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Original poster

Balance bikes??

31 replies

AliceTheCamelHasFiveHumps · 29/03/2019 17:36

are balance bikes worth getting? And is it worth getting a !"good" one like islabikes rothan or frog tadpole?

wondering for my almost 3 yo.

OP posts:
IWantMyHatBack · 29/03/2019 17:40

Definitely worth trying. My youngest has been riding his for a couple of years and just switched to a normal pedal bike really easily.

No need to get an Islabike though. They're lovely, but the one we had from decathlon was perfect (and it has a brake, which lots don't)

Gizlotsmum · 29/03/2019 17:44

Second the above post. My daughter took ages to ride a pedal bike my son had a balance bike and went straight to a pedal. Bike without stabilisers

Imfinehowareyou · 29/03/2019 17:44

Balance bikes are awesome. It is much more beneficial to get the balance/steering sorted before learning to pedal. However, you can just remove the pedals from a regular bike to make it a balance bike.

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GreatDuckCookery · 29/03/2019 17:46

Yes they are. Have a look for a second hand islabike, they’re fab imo.

BooseysMom · 29/03/2019 17:46

I really wish we'd got DS a balance bike. He is 5 and won't let us take his stabilisers off even though his bike is now too big for him.

LloydColeandtheCoconuts · 29/03/2019 17:55

Balance bikes are brilliant. My DS got a peddle bike on his 4th birthday and after about 15mins of wobbling cycled off! This was down to his balance bike. I was so impressed I had stabilisers until I was about 8! BlushHis first balance bike was a lightweight cheap thing and the second was more expensive (I can't think of the brand at the moment) and was heavy and he found it a bit too hard at first. My point is I'd stick to a less expensive one. I think they all work the same muscles to prepare them for riding bikes I may have just made that up! Grin

Sculpin · 29/03/2019 17:57

Personally I don't think they're worth it. My DC had stabilisers, then we took them off when they were ready (age 4 to 5) and that was fine.

LooksBetterWithAFilter · 29/03/2019 18:01

Depends on the child. Ds1 nobody told him there was learning involved in riding a bike so one day just got on it and started pedalling. Ds2 had a balance bike. He was fast and really quite scary at times but would he bloody well just ride a normal bike when he putgrew the balance bike? Nope! He ended up wit stabelisers for a couple of months then finally decided to give two wheels a go. Dd was riding with peddles on literally after two days of no pedals.

TwittleBee · 29/03/2019 18:07

DS got a balance bike for Xmas at 18 months old, took him a couple months to get used to but he's proper getting the handle of it now.

It was a £50 one from Go Outdoors, my DDad bought it for him so thankfully price wasn't an issue.

Certainly can see the benefit of the balance bike already I think

seven201 · 29/03/2019 18:13

We bought a secondhand islabike for our two year old. We'll hopefully be able to sell it on for not much less than we bought it. She's nearly three now and enjoys using it.

oldowlgirl · 29/03/2019 18:19

Balance bikes are brill - definitely recommend.

Fr3d · 29/03/2019 18:26

Ds loves his, has spent hours on it.

purpleme12 · 29/03/2019 18:32

I'm sure mine got the hang of riding a proper bike so easily cos of the balance bike. It's definitely worth it. She was on the balance bike for ages then when she got really really good at it and would go for a while with her legs out completely balancing then we tried her on a proper bike and got it literally straightaway! She just needed help starting off when it's a bit uphill. She was just turned 5. And I'm sure without the balance bike there's no way she'd be doing it like that this early.

I don't think what you refer to as a 'good' one is necessary imo. Ours was a Halfords one in the sale. Perfectly good

taybert · 29/03/2019 18:33

Ours have both done really well on them (DS1 pedalling at 4.5, DS2 at 3.5) Get the lightest one you can, we put DS2’s speed at picking it up down to starting on the cheap, light, small bike from decathlon rather than the bigger one his brother had which was just slightly big for him when he started. We did find that they had the balancing nailed but just took a little longer to really “get” the pedalling which I guess is the other way round to if you use stabilisers. They also get used to using their “foot brakes” so don’t let them ride their bikes in new shoes!

PettyLaBelle · 29/03/2019 18:35

DS loves his, so I definitely think they are worth it. It’s a Puky one and it’s brilliant.

greenelephantscarf · 29/03/2019 18:38

they are good.
much better than scooters (less one sided, which can cause posture problems)
decathlon sell decent ones.

Muddlingalongalone · 29/03/2019 18:48

Brilliant - highly recommend them. Dd1 never had one & aged around 6 they had bikeability at holiday club and first thing they did was take stabilisers & pedals off. She was riding in 2 sessions.
Dd2 had a balance bike from around 2.5, and was riding a full bike by 3.8 ish. Dd2's balance bike was a cheapy £35 little wooden one

WinkysTeatowel · 29/03/2019 18:48

We had a Frog one, would definitely recommend. Nice and light (ideal for when they get fed up and you have to carry it) plus they keep their value so you sell on.

DC got the hang of pedals by her second try so really worth it.

greenelephantscarf · 29/03/2019 18:54

tbh unlike the scooter I never had to carry the bike!

MunchMunch · 29/03/2019 19:02

Another one who'd recommend a balance bike. Ds2 had one and rode a normal bike really quickly and easily compared to dd who didn't have one.

LittleBirdBlues · 29/03/2019 19:31

Both my kids had balance bikes and both started cycling proper pedal bikes with no stabilisers at the age of 3. We didn't have to teach them, it was a natural progression from the balance bike

We got our balance bikes on Freecycle, nothing fancy, did the job. Just make sure they are the right hight.

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 29/03/2019 19:37

They are great, but the sooner the better, because I've noticed younger children take to them better (ie 2 rather than 3).

I wouldn't bother getting a pricey one. The smallest Puky is what DS (and every other kid around here) had. You can buy them on Gumtree for £10 and sell it for the same amount in 6 months or a year. Save your money for a great second hand pedal bike (Islabikeislabike or Frog, eg), where it really counts.

Cupidity · 29/03/2019 19:42

Ds balance biked the school run from about 2.5 years on a cheap balance bike. We got him an islabike (cnoc 14) when he grew too tall for the balance bike and Just took the pedals off so he continued to balance bike on that. When he was 3.5 he wanted to try proper cycling and to our amazement he got the hang of it within seconds and has been whizzing around ever since then.

FermatsTheorem · 29/03/2019 19:42

Balance bikes are awesome (not just as a step towards proper cycling, but as a toy in their own right). No need to buy an Islabike though.

We had a Firstbike - German-made plastic one. The plastic makes it very lightweight (great for when you have to carry child and bike back from the park), and the saddle is shaped so your child doesn't slide off the back.

Onceuponacheesecake · 29/03/2019 19:47

I'm not sure if DSs balance bike helped him learn to ride his bike but he definitely got a lot of use out of it and had loads of fun. We got one for £20 when he was 2.5. He turned 5 last summer and mastered bike riding without stabilisers then. He still jumps on his BB in the garden though 😁 we'll probably just keep it now until baby DS is big enough.