How old were you when you first could ride your bike without training wheels and who taught you how to ride your bike? :)

I was about 12 and it was my best friend at the time, Michael. :)  He let go of the back and I didn't even know I had done it!!    Soon after I crashed .  ::)  I did get back up ;)

I never had training wheels.  When I was too big for my tricycle, my Dad built a bike for me and one for my brothers.  He taught me how to ride theirs so he could get mine ready.  Mine was screwed up, so we all had to share one.  I wrecked after about 25 minutes, because I tried to take a turn too fast.  My Dad helped me up and rode the bike over to the house.  :)  One of my favorite memories. :)

Edit:  My son was 8, and my husband taught him.

Just so no one can claim they are too embarrassed, I was 22 years old, and went to a special class for "adults, who for whatever reason, never learned to ride a bike."  That's a direct quote from the brochure.

It was one of those "adult education" classes held in the evenings (or on weekends) for personal enrichment--no college credits.  I was suprised to find I was actually the youngest one there.  By the end of the class I knew all the correct hand signals for riding in traffic, how to purchase the right bike for myself, and a little basic maintenance.

(and yes, I wiped out.  Right into the biggest thorn bush in the entire state! :'( OUCH!  :'( )

p.s.  No training wheels.  Ever.

Hmmm, good question!  I can't remember exactly how old I was.  But I do remember it was my Dad who taught me :)  I thought he was still holding on and halfway down the driveway I turned and saw he wasn't behind me!

I do remember, though, that I was in elementary school at the time.

It's the same story as speed (above). I was doing really well until I noticed my father wasn't holding on. I crashed immediately thereafter. I was in elementary too.

Don't feel bad Kat, I'm 22 and still can't ride a bike. My balance was always bad when I was a kid. I figured out why a few years ago, when I was diagnosed with scoliosis!  :(

I was never allowed to have a bike as a kid, and I was always such a goody-goody that I wouldn't even ride my friends' bikes because I knew I wasn't allowed.

So on my 19th birthday (the day you legally become an adult in BC) I decided my parents couldn't tell me what to do anymore; and went out and bought a mountain bike and learned to ride it that day - of course without training wheels.  (My Mother was furious!)

Now, every year on my birthday (because I stopped celebrating it with others a long time ago), I give myself the gift of doing something I've never done before.  I've been skiing, gambling (in Vegas, for my 21st), sky diving...

Maybe I should post this over on the 70's board seeing as how it was in the 70's, but I think I was 6 or 7.  I remember we had a huge patio when I lived with my dad in California.  He worked with me on the back porch and when I moved in with my mom in Utah when I was 7, I could ride a bike without training wheels.  

Slightly OT, but I just bought a new bike for myself so that this summer I can ride with my daughter who just got one from Santa.  I am sure I will need training wheels again, it has been a few years since I rode one. ;)

Interesting question.  Personally, I had a tragic experience learning to ride sans training wheels.  :'(
Okay, I was 5 or 6, and it was summertime.  My parents had the brilliant idea to just take me to the end of the yard (which goes a tad bit downhill..), take the trainers off, and let me go.  Now, this in itself wasn't an issue.  However the rather small, plastic, water filled swimming pool was...(see where this is going?  :-/)  Yup.  Sure enough, I was doing fine when the panic hit me..I swerved..(egads a pool!)..I lost control..and..SPLAT!!    I was so embarrassed.. :-trying to be subtle about it  ::))...needless to say I ran into the house, crawled my wet butt up on my bed, and bawled like a baby...swore I'd never ever try that again.. :-/.
Needless to say, I did get back on my little purple bike, learned to do it, and thank my lucky stars to this day that they didn't get it on video.  Or photograph.

Oh boy, do I remember my first time riding without training wheels. I had just turned six and had gotten a brand new bike. I had wanted to learn without training wheels, so my mom humored me and said she would hold on to the back of the bike while I pedaled slowly around the driveway and learned to use the breaks (they were the ones where you made the pedals go backwards and it braked). After awhile, I decided I was ready for her to let go. I did fine until I hit the edge of the driveway. That's when I accidentally swerved to the left and, forgetting to use the brakes, proceeded to crash into a tree branch that poked me in the eye. My eye started bleeding and my mom panicked. Luckily, my mom's friend (who lived across the street) was a nurse, who calmly looked at my eye, loaded my mom and me into her car and drove us to the hospital. My eye was fine (thank God), and the next day my dad put the training wheels on my bike. And the landlord trimmed the tree branches.

I got my first bike when I was 7...my brother taught me how to ride it that day without training wheels...I was so excited to show my Dad when he came home from work that I raced down the street and back again and BAM! Right into the door of his new truck. He took it well, complimented me on learning, wished me a happy birthday and we went into the house for dinner....

...btw I think this is a GREAT thread Rapture!