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Looking to get the first bike for our daughter who is 18 months old. She can't handle pedals so just a push / ride along. Anyone got any recommendations for one that can convert as she gets older. As a lover of bikes I don't just want to get some crap from Argos.
You're already ahead of the game by avoiding the dreaded stabilisers.
Get a balance bike with plenty of adjustment, she'll soon be zooming around with her feet off the floor.
Then start on the pedalling.
I'd start looking around for a bike exchange/px sort of place, you're gonna need a lot of different sized bikes in the next 10-15 years!
APF
I got one when my son was 2. TBH it was hard to find one small enough that wasn't a pile of junk. got a specialized hotwalk in the end, and took an inch off the seatpost
Don't mind spending the cash to make sure she always has a decent bike. She loves being in the bike seat and playing with her helmet so fingers crossed she will keep the love of cycling. If that means I have to buy her frequent bikes so they actually fit then there are worse things in life.
If you don't mind spending the cash then then Islabike Rothan would fit the bill very nicely. Our 2 have both loved ours.
One advantage of the dedicated balance bike over the 'take the cranks off a pedal cycle' for the very young ones is that what would be the bottom bracket area is narrower on the balance bikes, and the chain stays can be narrower, making it a bit easier for short legs to cope.
Get a Tiny Bike for a tiny rider.. They are miles smaller than a Hotwalk.
Compare yourself below.
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some great balance bike about now and not that expensive any more
If you're going for a balance bike, go for a Puky. They're made in Germany, and made from steel, but are by far the lightest balance bikes I've ever known.
The shop I used to work for specialised in family bikes (dutch bikes, kids bikes etc...) and we sold waaay more Puky's than any other.
They've got a plate in the middle of the bike for her to rest her feet on once she gets the hang of balancing it. I always found that this makes it a much more natural progression onto a bike with pedals.
Speak to the guys here who can tell you more about them: http://www.cycle-heaven.co.uk/
http://www.cycle-heaven.co.uk/bikes/brands/puky/
Thanks all, these all look great. She is quite small so some measuring tonight to see which one will fit best
I just bought tiny tinsy his 3 balance bike last night, as my parents wanted one to have at their house.
Bought a Raleigh Strider (not to be confused with STRIDA) from J E JAMES last night for £45 be interesting to compare it to the £100 Hotwalk.
Tiny Tinsy now has officially more bikes than dad with a count of 5...
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29er?
Rocket bike.
Got my lad a strider balance bike for his 2nd birthday as it was one of the smallest and lightest bikes - he loves it and totally zooms about on it.
The one we got isn't made by Raleigh - think it is a US company that makes them.
Can't recommend the Islabike Rothan enough, got one for my son and he loves it and has been riding it since he was 18 month's old. He is now 2 and follows me round the green route at Cannock Chase.
He is very small for his age which is partly why I got the Rothan as it had the smallest stand over height of all the balance bikes I looked at. Even then he started with the saddle removed and a bit of foam over the top of the seat tube so that he could use it.
Below are some pictures of him out enjoying his bike.
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Personally I'd have to go for the PUKY balance bikes. They're made by a German company and super reliable. They seem to come top in a lot of the reviews I've seen. We got our son one of these: https://www.pukyonline.co.uk/LRM/PUKY-LRM-Learner-Balance-Bike-Kiwi-Green/flypage.tpl.html
I hate the colour but he loves it. :s
Looked into this a while ago, first balance bike was a Zooom, good but heavy. Recently bought a Strider balance bike for our 2nd toddler ( http://www.stridersports.co.uk/), main reason was that the saddle goes really low, they are a bit plasticy but very functional and very light. I think these are the best balance bikes.
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If you don't mind spending the cash then then Islabike Rothan would fit the bill very nicely.
Yep +1.
Very impressed with the build quality and adjustability.
Regarding price: we got ours secondhand off eBay and expect I'll get a pretty similar price for it when she grows out of it.
Rothan all the way. Our daughters been riding one since 18 months .
Cut the seat post down so you can drop it all the way down.
Superb bike & good service from islabikes too.
We've got a Puky - i can sit on it and it hasnt broken :$
And she loves it - standover height is the best you'll get and it's pretty small but fully adjustable
No one seems to have mentioned Early Rider. They're on my short list.
Our eldest had a Scoot (I think its is a Ridgeback) which was superb. It gave him lots of confidence and he moved on with no trouble to an Islabike CNOC14
Just ordered a Rothan for my girl who'll be 2 next month, and she's pretty wee, seemed the best fit i could find after some research.