why not just take the pedals off a pedal bike whilst they learn to balance and save that 100 quid spent on a posh bit of park-parent jewellery?
next put the pedals on and the stabilisers, let them learn to pedal followed closely by taking the stabilisers off and hey blummin presto
even suggested it to my LBS (who stock every kind of wooden/Al/Ti balance bike in the country) and they said - 'yeah, that is quite a good idea'
maybe its the fear of a 15mm spanner?
[rant over; discuss]
why not just take the pedals off a pedal bike
you ever clipped your ankles on a protruding square taper axle?
discuss
Clearly there's nothing to discuss. Your a genius. well done you! 
Thinking of getting one of these Strider Bikes for little monkey in the next few months.
Admittedly it could just be a load of spin (no pun intended), but they do look cool IMO.
I got one for my nephew because he was small and you couldn't get a bike with pedals small enough.
When Stoner Jr started on a balance bike (3yrs) he only had the tiniest of standovers. He certainly couldnt fit on the smallest "pedalled" islabike with the pedals off.
So perhaps, teddy, you either dont have little children or you/your child wasnt interested in riding until they were tall enough to standover a pedal-equipped bike.
If My son were to have started riding when he was 5, say, then yes, a cnoc16 with the crank and BB removed would serve the job, but that's not what the Rothan was designed for.
This is exactly what I did. My oldest started on a 12" spesh hotrock with the pedals and cranks removed when she was 3. She spent a few months scooting along on it learning to balance. Then about 1 month short of her 4th birthday I put the pedals and stabilizers back on and she spent a month getting used to pedalling. On her 4th birthday the stabilizers came off and within an hour she was riding a mile or so down the local cycle track completely unaided. Very proud moment it was too! And definitely no need for a specific 'trainer' bike.
Standover height.
that 100 quid spent on a posh bit of park-parent jewellery?
Are you going to bring this up every year or do you go into you lbs every year and give out the free info?
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/its-balance-bike-time-strider-prebike
we bought a like-a-bike-alike for my daughter when she was 18 months old.
Wouldn't touch it because it didn't have pedals lik eher big brothers bike.
6 months later we got her a 'real' bike with stabilisers and off she went.
Possibly
but balance bikes tend to be lower than pedal bikes, so the saddle can be set lower down.
My 18 month old can sit on the saddle and touch the ground with her feet on hers. I don't know if that would be possible on the smallest available pedal bikes
edit - oops delayed posting there and most people above have made similar points - oh well
How many bikes do you own, teddy?
As others have said its standover height, and also weight+steering angle. My littleuns Scuut was bought for his 2nd birthday, he could only ride it from 28mths becuase of the height, but I very much doubt a pedal bike would be small enough. The wooden bike is also very light and also has a LIMITED steering angle, so not to get themselves into trouble.
I'm about to buy him a 2nd hand hotrock 12" for his 3rd birthday in Aug, but I reckon he could ride it now - without stabilisers 
<chuffed dad>
My lad got his balance bike when he was 2. There is no was that he could have fit on a pedal bike. He's 18 months older now and still not quite big enough for his next bike.
Look at the size difference.
The balance bike gave him a bit of freedom and it also extended our range on days out as he can scoot along for longer and further than he can walk.
Each to their own... but IMHO you are wrong. 
Both kids started on a balance bike - Harry could ride a peddle bike at 2yrs2months and Lilly at 3yrs - no stabalisers. All due to the fact it was the right size and uncluttered. + easy to carry about - strapped ours to the kiddie seat when they got tired. I dont think that the idea floats for proper young uns...
Also just sold it on ebay for 50% of the purchase value so it only cost £20 per kid.
Now both on isla bikes and BMX and streets ahead of their peers.
Because little trb was too small for a pedal bike at 2, he used it as a means of transport for going the shops/park/nursery for 18 months so it got him out of a pram and got him active, he went on to a pedal bike without the need for stabilisers. Plus it was the envy of all his mates and he was much quicker and fell off less than those with stabilisers
littlest trb now has a balance bike to use when she's big enough.
I spent money on a Isla bike, so I'll still be able to sell it on for 50% of the purchase price once both my kids have finished with it.
I feel slightly grubby now that I've fallen for your blatant trolling
Id thought id bring this up yearly from now on until people stop having kids.
another gem;
pedal back brakes are the business for anyone under 5. zero maintainance and loads of power for skids. their little hands arent strong enough to lock up conventional.
seeing your 4 year old pulling a 5 foot drift with the back locked up from 15 mph is enough to bring a tear or two of pride... well, just before they fall off any way.
go away
Never saw the need to be honest. We used a 30-year old solid wheeled 12" Raleigh Bluebell bike with stabilizers and a fixed gear for general use plus a two wheeled micro scooter. Once child could balance on the scooter (normally well before a bike), I removed the stabilizers and used the classic scoot along the kerb method to learn. I've not seen advatages teaching my nephews and nieces, all of whom have been proficient balance bike riders.
