how a blanace bike works

Steve-XcT

Crazyjenkins01 wrote:

Your point that there are more ways to skin a cat is completely correct, and that is what I said.
.............
What people who advocate the use of balance bikes are saying is that it has worked for them, or people they know, from a very early age. Maybe some kids can learn to ride at 2yrs old with no balance bike if they want to and are ready to try, but how many kids have you seen like this? In my experience, what I have seen is 4+yr old's learning to ride on stabilizers (when they obviously hadn't used a balance bike) and struggling to make the transition to 2 wheels.

I've never seen a 2yr old actually riding a bike in any useful way.

By useful I mean 2 things:
1/ At any pace that parents could ride alongside
2/ That makes any difference to the riding ability by the time they get to #1

Some sort of metric like "goes 100m without putting their feet down" isn't really a very useful metric for real life... whereas "rides a mile to nursery" is starting to be something that relates to something useful.

If "goes 100m ...." had any causal link to how they will develop as cyclists then it might be valid but it doesn't. It's like the teaching kids to swim aged 6 months ... it can all be fun.. but it makes no odds at all by the time they are 4-5yrs.
(Despite the many claims to the contrary by companies that do this). As it happens for my OH she made lots of friends at the waterbabies... but in terms of actual swimming it made no difference to either him or any of his friends.

I have seen is 4+yr old's learning to ride on stabilizers (when they obviously hadn't used a balance bike) and struggling to make the transition to 2 wheels.

I also see lots of 4yr olds with stabilisers but EQUALLY I see lots of parents carrying balance bikes.
Your assumptions however ?: they never had a balance bike and they actually had a stabiliser bike.
They may well have had a balance bike ... not used it and grown out if it. One of my sons friends (from the swimming) had one... total use was apparently 10m minutes ever. His mum told me my kid had spent longer riding it than her kid ever had... and that was just at one kids party.

Equally many of those 4+ yr olds probably never previously had a bike to transition from. Some of what you are seeing is doubtless kids first bike with stabilisers. Out of the swimming group (all now 7) most of them STILL don't have bikes. (I find that incredible... but to my knowledge out of 10 kids only 3 including mine actually OWN a bike. OH & Jr do a monthly-ish meet-up in a park... and its the same every month "no you can't take your bike because only Jacob and CJ have bikes"

Having never had a balance bike I can't say how many hours of 'balance practice' kids get on average a day ... but I know when my kid was 4 he spent a good hour every weekday .. a mile to and a mile from nursery. At weekends it would usually be longer as he'd be doing tricks in the park... and then when not on his scooter he'd be climbing or balancing on logs etc.

You can question the efficacy of scooters, logs or ballet to developing riding a bike but surely 10 hours a week vs 1 hour on a balance bike would offset that.

My assumptions are based on I see balance bikes being carried more than ridden .. when my kid used to scooter to the park other kids would arrive with parents carrying the balance bikes... We ride at Swinley Forest almost EVERY weekend... again I see lots of balance bikes but way more are being carried than ridden at the point I see them.

In many many weeks I can't remember EVER seeing a kid on a balance bike going to the park (there is a 1/2 mile access road and pavement) but I saw many on scooters, probably almost every time we'd see another kid on a scooter on the footpath next to the access road. There are probably more scooters than balance bikes (possibly 2:1) in the park but it doesn't account for 50 to zero...

My conclusion based on observing others is that few kids can go more than a mile or so on a balance bike.

cooldad

TL:DR version.

Drowning your children is easiest when the are very small. Scooters are cool. Ballet is good for developing roadie skills????

fat daddy

cooldad wrote:

. Ballet is good for developing roadie skills????

come on ... wearing a pink leotard and a frilly tutu isn't far off being a spandex road warrior ... there are a lot of the same cross over skills.

(1) how can I wear this in public without being embarrassed
(2) how can I get my weight down to 50kg
(3) how to go to the toilet wearing this
(4) how to break it to your wife that you want to dress like that

and scooters are cool .... I have an off road one with pneumatic tyres ... little girl a micro scooter, we rock !

cooldad

Fair points.

norvernrob

Our son had a bike with stabilisers from the age of 3, but we felt like it was a total waste of time so we got him a balance bike just after his 4th birthday. Within a month he was flying along, up and down the ramps at the local park so I bought him a pedal bike. He pedalled off on that first go, so in hindsight the stabiliser bike probably did end up being useful - he already knew to pedal.

Another couple of sessions with me teaching him how to set off, how to stop and how to use the brakes to control his speed and he was completely independent.

Steve-XcT

Our son had a bike with stabilisers from the age of 3, but we felt like it was a total waste of time so we got him a balance bike just after his 4th birthday. Within a month he was flying along, up and down the ramps at the local park so I bought him a pedal bike. He pedalled off on that first go, so in hindsight the stabiliser bike probably did end up being useful - he already knew to pedal.

