Kids Balance Bikes ( previously a thread trying to ID .....

~ ~ Cal ~ ~

Changed thread title - was " "Help identifying this awesome Downhill bike ????????"

---

Guys

I desperately want to know what type of bike this is so casting my net wide with my title ( :oops: )

Does anyone ( Dad's especially I guess .....) know what type of rig this is ??



Santa needs to get his order in early for a 2 1/2 year old boy :twisted:

Thanks in advance guys

Cal

cat_with_no_tail

Not sure of the specific make, but it's just a kids balance bike.

You can pick them up from everywhere, got one for my little girl but she didn't take to it, prefers one with pedals.

shieldsy94

That looks sweeeeet

~ ~ Cal ~ ~

Cat With No Tail wrote:

Not sure of the specific make, but it's just a kids balance bike.

You can pick them up from everywhere, got one for my little girl but she didn't take to it, prefers one with pedals.

Inclined to agree BUT have you clocked the little swing arm which gives some suspension


CHECK this out and you'll see what I mean ........ http://www.pinkbike.com/video/147106/

Thanks for the replies fellas

cat_with_no_tail

Here you go

http://www.cyclesense.co.uk/products.ph ... 9686&rs=gb

float

found it: http://www.cyclesense.co.uk/products.ph ... 9686&rs=gb

my good deed for the day

Mr Wu

float wrote:

found it: http://www.cyclesense.co.uk/products.ph ... 9686&rs=gb

my good deed for the day

Duplicate post. Fail. :-)

stubs

For a kids bike that looks pretty awesome almost makes me wish I was that young so I could have one for crimbo.

~ ~ Cal ~ ~

Found it folks

http://www.balancebikes.org.uk/like-a-b ... -bikes.htm

http://www.likeabike.co.uk/likeabike_models/

How super fly are these little bikes ! :twisted:

Regards, Calum

Chronicbint

As above, its a Like a Bike "jumper" , I got one for my 2.5 year old and he loves it. We do laps round the block including some "offroad" bits.

Kids are supposed to learn balance better and will ride sooner and without stabilisers.

Official site.
http://www.likeabike.co.uk/

The Northern Monkey

isn't that ths bike that that little kid was riding to his Nursery? Think it was a pink bike video and the lad was a much better rider then me

Chronicbint

The Northern Monkey wrote:

isn't that ths bike that that little kid was riding to his Nursery? Think it was a pink bike video and the lad was a much better rider then me

Yeah, although he seemed to have a brake fitted. They have no brakes as standard.

allthegearnoidea

they are cool bikes for sure!
but, its a lot easier to get a normal kids bike and wip out the cranks bb and chain and then you have a balance bike that when they've sussed it, ten minutes witht he tools is back together rather than having to buy twice!??!

cat_with_no_tail

allthegearnoidea wrote:

they are cool bikes for sure!
but, its a lot easier to get a normal kids bike and wip out the cranks bb and chain and then you have a balance bike that when they've sussed it, ten minutes witht he tools is back together rather than having to buy twice!??!

Very much this!

This is what I've done for my youngest. Works a treat, especially as I wasn't sure if she'd take to the balance bike (my eldest didn't like hers).

~ ~ Cal ~ ~

Chaps - appreciate the reply and thought of that already but ....

a) my son is too small to touch the deck ( Giant Animator Junior) but can pedal with ease on stabilizers

b) he cannot reach the brakes as his hands are too small

c) he is already bombing down ramps on our local BMX park so would benefit from the swingarm / suspension

d) when you see the benefits of the swingarm I believe it's a no brainer

e) they rock

Part of the problem is that my son has a bike that is for kids 3+ but he has been riding it since he was 2yrs and 2 months. In other words, he was never gonna fit it properly. Most bikes on the market for kids are 3-5 years ( 12 inch wheels).

Balance bikes fill that void.......he can pedal around but can never touch the ground so has never learned to really balance.

Watch how active the swing arm is in this movie :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWz04KJI ... ature=fvwp

@ 1 min 26 secs you can really see it work nicely in the slow-mo shot

Cheers, Cal

~ ~ Cal ~ ~

To illustrate my point .....



compare with this in terms of being able to touch the ground



and the "terrain" he is tackling ( albeit with stabilizers)



( & for the record I am there to catch him at the bottom should he fall ! dont want social services hitting my door step )

Cal

cat_with_no_tail

Sorry dude, wasnt trying to talk you out of getting one. They are brilliant little things,and you'll know best if your lad is going to get along with the design.

~ ~ Cal ~ ~

Not at all my good man........I too toyed ( pardon the pun) with the idea of getting one until I saw the little US kid scooting around......

Regardless, I could not find these bikes with out the power of the forums and collaboration

And one more time http://www.pinkbike.com/video/147106/

Watch your back Peaty !

allthegearnoidea

thats Ace fella! my lil girl's much the same, been riding her bike since she was 2(now 4) but so sporadically! she'll ride it to school and back on the stabalizers all be it Bent up to get her used to not using them but then she'll want the scooter, or she'll want to walk etc.
she makes a b-line for the balance bike at the bike shop every time we go down (owners daughters) and Howls around on that,
maybe i should seek out the local skate park to get her back into it! hmmmmn, 8)

MacAndCheese

That bike is awesome, also loving the kid's mini Etnies Low Cuts.

