Balance Bikes
elnarch
Posts: 4
Hi, new poster on here and have no idea if this is the right place or not but here goes anyway!
I have a twin almost two year olds who I am thinking of getting balance bikes for their next birthday in a months time. I know they may be a bit too little but they are very able physically and both been walking for over a year and are very active with good balance so I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this age group on balance bikes and if anyone had any recommendations, or even if they may just be too small to use them!
Thanks all!
I have a twin almost two year olds who I am thinking of getting balance bikes for their next birthday in a months time. I know they may be a bit too little but they are very able physically and both been walking for over a year and are very active with good balance so I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this age group on balance bikes and if anyone had any recommendations, or even if they may just be too small to use them!
Thanks all!
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Comments
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No, they're not too little.
The Stryder Pre-Bike is the lightest and shortest legged option, but they may well be big enough for others.Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/0 -
I run a shop that sells Early Rider bikes, both my children have ridden them from the age of 2
http://www.babipur.co.uk/shop/Toys-and- ... KJLE4ftTg8
Kids who have just turned 2 kind of walk around the garden/park on the bike rather than ride it. As they get to about 2.5yrs they begin to ride properly, pushing and gliding, it's amazing how quick they get the hang of it.
2 is not too young to get them started. After having balance bikes they rode their first pedal bikes way before all their friends.
We also have a new product called the Spherovelo (mouthful I know). Designed for ages 1 and 2.
http://www.babipur.co.uk/shop/Toys-and- ... KJL3YftTg8
This is a brilliant product, it's a bit like one of those wheely bug things but then you can take the casters off and it becomes unstable like a bike.
Any more questions feel free to ask
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Thanks both, will look into the suggestions, they both have wheelybugs at the moment and like scooting round so may be interested in the Spherovelo but am a bit concerned that you can't raise it as they grow like you can with the bikes.
Will be great to see if they take to bikes, may end up risking my life dodging speeding tykes on bikes though...0 -
Either would be a good choice but you'll undoubtedly get more use from the bikes.0
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Both my children had a balance bike and found them really great to use lots of fun and good build up to using a proper first bike. They had something similar to this :
http://www.tesco.com/direct/wooden-bala ... d=206-0372
hope this is of help to you.1998 Kona Cindercone in singlespeed commute spec
2013 Cannondale Caadx 1x10
2004 Giant TCR0 -
Strider Bike get s a big thumbs up for me.
Lowest seat height available and very very light.You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.0 -
"The Prince of Wales is now the King of France" - Calton Kirby0
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With respect to Sheldon his comment on balance bikes is BS
Yes taking the pedals off a normal bike can be a good idea to help teach balance but a balance bike is designed for younger children so it's smaller, lighter, easier to handle and provides a number of years entertainment and fun, it's a toy on it's own right and not a bike with the pedals removed.0 -
+1 for Early Rider. My boy learnt on that very same one from about 2 1/2 and hasn't looked back. I think they are particularly stylish and "feel" fabulous, somehow better than metal equivalents. Don't know about other brands but if money is no object, try the (in)famous Islabikes.0
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PeteMadoc wrote:With respect to Sheldon his comment on balance bikes is BS
Yes taking the pedals off a normal bike can be a good idea to help teach balance but a balance bike is designed for younger children so it's smaller, lighter, easier to handle and provides a number of years entertainment and fun, it's a toy on it's own right and not a bike with the pedals removed.
+1. It's not often Sheldon got stuff wrong, but he is wrong, for the reasons stated.
Both of our daughters had their runbikes inside the house from about 2yrs. They loved the show them off to visitors and they were always handy to slowly, surely, start to use them. Really, they didn't get into it until after 3. But look on YouTube, there's plenty that are quite adept on them at 2y or a little older.Commute - MASI Souville3 | Road/CX - MASI Speciale CX | Family - 80s ugly | Utility - Cargobike0 -
Any feedback on the Spherovelo?
I was thinking of getting one for the nipper this christmas....0 -
PeteMadoc wrote:I run a shop that sells Early Rider bikes, both my children have ridden them from the age of 2
http://www.babipur.co.uk/shop/Toys-and- ... KJLE4ftTg8
Kids who have just turned 2 kind of walk around the garden/park on the bike rather than ride it. As they get to about 2.5yrs they begin to ride properly, pushing and gliding, it's amazing how quick they get the hang of it.
2 is not too young to get them started. After having balance bikes they rode their first pedal bikes way before all their friends.
We also have a new product called the Spherovelo (mouthful I know). Designed for ages 1 and 2.
http://www.babipur.co.uk/shop/Toys-and- ... KJL3YftTg8
This is a brilliant product, it's a bit like one of those wheely bug things but then you can take the casters off and it becomes unstable like a bike.
Any more questions feel free to ask
they are great!0 -
We purchased a Kokua aluminium Like-a-bike from a cycle shop in the Lake District when our son was about 18 months old, he's now 8, It's one of the best things I ever purchased, both our children could ride by the age of 3.