Another couple of sessions with me teaching him how to set off, how to stop and how to use the brakes to control his speed and he was completely independent.

This is the point ...

Within a month he was flying along.....

He got a new toy... he played on it for a month but what exactly did it do that his new pedal bike with the cranks removed wouldn't do? (In hindsight)

I wasn't there but I bet the whole month wasn't needed... if you'd instead had his present pedal bike and removed the cranks don't you think you would have thought to put them back on earlier?

In hindsight didn't you buy into the balance bike story and buy something that only had a 1 month life that in hindsight could have been his current bike with cranks removed???

tangled_metal

Our son used his balance bike on and off for 2 years. He also used a trike, scooter and pedal bike with the stabilizers. Every one of those toys gave him enjoyment. One of his favourites was actually a toy pedal car. Did that help him learning to ride?

They're all toys. None are needed. It's taste probably even rare that a young child even asks for them.

They're all the choice of the parents to offer those toys to the child and see what he/she enjoys. It's the parents with the ulterior motive and desire to see their kid on a pedal bike riding with them. How many 2 year olds are actually thinking about family rides in 2 or 4 years time?

Face it kids don't need bikes for their younger years it's their parents who want it in most cases. Your kid is probably pleasing you on the balance bike or pedal bike. Until that magic time when they choose to cycle. At that point they align with the parent and want to cycle. That's when you can get them onto a pedal bike without stabilizers. Until then everything else is partly the parent's pushing or only of interest of it's fun.

BTW we went for all the bike related toy options. We chose to give our child choice. That's choice what to use and even if he uses it. We often went for a walk somewhere where his balance.bike could be used. It helped us go further and quicker than if he was.just walking. He enjoyed the balance bike then would ditch it and we're carrying it. It's the way with young children. Doesn't mean it had no.value while being used.

I think some are putting too much value to the end result, which I think is the parent's goal. Think about the moment like a child does. It's a toy, is it fun? Yes? Fine its got benefit. If you've got the money and if you want to buy then do it, they'll likely enjoy the toy.

tangled_metal

TL:DR
It's a fcuking toy get over it.

Your kid isn't the one pushing to learn to ride without stabilizers it's the parents.

Stop being a pushy parent and let the kid decide what they want and when they want it.

Steve-XcT

Tangled Metal wrote:

They're all the choice of the parents to offer those toys to the child and see what he/she enjoys. It's the parents with the ulterior motive and desire to see their kid on a pedal bike riding with them. How many 2 year olds are actually thinking about family rides in 2 or 4 years time?
....

If you've got the money and if you want to buy then do it, they'll likely enjoy the toy.

I completely agree.... though a parent wanting to get their kid into a healthy, outdoor sport is not a bad thing.

That's why I said the thing about the water babies...If its fun.. go ahead... will it or a balance bike make any difference to them actually learning to swim/ride (as in the parents motivation).. no.

Until that magic time when they choose to cycle. At that point they align with the parent and want to cycle. That's when you can get them onto a pedal bike without stabilizers. Until then everything else is partly the parent's pushing or only of interest of it's fun.

Until that point a balance bike is just another toy... once you are at that point then its a matter of seconds to hours..
No normally-able kid that really wants to ride is going to take longer than a few hours. If they don't get it in a few hours (altogether) then its because they don't really want to. Most will take considerably less time.

If it helps you can take off pedals or even cranks... I didn't need to, perhaps others might... but the option exists and takes a few minutes. (Assuming you own a chain breaker / have a split link and you want to take the whole drive-chain off)

Crazyjenkins01

No normally-able kid that really wants to ride is going to take longer than a few hours. If they don't get it in a few hours (altogether) then its because they don't really want to. Most will take considerably less time.

That is a massive assumption. Just because you WANT to do something, doesn't mean you can pick it up easily.

If it helps you can take off pedals or even cranks... I didn't need to, perhaps others might... but the option exists and takes a few minutes. (Assuming you own a chain breaker / have a split link and you want to take the whole drive-chain off)

This is another option, if the bike you have is able to do this.

Also going back to your point on 'balance bikes being carried'... my wife walked the 1 mile from a friends house last night with the boy in his buggy and my girl on her scooter. It took them an hour, and its all down hill to come home. This was because my girl wants to stop and look at every leaf/stick/dog etc. while outside. If I had been with them, I would have been carrying the scooter until she wanted it back (which she would have once she was finished studying that really interesting bit of chewing gum on the pavement....) This is what happens with kids.

burnthesheep

We started out boys young on them. They first just sit on it and pretty much walk around while seated. Then, over a week or two, they start to go faster and faster. Then, they start picking their feet up and resting their feet on the little foot holders by the rear wheel. Some have a hand brake, others the kids skid to a stop with their shoes. Thus ruining their shoes.

