For my siblings and me, growing up in a sleepy Vermont town on an out-of-the-way street, learning to ride a two-wheeler was a rather peaceful process. Sure, we banged our knees and my brother flew over his handlebars a few times, but for the most part there was little drama. Cars slowed as we passed; moms waved from their yards.

Fast-forward to life in the city and the scenarios facing our little bikers—some truly hair-raising for all involved. I’ve personally coaxed my daughter Fiona, at age six, across Riverside at 96th Street as cars whipped off the West Side Highway directly in her path. Saint Bernards freely lope alongside petrified, dog-hating toddlers on trikes, and more advanced riders, like Isabel, my elder, turn their parents’ hair gray when they barely skirt open-hatch stairs leading to grocery basements on Broadway.

Yet these potential hazards are but mere bumps on the bike path when you consider the bounty and beauty that New York City offers its young cyclists. “We have world-class, car-free biking in every borough, as well as car-free hours in many flagship parks,” reports Caroline Samponaro, bicycle campaign coordinator at Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit organization that promotes bicycling, walking and public transit, rather than driving solo, as the best means of getting around in NYC. Pedaling nirvana can be found along more than 100 miles of greenways, or car-free paths, usually within a linear park. And still more landscaped bike and pedestrian paths are in the works: The city plans to roll out 42 miles of new greenway in all five boroughs over the next four years.

So how should you teach your tot? Wait until he’s about four or five years old (for more on the right age, see “Buying a bike”), and then opt for what’s alternately known as the “push and glide” or “balancing first” method. This technique seems to be eclipsing traditional, wobbly training wheels, which, according to bike experts, don’t actually help kids learn to balance. Rich Conroy, director of bicycle education programs at Bike New York (an organization that promotes area event rides and produces the annual Commerce Bank Five Boro Bike Tour, the largest cycling race in the U.S.), advocates removing them altogether—along with the pedals. Once your child has mastered that, encourage him to take advantage of the city’s many free lessons and biking events. Happy riding!