Balance bike for toddler with brake?

[Lucked]

My little one is 25 months but tall and on the 91st centile so I am looking at the slightly larger balance bikes which often have brakes. Has anyone bought one with a brake and regretted it or not been able to use it for a while as they felt it was unsafe?

It's the puky bikes I am looking at, we are off to centre parts next month and I thought it would be a good place for him to learn.

[Mrscalminmadworld]

Hi, we have a balance bike with a brake for our DS who is 3.7, he got it on 3rd birthday after riding another smaller bike since 2yo. He loves it, but doesn't actually use the brake really still uses his feet like he did with other bike!
It's nice for them to have a bike that looks like a proper bike though and it's bigger and sturdier. The sooner they can start practicing on them the better I think. Good luck x

[Tailtwister1]

Islabikes do a balance bike with a brake and I think you can buy one to put on a Likeabike Jumper.

I was worried about the same thing when we bought DS1 his balance bike, but I was told it was actually safer for him to learn to control his speed with his feet. We haven't had any issues with him or DS2 so far.

[ihearttc]

The smaller Puky's don't have brakes but are tiny so you'd definitely need one of the bigger ones.

[InvaderZim]

The brakes are not a problem! We have the islabike with a brake and it's been fine! my DD has had the bike since she was 2 but only figured out the brake around age 3. I suppose it might be a problem if your child was careening down a steep hill and they braked suddenly, but they probably wouldn't be doing that on a balance bike anyways?

[HolidayCriminal]

Lidl were selling them other day, I think with brake. Not pneumatic tyres, but okay otherwise.

[Grotbagstwin]

My ds got his first balance bike at under 2yo it had a brake, we taught him yo use it then we needed a bigger framed one and they mostly seemed to come without brakes. We have just found a Scoot balance bike with brake and he is getting on great they do two sizes of frames.

[Lucked]

Thanks for the replies, looks like a break isn't too much of a problem. The islabikes are lovely and not that much more expensive than the size of puky we will need so will consider that one too.

[Theyaremysunshine]

We got a larger Puky for DS when he was 2. He's 98th centile for height. He's loved it but only just starting to use the brake (he's 3.9) and tbh it's been too small for him for a good 6 months.

In all honesty, DS's friends with cheap and cheerful bikes have had just as much fun. The only definite advantage of the Puky has been the size. Ds looked ridiculous trying to ride his friends bike by 2.5 years. So if you can find a cheap bigger one, go for it!

The balance he's developed on it is amazing.