When we took the balance bike away and put the first kid on a pedal bike, it took 5 minutes to start riding. No trainer wheels.

Usually a kid will use a balance bike from like age 3 to age 4 and around age 4 or 5 uses the real-deal.

Our 6 y/o is on to geared bikes now. He wants a kids road bike, but he's getting another kid style bike with gears.

Steve-XcT

That is a massive assumption. Just because you WANT to do something, doesn't mean you can pick it up easily.

I think that depends what it is...
Riding a bike is a pretty simple thing compared to many things.
More importantly though my point is riding is sufficiently complex and unnatural that unless your child is motivated they won't learn. If a balance bike provides that motivation then fine...

What hasn't been explained is how a balance bike specifically addresses or overcomes those setbacks in a meaningful way... (one that makes it worth buying specifically to teach kids to ride... not just as another toy - which is fine in itself)

Yes kids need to learn to lean when they turn etc.... but these are 5 minute things that don't require months of balance bike. They also need to learn to pedal...

Also going back to your point on 'balance bikes being carried'... my wife walked the 1 mile from a friends house last night with the boy in his buggy and my girl on her scooter. It took them an hour, and its all down hill to come home. This was because my girl wants to stop and look at every leaf/stick/dog etc. while outside. If I had been with them, I would have been carrying the scooter until she wanted it back (which she would have once she was finished studying that really interesting bit of chewing gum on the pavement....) This is what happens with kids.

Sure, I'm not specifically saying a scooter is better or worse ... it's just easier to carry and it's what my kid chose.

It took them an hour, and its all down hill to come home.

but what about the 1 mile all uphill to get the the friends house?

just going back to the (intended) thread title ... How a balance bike works .... it doesn't in any meaningful way that will make a kid actually learn to cycle earlier.

It's just another toy until (and unless) your kid is motivated to learn to ride.
There is nothing wrong with kids having toys... but all I'm saying is don't buy a balance bike with the idea it is somehow required or has some special magic attached to it that will somehow get your kid riding earlier.

This is another option, if the bike you have is able to do this.

I've never seen a bike where the cranks/BB are welded in or not removable?

You might need a £5 tool or a trip to the LBS but pretty much all cranks are removable
However plenty of kids don't seem to need the cranks or even pedal removing... so that seems to be an option but one if needed... whereas having no facility to fit pedals is a dead end without buying a new bike.

If the period where pedals are taken off is less than a day, week or even a month then I simply can't see how buying a specific balance bike actually helps .... (on the other hand I can see how it helps companies selling bikes)

Dolores

My son never had a balance bike, but I've gathered from a lot of people most kids go straight from a balance bike to a bike without stabilizers. I guess it gives them more courage because they can't depend on the stabilizers to keep them upright. And in the method, they learn to balance better. I've seen kids go exhibitionist on balance bikes, but my son's still not very confident on his bike without stabilizers.

slowbike

Can't believe I never posted in this thread ..

Do you NEED to buy your child a balance bike - of course not - some people don't learn to ride until they are adults - there's no compelling need ...

However, I've seen the issues of stabalisers first hand with my nieces & nephew really kicking up and not wanting them removed. Another one rides so slowly that she'll never balance without them - she needs to grow some and get up some speed. All of them could have done with learning balance as well as pedaling.

Our son - at 2.5 - is well away on the balance bike (which he's had for over a year - mostly been using it since last summer) - he's now got a pedal bike, but we're working on transition to pedaling - as he doesn't do much pedaling otherwise. For the moment he just has his new bike with pedals removed - he loves using tools to remove them and put them back on - so that's all fun too. We'll continue to encourage him to try pedals - but it will be at his own pace - same with everything with children. We might try a reward process where if he tries pedals then he gets a treat - as otherwise there's little incentive.

Does it matter? Of course not - but we know he enjoys being outside, loves riding his (balance) bike - day or night - and it's good exercise. Could he do that on a scooter? yes - he could ride one - he's got one, but prefers his bike....

slowbike

here we are 4 months and a lot of bad weather later ....

