RIDING a bike is as easy, as, well, riding bike isn’t it?

Well for some kids it is, but for others it is anything but.

Take my five-year-old.

For two years we have tried and failed to get him to ride.

Bikes galore clutter up our garage, many of which were either handed down to or bought specifically for our youngest.

So where have we been going wrong?

Well, Andy Ayres, senior brand manager at British bike builder Ridgeback has some advice.

“As soon as the child can hold the bike upright on their own they are in a great place to try and learn on a balance bike,” says Andy.

“Either by using a balance bike or a bike with the pedals removed you can easily teach any child the balance of a bike.

“We suggest placing the seat low enough so the child can place both feet on the floor and get them to walk around whilst keeping their weight on the seat. “Walking around somewhere flat is best and they will grow in confidence quickly."

Andy says that once children are moving around well you should move to a long stretch of path that’s flat or with a very slight downward slope.

“Walk or run behind the child and you hold onto the back of the seat,” he says. “Allow them to turn the bars and move around but keep the bike upright. Gradually you will notice they become ready to roll a small amount on their own without your help.”

As they get more confident remind them to keep their head up and look forward - maybe 5-10 metres - and then you should be able to start helping them to keep their feet off the floor for longer.

“Make it fun! Ask them to hold their feet up and shout ‘weeeeeeeee’ as they roll along,” says Andy.

“As soon as they have mastered the balance the pedalling part is easier.

“Get them used to the brakes and show or remind them to stop and take their feet off the pedals when they do.”

Taking Andy’s advice, we tried our youngster on one of Ridgeback’s bikes and within half-an-hour of being introduced to it, he was off and riding.

From being unable to grasp the concept of pushing the pedals forward he was riding with confidence, albeit with the odd wobbly moment.

“It really is all about practice,” says Andy.

“So keep at it and they will soon get it! I would say the best time to learn a pedal bike is from around three-years-old.

“Some bigger boys will be a little earlier and some won’t learn until they are six or seven.

“Just relax with them and make it fun! They will soon be riding off and leaving you chasing behind in no time at all.”