Orange Peeler

No idea of cost but the new little DMR bikes look ace...

I haven't looked at balance bikes since December 2014 (bought an Isla Rothan which was then £109) and I honestly cannot believe that in 9 years the price has nearly doubled. £200 for a balance bike is insane.

Just buy a used Rothan, you'll be able to sell it for pretty much what you paid for it when your mini-yoshimi grows out of it in about 18 months.

They look good. Clipping your heal on the rear end and high-siding off the bike is a rite of passage anyway, so the rest wouldn't concern me and does give a good platform once they're really getting into it. Chunky tyres aren't really needed but are always cool

OTOH you need to have a think about whether or not you want to introduce a brake into things. Likely totally ignored at first, but very useful once they're capable

Also this: "Just buy a used Rothan, you’ll be able to sell it for pretty much what you paid for it when your mini-yoshimi grows out of it in about 18 months."

We bought ours (second hand) for £100 3-4 years ago, its been through 2 children and we'll still get most of that back

Banana Bike LT is just fine, and costs £50.

Diminishing returns is a thing even at this level!

I'm pretty convinced that most of the features (and all of the blinginess) is for the parents, not the child.

DaveyBoyWonder
Free Member
No idea of cost but the new little DMR bikes look ace

Agreed - but they use a 14" front wheel (mullet) and don't have enpough stand over for her.

Whilst 2nd hand would definitely be the best way to go - it's our first and only child and really want to do the shiny new bike that she'll find under the Chritmas tree (I lknow, I know, but the current discount made me think it's worth buying now and sticking in the loft)

ossify
Full Member
Banana Bike LT is just fine, and costs £50.

We had a Strider at first, both children were more than capable of pushing past the grip limits of the solid tyres (plus they get some rattling through them off road)

OTOH you need to have a think about whether or not you want to introduce a brake into things. Likely totally ignored at first, but very useful once they’re capable

I would prefer a brake, can't help but feel once she gets used to it, speed will increase quickly - Peeler does have the facility to add a rear disk brake which appealed

I got overexcited in a similiar way and bought a Tadpole Mini for minined #1 before he could walk.  I was taking some pads back to the shop as they didn't fit, return for them plus 10% off meant that it was "practically free"  We stood him on it and plonked his hands on the bars and he gave me a big grin.

Got second hand Frog Tadpole (normal - not mini or plus) when he outgrew it. #2 has just moved onto that and #1 is on a 20".

I was keen on getting them on a brake as early as possible - the top of our road is pretty steep.  Neither bothered with the brake on the Tadpole mini - they just used their feet - or not, in the case of #2 - is speed comfort limit was a lot higher than mine!

Foot rests look like a nice addition.  Fair thing to get them used to standing up before pedals.  Depending on your kid, they might get used, they might not, they might be key for unlocking extra stoke and early development, or make no difference at all!  Not sure if they'd really get in the way, the heelclip/highside mashr mentioned happens further back along the stays - nearer the axle anyway.

No experience with the Peeler - I got a used Like-a-bike Kokua for my boy, with visions of a future Jackson Goldstone (remember THAt video? Yes, that is Jackson Goldstone!).

Smooth-ish but big and prpoper pneumatic tyres
(so you can run them nice and soft), a steering tether, and crucially a brake, were really important I think.

The ability to learn what a brake does is a really important one. Usefully it tied in with an obsession with sea creatures, crabs and lobsters so it was 'pull the pincers to nip the wheel and slow the bike down' !

My three an a half year old is on the Isla balance bike.

I went for that as it had a brake. This month he is starting to learn to control his speed with it, it's been an on off switch for 6 months.

He will fit the size up Isla bike that I got him for Christmas last year, but has no interest in it.

Footpegs would be useful now

I don't know the answer but I'd definitely look at one with both a foot platform of some sorts AND a brake.  Both will be good for progression, normalise a proper riding technique and prolong it's useful life.  I'm not sure I like the idea of a disc brake though - kids fingers and lazer cut discs I don't think is a good mix.  I'd fit a yoghurt pot lid or something as a guard - just in case.

Light is good and no cost is good (looks at Islas) but nippers look so damn unstable when they don't have the weight through their feet that it scares me. Mine had an Isla as a hand me down and it was great and cost virtually nowt over 3 years but I did always want to fit something for them to put their feet on and coast around . . . then they grew out of it and got pedals so it became moot.

Just looked at the Orange and it looks fabulous - wish I'd had one erm years ago. Do you think they'd do one in 26"?

We have a Peeler and its pretty cool. It looks great and the big tyres are comfy and can run super low pressures.

Downside:
- you get a long seatpost but if you want to slam the saddle you'll need to cut it down. You'll then have to beg Orange support to provide a replacement post when you need to raise it again. The saddle is pressed into the post so you can't just swap it out.

