Baby Bikes

Another vote for balance
Another vote for balance bikes – my youngest started on his third birthday and for his fourth birthday got a “proper bike”, no stabilisers and was whizzing off in under an hour.

Balance bikes win hands-down!
Balance bikes win hands-down! Stabilisers are a no-no, they teach kids to ride wrongly, then when you take them off they have to relearn how to balance properly.

My daughter had her Rothan at 3 and once she was big enough to inherit her brother’s bigger bike she was riding unaided in no time. We visited Islabikes for a Cnoc for our 5 year old, we hadn’t thought of buying a balance bike. But she took a shine to the Rothan, so we came away with two! She adored it and was sad to see it go. Those two bikes have been worth every penny as they are brilliantly designed and have brought so much pleasure.

At two some kids aren’t ready for a balance bike but every child is different. Let them come to it in their own time and you’ll be fine.

Our 21-month-old tries to
Our 21-month-old tries to climb on any bike he sees (mine, my 6yo’s, the balance bikes in the bike shop etc.).

He was too small for the balance bikes in the shop, so he’ll still be too small for the Islabikes Rothan that we have (but is loaned to a friend atm) until his little legs grow a bit.

In the meantime, that Puky Woosh looks good – might see if we can get hold of one 🙂

Both our started on balance
Both our started on balance bike at about 20 months. Oldest started on pedals at 3 years 5 months 😉

Straight on, no messing… here’s a near real time video of his first ride

Youngest has actually it all up quicker than he did – must be having a big brother to follow!

In terms of how early you can start, the critical thing with balance bikes (and little pedal bikes too) is the standover height. We went with Islabikes (recommended, but definitely at the pricey end) as they had the lowest standover at the time, but others are similar now I think. So measure up and see if you can get standover heights of anything you’re looking at.

My two were both riding bikes
My two were both riding bikes by 3 and a half. I think balance bikes are the way to go. My boy only ever had a balance bike then went straight onto pedal bike with no stabilisers and road (sic) off into the distance! (Hoping he comes back soon). 😀

A push along is perfect at 1 just to get some balance and coordination. Puky Woosh …. much better than the usual tractors.

Have a look at ebay … search for item no: 280898692627

Puky is a great manufacturer.
Puky is a great manufacturer. They do balance bikes too but the Woosh is super. Expensive at £60 rrp though!