Balance Bikes - anyone just not bother?

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Balance Bikes - anyone just not bother?

26 posts & 23 voices | Started 7 months ago by topangarider | Latest reply from ScottChegg

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topangarider - Member

Bought an islabikes Rothan for my daughter. She loves it and is just about getting the hang of it. That was until the other day until her cousin (8months older) came home with a pedal bike with stabilisers!

Now she just complains that she wants pedals on her bike! Apparently today she was nearly getting the hang of pedalling it.

Shall I just give up and get her a pink bike with pedals, stabilisers and tassles?!?!

I can't see how I;ll get her back on the balance bike.

Has anyone just not bought into it and stuck with the more 'traditional' method?

Posted 7 months ago #
Stoner - Member

seriously avoid the stabilisers route. Once she's balancing then cycling will come quickly. Stabiliser kids can end up relying on the stabilisers a good deal longer.

Posted 7 months ago #
lardman - Member

Get the balance bike sorted first. Took my boy about 3 mins to learn the pedal thing, as he's been on the balance bike so much.

Posted 7 months ago #
flatfish - Member

We have, in our household, a rothan, a earlyrider evo and an El Cheapo from the car boot sale with pedals and stabilisers.
All three were used although we encouraged the balance bikes for another 8 months-ish from the purchase of the pedal bike, then one day I took off the stabilisers and within 3-4 minutes I had a 3 year old AND a 4 year old riding unaided!

They still prefer their balance bikes at the moment but eventually I'll get them totally pedally. We live on the side of a big hill so it's hard to ride anywhere from home without big ups to start and they ain't that intrested in hills for now but I'm not worried as It'll come eventually.
I'm trying hard not to be a REALLY pushy parent, just a quite pushy parent.

Does anybody know of a junior mixed pairs race......

Posted 7 months ago #
alexpalacefan - Member

Keep 'em off the balance bike! I teach kids to ride bikes for a living and those that have used stabilisers are so far behind.

APF

Posted 7 months ago #
aracer - Member

Well my anecdote is that mini aracer was really whizzy on a balance bike, so got him a normal bike without stabilisers. He hated it as it was too wobbly and wanted stabilisers, so got them and he learnt to pedal - still used the balance bike some of the time. After a couple of months took the stabs off (by then he was going so fast he kept falling off on the corners due to them) and he was going in <5 minutes. Riding a bike at 3.5, so far younger than most kids, which I'm convinced was down to the balance bike even if we did have a stabiliser period.

Posted 7 months ago #
brettjackson - Member

Likewise, my daughter was pedalling at 3 years and 9 months after using a balance bike. She just needed a short period of maybe 3 or 4 outings with stabilisers to get used to pedalling.

The boy never had a balance bike and it took ages to wean him off the stabilisers.

Posted 7 months ago #
Edric 64 - Member

Mine was on a tag a long and pedalled at 3 years 8 months ,Dont waste money on a balance bike just buy a proper bike and take the pedals off

Posted 7 months ago #
Junkyard - Member

if they can balance for as long as needed going down a hill/slope then they are ready for pedals.
both mine just pretty much rode off once they switched. I would try a pedal bike without stabilisers and see if she can ride it tbh

Posted 7 months ago #
aracer - Member

,Dont waste money on a balance bike just buy a proper bike and take the pedals off

Except balance bikes are a lot lower than normal bikes, so you can start them sooner - mini-aracer had one at 2.

Posted 7 months ago #
GW - Member

if they can balance for as long as needed going down a hill/slope then they are ready for pedals.
mine could do that at 19months on a 10" wheel balance bike but at 2 her wee legs are still not really even long enough to be able to reach pedals on a 12" wheel bike never mind pedal it. picked up a s/h hotrock 12 (with stabilisers) ready for her when she is big enough but not sure whether a few weeks on stabilizers to get the hang of pedalling first or straight to pedalling on 2 wheels is the way to go. I've also taught loads of kids to ride bikes (kinda for a living) and one thing I will say is they're all different so my advice would be not to necessarily expect other parents' experiences to work for you.
I know kid that rode from just over 2yrs old and never had a balance bike just big brothers that were really into riding.

Posted 7 months ago #
inigomontoya - Member

My son had normal bike with stabilisers, took stabilizers and pedals off for a week to learn balance, pedals back on and no problem.

Posted 7 months ago #
dave_aber - Member

Took my lad about a week of coasting around on a tiny bike I got for £5 in a car boot sale, took the pedals off, and lowered it slightly so his legs would reach the ground (cut an inch or so out of the crossbar, pushed hard and re-welded).

After that week, pedals on and I've never been able to keep up with him since. And he got very used to pedal strikes, since it was so low - he just accepted that they happen and it didn't bother him.

That was just after his 2nd birthday.

He's just started showing an interest in bikes again after about 4 years off them completely. He's 19 now though....

Posted 7 months ago #
superfli - Member

My lad started pedalling just the other day, after a year on a balance bike. He's had the pedal bike for sometime, as I bought it well in advance of his 3rd birthday (I got excited and spotted a good deal on ebay - Spec Hotrock12!). When I tried him on the pedal bike, he used it as a balance bike and pushed himself along... After speaking to a mate, I took the lad to the school field last week and told/held his feet on the pedals whilst I was next to him. This is the result (a little over 3years):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkuJ0GIFqQw

I'm now loaning out the BB to friends with little'uns, marvelous idea.