Daz555

Balance bikes are a superb way for little uns to learn to ride. My lad is 3 and has had his balance bike since Christmas. He loves it and can freewheel with feet up for as long as he wants now - which basically means he has learned how to ride.

I think it will be great for him when he gets a pedal bike this christmas because the balance bike combined with learning to pedal on his trike means he already has all the skills required to ride without ever having sat on a proper bike. He'll get to miss out on stabilisers completely which is great.

Now - back to the bike that started this thread. £150. :shock: Err, no. Just no.

I bought my lad one of these: http://direct.tesco.com/product/images/?R=205-5376 - it was £29.99 at the time. I removed the brakes and cut an inch off the seat-tube at it was spot on. I just hope my daughter does not object to the boyish colours when it is her turn to learn in a couple of years.

~ ~ Cal ~ ~

Hey Daz,

I bought a crappy bike from Halfords initially as I suspected he'd grow out of it quickly. The bottom bracket fell apart after a couple of months and it was of lame quality all round ( to be expected though based on mass market price)

Now my son is on an inherited Giant as I mentioned before. Better quality but still way off the mark.

I have no qualms over the Kokua balance bikes cost but that's because my daughter will use this after my son has grown older.

These bikes are built to a great spec. ( see below ) - all depends on your budget but I do see your point. The Specialised equivalent was £99 RRP and again looked to be pretty dubious in terms of quality. It's also rigid.....

http://www.likeabike.co.uk/likeabike_quality.php

At the end of the day it depends how well it will be looked after and how thrashed it will get.

It reminds me of my local chip shops motto .....

It is always within the ingenuity of man to produce something a little bit smaller or a little bit poorer or a little of both and sell it a little cheaper.
People who buy by price alone are the legitimate prey of such a policy.

I agree £150 is a fair outlay but you have to put it into context.

Cheers

Boy Lard

My little girl (4 and a bit years old, pictured in 2 other threads so is not appearing again here), has got her first proper bike, (Trek Mystic 16"). She has had it 2 weeks and is already flying around on it. However, I think the stabilisers are actually hindering her progress because the only real trouble she has is cornering too quickly while sat up straight. The stabilisers actually prevent her from leaning over.

Do I just let her have fun blasting around as she is for now, or do I try taking the stabilisers off straight away? The bike is quite heavy for it's size but rock solid. It also has a resistance hub rear brake, which I am worried could be difficult for her initially if I do take the stabilisers off because she can't re-set the pedals easily.

Any suggestions welcome.

Daz555

~ ~ Cal ~ ~ wrote:

Hey Daz,

I bought a crappy bike from Halfords initially as I suspected he'd grow out of it quickly. The bottom bracket fell apart after a couple of months and it was of lame quality all round ( to be expected though based on mass market price)

I agree and I would not consider buying such a cheap pedal bike. However balance bikes are much simpler - no bottom bracket, brakes, cranks or sprockets etc. Very little can go wrong as long as you know how to keep wheels tight and loobed. He'll end up using it for just a year I reckon - he'll be getting a "big boys" bike for Christmas.

I'll not be spending anywhere near £150 for his first proper bike either but it will not be an uber cheapy that's for sure.

Noel PT

http://www.earlyrider.com/bikes/

I bought my son the Classic series the day he was born (bit eager I know) but he absolutely loves it now. Been on since he could walk and still charging at 3.

carbonfiend

My kids have had a balance bike for 6 years now. Started with my eldest and its now with my youngest all of them have learnt to ride this way and the two that are now on pedal bikes never used stablisers they went straight from balance bike to pedal bike.

I got mine from Lidl for £25 its exactly the same as the original wooden Likeabike. We still get stopped by peopel asking where we got it from and unfortunatley Lidl never seem to have done them again

~ ~ Cal ~ ~

Hey folks .......

Just an update and some pics ........quality is unreal. Made from aluminium and all other parts are stainless. Comes with :-

> two elastomers for the suspension ( one for kids over 15kg)
> adj, seatclamp
> great quality wheels ( no steel rubbish)
> two seat posts ( one extra long one for older kids)
> a neat little rubber doofer under the headset which stops the bar rotating fully
> reach adjustable brakes

Some pics :-



























and after delivery yesterday we hit the local indoor skate park !







Well chuffed and so is my son..........many thanks for all the replies. Look forward to the new generation of cyclists coming on stream !

Cal

carbonfiend

wheres that bike its sick my eldest would kill it there

~ ~ Cal ~ ~

Hi - it's Transition Extreme in Aberdeen - took 4 months to build the park !

Good info here

http://www.transition-extreme.com/location/sk_ramp.htm

~ ~ Cal ~ ~

Video of my son in some skatepark action. All flimed / shot on the new iPhone4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKzOJ4Zb5qQ :twisted: