around the outside of
the pedals to gain the momentum needed to begin pedaling. Skip the banged-up shins and frustrations
that come with learning to ride on a typical pedal bike.
Strider Bikes encourage the development of spatial awareness, balance and basic motor skills as
early as possible so all children can reach their maximum riding potential. To ensure your child’s bike
riding success, we have developed this simple guide to help you along the way.

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 Pedal Guide

TEACH YOUR CHILD TO PEDAL

Follow these 4 simple steps to pedaling success!

STEP 1 Balance is Essential

Start by sizing the bike to fit your child. There are tips on seat height as well
as handlebar and helmet adjustments in this guide. Watch closely for balance
proficiency. Attaching the 14x pedal kit too soon can be very overwhelming
and discouraging.
How do you know your child is ready to transition to the 14x Sport and pedaling?
If your child is proficient in the following steps, they’re ready to pedal:
1. Can support all their weight on the seat.
2. Can gain momentum by running with the bike.
3. Can find and use the footrests while riding.
4. Can stop safely using only their feet.
Most importantly, your child should want to attach the pedal kit.

STEP 2 Ignore the Pedals

The Strider 14x has unique narrow “stride-around” pedals that allow children
to continue their balance bike skills even after the pedals are attached.
When children gain momentum while striding on their pedal bike, it develops
confidence. We suggest simply having children find the pedals with their feet
and use them as footrests when they are riding and practice with the pedal
bike the same as they would on a balance bike before even attempting to
pedal. If your 14x came equipped with handlebar brakes, try to ignore them for
now. The child needs to learn how to balance and completely stop with their
feet to feel confident and in control.

STEP 3 Encourage Pedaling

Once your child has become proficient with striding and gliding with the pedal
kit attached, it’s time to introduce them to pedaling. It’s important throughout
this entire process to let the child go at their own pace with as little physical
interaction as possible. Practice and positive reinforcement go a long way!
Children learn through example, pull out your bike and show them how you
pedal!

STEP 4 Learn to Stop Safely

Once the child learns how to pedal, they need to learn how to brake.

In the last step we will make sure your child can stop safely, explain what
safety precautions they should take as a “big kid” on a pedal bike and give
some tips for success.

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 Pedal Guide

PROPER FIT IS ESSENTIAL

Riding a bike that doesn’t fit well is no fun and makes learning a challenge. For your child’s success
and safety please take some time and go over the sizing steps on the next few pages to ensure
you have the proper seat height, handlebar reach, and helmet fit before starting this learn-to-pedal
process.
SEAT HEIGHT:
Start by having your child stand next to the bike and adjust the seat
so that it sits slightly lower than the top of their inseam.
EXPERT TIP To open the quick release clamp on the seatpost, open the lever with
To tighten a quick release one hand, and slide the seat to the appropriate position with the
clamp, you should press other.
down firmly with the palm
of your hand to close. When your child is comfortably seated on the bike with their shoes
on, there should be a slight bend in the knees (see the photos below).

HANDLEBAR HEIGHT AND REACH:

The second most critical adjustment is handlebar height and reach.
The best starting point for handlebar height is to set it with respect to
the seat. If the seat is at its lowest setting, set the handlebar to also
be at its lowest setting, etc. Try multiple adjustments to find out what
makes your child feel the most confident.

EXPERT TIP The Strider 14x allows for handlebar adjustment reach as well as
height. When your child is sitting comfortably on the bike their reach
Does your child have the should be a distance where there is only a slight bend to the elbows.
tendency to hit the frame
of the Strider Bike while
running? Try lowering the
seat to allow more leg
clearance. If necessary,
you can also remove
the footrests on the 14x On both the seatpost and the handlebar of the 14x there are minimum
Sport. insertion marks. For your child’s safety, insert the posts into the frame
far enough so the dashed lines don’t show (see diagram above).

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 Pedal Guide

SAFETY GEAR
Adjust the crown of the helmet so it doesn’t move while the child rides. The helmet should be worn
low in front, slightly above the eyebrows to protect the forehead. The helmet should fit snugly, but not
uncomfortably tight. The chin strap should be worn well back against the throat, not on the point of
the chin. If a child opens their mouth wide the helmet should pull down on their head.
To check the basic fit, hold the helmet with both hands and twist it gently to the left and to the right.
If the helmet fits properly, the skin on the forehead will move as the helmet moves. To check the
strap tension, hold the helmet with both hands and try to remove it by rolling the helmet forward and
backward.

Don’t forget shoes! Children should always wear closed-toe shoes while riding.

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 Pedal Guide

STEP 1 BALANCE IS ESSENTIAL

Why is balance so important?

Balance is key to almost every physical sport and activity. Kids need to be active on a daily basis.
Balance plays a big role in the development of our children. People of all ages and abilities can
benefit from working on their balance and from being active.Learning to ride the 14x Sport as a
balance bike first is the most important part of the transition to pedaling. If your child started on a
Strider 12, they’ll be proficient at striding and gliding. However, it’s still a good idea to have them
practice balancing and striding with the 14x. The weight and feel of the 14x are going to be slightly
different than the bike they’re transitioning from.

Strider Balance Bikes are the best method to prepare your child to ride a pedal bike. So how do
you know exactly when your child is ready to transition to the next step?
Look for the signs below before installing the pedal kit onto your child’s Strider 14x Balance
Bike:
“While riding his/her Strider Bike my child…” :
1. can support all their weight on the seat.
2. is able to gain momentum by running with the bike.
3. balances with feet up for extended periods.
4. is able to avoid obstacles in his/her path.
5. can lean through turns with feet off the ground.
6. is able to find and use the footrests while riding.
7. can control their speed.
8. is able to stop safely with only their feet.
After you transition your child’s Strider 14x to a pedal bike do not be discouraged if they aren’t
ready and want to go back to balance-bike mode.
It’s more important to have your child gain the confidence and skills necessary to evolve into
pedals at their own pace than to advance too quickly.
This process should be fun. Not stressful. You are your child’s best supporter. Keep up the
positive reinforcement for any progress they make.