We still have the bike out in the kids play shed and it still gets used around the garden.
But them one, you will not regret it.0 -
Daz555 wrote:Strider Bike get s a big thumbs up for me.
Lowest seat height available and very very light.
I believe the smaller Puky has a saddle which goes lower. (Could be wrong). Still a great bike even though (as with the Puky) they're not pneumatic tyres.Commute - MASI Souville3 | Road/CX - MASI Speciale CX | Family - 80s ugly | Utility - Cargobike0 -
Nearing the end of an era.
This saddle has been on two separate frames, hence the extra 'drillium' there, but this hole is about as low as I was prepared to go, and also a bit further forward so the saddle could be as high and back as possible.
Thing2 will be using this for her commuting for the rest of this year (as well as riding her pedal bike of course), but I imagine once starting Primary School next Jan/Feb, runbikes will be a thing of the past for our family.
Commute - MASI Souville3 | Road/CX - MASI Speciale CX | Family - 80s ugly | Utility - Cargobike0 -
My son learnt on a Ridgeback Scoot balance bike and went straight onto a normal bike without stabilisers. His little brother now has the Scoot.
The big advantage I think with a Scoot is that it looks more like a real bike, and has a real brake so that they get used to using that ready for a proper bike.
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/47281/Ridgeback_Scoot_Runabout_2013_Bike?gclid=CMTg7fuq1rYCFXIPtAodLh8AJg
Or they go for around £25 - £50 used on ebay
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Amy had one of these
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/rothan.html
Expensive, but resale makes it probably the cheapest bike ever!
She got it for her 2nd birthday.Insert bike here:0 -
Commute - MASI Souville3 | Road/CX - MASI Speciale CX | Family - 80s ugly | Utility - Cargobike0
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mpatts wrote:Amy had one of these
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/rothan.html
Expensive, but resale makes it probably the cheapest bike ever!
She got it for her 2nd birthday.
Yep, excellent choice - very light, very red and has a proper brake. #1 was riding sans stabilisers before his 4th birthday, and he recently helped me to clean it so we could put it in the loft against #2's 2nd birthday.Specialized Roubaix Elite 2015
XM-057 rigid 29er0 -
I think they can ride & I must say it's the perfect time to buy them a nice bike. They would be pretty happy. But I think Tricycle would be the right choice.
Have a blessed day ! 0 -
+1 for pukys. awesome kids bikes, great quality, not stupid money like isla bikes but they dont hold their value so well.Daz555 wrote:Strider Bike get s a big thumbs up for me.
Lowest seat height available and very very light.
I believe the smaller Puky has a saddle which goes lower. (Could be wrong). Still a great bike even though (as with the Puky) they're not pneumatic tyres.
never had a problem with puky tyres not being pnuematic - its a right royal pain getting pump heads onto valves on such small wheels anyway.!!!0 -
They are BIG enough. Strider Balance Bike is the right choice for them. 0
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Balance bikes would be excellent option.0
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PeteMadoc wrote:With respect to Sheldon his comment on balance bikes is BS
Yes taking the pedals off a normal bike can be a good idea to help teach balance but a balance bike is designed for younger children so it's smaller, lighter, easier to handle and provides a number of years entertainment and fun, it's a toy on it's own right and not a bike with the pedals removed.
To be honest so is a scooter ... except the scooter is also a mode of transport as well.
I'm not sure it really matters WHERE/HOW kids develop balance ... it could be a balance bike, scooter or balancing on logs
Once they have balance then learning to ride a bike is a matter of minutes to perhaps hours if they are motivated.
Seeing parents with kids on balance bikes however they seem a lot less useful as a means of transport than a scooter.
By the time the kid is big enough to ride a 20" wheel (when you can realistically go a ride) I honestly doubt you'll see any advantage either way.
I say this as with all the stuff many of us buy for a birth... just because it's sold and we think we must need one... (remember changing tables) .. then we started our kid swimming at 6 mo or so.... largely as a safety thing as well.(a friend a kids swim instructor told us it would make no difference to his ability later and he was proven correct).. ...
We had FUN ... he had fun but though he's a good swimmer so are others who didn't start until much later.
His motivation NOW is that until he can do 800m he can't start to learn to surf properly.
So by all means have a balance bike as a toy.... but scooters are easier to 'live with' IMHO if your child insists on taking them 'everywhere' and seem to develop balance just as well.0 -
Both my two learned / learning on a balance bike.
Daughter was 4 1/2 yo when she could ride without stabilisers, not really the weather for it at the moment but last summer we did a 3.5 mile ride together.
The boy has had access to a balance bike since he was 1.5, he's sort of got it with balance on short rolls so I've moved him upto 14" wheels with stabilisers. I will alternate between the bb (for balance obvs) and his bike for peddling. We did a 1.6 mile ride yesterday with his stabilisers. I get a feeling that he may be able to ride properly this summer at 2.5 yo, if not it'll come next summer.
Both of them love it and I can't wait till we can all go out.0
