Persevere with balance bike or get a pedal bike with stabilisers

[TheScottishPlayer]

We bought DS a balance bike about a year ago (just before his 3rd birthday) and he's never really got the hang of it. The problem is that he doesn't get much chance to go on it and when he does he gets fed up with it fairly quickly (because he can't get anywhere very quickly with it).

We live in a fairly hilly but urban area so when we go anywhere local he tends to use his mini micro scooter which he loves and happily whizzes about on. Our local streets aren't particularly suitable for practicing on his balance bike until he gets the hang of it and can use the brake. Which means that having a go on his balance bike involves getting in the car to go to somewhere more suitable and this isn't always easy or practical.

I really want him to have the opportunity to learn to ride a bike though, so I'm wondering whether to give up on the balance bike and get a new bike with stabilisers, which I'd be much more comfortable letting him have a go on around our local streets. He doesn't have anything with pedals, so has been really frustrated on some days out lately that have ride ons with pedals because he can't work them.

Has anyone given up on balance bikes and switched to pedal bikes with stabilisers? I was really keen to give a balance bike a go, but neither DH or I are particularly outdoorsy and he's just not getting the opportunity to practice and build up the skills needed to be able to move to a pedal bike without stabilisers.

I have the totally opposite problem with my almost 4 yr old he got one of the plastic motorbike balance type of bike thingys for his 3rd birthday and loves it whizzs around on it, but coz he has to use his toes to push he gets thru shoes about every 8 weeks so now he has plimsolls to wear just for the bike. We have got him a bike with pedals and stabilisers for his 4th bday in June but we are thinking he prob will not need the stabilizers. However we got him a scooter for xmas and he hates it refuses to use it and says he never asked for one so why has he got one!! His sister scoots everywhere but he is just not interested and he can't seem to get the hang of it!!! He starts school in sept and would love him to scoot with his sister but don't think that is going to happen. We often meet his friends at the park and they all have scooters but he just isnt interested!!! All kids are different and maybe the balance bike isnt for him so maybe try the pedal bike and stabilisers and see how he gets on!! x

ErnesttheBavarian could you link to some of the balance bike products you have in Germany, I'd be intersted to compare what you can buy over that for £30 equivalent compared to what we have in UK. I guess that £30 includes tax, too?

Over here, at Argos or maybe Tesco, you can get a half-decent self-assembly quality wooden balance bike for £40 (including VAT), but the tyres are just hard plastic, not pneumatic, so a stiff ride with poor traction & they aren't truly durable. And some parts are probably plastic not actual wood, seat not so nice, either. Do you generally have nice quality children's bikes in Germany? Islabikes has pretty much cornered UK market; I know Puky is over there, but they are quite heavy compared to Islabikes. Tesco & Amazon sell a Puky balance bike/scooter thing sometimes marked down to £40, but it has lots of pan reviews for being heavy & physically awkward.

I am worried about DS wearing out shoes on his balance bike, too!! Big problem with all ride-ons that don't come with own brake.

You could try pulling him along on it for a while. Most kids here have balance bikes to start with, and get pulled along on a rope for a while, as they get the hang of it. Balance bike to pedal bike has been v quick for kids I know, and helps a lot with steering and sharp bends!

Islabikes are lovely, and have great resale value, so in the long run they're not so expensive.

No problem ragged. Here's the amazon link.

www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?__mk_de_DE=%C5M%C5Z%D5%D1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=laufrad&x=0&y=0

the 1st one has pneumatic tyres but not brakes (my dd's has no breaks and is no problem), in fact ds did have brakes but he never used them anyway. Like I said, the 1st one is 30 (inc tax, but you would have to pay delivery), It has 4.5 stars with over 100 reviews so must be ok (the germans are known for their fussiness!).

I have bought items before, when one seller quoted 100 delivery and the next 5, so shop around. The ones e.g. 2nd one down look cool, and are a cross between a scooter and a balance bike, but I've never tried one. They are the posher ones though.

hth

wow the puky ones are a lot less money!

Kettler is in the UK, too.
Are you sure your Kettler has pneumatic tyres?

This link says "maintenance-free" plastic tyres and elsewhere I've read description of their plastic wheels; not as good as metal or wood, perhaps. Kettler.co.uk describes them as having "resin wheels with rubber tread" which doesn't sound like pneumatic tyres to me. (They also look like plastic tyres).

I know I sound all fussy, but I thought plastic wheels would just make for an awful ride, and couldn't be very durable, either. Small inflatable tyres can be quite a pain, actually, of course. I find it difficult to inflate the tyres on our LIkeabike & shudder at the thought of having to fix a puncture on it.

the Puky & Hudora ones I've read mixed reviews about, mostly against its weight. Puky balance-scooter models are around £55 here. I am guessing that VAT is the other difference in prices seen between German euros and UK £.

really? i've never seen a puky for £55

that said, it was a few years ago we got ours, so maybe they've come down in price

fwiw, my puky is lighter than the islabike rothan

it weighs 3.2kg compared to the islabikes 3.9kg

sorry, to clarify, we don't have the kettler one, and yes, from your description, those don't seem to be pneumatic. I don't think tha's fussy, I would defo want pneumatic ones.

Aldi were selling them last week, so maybe will in UK soon?

Our one is not on there

DS1 is 5yo and uses his balance bike brilliantly but he's just received a normal bike with peddles for his birthday so we're going to take him out on it to practice - without stabilisers. I reckon he'll be fine after a few runs, few falls and he'll get it quickly. I didn't have stabilisers, I just took to it straight away at the age of 4 (so I've been told!). I think some children are good at the balance bike thing, others just are better at other things like roller blading or skate boarding. We all can't be good at everything.

If it's any good, we got DS1's balance bike out of Lidl or Aldi (cannot remember which as we shop at both a lot). Never had a bit of bother and I think we got it for £30ish.

It has brakes and is metal,not a wooden model.

lovechoc it worked for ds2! he got his proper bike for 4th birthday and could ride it first go

hope your little boy manages too, it was amazing too see after the hell that was teaching ds1 to ride a bike lol

now we just need to work on starting himself off

I think it will be less painful to make a concerted effort with the balance bike now and then skip stabilisers than it would be to use stabilisers and then have to spend weeks running around gripping the back of the bike once you decide to remove the stabilisers.

Really, I think balance bikes are the lesser of 2 evils, although I agree they can be very hard on shoes.

thisisyesterday glad your DS2 did it first time. Some just seem to take it straight away, am really hoping I won't be holding onto the seat running along with DS1 for too long (well, DH has said he'll take him out). Fingers crossed it works. He's a whizz on the balance bike and can use the brakes really well, in a controlled manner so I'm hoping he'll be fine. Will update as and when so others get an idea how useful balance bikes can be!

Stick with the balance bike. A bike with stabilisers will likely be way heavier than the balance bike so way harder to get up the hills, they also topple over very easily, contrary to what you might think.

Learning to ride in a hilly area is going to be tough for your little one no matter what. A bike with stabilisers will un-do all his balancing skills that he's learned on the balance bike.

If you want a good light balance bike that has both front and back brakes try out the LittleBigBike. It grows into a bigger balance bike AND you can add pedals.