Kids Balance Bikes

[PJO]

Cruzee

The DK looks pretty boss, the spoked wheels are a bit of a winner. A few of my friends got these for their kids at Christmas:

http://www.jetblackproducts.com/search?q=&search[category_id]=753&x=14&y=7

I have had a ride on two of them and found they were very light, easy to adjust seat and bar, the wheels ran smooth it looked like it had sealed bearings rather than a bushing, and the big winner (to me) was the aluminium frame and anodised finish.

One of my little fellas has one of these, had it for around 10 months.

Pros:
seriously light (under 2kg), he can tote it round where ever he likes
smooth sealed wheel bearings, spin beautifully
very low stand over as well, had him on it at age 2
no steering limiter, when he hits deck the handlebars are flat on the ground
easily adjustable seat and bar height


Cons:
has plastic bushings where the headset should be so will wait and see how long that lasts,
plastic wheels have been ok so far but could be a durability issue,
solid tyres are wearing but they can be replaced with regular tubed versions.

 

[cameron_15]

What are they like for reliability? I know he isnt going to be bombing trails, but likely to have the occasional tumble.

The Merida and Giant i was also looking at, but given the plastic fork on the Pre and the non adjustable stem on it its a bit squiffy.

Can't really comment on reliability as I've only been selling them for about 6 weeks. Only had 1 very minor issue with 1 that a customer took in a box. The tyre was not seated correctly giving the illusion that the wheel was buckled, a very easy fix and something that is quite common on new bikes in which tyres have been sitting deflated in boxes for a while.

In saying that, the use of proper wheels and headsets should make the bike easily serviceable should something go awry.

 

[creaky]

x2

Now if he'd just grow another inch so he can actually ride it I'll be stoked! (Maybe I should have waited til he was 2 and not 1, patience clearly not a strong point)

Tell me about it .... Got it for him at 18 months and he was all excited, sat on it and then started balling saying "too big, too big". Never heard him say it before but hurt !

The better half made me put it away until he turns 2 ....

 

[burkie]

Strider is poo, cheap, plastic wheels (in the wet and on certain surfaces eg. floor boards = no ride unless you like to crash), my little one killed the bearings in no time flat, develops play everywhere. I swapped out the wheels for some real ones and it's still going(surprisingly).

Well, have to say i've got the opposite view. My young bloke is on the small side and strider had one of the lowest seat heights available. My other criteria was it had to have solid tyres, as I didn't want to be pumping up tyres before every ride. He took to it after awhile and we "upgraded" him to a piece of shit balance bike with a brake using flyby points. I painted the strider and the daughter got it. In hindsight I would've got another stider so they both had one. She's hardly ridden it but already has both feet up and cruisin. No issues with bearings or reliability at all.

 

[takai]

I shouldnt have to worry too much about height, the little man is on the 95% for height!

 

[mooboyj]

My daughter received a Giant Pre for her second birthday. She grabs me almost daily to go for a ride. They are great and aren't to heavy. Mummy also approves of the pink and purple colour scheme

 

[blacksp20]

I looked at these a few years ago but ruled them out as they were almost $400. Seems they've dropped a bit in price. They look seriously cool too.

http://www.earlyrider.net.au/shop/products/alley-runner-12-sale

They also do a belt driven 16" wheel bike that I'm considering for by boys next bike.

 

[John U]

seriously light (under 2kg)

Have you weighed it? If so that is fairly mental.

 

[sane]

Another one to have a look at is the Avanti Lil ripper. My #2 is on it now after a decent age gap & it's holding up very well. Low standover, 1 1/8 headtube so you can swap stems around, real wheels, it has a toy seatpost but that has not affected either kid. I am enough of a bike snob that I would never dream of owning an Avanti myself, but this has been a winner.

If you are looking to splash some cash, have a look at these...http://www.production-privee.com/PBSCCatalog.asp?CatID=2437002

Or have a look in here...http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?209590-What-do-your-kids-ride

 

[takai]

Have you weighed it? If so that is fairly mental.

Its advertised at 1.9kg, but a mate who has one puts it at 2.1kg on his Park scales.

 

[foxpuppet]

Its advertised at 1.9kg, but a mate who has one puts it at 2.1kg on his Park scales.

1.89 kg for my daughters cruzee.... But I shaved down the seat and cut the seat post to slam it. She is 78.5cm tall but kind of short legs, nappy adds height too. Another few cm and she should be sweet, but for now she likes it and asks to go for a ride by going up and honking the horn. I support her shoulders and she takes off for a few steps and then I grab her again. With shoes on she gets a little more clearance too.

 

[tubby74]

My 2 year old boy loves his cruzee. The super light weight is a big factor. He can carry it up stairs or anywhere he wants to go. Solid tyres which many recommend against havent been an issue but he is getting so confident and adventurous I am thinking something with a brake might have been good.

 

[PJO]

Have you weighed it? If so that is fairly mental.

Yes, my sons is a 50g over 2kg with the addition of a bell.

 

[angrybadger]

Another vote for Cruzee - my 3.5 yr old has been on one for well over a year. Upgraded to air tyres when the foam ones stared to wear out, but no issues after a lot of riding. Low weight trumps everything else - he rides it on mtb trails, skate parks, BMX tracks, etc. Being able to manhandle it up hills opens up a lot of possibilities.

They also do a belt driven 16" wheel bike that I'm considering for by boys next bike.

He's also got one of these but he's not interested at the moment, he just wants to ride the Cruzee... It's a really nice piece of kit though, light (5.5kg), well built (I've ridden it and wasn't concerned about strength!). I got it shipped from the UK by a helpful grandmother, but there's an Aus importer. Not sure how that works though, because with no coaster brake they're not technically legal to sell here.

 

[blacksp20]

He's also got one of these but he's not interested at the moment, he just wants to ride the Cruzee... It's a really nice piece of kit though, light (5.5kg), well built (I've ridden it and wasn't concerned about strength!). I got it shipped from the UK by a helpful grandmother, but there's an Aus importer. Not sure how that works though, because with no coaster brake they're not technically legal to sell here.

What's the requirement with the coaster brake? It has a front and rear brake, I would have thought that would be sufficient.

 

[Ivan]

What's the requirement with the coaster brake? It has a front and rear brake, I would have thought that would be sufficient.

I know my kids don't really have the finger strength to stop the bike quickly with a lever, but can with a coaster brake. Maybe the regs have something to do with that

 

[takai]

Needs more hydros then

Anyone got a weight on the DK?
It's basically coming down to the Cruzee or the DK in my mind. The big thing that the Cruzee has going for it is the weight at this stage.

 

[slippy]

Went the whole hog and got my man a Kokua Jumper from Likeabike. the rear suspension is fantastic as 99% of a kid's weight is on the seat. The quality of the parts is amazing. My son was riding blue square trails at the age of two and I have the video to prove it (he may have been slower than you, don't get defensive). Was so disappointed when he outgrew it as there was nothing of similar quality to transition to. If you want your kid to LOVE cycling it's actually a small investment, especially if you buy second hand, these things are built to take it so shouldn't be trashed.
Edit: I did add a mini BMX brake, recommend the Odyssey 1999 lever/caliper combo.

 

[latheboy]

If you've got the skillz make your own like this bloke.

I made one for my young bloke, 18 months old,
and he's not into it yet.
He loves the plastic trike at the moment though.
When I put him on the BB I made, he walks a bit but can't get the motion right but I have fun pushing him around.

Mine..

 

[blacksp20]

They are both rad. You should see if there is any interest here for custom balance bikes. If I didn't have one already, I'd be keen.