EDIT: presumably you've seen this https://www.orangebikes.com/shop/factory/summer_sale/peeler_2023_summer_sale

I'm with the "it doesn't really matter" crew. we had a specialized hotwalk which was £50 second hand or something, did the job absolutely grand, as in they mostly ignored it. Both kids suddenly "got" balancing, and enjoyed it for a short while, but it wasn't long after that till they were on the 16" pedal bike - so it lasts less than a year of actual use.

Crikey me! They’ll only be using them for a short while- I can’t believe the money some of you have to waste. We got a decathlon from Facebook local for our grandson, it’s smart and mechanically sound. I’ve removed the brake lever as they tend to get distracted with “fiddly bits” at 18 months, I’ll put it back on when he’s ready.

It cost £10!!

If you buy a new one from Decathlon they’re less than £70…. Complete this sentence “a fool and their-“

All meant in friendly jest of course but it might save you some money?

I saw those DMR balance bikes on Pinkbike the other day and thought they looked ****ing stupid.

Specifically, a massive metal disc brake rotor on a balance bike? Err, I'd quite like my child to keep their fingers, thank you...

“a fool and their-“ - not quite that simple. We bought a new Early Rider Seeker 14 around 3 years ago for £279 (£309 plus a discount code), just sold it for £280*. This is obviously a pedal bike, but the resale on some of the popular brands balance bikes are also very good. Buy second hand and you can expect the lose very little over the time you have it

*actually thought we'd bought it for more, just found the order confirmation and feel a tad guilty right now!

We were given an old Isla rothan. It had been through 4 kids when we got it, it's now finishing child 6. No brake but eldest progressed to brakes on an early rider seeker 14 easily. I have tried to fit a caliper brake and lever to the rothan but it's too hard to pull and the arms catch his shins. Youngest is 2.5 and desperate to get onto the 14" bike so it's been hidden. I've kept youngest's speed down by leaving the tyres with little pressure as he really goes for it on descents

My 2 year old is on a no-name balance bike which was £25 in Aldi. He absolutely loves it and he races around on it every day.

All these posh balance bikes are designed to appeal to parents who are gear snobs. I plan to enjoy the years when he's too young to care about such things.

Just get whichever one is the cheapest. My daughter wasn't in the slightest bit interested in the various balance bikes I got for her but loved the riprock with stabilisers that I bought in desperation. Worked up to the next size Riprock then removed the stabilsers when she was ready. When stabilisers worked for almost every adult on here the cult of the balance bike does raise a wry smile.

We had a mix of new and used balance and pedal bikes for the kids when they were younger. TBF, the Peeler on sale at £160 doesn't seem that bad for a premium product but the Scoot/Ridgeback/etc thing I bought for half that new for mini-DBW#00001 when he was 2 saw him through his balance bike phase, then did the same for mini-DBW#00002 and is currently serving the same purpose somewhere in the extended family (lost track of where it went to after their cousins!).

Personally, I think if I could have paid £80 for the Scoot like I did 12 years ago, or £160 for an Orange, being the Orange fan boi I am, I think I'd have gone with the Orange. If resale is something you're faffed about, you're bound to be able to sell it to another Orange fan boi when mini-Yoshimi grows out of it for a decent amount... same with any premium product I guess...

Wow. I feel like I've neglected my kids now.

Norco balance bike bought from a friend for £20? £10? Not sure now. Was 3rd hand having been rallied around by his two kids. No brake, solid/spongy tyres so zero puncture risk. I stripped/resprayed it for minia11y#1. Stripped/resprayed again for minia11y#2. Then stripped/resprayed yet again for my nephew*. I'll soon have it back to respray it yet again for his brother.

* and he's just about to get a 5th hand Cnoc 20L for his birthday that I bought 3rd hand for minia11y#1, then used by one nephew who I've now got it back from.

Oh, our Isla has chipped paint throughout and will be passed on again.

Cult of the balance bike Vs stabilisers.
We all did grow up on stabilisers but I've seen a fair few kids topple over on BSOs on stabilisers as their bikes cornering ability is surpassed by their desire to corner fast.

All these posh balance bikes are designed to appeal to parents who are gear snobs. I plan to enjoy the years when he’s too young to care about such things.

it’s possible to do both, you don’t even have to be judgey about it either

The place to put their feet is brilliant. Mine had an Isla and a Frog which didn’t have the foot rest and they always struggled for somewhere to put their feet. When they had a go on someone’s Production Privee balance bike they instantly used the foot plate when cruising

Built lots of Peelers, and they're very nice, just insist that the retailer adjusts the wheel bearings properly (well overtightened from the factory), puts a spot of grease in the headset (just about every new bike suffers with this), sets the star-nut straight in the steerer, and checks for little bits of swarf in the seat-tube. All stuff that should be checked anyway, but may slip through the net.

