to be miffed at dd's new bike ...

[PlonkerForLifeNotJustChristmas]

...because despite measuring her inside leg carefully before ordering, the bike is still a good 2/3" too big for her and she'll be lucky if she can ride it in summer, never mind any time soon

Dd is desperate to go on it but can't even touch the floor on her very tippy toes never mind flat-footed!

Dh has checked and can't lower it any further

I'm just glad I hadn't sold her old bike as was my original plan ...!

I know a number of nearly 4/4 year olds who can ride bikes without stabilizers. I don't think it's all that unusual, especially amongst children who haven't had stabilisers because they've gone from balance bikes to pedal bikes.

As in this case, what seems to be the limiting factor is the child's size rather than age.

I seem to meet a lot of 7-8yos (and much older) who can't ride without stabs. I guess the natural range is huge.
I met a 2yo who could do it.
Agree about size being an issue, well, that's back to what I said about OP might want to get a 12" wheel bike.

Well DD is 7, and despite best efforts over the summer (when she was 6) and she can't ride. She now has a 16 inch bike (DS1 has the 12 inch one, I bought a unisex model). She can do it fine without pedals (ie balance bike style) but she is too scared to cycle fast enough with pedals to be able ride. Not a proble balance board style as she puts her foot down when scared....

I really want her to learn, slightly worried as neither of DH's sisters (both adults) can ride, as neither managed to master it as children.

Am thinking about a gyrowheel but its quite drastic as its expensive.

www.thegyrobike.com/

We went with a Giant in the end. They dont do a 14" but the 16" was ok for DS whereas the Raleigh was just too big despite all the charts (for both Isla and Raleigh) indicating he needed a 16". The Giant style we bought is positioned diffrently and is more sit up and beg style

[[

www.giant-bicycles.com/en-GB/bikes/model/lil.pudd.n/7906/45592/ Giant]]

They are about the same price as Isla

If a child's been riding a balance bike, it's pretty normal to be riding without stabilisers by age 3.5 or 4, assuming you can fit on the bike! dd got her pedal bike for her 4th birthday, and was competently haring off within a couple of days, as did her friends of the same age. I wonder if it's actually easier when they're younger, as they've less idea there's something to be scared of.

Why is it a nuisance when they can ride a proper bike, ragged? She can cycle alongside us, so it's lots of fun. She bikes to school every day on the pavement, very carefully, and under close supervision.

Plonker, a Ridgeback MX14 or Honey might work - dd's friend has this, and she's a good bit smaller than dd, though they're both 4.

If She has a balance bike she will be riding in no time, my barely four year old is on her sisters CNOC 16 and is faster( sister got bigger one for xmas)and with no trouble at all. She is average height.

They have to give you a full refund (inc all postage costs).

It is not the specification (ie size) advertised.

Return it not as advertised. End of story.

It's down as low as it will go, dh has tried and tried and can't get it down any lower ...

But is there still some space between the seat and the frame ?

If there is then there must be some way of lowering it.
I'm sure a bike shop would fix for £15-20 if DH/other can't figure how to.

MumNWLondon, try propping your childs bike up on stabilisers on ph books or similar so back wheel is off the ground and get her to practice pedalling. Did this with my first as she has trouble with physical skills. They love it especially watching tv at the same time.

My DS was three years and two months with his stablisers off.

Kids can't ride without stabilisers because stabilisers do absolutely nothing to develop your childs balance. Watch a child riding with stabilisers and the vast majority of the time one stabiliser wheel will be on the ground, making the bicycle a tricycle.

This is why balance bikes are far superior, they teach balance and steering first, and offer a far more natural progression onto riding a "real" bike.

Nuisances of small child on bike without stabilisers:

1. They want to go on the road but lack the sense/restraint/attention span to be safe there (mostly). Their nagging to go on the road is far far worse when they have older siblings allowed to do it.

2. They are stuck with small wheels, so can't go as fast as adults. Okay for a toodle around the park, but too slow if you want to go almost anywhere else together.

3. I've been flamed on here for allowing my child to ride a micro-scooter anywhere near busy school run places. Those flames get bigger for wobbly kids on fast bikes on crowded pavement.

4. They go too fast to walk with.

5. They often lack the coordination to use the hand brakes properly (although Cnoc footbrake goes a long way to redress that).

It's a moment of pride for us parents, but a nuisance otherwise.

DS2 was riding without stabs before he was 4yo, so I know if which I speak (although I never had a balance bike... I shudder to think if he had done it any sooner).

