The time has come to get first granddaughter her first bike. Is there any real difference between balance bikes or is it just a matter of what's available in a colour she likes?
Experience suggests that whatever kids get given as a balance bike they’ll just crack on with. I think there are two decisions to make:
- whether you prefer to buy expensive, look after it, and have great resale value; or buy cheap and write off the cost
- whether you’re prepared to pay enough up front for a light one, because you’ll probably be carrying it a fair bit
whether you’re prepared to pay enough up front for a light one, because you’ll probably be carrying it a fair bit
We used a Puky for our kids - it was fab and the strap that came with it was very useful for slinging the bike over a shoulder. It had a brake too but ymmv as to whether that’s useful (as you can easily take the pedals off a small bike like an easy rider and use it as a balance bike).
My 3 year old has been on a Specialized Hotwalk balance bike for the last year and a bit and loves it
Being alloy its quite light and he can carry it, pick it up easily
Whatever you buy its going to get dropped, banged into stuff so will end up with marks
I paid £50 for my boy's one 2nd hand and have just sold it for £50 as he has just got a 14in pedal bike
I would avoid the tiny plastic wheel ones. Go for one with proper bike bits and it’ll ride better and you can fix it when it has problems. We have a great Hoy but all the obvious makes like pinnacle, Isla, frog, early rider look good
We went Stryder. Bought from eBay and sold on eBay after two years for more than originally paid 🤛
The Decathlon one is great for the price. Done both ours now, and still looks in decent nick.
Doesn't weigh too much, and has a rear brake (though it is Euro style!)
Currently £45, but I paid £35 in a sale.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/runride-500-balance-bike-orange-black-10/_/R-p-145237
At what age did you all put them on one?
Second hand Kokua as it was light and looked most like our bikes with some knobblies on.
Non cycling friends have realised how heavy some of the options are and how crap the bearings are and tendency to fail in comparison. One has a pile of mini BSO's.
At what age did you all put them on one?
2 - 2 1/2 ish.
Older one got it very quickly, and moved to a pedal bike without stabilisers at 4.
Second one (now 3) has been less interested.
Was happy tootling round the garden on it, but not really into it.
Hopefully next summer she'll get it.
+1 for the Specialized hotwalk.
My daughter loves it. She’s had it from two years old. She’s three in December and probably ready to try a pedal bike now.
Buy a light one. You WILL end up carrying it. A lot. So, buy a light one.
Mine had a Hotwalk. Went through two children, then I sold it for more than I'd paid for it in the first place. Which was nice.
We had a cheapo 2nd hand plastic wheeled one but it fell apart really quickly and couldn’t really be repaired.
We then bought a 2nd hand kokua like-a-bike which has been ridden every day since Feb and will prob still be in resale condition after child number 2. The suspension on it is really smart and has opened up a lot of scope for places to go.
At what age did you all put them on one?
Probably about 2. She had a spherovelo before the balance bike but she never really liked it that much. Bought the BB and just left it lying about the place for her to just pick up and try as and when. Gradual encouragement and she was blasting up the street in no time!
My lad was on the very cheapest foam wheeled Halfords special at 16ish months old, mainly for shuffling about. That's now on it's third owner and going strong even after 4 years of being left outside. Was a great buy, but he wanted to ride very early.
We moved him onto a Frog Tadpole once he started gliding, few issues with the wheels but otherwise been good.
Banana Bike GT is worth a look. Great value and well made with decent tyres.
My daughter loved hers.
We were given an Islabikes Rothan by a mate.(top mate). My wee man has been on it about 9 months. I've been eyeing up 14" bikes for post winter. My wee boy is two and a half
OP we've just moved our daughter up to the next size helmet so we've got an XS Giro Scamp going. It's two years old, never taken a big knock. It's used obviously, got a couple of stickers on it but otherwise in good nick. Don't really know what the "rules" are about selling on used helmets, but if you're interested just cover the p+p and it's yours, better that than it going on the bin!
We have the Decathlon foam wheeled one - highly recommended.