If you're deciding between balance bikes, then assuming build quality is good enough the next consideration is weight

Orange Peeler = 4.56kg
Islabike Rothan = 3.1kg

I always recommend Rothans to people. My son zipped around on ours and my daughter is learning very quickly on it now.

We bought a couple of new Islas/ frogs for our 2 girls and they have also had a few 2nd hand ones. The youngest gets second hand everything as bikes etc get passed down. IME when they’re young they don’t care if something is second hand as long as it’s wrapped up etc and in decent enough nick that it looks tidy and works properly. We just got our 9yr old an ex hire frog that’s in pretty good nick but obvs used and she wasn’t worried at all that it had been used and was for her birthday. With the kids and stuff like bikes, trailers, buggies etc it’s been nice buying decent used stuff off nice people and passing it on for pretty much the same price in good nick to other nice people. For stuff that kids don’t actually wear out it feels like the right thing to do to buy better quality stuff and pass it on etc.

And disc brakes on very young kids bikes seem both excessive and dangerous!

I'd reiterate the idea of thinking about bike weights for balance and early pedal bikes.  Mine learnt on a Pinnacle Tineo and a no-name BBSO acquired by a grandparent for the youngest before the eldest progressed to pedalling.  The Tineo was ligher than the BBSO, even though it was bigger, meaning that the youngest struggled with the weight initially.  At around 4.9kg Tineo was a significant weight compared to a young child of 18 months, so I'd aim for the lightest within reasonable cost and don't be put off by getting them in a used condition as the child with drop them or throw them into things if they're like mine.

The weight of bike to child is also relevant for them when transitioning to pedal bikes too though and it was a struggle for our youngest in particular, with having to tweak by lowering the bar height on his Kota (another Xth hand bargain) to make it more manageable to learn to pedal.

Rim brakes are good, but it can take them a while to learn how to use them.  We had a few downhill speed crashes, which even happened after initially transitioning to the pedal bike for the youngest, who has also tried dragging his feet rather than using brakes we realised.

Things to add to the above.

1.  Get a tiny balance bike before they can balance and push them around on it.
2. Buy the next size up with a back brake in preparation.
3. DO NOT RUSH THEM ONTO A PEDAL BIKE because you want them to ride one.

We foolishly pushed our boy onto a pedal bike and gave his balance bike to his younger cousin. Although he could ride it, he didn't enjoy it, we therefore lost at least a year of pleasure.

He's heading for 13 now and with lots of patience he is finally back to getting genuine pleasure out of two wheels 😎

If you have plenty of money buy new, if not buy second hand but whatever you do, do your best to make sure you get them a decent, lightweight bike if you expect them to progress. Same goes for your partner. It's amazing how often you see someone on a blingy full suss with a partner struggling on a Carrera with no dropper post.

As for getting them something shiny and new, we have chosen to go down the opposite route and bring our lad up to appreciate the joy of second hand bargain hunting. Hopefully he will take this through his life with him. He often jokes that he is tighter than us 👊😁

One more for the mix. Hang it on the wall as art when it’s grown out of.

https://hexagone-bikes.com/products/draisienne

Complete this sentence “a fool and their-“

"- money live a little sometimes"?

Things to add to the above.

1. Get a tiny balance bike before they can balance and push them around on it.

2. Buy the next size up with a back brake in preparation.

3. DO NOT RUSH THEM ONTO A PEDAL BIKE because you want them to ride one.

Yeah, did 1 and 2, she wasn't remotely interested. I was dismayed because so many people said it was "the way". Finally relented and went with 3. and stabilisers and there was no holding her back. Just do whatever it takes, whether that be balance bike or not.

Taught my 4 daughters to all ride pedals before they were 3.

If you haven't already, get a scuttlebug for the house, teaches the scooting technique, and watching them drift feet up round the island is hilarious.

First was a £40 decathlon, solid tyres, bushes instead of bearings. Light.

Pair of used Rothans for the twins then passed down to the youngest and now friends and family. Very old and battered but easy to service, bit heavier but proper bearings and kids sized metal brake lever.

I'd get something with proper tyres and bearings and a brake and light as possible. They all could do skidz before moving upto 14" cnocs which made that transition a lot easier. Up and pedalling in 5 minutes to an hour.

I'd spend as little as possible to meet that spec and save it for their first pedal bike, where something good makes a big difference. I've always done the second hand Isla thing, but 20\24" onwards we've got Frome, Isla and Nukeproof mix.

Firstly - thank you all for the replies, some really informative stuff there and also giving me pause for thought about new vs 2nd hand....I'm extremely snobby with my own bike, but not with others or in general.

If you haven’t already, get a scuttlebug for the house, teaches the scooting technique, and watching them drift feet up round the island is hilarious.

