Comment by noisy_boy

This only works when the bike is matching or only little bit higher than the rider. If you are a kid learning to ride on an adult bike (like I did because that was the only one available), don't take the pedals off. They are essential to provide a platform to put your foot on, and more importantly, achieve speed as soon as possible - because a certain amount of speed is essential to keep the bike going which makes the balancing easier.