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My 3 and a bit daughter really getting hang of balance bike (Isla Rothan with 12" wheels). Wondering what next. Part of me not quite sure if her peddling off quite what's needed at moment... Thinking the next step Isla Cnoc 14 or Frog40/3 but fear it will be rapidly out grown. Can one do training wheels on 14" bikes and so they work as balance bikes if pedals taken off? Does one hang on for the 16" size?
And stealth add if any 14" bikes out there might well be interested...
In general with Isla sizing the progression is every other size, so it would go Cnoc 14L then Cnoc 20 (singlespeed)/Beinn 20S (gears).
I’d try and avoid stabilisers if possible. We did with #1 but not #2 then had the Devil’s job getting her to take them off.
If she's getting the hang of balance bikes, do not use training wheels. They are a crutch and will undo all her balance bike learning in pretty short order.
Wait till she can glide about and make steering corrections with her feet off the ground before moving to the next step.
14" or 16" spawn yoji in one of their many colours and you'll have a lil ripper for life!
Absolutely no to stabilisers.
I'm a cycle instructor, and the difference I see in kids progression, comparing those that do/don't have stabilisers is enormous.
BearBack has it, wait until she can balance, then move on.
APF
My eldest refused to go on a balance bike without stabilisers. Stabilisers on a flippin balance bike. This is what we've been dealing with.
The fact she can now ride a blue at 10 is an achievement!
Op is a member of the royal family and I claim my five pounds. 😃
Sooner you make the bike a balance bike the better. Pedals off if necessary.
But the child will decide when it’s the right time to do it....
grand daughters came off her balance bike at the start of the year straight onto a decathlon kids bike with no stabilisers , she bloody loves 2 wheels and is always on her bike if she gets the chance 🙂 .... looking for another bike for her as shes grown so much this year, she'll need a new one for next year
Stabilisers can help with learning to pedal but really they don’t fully learn unless they don’t have stabilisers
my oldest went from his balance bike onto a 14 inch frog with no stabilisers . he wasn't interested in the pedal bike for the first few months but when he was ready he was away with no stabilisers needed . He then went on to a cnoc 16 and has just got a hoy 20 inch which is his first go at gears (he is 6) . I know people dont necessarily say to go through all the sizes but when he was ready for pedals he wasn't big enough to go straight for a 16 inch bike . The upshot of that was that the 14 inch bike wasn't used much before he outgrew it but we didn't mind spending the money as we have an 18 month old so he has his first 8 years or so of bikes all ready for him .
I'd lean towards a non bike toy for teaching the pedaling action. Big wheel, trike, plastic ride on train etc. Play centers, day cares, kid down the street etc. 10 minutes and done
Keep 2 wheels to self balance skils
Same boat OP....our 3 yrs 6 mth lass is all set for a size up from her 12" Isla Ronan which she is confidently zooming about on.....she has her brothers 14" Isla Cnoc small ready to inherit. He switched up to it with pedals off for 3 months, and then was off on his first go with pedals on once he decided he was ready (and wanted to ride like the year older neighbour's twins!)
This is a link to her last week giving it a first try....it is 2kg's heavier than the Ronan but she instantly liked not having to lean so far forwards (Her Ronan is at max height elevation so it's a relative lean down to the bars). She's a bit slower on this obviously on a first try, but her brother was whipping around on it like the Ronan after a couple of weeks.
(Her brother lasted less than a year on it before he outgrew it, but it was definitely age and size appropriate for that crucial learning to pedal timeframe....a 16" was just too big on standover and weight without a 14" transition, but he's a 50th percentile size so your mileage may vary if you have a big for age child) He moved onto a Early Rider Belter trail 16" which has done him from 4 to 6 and has been just brilliant. He's now shifting to 20" as of his birthday next week).
I may well sell the Isla Cnoc small as she and her brother are Early Rider ambassadors and we can get their new 2020 pedal 14" trail bike, the Seeker 14", at a good discounted price (sneak preview here of the urban version....tested at Early Rider HQ 2 weeks ago...forgot to get a shot of the very cool chunky super light trail version!)
Let me know if you're interested (I've swapped tyres from the urban style originals to more trail friendly chunky ones). Alternatively I can source you and Early Rider discount if you want to push the boat out on a new bike! PM me if interested on either count.
All - many thanks for the posts - appreciated and seriously helpful. Thank you.