To ask for balance bike advice.

[YourNameGoesHere]

Going round in circles looking at all the options and am no closer to a decision so I'm looking for advice.

I have a nearly 4 year old which whilst appreciate he is on the older end he still struggles to use a balance bike although he's desperate to ride one like a big boy. We've tried several but are no closer to finding one which works for him.

Key information he's quite petite and small for his age (approximately 90cm) not to mention he's quite likely to have inherited coordinated issues which doesn't make the task any easier. We're having real trouble finding one that's light enough to manoeuvre and where he isn't using his tippy-toes.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Kidvelo for sure . It's amazing and has a good height range. It's so so so light . My son can carry it and walk with it himself. He got it when he was about 94 cm ish and he still has room in it now..but is about to go onto a woom 2. He loves it and very quickly got good confidence . Only issue may be no brakes, so we are going to pedals and brakes in one swoop now, but I think it has given him so much confidence and enjoyment where a lot of his friends on their more toy like bikes are struggling to lift it when they fall etc. Also good is the quick release saddle. I have found I put his up pretty regularly, especially as confidence grows. It's also not as horribly priced as say the frog or the woom.... Great bike

Check out the Jako-O 12” balance bike. For 18 months and up.

they also have a range of co-ordination toys that might be worth looking at.

Not sure what the import situation is like for UK post Brexit, if that’s where you are resident. We bought it online and imported it to Ireland a number of years ago, so no issue with EU delivery.

Get on gumtree, always plenty bargains. I had a Puky for my kids. we used it from 18 months until 3 so should be small enough.

We've just finished this one- from the same company that makes the micro scooters. It's light as a feather and the seat moves up and down (very easily) as needed. Highly, highly recommended.

Plus it has rubber tyres so no issues re: punctures, etc.

You can hire them. They outgrow them fast.

Have a look at Bike Club, you can rent, you don't have to buy. It may be a cheaper way to find a good fit.

See whilst I wouldn't necessarily be adverse to hiring one given he's tried a large amount already with no success be them ours or ones friends have etc I'm reluctant to get tied into paying for a bike which also doesn't suit him and which I can't return quickly.

Thanks for the PP who suggested finding a balance bike group/course we've already done that but I'm not 100% sure it's going to help him much.

My son has bueuwe and the seat goes very low. Its a lovely bike.

We've got a vitus nippy. It's seriously lightweight, less than 2kg I think. 3yo is currently 95cm and has been riding it for nearly 2 years now so goes very small.

Second hand Woom! They just put the prices up a month or two ago and that are sickeningly expensive now.

DDs next bike I think would be £550 new, when she's about 5... is going to be second hand because that's crazy months for me

DS had an old balance bile and then a Woom 3.
They do a bigger version balance bike, I think. Take a look at a Woom 1 Plus. I think it's the same size as a Woom 2 but as a balance bike. 14 inch?

Bike....what is my phone on about??

I hope you manage to find something, it's tricky when they want to learn a new skill but can't quite manage because of their size / other factors.

I had also never heard of Woom bikes before this thread and can't quite believe a bike for such young children can be so expensive. 😯🤯

You can get cheaper balance and kids bikes. The Woom ones are just very lightweight. DS now has a 20 inch Cube bike and it's much heavier than his Woom. He still likes the little one to zoom about on, although it's way too small for him.
Lots of people also get them for their resale value. There's quite a number of Woom bikes you can get second hand. Many of them are priced close to their original price.
I'm not sure how how people keep them scratch-free and pristine looking in many cases. We've had ours for three years and it looks well-used.

Yes I can't understand how it would be in may for condition to resell afterwards unless it was hardly used which isn't my intention as we tend to walk most places so it would be used daily. Like I said as much as I adore him I just can't justify that much on a bike.

I've measured him this morning and his inside leg measurement is 31cm so hopefully that will prove helpful if I can actually get to a bike shop to try some of the suggestions out although having had a look it doesn't look like many of those mentioned are actually stocked at our local decathlon which is annoying.

Decathlon sells their own brand bikes.
Islabikes and Woom are online or second hand only.
You can search for Frog stockists on their website.

However, with an inside leg measurement of 31cm I think you look for a second hand Black Mountain Pinto. It would probably be worth it to buy new, though, as it grows with the child.
https://www.cyclesprog.co.uk/bikes/black-mountain-pinto-and-skog-bike-review-our-first-impressions/

Sorry, ignore that, the saddle doesn't go low enough 🤦🏻‍♀️

Thanks for trying, unfortunately his dinkiness does seem to be my biggest barrier. I'll have a look for any frog stockists nearby but am reluctant to just rely on ordering something like a Woom or Isla if I can't actually see him sitting on it as it's likely he won't be able to comfortably reach the floor which I think is essential for him to go faster than a snail.

Decathlon will only sell their own brand ones in-store. My dinky girl fits

https://newatlas.com/bmw-kidsbike/12053/
We also had this one as a transition between our 12in balance bike and the 16in Woom. It's essentially a 14in balance bike that can be converted into a 14in pedal bike. We've passed it on to my nephew, who is now 3, for the time being.
I'm amazed at the pice, though. We got it second hand for about 50 quid.

Surprised no one has mentioned Strider. The 14x model can be used as a balance bike and then you pop the pedals on when the child is ready. My daughter had the 12” balance bike, moved up to the 14 and was able to move onto pedalling really quickly without the need for stabilisers. They’re really sturdy and have a reasonable resale value.

That looks good busyhedgehog but again the price is very steep.

We've tried a strider one phos and unfortunately they seem too cumbersome for him and again his feet barely touch the floor.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285244918721?hash=item4269ec0bc1:g:p3cAAOSw3iZkQUh2&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4PEoPi1oDF09NNWj9GeVMWCUWG7kvIS4%2BmSpHRIRqZStv1p8zUGXPZ03xNY9A%2FBpM0xQ2L2U7Rl%2FnaARRay8nYl0vsUKWqXSBH51R61gnjubllHEBDPRSb29EPZKaJvoyf2K2G3FWUNvtIbXBDhOL7zY6WgYbERpCvGI9pS0vVX2nABcveqee1YAU%2Fo1KhpubHr5J1GI0UoY6iCns%2FG3qiLbWSRefWxYWv6Yo0%2FVeyMUvHzwXOcD3Lw2dVSttoMStStliS6SI06TBFZtQtMlDpHFBVeXHvHZrmM3OGRVM%2BG4%7Ctkp%3ABFBMvqnJg8Fi

Ebay seems to have a few. Depends on where you live, I guess.
I'd just checked for second hand ones (could look for Isla or Frog ones) and then ask to try them out before buying them. I'm sure most people would be happy to let you try it first.

At 90cm he should be fine on a 12 inch strider. My daughter is the same age & size and has ridden one for a while. You need the seat lower than you might expect at first - it looks quite different to a pedal bike.

Some children struggle with the balance until they are older. DD was riding a tiny 10 inch balance bike at just turned 2, moving to a small 14 inch pedal bike at 3 & 9 months. My DN struggled with bikes without stabilisers until he was 6, he just couldn't get the feel of it