She's not massively interested in general toys, but scooting around the house on the Scuttlebug finding things to put in her backpack and then finding new homes for said things, tv remotes, wallets, keys etc pretty much occupies her days - she loves the Scuttlebug and defintely the reason for now being ready to try a balance bike.

the Peeler on sale at £160 doesn’t seem that bad for a premium product

This^

The place to put their feet is brilliant. Mine had an Isla and a Frog which didn’t have the foot rest and they always struggled for somewhere to put their feet.

Good to know ^

If you’re deciding between balance bikes, then assuming build quality is good enough the next consideration is weight

I'd not thought lots about this, assuming they'd all be similar...surprised really in such big differences.

With the kids and stuff like bikes, trailers, buggies etc it’s been nice buying decent used stuff off nice people and passing it on for pretty much the same price in good nick to other nice people.

^We have done this...but the Orange Peeler looks so cute

All these posh balance bikes are designed to appeal to parents who are gear snobs.

^Probably, its currently working on me

Feels like a straight shoot out between the Peeler and the Rothan - probably no bad choice...now if only the Peeler came with a brake or the Rothan had foot pegs.

It is good buying good quality, discounted, used stuff, using it more, then passing it for the same cost.

However in order for their to be good quality, discounted, used stuff, someone must buy good quality, expensive, new stuff.

I wont ever judge anyone for buying a fancy kids bike because 'Dad likes it'!

Dont forget however, that a 3 or 4 year old has pretty irrational tastes and getting them to love their new bike is half the battle.

Frog bikes, for instance, have little frogs all over them. This is far, far more important that geometry, gear ratio, wheel size etc when you are 4!

No love for the wooden balance bike?  I’ve seen the adult bikes in the flesh and they’re lovely.

It is good buying good quality, discounted, used stuff, using it more, then passing it for the same cost.

there's no actual evidence the orange is any better quality than a cheaper balance bike though. its just more expensive. I've never seen a balance bike "wear out" as they're hardly used and even when they are, the loads on them are tiny

there’s no actual evidence the orange is any better quality than a cheaper bike though. its just more expensive.

FTFY

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/vitus-nippy-superlight-balance-bike?color=black&sizeStandard=10%22+Wheel

This all you really need to get them started. Very light.

The lightest one, not for the kid, for you as you’ll be carrying it quite a lot…

Orange Peeler owner here, picked it up second hand and came with a 160mm disc on the back with a Hayes Dominion on it. This was to complement the 2nd hand Frog Tadpole I already had, thought the tadpole can keep doing skateparks and pavements, the Peeler could do offroad, foresty paths and fireroads. The surprise to me is the 12inch wheels even with low pressure they have a rough ride on any real uneven ground.

I agree with this:

Built lots of Peelers, and they’re very nice, just insist that the retailer adjusts the wheel bearings properly (well overtightened from the factory)

My call out would be, the axle nuts thread onto the axle, (different to the frog which is bolt into axle) these axle nuts are actually quite long and initially caused no bother, after some use and crashes one of the rear axle nuts ended up with some gauges with sharp edges, I didn't notice this, but did notice the razor blade style bleeding cuts on the back of my toddlers legs, a quick tap with a rock sorted it, but someting I thought I'd mention.

With regards to the footplate, my toddler is a C7, its too small for his feet I'd say.

I really dig the disc brake on this brake, it makes the v brakes on other bikes seem crud, shame you cant retro fit a disc brake to a frog! My sons slightly too big for 12 inch balance now and is on a mix on 14inch balance and pedals, I have been tempted to just picked up some 14 dirt tyres and fit them to any 14 inch balance bike then buy a dirt specific 14 inch balance bike.

Just find out if the rider wants the flat or drop bar version first

https://flic.kr/p/2oZmrPH

@jam-bo - try having twins!

Look........ They are called the PSNI these days.  Leave them alone. They have had it hard enough since the data breach without all this name calling.  They are not all in the Orange Lodge ya know!

The Hoy bikes in Evans look good for £50.

Just buy the nice balance bike, your kid will love it.

Ignore what people say, there’s nothing wrong with kids having nice things. Mine have had 2 Frog Tadpole Minis, then a Tadpole and a Rothan, a CNOC 14s and Frog 40 and are now on 16” Hope Academy bikes (pimped out Early Riders). Do they need it? Nope, do they love them? Yep. If you can afford the Orange bike then go for it, they look cool.

You’ve obviously worked and earns your money so might as well buy something that will make both you and Jnr happy. And for £160 I doubt you’ll lose much when it’s resale time.

Tom kP

UPDATE - We bought a Peeler over the weekend, got it from Winstanleys, knocking them out for £130 which forced the decision:)

Looks great in the Back to the Fusia colour

I'll re-read this thread now to take note of tight wheel bearings etc - thanks all