Our eldest didn't really start using it until she was 3 years old though, at which point she'd nearly outgrown it so now she is on a Ridgeback Scoot XL (14" wheel balance bike) which I'd also recommend.
Our youngest got on the Decathlon at 18 months I think, basically as soon as she could reach the ground. She push it around walking next to it for a day, next day she was flying around everywhere.
Basically
- get one that fits
- don't spend loads in case they don't ride it
- you can't force them do anything!
Son started on a wiggins pau at about 18 months (He is super tall) pedalling a frog 43 from 3 and now on a wiggins chartes 16 at 4.
The wiggins are as light as isla/frog/early rider but dont seem to get mentioned much. I bought the pau for 60 after discounts and worth more if i sold it.
We've had three for my two boys.
First one, ironically was a FirstBIKE. Points for pneumatic tyres but let down by the plastic frame being flexy and heavy.
Decathlon 100 (the cheap one). Would recommend as it's light and cheap. Tyres are a bit plasticky, bars and hubs are just plastic on plastic but good for age 2. Would then make their next one a 14 inch pedal bike you can take the pedals off at 3+.
Islabike rothan. Clearly the best and most expensive, although I'll sell secondhand for the same as I bought it. Would cross over with the first pedal bike but there would be a definate time just before and after 3 where it would be superior. I only bought it because someone was selling used for the right price.
Saying all that, boy one learnt on the average Firstbike and was pedalling free at 3.5, but six months of that was on a Cnoc 14 depedalled.
Cliff notes.
If you're going to get a quality 14 inch pedal bike, and take the pedals off, then you're only looking at 2 and a bit until 3 on a balance bike, so anything reasonable will do.
Can't go much wrong with Decathlon tbh.
I would recommend one with a brake. They don't all have brakes.
The rule we had with our kids was that they can have a pedal bike once they mastered the use of the brake on the balance bike.
Helped me sleep at night.
The one we had was a Zooom.
Foam tyres, no brakes (that's what wellies are for - and they need to learn how to rail the corners).
Needs to be the same colour as Dad's bike (as per my friend Sam):
https://twitter.com/roadcc/status/1334884508093607943
Modern Isla Bikes are really small so they can be on a pedal-bike before their 3rd birthday.
Not all kids seem to take to it. Grandaughter had a small one at about 20 months and walked it about, rarely sat on the seat properly and never did glide around or get close to balancing. At 3 plus now outgrown it and rarely asks to use it.
If they’re really small then you might be best getting something small and cheap to get them used to it then get a bigger one.
I started Eva off with a Halfords Indi which I think I paid £20 for in a sale at Halfords. Got her going and it wasn’t heavy at all (surprisingly) but as she got taller and was going faster (a) it didn’t have a brake and (b) the saddle didn’t go very high. I sold it for £15 when I got a bigger one.
Bigger one was £35 secondhand - a Wiggins Pau. Much better quality, nice light frame, v brake on the back with a lever you could dial in for small hands, fairly grippy tyres etc. She loves it. It worked out less cheap for me as I had it powdercoated pink and bought some paw patrol stickers for it as it was a Christmas present. The powder coat is pretty hard wearing but she often throws in down on the right hand side so that chainstay is a bit scarred. She often puts her feet up and coasts whilst we’re out on it and goes quite fast so it’s been ace.
She’s getting a Cnoc 14 for Christmas this year so I’m interested to see how quickly she gets the hang of pedalling whilst balancing.
If they’re really small then you might be best getting something small and cheap to get them used to it then get a bigger one.
I'd agree with this. If I'd have gone for the Cnoc 14 small then it would have been 9+ months with the pedals off which is a waste because it would be almost outgrown. Went for the 14 large and just had a few months crossover.
One weird thing was that I had to purchase a rubbish sit on pedal go cart thing because he could fly on a balance bike but not actually pedal!
I was given a balance bike by my brother in law who isn't into bikes. It was heavy and the boy didn't get on with it.
Bought a 2nd hand vitus balamce bike that's so light, he instantly took to it. It made all the difference.
Its also a lot easier to carry him and the bike when he has a tantrum and refuses to walk anymore as he's tired.