Has anyone on here tried one of these out yet, if not in person then at least with a friendly toddler/kid?

I’m thinking about one for TinyGinge as an alternative to the boat anchor her bigger brother ignored a few years ago as she seems much keener on this sort of thing than he ever was at that age.

I would really appreciate and first hand feedback on what they are like and how well they last in use as there aren’t too many independent reviews out there for these (I guess that’s fair enough when the target audience can’t read or write). If anyone knows if it would be possible to fit a rear brake to one that would be handy too.

Forgot a link.

https://hornit.com/collections/hornit-airo

Weirdly tempted by the white one (probably a terrible idea) or the more sensible turquoise one.

One bump just in case.

The site mentions a lifetime warranty, so if you want to get one then…

My two were on more basic balance bikes which didn’t seem to bother them, but once they had to pedal they were on Isla bikes due to light weight and easy resale.

And after all that neither of them are that interested in cycling now, daddy isn’t cool anymore it seems.

That’s a nice looking thing, but if you’re going for lightness alone let me recommend something entirely different :p

Banana bike
We have the LT, at 2.9kg it’s very light. It’s lasted 2 boys so far and is in perfect condition apart from the ends of grips getting worn off.

They also do the GT with fancier wheels and air tyres which is a bit heavier but really for a 2-3 year old plastic wheels and foam tyres are just fine.

My daughter had a Cruzee. No where near as pretty as the Hornet but it claimed to be under 2kg. It doesn’t look like they sell them in the UK anymore

That Airo thing looks great, but the Banana bike is great & very light (and about £85) cheaper.
I got my daughter one; the GT version with ‘proper’ wheels and tyres as I thought it would be a bit more comfy & grippy.

If money was no issue I’d consider the Airo bike, but would rather put the money towards a first pedal bike.

We got one in red for my 3 year old daughter. Really pleased with it. Only thing to compare it to is the first bike which was a 10 inch wheeled halfords thing made from recycled anvils. It is very light and that makes a big difference to how much use it gets.

The neoprene “padding” on the stem is completely useless however.

Would definitely buy again

Oh and no, there is no way to add a brake. Don’t ride down hills with new shoes on!

I always recommend balance bikes with brakes.

1) Saves going through shoes.

2) Means they have one less skill to leave once they move to pedal bikes.