Explaining how to balance a bike has sometimes been useful, depending on the child (and adult for that matter)
their little hands arent strong enough to lock up conventional.
Yeah, right....
(My 3 year old)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ibwCXTCzM8
We paid peanuts for a Lidl one. Absolutely brilliant wooden framed thing that was going strong as a "stunt bike" years later. The kids used in the house and out, and when it fell over (being wooden) it did no real damage. Kids don't care what they ride at that age.
Bought my little boy one of these, he loves it.
£99 is hardly going to break the bank
Don't feed the troll...
My lad loves his Scoot. He's just learnt to balance, but hasn't the co-ordination to cope with pedals aswell (he's away with the fairies most of the time)
And as for the brakes, I'm just about to fit an old set of XT V's
Must resist joining in argument........
When the boys get up from their nap I'll let them know about your disapproval.
So teddy, how do you expect little Johnny to use his coaster brake to pull big skids with no pedals on his makeshift balance bike?
You can get them I have a balance bike where the entire Bottom bracket and down tube comes off for when it is a balance bike and you re attach it when they use pedals.
have you ever tried to get a 2yr old to fit on any bike with pedals?
Got mine a second hand Rothan for her second birthday. Now she's 3yrs and 3 months and can ride her "pedal bike" no problems, and without stabilizers.
Now if I'd have stuck with a normal bike she'd have been a year behind where she is now just due to the saddle height differences.
Oh, and I'll sell the Rothan soon for the same as I bought it for
It might cost £100 but I pretty much guarantee you will sell it for 60 notes to one of the mums at the school gates. Not a bad investment to get your kid riding properly sooner.
I do occasional saturdays in my LBS and every spring/summer weekend you'll see these things flying out of the door, also loads coming back in for p/ex on a 12 or 14" wheel bike once the kids have got their year or so's use out of them; no stabs, just pedal and go.
I didn't learn to ride until I was nearly six, my mate's boy (4) has just got a 16" wheel bike and has never seen a pair of stabilisers in his life, all down to his Ridgeback Scoot.
We made the mistake of teaching our daughter to ride using stabilisers although we did get her on 2 wheels age 4 (with a sore back for me). Decided we weren't going to make that mistake again.
Balance bikes are really excellent. We thought about removing cranks and pedals from a normal bike but as already mentioned they are normally still too big. Balance bikes are also pretty light which helps a lot.
We got him a Zooom and it's never been treated as "park-parent jewellery". He's just turned 3 and can ride for extended lengths with feet off the ground - the way he's going, he'll be pedalling this summer.
He also loves it and wants to ride which is the most important thing for me.
Whitelee Wind Farm by alanach_d, on Flickr
even suggested it to my LBS (who stock every kind of wooden/Al/Ti balance bike in the country) and they said - 'yeah, that is quite a good idea'
I assume that their 'yeah, that is quite a good idea'
was accompanied by a 
Just got our 22 month old daughter a 10" balance bike, there's no way she'd have managed the standover on any proper bike kids bike I've seen, she loves it, it was only £50, so I'd rather get a suitable bit of kit for her to learn on than put her off bikes altogether by being a tight arse...
I take it OP your the kind of Dad who will buy a bike 2 sizes too big so their kids can "Grow into it"...
OP is making a mistake in putting the stabilisers back on the bike after the child learns to balance and scoot. Kids will successfully go straight from balance scooting to full pedalling - stabilisers just delay the process.
The first thing you should do with any kids bike is remove the stabilisers and chuck them in the bin.
As per all the others....lower stand over is the main thing. Standover on a balance bike will be 6 inch or more less than the smallest pedal bike.
you ever clipped your ankles on a protruding square taper axle?
Just remove the BB?
Seems like a fun introduction, but ultimately a bit pointless - just get them to learn on a normal bike like I and everyone else I know did.
My 3 year old is obsessed with riding his balance bike and now his bike with pedals.
I'd have been waiting till now for him to be tall enough for a bike with pedals (or even pedals removed). As it is he's been on some kind of bike for 12 months.
All these people on this thread no doubt willing to spend £k's on their own kit and bikes but not willing to invest a fraction of that on their children enjoying themselves
My youngest has a balance bike. I bought it when she was 2 which as probably a bit early but I was keen to get her started.
She has been scooting around on it now since before she was 3. And jumping off kerbs and pulling skids! The low standover and light weight really help.
She is now transitioning to a pedal bike at age 4. No need for stabilisers as she can already balance and steer.
And I'll be able to sell the balance bike for about 60% of what I paid.
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