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 Pedal Guide

STEP 2 IGNORE THE PEDALS

Keep the seat height the same as it was when your child was using the 14x as a balance bike.
This is where your child is comfortable, and it will help them maintain control and stability while
learning the pedaling process. Avoid the urge to hold the bike up for the child. They can do that
on their own now.
The Strider 14x has narrow “stride-around” pedals so your child can get used to the feel of a
pedal bike without having to pedal at all. Let your child gain momentum and balance the same
way they did when using the 14x as a balance bike and have them use the pedals as footrests.
If you tell your child to ignore the pedals and stride like they already know how—it will make the
pedaling process easy in the next step!
Is your child having trouble getting on and off the bike on their own? Try having them step over
the frame of the bike while it is lying on the ground and then lift it between their legs by grabbing
onto the handlebar and pulling it upward.

The Rocket Game

The rocket game is a super fun way to encourage your child to continue their skills and practice
gliding with their feet up through imagination and play.
Have your little Strider rider run with their bike to gain some speed, when you say “3…2…1… Blast
Off!” Encourage them to pick up their feet to build their balance and coordination by coasting.

Gaining Momentum
Once your child can confidently stride and gain momentum on the
bike, ease their way into using the pedals. Try encouraging them to
take several big steps before they explore the pedals. Counting their
big steps with them while they ride may provide encouragement to gain
the momentum to get some good balancing and allow them to put their
feet on the pedals like they did with the footrests on their balance bike.

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 Pedal Guide

STEP 3 ENCOURAGE PEDALING

This is probably the first time your child has ever attempted pedaling. Walking and running are
the natural means of propulsion to a child, so using a circular motion to propel the bike with
the pedals is a new concept. Usually letting the child experiment with the pedals on their own is
enough to allow them to figure things out with time.

Demonstrate
If you want to show them how the ped­als turn in circles try having your
child get off the bike, lift the seat with one hand and with your other
hand turn the pedal slowly to show them how it makes the wheel turn.
Get your bike out and let your child watch you pedal.

Pretend
If your child is still not quite getting the hang of the pedaling motion,
try laying on your back with your child with your feet facing each other.
Bend your knees and have your child place their feet on yours. To­gether,
you can pretend you’re pedaling in the air.
Keep practicing by trying out different speeds and by starting and
stopping.

Practice makes perfect…

In the “Learn-to-Stride Guide” we stressed the importance of letting
your child set the pace. This is still the case. They have the perfect
tool for the job they are trying to accomplish. Avoid the urge to hold
the bike up for the child. Positive reinforcement is a must and they will
eventually get the hang of it. Ignore occasional struggles and focus on
fun.
Some kids need a little reminder to watch where they are going,
especially with the distraction of the added pedals.

Ride the Line

1. Get out the sidewalk chalk and make your own road or racecourse in your driveway.
2. Make turns, loops, stop signs… anything!
3. Try drawing obstacles like bridges that go over a rag­ing river, or a tight rope that spans
across an enormous canyon.

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 Pedal Guide

Pocket Full of Pennies

1. Set up a course with cones or obstacles in your garage.
2. Along the course set up several empty cans or cups and have riders carry the same amount
of pennies in their pockets.
3. Challenge riders to stop and drop a penny in the cans.
4. This is a great exercise for practicing starting and stopping.

STEP 4 LEARN TO STOP SAFELY

Your child will instinctively stop by using his or her feet while they are first learning to ride
because that is what they are accustomed to with their balance bike. Stopping with their feet is
fine at first. The seat is still low enough that they can easily put both feet on the ground at any
time.
Braking will work differently depending on which 14x Sport you’ve purchased.
If your 14x didn’t come equipped with handlebar brakes, try the cues “push back with your heel”
(you may need to show them where their heel is), or even show them using your hand to pedal
like you did previously. Cues like “pedal backwards” can be confusing and counterproductive.
If your 14x Sport comes with handlebar brakes, try having your child walk for a few steps and
squeeze the brake handles. Try walking, squeezing and stopping. This will give your child a feel
for how the brakes affect the bike, as well as introduce a new mechanic with their hands.
Do not raise the seat until the child can stop safely using the brakes.
Practice Skid Marks
Sounds too easy, right? But really this is the tried and true, best and
most fun way to practice braking.
Long, short, straight or curly… Your child could probably practice skid
marks for hours and it will never get old. It takes a lot of black sidewalk
to wear out the tires, so don’t sweat it. Let them practice and become
proficient in the essential skill of braking.

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 Pedal Guide

A Reminder for Parents

Don’t rush pedaling. Even if children appear to be striding like a pro,
moving to a pedal bike too soon can delay progress. Let them continue
to practice and perfect their balance and bike-handling skills. Be
confident that the time spent on their Strider Bike in balance bike
mode will help them easily transition to pedaling when the time comes
and with the improved skills they gained it will be a safer and more
enjoyable ride.

Safety Checklist
• Make sure the seat, handlebars, and wheels are secure.
• Check the tires to make sure they have the right amount of pressure.
• Regularly check and oil the chain.
• Check the brakes to be sure they work well.
• It’s important for kids to know that a bicycle is a big responsibility.
• Don’t forget the helmet and shoes!

We love to see pictures of kids on Strider Bikes. Submit your photos at

www.StriderBikes.com/photocontest.

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