I am planning on fabricating training wheels for a pw 50. I was wondering how much clearance the actual tire on the training wheels have from the ground when the bike is perfectly vertical and the suspension is not being compresses? Thanks.
I have seen many people make the clearance adjustable, that way you can put more and more as your rider gets more experience. You can either make like 3-5 bolt holes at different height positions, or have an open slider and just tighten the nut at different heights. Just remember, the lower the training wheels, the harder to turn. I would think 2-3 inches with the suspension compressed by the rider would be a good starting point.
I would take a hard look at buying the Wheels-4-tots training wheels. I had a pair on my son's PW, and they worked very well. Website is : http://www.wheels-4-tots.com/
Unless the child just can't touch the ground you might be suprised how quick they find balance. I thought I might need to go that route because my son was still using outriggers on his peddle bike. After 10 minutes (yes really) of doing the PW50 waddle-ride thing he was fine.
Thanks for the information to all who replied. I should be able to come up with something that will be safe, adjustable, and a heck of a lot cheaper that store bought.