Pedals have been on for use on the Follow-me Tandem - yes, 10x the expense of a trailgator - but far more stable and keeps him upright. Easy to lock and load and fixes to the axles rather than the seatpost & headtube.
Follow-me has been used to get him to pre-school and back plus little bits of fun where we've wanted to go further. It's given him the chance to learn pedalling whilst not having to worry about balance or direction of travel, although at 10mph he'd be spinning out ...
We've had a couple of goes at riding with pedals, he didn't believe he could do it - despite the fact he's been scooting along on that bike since Christmas - frequently with both feet up - anyway, first real go was a slight downhill slope on grass whilst we were in the New Forest - he did it, but wasn't comfortable (it was cold & wet so he was trussed up) and that's where we left it - as much as I wanted him to ride if I pushed him too hard he'd just push back and not do it.
We had another go this weekend, started off just as a balance bike, then offered him a choice - put the bikes away and go indoors or have a go with pedals and get a treat ... and off he went, help with starting off and a gentle hand on his back just to keep motion - a few goes of this then off to bed. Sunday he still didn't think he could do it (despite reviewing the video we'd taken) - but off we went again, this time I left my bike in the garage. Off up the path for a snack - he got 1/2 way before deciding that he wanted to walk - it's not that far so we just walked until the last couple of hundred meters when we'd persuaded him to get back on.
After snack we gave him a goal - ride all the way home (with breaks and sweets) and we'd go and get a "GPS" just like Daddy's - this time, with the benefit of a slight fall in the path I told him not to go too fast as I couldn't keep up (jogging beside him) - of course, this makes any child squeal and pedal faster - improving stability and balance - then that was it, he was off, laughing and giggling all the way home ...
We're now £10 poorer and his handlebars now have 1 horn, one light, 1 "GPS" and 1 bell ... and we need to get him back out again asap.

So, my experience (of 1 child & nieces & nephew) - balance bike gets them riding far sooner than stabalisers, although there's the issue of pedaling to overcome. Overall though - what works best is doing silly little games to make it fun so they want to play on their bikes.

graeme_s-2

Fantastic, well done slowbike and little slowbike! How old is he?

What was the GPS stand-in?

My son's 2, and did what was probably his longest balance bike ride yet on Sunday round a large park near us. Unfortunately before we got back to the car while he was ahead of us he decided to attempt to scale a ladder up to some adult-height monkey bars. He fell off the ladder with a bit of a bump followed by lots of tears. He does seem to have hurt his arm/shoulder a bit and is in a bit of discomfort today (he still has full movement, so we think it's just bruised). Just hoping he doesn't associate this pain with cycling. Luckily he was still wearing his helmet, which at least saved him from a bumped head as well.

slowbike

Ouch for your son ... they all get bumps & bashes - LSB followed me down a rough path on his balance bike last year - came off PDQ - ended up with a huge scrape up his face & around his nose, was a bit sore to start with but soon forgot about it. Tears is a bit something and nothing - you have to make a call as to whether its tears of shock or tears of pain - fortunately most of the time it's just tears of shock, but mollycoddle them too much and they'll never try anything "adventurous" - hope it's not too painful for Little GS... bit of "medicine", a treat (ice cream is LSB's favorite) and usually some TV takes their mind off anything... plus - get him to check the lid over to make sure it's Ok for cycling ... any distraction!

LSB is 2 months short of being 3.
He had a wooden trike at 1 - he's never given up on this and still hurtles around the house on it.
His first balance bike at 1 1/2 - didn't really take to it till 2 (in the summer). He was flying on that before Autumn
His first pedal bike at 2 1/2 - tried with pedals on Christmas day but wasn't going to happen - removed pedals and let him use it as a balance bike.
You may have picked up from other posts - Most of the time, when we're playing I ride a childs bike alongside him - makes it more fun for him having me at his level - plus I can react more quickly. We're lucky enough to live in a quiet cul-de-sac with access to a cycle path - so no traffic to worry about and we can play right outside the front door.

graeme_s-2

Ah very impressive progress! Little GS is 3 in the middle of June, so he’s probably slightly older than little SB. He has a Frog balance bike that’s got a good bit of growing room left in it and he loves (it’s the same colour as Daddy’s zesty lime Planet X London Road, which helps).

Little GS is generally pretty good at brushing off bumps and bruises. He stacked it off his balance bike a week or so back. He was violently steering side to side, twisting the bars to make the bike weave side to side. Just as I suggested he might not want to do that he fell off and grazed his knee. A few tears and a quick cuddle and he was back on the bike. He must have given himself a bit of a whack when he fell off the ladder yesteday as he was still a bit tearful and protecting his arm at bed time. As I said, fairly sure there’s no real damage, just bruised.

slowbike

Same age - middle of June - yes - LSB did the same twisting of the bars - same result! Sounds like Little GS is ready to pedal

graeme_s-2

He’s off from the child minder’s today as he was sick in the car on the way there this morning. We watched Moana earlier, and he’s now fast asleep on the sofa

slowbike

Poor little mite - you feel so helpless when you can't just make them better - all we can do is hugs and snuggles - oh and plenty of treats and attention - which is what they really want.

not seen moana yet - we're in to "Rio" ... although we don't like the cockatoo !