Balance bike help!

[Holly1978]

Hello all! :)

I'm new, so if I'm posting something that's been mentioned 30 times before don't shoot me......

My eldest (3) is about to start learning how to ride his first bike and the big question is stabilisers or one of the things in this video?

(how cute is he by teh way!)

Anyone got any experiance either way? Thanks!

balance bikes are great.

Depends on your budget and size/ability of child. Balance bikes tend to be smaller for a child of about 18 months plus to ride, but a small bike, pedals-off will also work, provided you can get the saddle low enough and your child can reach the handlebar comfortably. I'd suggest if you want to do the pedals-0ff thing that you do buy a quality child's bike made by a reputable bike manufacturer though and not a cheap "toy" bike. Isla, Specialized and Decathlon all do children's bikes that might suit, depending on your budget and the size of your child. Bear in mind that a specialist child's bike manufacturer designs light weight bikes with brake levers for small hands and other components also specially made for small children, rather than fitting enormous and inoperable adult sized components to a small heavy weight (though cheaper) frame. The resale value of Isla bikes and other well known brands is very high so you will recoup some of the cost if you buy a quality bike. isla bikes make balance bikes for small children as well as ones with pedals etc.

I used a balance bike with my son from when he was around 2.5. He wouldn't have been able to ride one before that.
He went onto a regular bike at 4 and didn't need stabilisers, but I wouldn't have used the regular bike without pedals because it was very heavy.
There may be bikes which can be used for both, but the wooden balance bike was so easy to carry in shops and relatively cheap (£50) and his first bike was second hand so cost around £15 including new tyres and brake pads.
I think there are aluminium bikes which are lighterweight and could have the pedals removed, but they seem to cost a lot more than the wooden variety.
Before the balance bike there are a quite a few small ride-ons which suit younger children such as scuttle bugs, until they can ride a balance bike.

We got DS a proper bike (with adjustable seat and handlebars so it grew with him for a couple of years) but without stabilisers. We took the pedals off (really easy) and used it as a balance bike for a few months. Once he really had the hang of it we put the pedals back on and off he went! It was a really economical way of doing it

My DS has a balance bike that he still loves( Islabike rothan). He got it just before his second birthday and mastered it really quickly and has such good balance and confidence now, he even goes on the jumps at the skatepark. He is now just 4 and is confidently riding a pedal bike without stabilizers but still likes taking his "motorbike" (cos it has no pedals like Daddy's motorbike) out for shots.

By boys both had balance bikes which they started using when they were about 2. They moved very confidently onto bikes with peddles without ever needing stabilisers. We were lucky to be given a sturdy aluminium balance bike that was much easier to ride in our local woods than a bike with tiny stabiliser wheels would have been. It worked well for us.