There's a bike precursor, called something like the "balancing bike," more popular in Europe. It's like a bike w/o pedals, and the kid uses his feet - fred flinstone style - to propel himself. They learn how to balance and steer, without having to worry about pedaling first. Supposedly, it's much easier to move from that to a real bike, than to go from training wheels to no training wheels. YMMV.