3 year old balance bike / first bike

Hi guys,

Posting here as it gets more traffic than the family section.

Bit late to the party but I should really get my daughter cycling.

A bit of research shows there's quite a bit of choice for balance bikes (this is the modern way of learning to ride, right?) but the trade offs are ones that I reckon only become apparent once you've bought the thing.

No interest in buying something new - second hand is fine.

Any suggestions? She's 3 and a half.

Comments

  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    3 1/2 is a bit late as she may be quite big vs most balance bikes, I think.

    I have a Strider you can borrow but it's pretty well used / abused - but it's a very good bike, if it fits.

    I'd check out Hornit. They seem to be lightest, cheapest and a lot of people I know have one (my cycling nut friend bought one for his kid).

    As for proper bike, get an Islabike Cnoc. Much of a muchness vs the Frog equivalent. My son loves his and can easily do 10k on it (he's also 3 1/2) and rides it along the river to the bmx track at Milton Country park as well as the skate park on Jesus Green (where the above Strider spent a lot of time, too).
  • dannbodge
    dannbodge Posts: 1,152
    Get something as light as possible as it'll be easier for them to wheel around on and for you to carry when they get bored of riding it.
    I'd definitely recommend a Strider or Vitus Nippy.

    My son started on a strider sport 12 then went up to a 14 for a couple of weeks until he got an Islabike. Within 3 days of riding the islabike he was away with no assistance.
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    Vitus nippy will be way too small for a 3 1/2 year old
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,991
    edited July 2022
    My kids had a Decathlon Btwin Runride 500, although I think the version I had has been discontinued now. It was cheap, about as light as anything else and it had a brake, which I think is a useful skill to learn.
    The bike is still going, the kids use it around the garden and refuse to let me get rid of it even though it's way too small for them

    Fwiw I'm not sure how much difference the balance bike makes, it's more about the kids attitude/ability.

    My youngest daughter had a balance bike at nursery and used to fly around on it, she progressed onto a pedal bike at 3.5 pretty much just put her on it and away she went.

    The eldest is 3 years older but never got to grips with the balance bike (she would shuffle it rather than gliding) and learned to ride a pedal bike a week after the youngest (aged 6) and took a lot more practice/encouragement.
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    Jesus I hope it doesn't take my youngest 6y to learn to ride a bike or she and I are going to have a serious falling out!
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 12,126
    That is indeed quite old for a balance bike - I'd be inclined to get something like a CNOC 14 or it's Frog/Squish/Hoy etc equivalent, and either remove the pedals, and secure the cranks to the frame so they cannot budge, so they can use it as a balance bike, OR try and remove the cranks completely - pretty sure the former will do the job.

    No tradeoffs really, but go for a known and respected make that is light and has components for small hands - it will cost you more, buy you'll get your money back in all likelihood when you come to sell.
    My daughter is on her 5th bike, and I've made a small profit on 3 of the sales, lost a bit on the other one, so come out ever so marginally ahead - but then the next bike is generally more expensive so.......
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • seanoconn
    seanoconn Posts: 11,820
    Wish they had balanced bikes in my day.

    Dad: “Right I’m going to push you and you’ve got two choices, pedal and stay upright or fall off. Ready?”

    Me: Crying “No.”

    Dad “Ok, let’s go!”
    Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,991
    To be fair, we never really pushed it earlier because i had a trailerbike and seat on my bike that allowed us to do decent rides out for lunch with both of them, having one under her own steam would meant we were restricted to bumbles around the park.

    Jesus I hope it doesn't take my youngest 6y to learn to ride a bike or she and I are going to have a serious falling out!

  • dannbodge
    dannbodge Posts: 1,152

    Vitus nippy will be way too small for a 3 1/2 year old

    My 3.5year old still rides around on his old 12" strider.
    It comes with a short and long seatpost so it can accommodate bigger children
  • lesfirth
    lesfirth Posts: 1,382
    Ridgeback Scoot as good as a Frog or Islabikes but no as popular so cheaper secondhand.
  • hortoncp
    hortoncp Posts: 3
    For a balance bike, I’d definitely second the Ridgeback Scoot - two seat post lengths so can accommodate bigger kiddos, got a back brake to get them used to the idea of slowing down (or learning to skid). Sure, I’d have loved to get an Islabike or Frog, but at £100 brand new, the Scoot owes us nothing for how much use our boy (3yo) has had out of it over the last couple of years.
  • laurentian
    laurentian Posts: 2,607
    Seen this?

    https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/hotwalk/p/200223?color=322074-200223&searchText=94019-0405

    I was surprised how cheap it was compared to their other kids bikes . . .
    Wilier Izoard XP
  • slowmart
    slowmart Posts: 4,516
    edited July 2022
    Dependent upon the child’s size you might want to consider a small bike with pedals, remove the pedals and away you go. The transition from increased space between steps on the bike and transitioning to pedalling is relatively small.
    “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring”

    Desmond Tutu
  • drhaggis
    drhaggis Posts: 1,150
    Aren't balance bikes essentially how dutch people learn how to ride a bike? Anyway...
    daniel_b said:

    I'd be inclined to get something like a CNOC 14 or it's Frog/Squish/Hoy etc equivalent, and either remove the pedals, and secure the cranks to the frame so they cannot budge,

    I'd follow daniel_b's advice, which Rick's thumbed up already. If your daughter doesn't feel quite so happy in one of those yet, get a second hand balance bike to sell in a month or so for the same amount.

    Essentially, at that age, once they get the balance they're ready to pedal entirely on their own. My eldest learnt quite late how to ride a bike, at 6, but it was literally a matter of minutes:
    1. remove pedals of an appropriately sized bike,
    2. show how him how the brakes work,
    3. go down a slight incline a couple of times
    4. place the pedals back
    5. ...
    6. profit
    It'll still take them a bit to get started with confidence, but it's easy. Only downside is it will be so easy they are unlikely to consider it a special event [see crying poster above]
  • lesfirth
    lesfirth Posts: 1,382
    What a 6 year old can do in a matter of minutes will take a 3 year old a little longer.
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    Depends how loud you shout / hard you hit them, tbh
  • navrig2
    navrig2 Posts: 1,851

    Jesus I hope it doesn't take my youngest 6y to learn to ride a bike or she and I are going to have a serious falling out!

    It took my son until almost 6 before he could ride a bike. Not really his fault as we lived on a busy street in a small city so he never got out on his own. The occasional visit to the local school playground was never enough to get him started. Then we visited friends who lived in the countryside and their local school playground had a great, gentle slope. Our son disappeared off with their kids and we didn't see him all day. He came home riding a bike.

    Amazing what a little bit of time, a suitable slope and some peer pressure can do. Balance bikes didn't exist then.
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    We do have a great slopey spot right by our house and I live in central Cambridge so #1 went everywhere on his balance bike.

    #2 can't even walk yet so not holding my breath
  • lesfirth
    lesfirth Posts: 1,382

    A balance bike is also not as durable as a regular bike. It is generally made of hard plastic. You will hardly see balance bikes with brakes or those made of heavy steel.

    Being polite I will simply say that is nonsense.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    Ken is a spam bot.