balance bike pedaless bike

[Think of Winter]

I'd like to get one for my dd's 2nd bday. Has anyone tried any of the moderately priced bikes? I'm not up for spending $200-300.

[Think of Winter]

(subbing)

[prairiemommy]

Our older kids' bike coaches use (and sell) the Adam's Run Bike for their 2 year old. They say it's great!

[rere]

Last year they were selling them at Target for $50.Not sure if they're there this year or not.They were with the outdoor toys not with the bikes.

[Callimom]

Umm...
Can't you just take the pedals (and the shanks if you want) off a regular bike?
Wouldn't that do the same thing?

[hana06]

We bought our daughter a Skuut for her second birthday.

http://www.skuut.com/

It's still a bit tall for her (she's 25 months), but she loves it! She rolls it around the house, talks about "her bike", and now that she's grown a bit (yes, in the last MONTH!), she can ride it around with a little help. It's a total likeabike knockoff, but is built well and costs less than $100.

We bought ours locally, but if I would have had to order it, I would have ordered here:

http://www.theportablebaby.com/walkingbike.html

She's a WAHM and has them for a great price.

Have fun!

[Think of Winter]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the advice. I ended up getting a metal one, a PV Mini Glider 12" balance bike. The metal ones seem to fit smaller kids better, and we tend to leave our stuff out in the rain. That's an interesting idea to just take the pedals and associated parts off, but I kinda think they'll enjoy it for a looong time, so I don't know if it's worth the hassle. But maybe we'll try it w/ ds's bike if he loves it, too.

[PassionateWriter]

we just became dealers for the Strider Bike. they are pretty awesome and much less expensive. my 2 yo loves it!@

[lovingmommyhood]

Woah, not less expensive than the bike I got my 3 year old.

[mightymoo]

I got both my kids the kettler balance bike. I personally didn't want a wooden bike, real bikes are metal, I wanted one that felt and looked like a real bike, just without petals. Given our housing situation they are just now getting a chance to ride them, but I like them, they are well made. I found a deal at the time and I think got them for $70 each around christmastime.

[Think of Winter]

Originally Posted by PassionateWriter

we just became dealers for the Strider Bike. they are pretty awesome and much less expensive. my 2 yo loves it!@

Striders look really cool, too, but they are not less expensive than the Mini Glider I bought (well, OK, $1 less.)

[PassionateWriter]

Originally Posted by colleen95

Striders look really cool, too, but they are not less expensive than the Mini Glider I bought (well, OK, $1 less.)

i was really referring to the price of the Like a Bike and Skuut bikes, where were the only balance bikes i had seen prior to the Strider. They are much cheaper at my house.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Has anyone tried a Glider Rider? The seat seems to go down really low, and I like the frame design that allows the child to step through rather than swing their leg over the back of the bike.

My son is only 14 months, but he is EXTREMELY active and he has this Radio Flyer Trike that he flies on. He actively seeks out small hills outside to glide down with his feet up. I think I might buy a balance bike for him this summer, as he seems to just have so much fun on his trike. I think he would just go bonkers with a balance bike.

Do you mamas think that 14 months is too little for a balance bike? He is so crazy super busy, I swear his little body starts vibrating the instant he wakes up. :

[PassionateWriter]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_Pie

Has anyone tried a Glider Rider? The seat seems to go down really low, and I like the frame design that allows the child to step through rather than swing their leg over the back of the bike.

My son is only 14, but he is EXTREMELY active and he has this Radio Flyer Trike that he flies on. He actively seeks out small hills outside to glide down with his feet up. I think I might buy a balance bike for him this summer, as he seems to just have so much fun on his trike. I think he would just go bonkers with a balance bike.

Do you mamas think that 14 months is too little for a balance bike? He is so crazy super busy, I swear his little body starts vibrating the instant he wakes up. :

i think at 14 you could probably get him a much larger bike! j/k!

those look cool. the Strider bikes have the sides to put their feet up on also. im not sure if there would be any disadvantage to having such a large middle area there (the idea of the balance bike is to teach balance early w/o the training wheels so they can progress to a regular bike).

if he can do it, i say its never too earlier (im taking it he's 14 months! ).

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Originally Posted by PassionateWriter

i think at 14 you could probably get him a much larger bike! j/k!

those look cool. the Strider bikes have the sides to put their feet up on also. im not sure if there would be any disadvantage to having such a large middle area there (the idea of the balance bike is to teach balance early w/o the training wheels so they can progress to a regular bike).

if he can do it, i say its never too earlier (im taking it he's 14 months! ).

Oops, yes, that would be 14 months, not 14 years. I was sort of wondering just how big that middle area is. I wish I could see the actual bike before buying it. I hate buying something like that without being able to touch it and see it.

I just checked out the Strider bikes on Amazon, and it says that they have "foam" tires. How are they on different surfaces? I can't even imagine tires made of foam. My son's trike has hard plastic tires that do great on a lot of surfaces. I was a little skeptical about hard tires, but they are great for him so far.

I do like how much it looks like a "real" bike. The seat also seems like it goes down low enough for him too. (although he is super tall) Dang, I just wish I could actually see one of these in person before buying...

[PassionateWriter]

i have 4 of these bikes sitting in my dining room and i have never noticed a difference in the tirese. i will have to ask teh owner, b/c i have no idea what they mean by that...they feel so much like the other tires of other bikes.

hmmmm......

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Ok, I checked out the Mini Gliders on Amazon too, and they say the were developed by a Dad when one of his kids was 18 months old. My son is as tall as some 3 year olds and is nearly as agile, so I think I am convincedd that he is or soon will be ready for one of these.

The Mini Gliders have a hand brake on them. How important is that feature, and when do kids have the finger dexterity and intellectual development to use a hand brake? I can see my son getting the running and balancing and gliding down, but I definitely can't see him using a hand break for a while yet. Not all balance bikes have the hand brakes. Do any of you mamas out there with Mini Gliders see your DC using the brakes? I would think they wouldn't really get going fast enough to need more than just putting their feet down to stop or slow down.

[jillpill31]

New Kinderbikes out

Hey all,

Wanted to throw in my 2 cents. We got our daughter a kinderbike last year and my 'lil one loved it. They just released a new model with a brake and it seems completely revamped - aluminum wheels, frame, etc. Looks nice and still pretty inexpensive at $69 or so. I kinda wish ours had the brake and aluminum parts, especially the tires, but the old one worked well for us until my daughter moved on to a real bike.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Why do you wish it had a brake? I can't see my son going fast enough to need more than his feet to stop him. I guess he could get going down a really large hill, theoretically, but there aren't really any around here that I would take him on with a balance bike.

Also, how old do they have to be to have the hand dexterity plus the maturity to understand what the brakes are for and how to use them? I would think they would have to be at least 4 or 5 to really get hand brakes, and by then they would have most likely moved on to a regular bike with coaster brakes, right?

I like the Kinderbikes that you linked to. They look very much like a regular "bike", which I think would make them more attractive to most kids.

[PassionateWriter]

one thing i really like about the Strider bikes is that there is a place that allows for them to put their feet and glide. the bike linked a few posts previous doesnt have a place for that.

i dont htink my 2 yo would know what to do with a brake.