Balance bikes for toddlers - Page 2

[katt]

we bought a Strider bike for my son when he turned 2.  We LOVED it!  lightweight, small and adjustable.  

Since my son has gone on to a pedal bike his Strider has since gone on to teach at least 3 other kiddos to balance and ride pedal bikes.  

when this one is big enough to fit the strider we'll either get him his own or we'll use his brother's.  :)

i highly recommend them to everyone over training wheels

[onetrumpeter]

Originally Posted by cat13 

I've always heard good reviews about balance bikes, but when I look at one I just wonder what is the difference between a balance bike and a regular kids bike with the pedals taken off? Is it really worth having a special bike?

Cat13, I had wondered the same thing.  I've heard of people doing that exact thing.  It probably would work really well.  An advantage of the Strider bike is that it is really light - my kids were able to maneuver and even carry it short distances.  The weight of their pedal bikes is significantly more, so I'd think that would be a challenge.  Also, I don't know that taking off just the pedals would make for as slim of a profile (not sure of the right word!) for the child to walk around.  My kids started with just walking the bikes around, not even committing their weight to them.  Then, after becoming comfortable with steering via the handlebars they started to actually sit on the seat, and then gradually committed more and more weight to the seat eventually sitting completely once they felt the balance happen, I guess.  I think that's a pretty natural progression of development for young ones.  This was all completely w/o my instruction - they just did it - smoothly, easily, and so fun - no frustration like I perceive w/ training wheels.

That said, I'm sure some pedal bikes might work for the idea you mention, but for us it was totally worth it (especially for our CL find :) ) to go w/ a Strider.  I did see on their website last night that I can replace the bearings so hopefully our bikes still have a lot of life for another child.

[sk8boarder15]

I commented on the mothering article, but I'll say it again here. We LOVE our striders here!!!! My nephew is 3 and loves his, and my son is 2 and also loves his. They come everywhere, and the boys ride them constantly. They can go quite fast now, and I need my own bike to keep up! The 3 y/o could probably learn to ride a pedal bike in just a few minutes. 

The strider is very durable, safe, and lightweight. If you were just to "Take the pedals off" of a kids bike you would have a few issues, you would need to take the sprokets off as well to make the truly safe, you couldn't get the seat as low as a strider, and they would be much heavier, $100 for a bike this sturdy is not a bad price, I'm sure these 2 Striders we have now will see much use from future siblings, cousins and friends and will be in our garage for many many years! 

[Paigekitten]

We took the pedals off my daughter's bike and used it as a balance bike.  We put the pedals back on last night, and she hopped on and rode away like a pro.  I want to buy a balance bike for my three year old. I haven't yet seen a pedal bike small enough for her.

[onyxravnos]

i'm a convert. Balance bike from 2-3 1/2 was the reason DS1 learned to ride a two wheel in a day. 

no muss no fuss, no running after holding on the back of the bike. none of that. Of course it took awhile to figure out how to use the brakes...

 Best starter bikes ever.

[Oliver'sMom]

To me, balance bikes seem like a fad and not very practical. 

Perhaps because my kids are super tall...by the time they're 2, striders are way too small for them.  I got my boys regular bikes and just took the pedals off.  When my older boy got really got really good at balancing (around 4yo), we put the pedals on and he rode off happy as a clam.  No need to buy another bike!  My youngest is almost 27 months and is still riding his bike without the peddles and is doing great.  Balance bikes are expensive, and I couldn't justify paying for something that would only get used for a few months.
 

[chel]

I totally agree with the concept of a balance bike. With my oldest, she was 5. I got her a scooter to teach her balance and she was riding a bike in a month.
With my baby, I got a balance bike for $30 at Walmart. I see no need to a more expensive one.

If my dd was a tad older, I would do a regular bike with the peddles off, knowing that she would learn quicker and could ride the bike with peddles. With a toddler, by the time they get the balancing down and are ready to move to peddles they are ready for the next size. The balance bike I bought was much cheaper than a peddle bike.

[mysweets]

Hi,

We haven't used one yet but they certainly sound popular.  Just a different point of view: we were at the bike store the other day and the staffperson was trying to sell us one.  He emphasized what many ppl here have said: learn to balance and ride a bike sooner etc etc.

As someone who works with kids and development and all that kind of stuff I just know how important tricycles are for development.  The things a kid can do on a trike are not the same as a bike (steering while going backwards etc) and the spatial reasoning is important stuff.  Just a thought: balance bikes might be great but you don't necessarily want to skip the trike phase. ciao!

[ronart]

We just ordered the German made FirstBike for our little one.  We are super excited, I hope he takes to it.  Anyone else ever use this brand?

[skycheattraffic]

That's a good point, mysweets! My 25 month old (although 85th percentile for height) can't reach the pedals on 95% of the tricycles we've tried. We got her a fisher price balance bike ($45 on sale at toys r us) and although she still needs a teeny bit of height to sit on the seat and stand flatfooted, she can straddle the bar and walk comfortably, learning to steer and keep her balance (and learning to watch where she is going lol). Gramma has a radio flyer trike and DD uses it as a stroller for now when she's there but I'm sure once she can reach the pedals properly she'll be parallel parking in no time . All that to say, I can see the benefits in tricycles but I think they're enough on a part time basis.