Posted 7 months ago #
Graham_Clark - Member

Yep... Similar here. Our first didn't have a balance bike and he was pedalling (without stabilisers) much later than our youngest, who is now not quite 5 and already on his second 'proper' pedal powered bike.

Posted 7 months ago #
wors - Member

I didn't bother with a balance bike, when he was 4 i took the stabalisers and pedals off his bike, let him scoot about for about 5 minutes. He asked for the pedals back on and off he went. My mates lad had a balance bike and started riding his pedal bike at pretty much the same time.

Posted 7 months ago #
Jolly Green Giant - Member

Ive taught 3 kids to cycle this year,and Im sure how quickly they learn is more down to the individual kid than the bike.

My 4 year old loves riding and had been on a bike with stabilisers for 2 years.She asked me to remove her stabilisers and she just got on and rode.She was riding woodland singletrack within 2 weeks!

My 6 year old daughter took a little longer but with her it was just a confidence thing and she mastered it quite quickly.

Again no balance bike.

Last week I finally got my girlfreinds son riding after about 3 months of trying.He hadnt ridden a bike much before and is still not used to pedalling.He can balance just fine,but is still having problems doing so whilst pedalling.

In my expereince speed of learning is purely down to confidence.

Posted 7 months ago #
bigbeard - Member

I didn't bother with a balance bike for either of my kids. I'm not convinced it makes a difference either way (though it probably depends on the kids - mine are both love their bikes). They where happily pedalling around the park without stabilizers before they were 4.

In both cases they rode a bike with stabilizers for about 6 months, then I just took them off and within 30 minutes of running around holding the back of the saddle they could ride fine. Took another couple of weeks before they could start without a bit of push.

Having a flat park with tarmac paths (i.e. easy to cycle on) helps I think.

cheers
Ian

Posted 7 months ago #
wwaswas - Member

My daghter wouldn;t use a balance bike because it didn't have pedals on it like her big brothers did.

She ended up with a pink Puky with stabilisers and other than the occasional 'back wheel in a rut and locked by the back pedal brake whiclst the stabiliser wheels whizz merrily on' panic moments she was happy as larry.

Posted 7 months ago #
nosemineb - Member

No balance bike here and riding at 3yr 10 months. Now he is 6 and happily riding 10 milers mainly off road.

Posted 7 months ago #
mike-at-dialledbikes - Member

My daughter had a balance bike but wouldn't go on it cos we had a little Curtis in the garage with pedals and stabilisers on and she wanted to ride that.

So I took the pedals and stabilisers off the Curtis and she trundled along on that like a balance bike. Took a day for her to learn how to balance (down a bit of an incline in the park), then pedals went back on and she could ride using pedals pretty much straight away.

I'd never teach one of my kids to ride using stabilisers again, but agree with above posts different methods work for different kids.

Posted 7 months ago #
ScottChegg - Member

My eldest learned on a balance bike and moved onto a proper bike without fuss.

My middle one is at the balance stage, but doesn't want to go onto a bike with pedals because he likes it so much. He can go as fast as he dares so I don't think he sees the point. Now what?

Posted 7 months ago #
mintimperial - Member

Stick with the balance bike, my boy took nearly a year to get the hang of it but he's flying now, he really has the balance and steering cracked. We'll have him on pedals before long I reckon.

A mate of mine started his lad off on a balance bike aged two, got him onto something with pedals about two months ago, and took him round 18 kilometres of Derwent and Howden Reservoirs last weekend, pedalling all the way. He's three years old.

(Which reminds me, I need to place a bet on the 2031 XC world championship.)

Posted 7 months ago #
superfli - Member

ScottChegg,
Thats exactly what my lad was like. He was happy on his balance bike and whizzed around all over on it, didnt want to learn to peddle. I left him like that for 6months, until I spoke to a mate. I took him to a school field and bribed him with cake, to keep his feet on the pedals whilst I pushed+held his saddle. 2 practises and he was peddling on his own. Then next time I got him on tarmac, all fine with a slight decline.
I'm sure I could have actually done this a few months ago and had a "not even 3 yearold" peddling without stabilizers!

Just got to teach him to use his coaster brake confidently now as the handlebar brake is too far off/tough for his little hands (he tries, but its not sufficient for his speeds!)

Posted 7 months ago #
DezB - Member

Has anyone just not bought into it and stuck with the more 'traditional' method?

Balance bikes are fine, but my kid didn't have one - just started with a £30 Action Man bike with stabilisers from Halfords.
Twas a great day of father/son bonding when we removed the stabilisers and he flew round the park without them.
Just think if he'd had a balance bike we never would have had that day!

and it was captured on video
http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r90/dezb99/Lydon%20cycling/?action=view&current=MVI_1548.mp4

Posted 7 months ago #
ScottChegg - Member

bribed him with cake

Tried that. And Jelly Babies. No way.

Stubborn little git.

Posted 7 months ago #

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