First bike for toddler / child

[Beachwaves127]

All - any advice on first bikes? I see there’s new balance bikes (I learnt on stabilisers). Do you generally get a balance bike first now and then a proper bike when ready? Or can you still get a bike with stabilisers and then remove those? How long do they use a balance bike for?
my dc is only 3 and not the most adventurous plus her gross motor skills have always come last (ie never crawled stood up to move / walk only at 18 months and is cautious climbing etc) so perhaps no rush but thinking ahead for gifts etc.
when did your dc learn? X

A decent quality, lightweight balance bike is best for them to start on. Now is an ideal time to get one as he has all summer to play on it.
Cycling UK have some good YouTube videos and an app that helps you teach them to balance, but really you just need some gentle grassy slopes and a playmate who can already ride one and they will pick it up quickly.
Once they are zooming around confidently, you can think about moving them onto a pedal bike (no stabilisers). Again, decent quality and lightweight are important - brands like islabike (no longer sold new, but plenty of secondhand around) and frogbikes are much easier for young children to ride than cheaper character branded ones from Argos for example.

Thank you x

Ours loved the balance bike which made things much quicker.

Balance bike from 2 years old
At 3 and a half they got a "handmedown' heavy steel like with stabilisers which served to get them used to the peddling motion. We did not bother taking the stabilisers off because it was too heavy to be much use for learning to cycle.
A few weeks later got them a cheap aluminium bike from marketplace. I think it was made by a company called by Carrera.
It took them no more than 30 minutes to learn to ride the bike with me and HB running behind them gently holding their sides whilst they learn to balance.

There is no need to spend loads of money on one of the top end bikes - Young children's bikes do not have much in the way of tech (ie high spec gears or brakes) so you are not getting much more for your money other than the 'brand'. As long as the bike is made from aluminium rather than steel they will do just fine.

You could buy a balance bike now and a pedal bike later, or get a convertible one like the LittleBig bike that adapts into a pedal bike and grows too. The big thing to look for is that it's lightweight and fits correctly.

Thank you! So weird I was looking at this exact bike yesterday!!

Balance bike and then normal bike with no stabilisers.

You’ll find your DC will learn to ride far quicker that way. Stabilisers are unhelpful and will slow down the process.

That's gas, what are the odds.

Agreed. My nephew was on a balance bike at 18m and whizzing around at speed by 2. At 3 he got a bike with stabilisers and it took him about 18 months to master riding it without. My daughter didn’t really get going on the balance bike til 3, was never as confident as my nephew, but cycled with no stabilisers the day after her 4th birthday. If they’ve had a balance bike stabilisers are completely unnecessary and based on my sample of 1 child actually hinder them!

I run the preschoolers group at our local cycling club so I've taught a lot of kids to ride over the years. We don't use stabilisers at all as most children who have learned on a balance bike will pick up pedalling quite quickly.The core skills of riding a two wheel bike are really balancing on two wheels and steering by moving your body weight around. Balance biking teaches those things from the outset. Using stabilisers is more like riding a tricycle really which is quite different- you can't lean into corners for example. Of course it's the way most people older than their mid 20s learned to ride and it will usually work eventually but it's not the most logical or efficient way to learn to ride.

My usual advice is to stick with a balance bike until they are really proficient (can glide for quite long distances including round bends) then get a pedal bike but take the pedals off and use it as balance bike til they get used to the new bike. Then put the pedals on but get them to start of scooting as if on the balance bik, lift their feet onto the pedals and glide, then start turning the pedals and they're usually away pretty quickly. You can teach starting pedalling from stationary later. Most kids seem to pick it up well this way. Occasionally some turn the pedals backwards first but that phase usually doesn't last long.
Weight is key. Some kids bikes are ridiculously heavy and it's no wonder little ones are put off riding. Get the lightest bike you can afford - good quality second hand beats a brand new steel lump hands down and small children's bikes rarely get worn out, just outgrown, so will often do for quite a few children.

Totally agree. Once kids learn on a balance bike they don't need stabilisers at all. My little one went from balance bike to pedalling in 10 minutes and with no mad wobbles or falls as she was already confident balancing.