First bike for 4 year old??

[user1469905283]

Hi all,

Any recommendations for a first bike for a 4 year old?? DS's birthday is coming up soon and we would like to get him a bike. He has never had a bike till now so we were thinking of getting him a balance bike.
Are balance bikes only for toddlers or can I still get one for DS? He is pretty tall for his age, if that matters. I have seen threads on here recommending balance bikes for 2 year olds so I am just wondering if DD is too old for them and we shoukd just get him a bike with pedals!?

If balance bikes are still fine for a 4 yo, then which brand would you recommend? Are Islas the best ones?

TIA :)

[AppleMagic]

We had great success with a balance bike from 3-4 and Dd is now riding a pedal bike at 4.5 with no problems (and she is not generally coordinated/athletic). Unless your ds is short for his age I'd consider getting a 16in pedal bike (Dd has a Giant animator but I've heard Isla bikes are good) and asking the bike shop (or diy) to take the pedals off so that it's like a balance bike for a bit then trying with them back on once he's got the hang of balancing.

[Mycraneisfixed]

He's too old for a balance bike. Get a regular bike. If he can already pedal get him to scoot until he picks up a bit of speed then "pedal pedal pedal".
If he can't pedal then keep the stabilisers on till he can.
Important things to tell kids when they're learning to ride a bike:

• hold the handlebars tightly or they'll wriggle
  
• you have to keep pedalling or the bike will tip over
  
• pedalling is hard work
  
• you stop by slowing down then gently squeezing the brakes and putting both feet down.
  
  All my children and grandchildren could ride their bikes by the age of 3.

[SeaEagleFeather]

I think a balance bike is good, it trains the sense of, um, balance.

after that the Islabikes Cnoc range are supposed to be good though bloody expensive new. Some come up on Ebay.

We're looking for a bike atm for our 2 yo (that'd be a stealth boast but he's Dutch so it's fairly common; parents used to be told to make little cycling motions with 4 week old babies' legs, I kid you not). Our problem is size, the Islabikes have only just started making Small versions of the Cnoc 14", so no second hand ones around.

[fiorentina]

Our DS learned on a balance bike and then Isla Cnoc. They are expensive but are very light compared to some learner bikes. Other friends had Sky bikes, also very good I think.

[fiorentina]

Sorry not Sky bikes..
Frog bikes.

[ineedamoreadultieradult]

Get a regular bike and take the pedals off. Once he can pick his feet up off the floor whilst moving and keep his balance whilst steering. Put the pedals on and he can start off with a few pushes on the ground with his feet then keep the momentum going by pedaling.

[UnlikelyRunner]

Isla Cnoc are brilliant. They keeps their value too, we sold DS' first one for slightly more than bought it for as prices for new ones had risen in the interim! He has the next size up now and I don't see us moving away from the Isla range now. Learning to ride on a bike that is not too heavy and has brake levers that little hands can easily use makes a big difference to progress.

I've heard good things about Frog bikes too.