But 2, 3 and 4 are essentially the same as having stabilisers, 1 is just a typical child issue you have to deal with anyway, and dd learnt to brake with the one on her Rothan balance bike. Not sure it's that different, tbh. We can ride on the pavement here, as it's quiet - i get that on busy town streets it's a different matter. Here they can ride them on the street all the time.

With stabs mine were slow enough I could walk with them, they were pretty stop start slow on crowded pavements, too. And at least there was no illusion (item 2) that we could try to ride somewhere together.
Probably the cheap 2nd hand 12" wheel bikes we buy, makes them slow and heavy, which is what you want from a toy rather than a vehicle. :)

Plonker, I've just measured the seat height of dd's Cnoc 16. From the bottom of the saddle to the floor it's 48cm, and that's not at the lowest setting - the bottom of the saddle is about 5cm over the collar, iyswim. I'd be tempted to call Islabikes back, just in case there's been a production error - send it back and get them to look at it and measure it.

Hmm. Suppose so, ragged - we can cycle with dd, as she and her friends have a decent turn of speed on 16" wheels - we have to go a bit slowly, but it's still enough fun for everyone. Where we are we mostly cycle on tracks, forest paths, etc, and so vehicle is a bit more appropriate!

fealta she zooms around the park (with stabilisers) really fast, no problem turning pedals (v fast) and getting bike moving. she has 16 inch bike so it really does go quite fast.

Problem is she is a scaredy-cat, so panics when stabilisers off, will not go fast incase she falls off.

Both DH and I have taken her several times. have tried with pedals off balance bike style, she can do that no problems. Have tried on grass (can reassure he that it won't hurt if she falls) on tennis court (ie totally flat), on slight incline (easier to keep on going etc etc.

Hmm, that sucks that she doesn't fit the bike :(

But I do disagree with ragged about the advantages of riding without stabilizers - DS1 goes "mountain biking" on the walking trails with me, I run while he bikes. The path is too narrow and rooted to do this with stabilizers. As for going on the road - he doesn't because he knows I'll just take his bike away (have done it in the past - it's a good consequence). And I want DS1 to have a decent bike that lets him enjoy biking - we love it and want to share it with our kids rather than hold them back...

MumNWLondon - the girl across the street had the same problem as your daughter - she finally started without stabilizers because she's competitive and didn't like my younger DS1 being able to do it. Can you run behind her and hold on? (And then let go and pretend until she's half way down the block...)

abdnhiker yes she will get it eventually, am hoping this summer when she sees her little brother on his bike (I am sure he'll get it) she'll try more. But yes DH and I have run behind, we can't run fast enough, but when she senses we aren't there, she panics, stops cycling, falls off and cries.

No idea what to suggest about the panic -- it sounds like a confidence thing and i'm bad that way myself once I get scared.

She´s three & a half?

Should be able to get a proper bike, surely?

My youngest was without stabilisers by then.

Can you get stabilisers so that she can use it?

Oh, just seen that she has a balance bike so stabilisers no good.

Don´t suppose you could add pedals to it?

Still not decided what to do - thanks for the links Habb and oldraver, both those have stockists not too far from here, so we could take dd along and see if they're a more suitable size.

Dd does love the cnoc though so we may decide to wait for her to grow. Damned short-arse genes

Isla have offered full refund including postage and packaging cumfy so there's nothing lost. I was just hoping that they'd either sent us the wrong one or that we'd done something wrong, but they've looked at the photo's we sent and are adamant it's the right frame. I'm just cross that the measurements are wrong on the website because it means that lots of customers are going to get bikes that are too big, because the measurements just don't add up. They can't do more than offer the refund though, so credit to the after-sales team ...

For the record, I totally disagree that she's too young - she's definitely physically capable of riding the bike - she just doesn't fit on it.
Dd2 was riding her bike (and didn't have a balance bike) by the time she was 4. Dd1, in contrast, was 6yo and I think that's because we left it too long to try and she was scared of hurting herself at that point.

I also don't agree with the nuisances of a small child riding without stabilizers - most eg's given there apply whether the child is on a bike, a balance bike or a bike with stabilizers IMO.

Thanks for all your replies.

diddl, no, you can't add pedals to the balance bike unfortunately. That would have been ideal.

We don't want to add stabiliers to the new bike (though I do think they do them?) because apparantly they negate what the child has learned on the balance bike and they just rely on the stabilizers instead.