Balance Bike - How long do they use them?

[vrclay]

My son is asking for a bike - he'll be 3 in August. We're thinking of a balance bike but wondering how long he'll be happy riding it. We've got another child right behind him who can use it if he "outgrows" it quickly, I guess.

I've read other comments about getting a regular bike and taking off the pedals and creating a balance bike. Seems like a very reasonable/economical idea. I also like that we minimize the "stuff" at our house if we go this route. Are there any cons I'm missing here?

Any thoughts?

[sapphire_chan]

The big things that make balance bikes worth it over taking the pedals off ordinary bikes:

They're lighter. When you're getting something for a 2 year old, that matters, for a 3 year old, maybe not.

They're lower to the ground. When you're getting something for a child with a 12" inseam, that matters, for a taller child, probably not.

What I'd do is take him to a store with a large selection of children's bikes, see if he can sit comfortably on a bike seat with his feet flat on the ground, if the bike is light enough for him to set back upright by himself if it tips over (this would also mean that he'd be able to get it off of him if it happened to fall on him )

And then buy a balance bike if you don't find a regular bike that meets those criteria. Since kids can use balance bikes very young (especially kids with cool older brothers they want to imitate ) even if he out grows the balance bike quickly, it'd only be in your garage for a short while before your new LO is ready for it.

To sum up, I'd expect you to end up getting both a bike and a balance bike. My personal preference for doing so would be to get a bike for your DS now that lasts him a few years, and get a balance bike for your new LO in a couple of years when they hit 18-24 months. However, if a regular bike won't work for your DS right now, getting a balance bike first and a regular bike in 6 months to a year would work too.

[sapphire_chan]

Oh, and if you already know your DS is tall enough for a bike, I'd check yard sales and such for a small bike first.

[pbjmama]

My ds is a big kid so I got a $5 yard sale bike and took the pedals off. He has been riding it about 1 week that way and I think he will be ready for the pedals with in a week. He can coast down the driveway.

[curiouscanadian]

pbjmama - how old is your kiddo? Also, was it pretty straight-forward to take the pedals off a regular bike? I thought I read in another thread (awhile ago now) that there was a bit more to it than just taking the pedals off, what with the chain, etc.

Interested as I was hoping to buy DS a Strider this weekend!

[pbjmama]

DS is almost 4. He has always been an athletic kid and I think he could have been doing this 6 months ago easily. He has been riding a trike since he was 2.