Kids Balance Bikes

[takai]

Now that i have figured out and ordered a bike seat for my little man, im turning my attention to balance bikes. He already loves pushing things around and trying to get on his second cousin's balance bike (cheap thing from Target), but cant figure out steering or stuff yet.
Im thinking that he will be ready for a balance bike in the spring, so im doing a bit of research now while im sick... blergh.

Looking around it seems that CB/DK have released a decent bike that addresses most of the gripes i have had with the other offerings on the market: http://flowmountainbike.com/post-all/caroline-buchanan-releases-new-balance-bikes/

From the specs, photo and video, it seems to tick the boxes: lowish standover, spoked wheels (seen three balance bikes in the trash with busted plastic wheels that are non-sourceable), standard seatpost (looks like 25.4), adjustable headset spacers and stem, space for kids to put their feet etc.
It is a bit more than the other 'decent' balance bikes like the Strider and tons better than the $50 things, and infinitely better than the wooden things, but realistically the extra $50 isnt going to break the bank given the swathe of other bikes in our garage. And if that means he takes up cycling...

Anyone seen one in person though? What do other people use for their kids?

 

[mtb101]

i used a normal kids bike and removed cranks, that way you have a bike that you can convert back for future use.

 

[Shadow Puppet]

I got my then two year old a Giant Pre. Has pretty much the same positives you listed, mainly spoked wheels and low standover. Lasted her almost two years and she is now on a proper bike.

The DK one looks good too.

 

[cameron_15]

I've sold a whole bunch of the CB DK balance bikes you've linked, they really are a cut above. There was a period where I wasn't able to keep them in stock as I was only ordering 2 at a time to go with 3 other balance bike models (merida, strider and a cheaper model) we had on the floor.

Another thing I like about the DK is that the seat can be slammed without touching the rear tyre. Also, you get a race plate for the front which is pretty cool.

The bright yellow one looks the best in my opinion.

 

[takai]

I've sold a whole bunch of the CB DK balance bikes you've linked, they really are a cut above. There was a period where I wasn't able to keep them in stock as I was only ordering 2 at a time to go with 3 other balance bike models (merida, strider and a cheaper model) we had on the floor.

Another thing I like about the DK is that the seat can be slammed without touching the rear tyre. Also, you get a race plate for the front which is pretty cool.

The bright yellow one looks the best in my opinion.

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.

 

[The Duckmeister]

You haven't looked too closely at the Giant Pre bike then.... the stem is adjustable - loosen the collar & slide it up like an old-school quill type.

 

[pink poodle]

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.

 

[blacksp20]

Specialized Hotwalk for my young man. Same deal with spoked wheels, foot rest and low stand over. Has handled a year and a half of abuse and still looks good.

 

[creaky]

the plastic fork on the Pre

plastic fork was the reason I chose the giant pre ... heaps lighter and still more than strong enough

 

[takai]

No rotation of bars for reach from what i can see, and no, i haven't seen one in person. The two Giant dealers i dropped in to in Jan didn't have any in and couldn't be bothered giving me service.

 

[OscarWhitbread]

I looked at balance bikes, but they were stupidly high priced for what they were and my daughter didn't really seem that interested.

In the end we were given a cheap and nasty Dora the Explorer bike from Kmart as a hand me down from a guy I work with that he was going to throw out. The quality was seriously nasty, badly put together etc, but it was a great as a balance bike. I stripped pretty much everything off it so it was just a frame with wheels, seat & handlebar. It had 12" wheels so was perfect for when she was ready to ride her "proper bike" that we had bought for her birthday.

Keep an eye out at recycling centers/op shops.

 

[takai]

TBH the $150 for a DK or other similar spec/decency balance bike is nothing if it is reliable. The ones that the cousins and second cousins have are all failing fairly regularly. Broken wheels, slipping seat posts and steerer, snapping tensioner bolts. It is getting to the point that one of the 3yos regularly doesnt want to ride his balance bike because it keeps breaking on him.

Admittedly they are all $50 KMart things, but when a decent bike costs maybe 3-5% of one of my bikes.... yeah, im happy to spend the extra. Especially if it means that my little man enjoys a ride rather than being scared that it will topple over when the steerer/quill slips again.

 

[scblack]

i used a normal kids bike and removed cranks, that way you have a bike that you can convert back for future use.

I did the same. It worked. Once they are out playing with other kids rolling around they will get the hang pretty quick.

 

[NUMBER5]

We've got a Strider and a Splesh Hotwalk.. 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). The Splesh is solid, touch heavy compared to others but it's a beast. The best thing about the Splesh is that it's got big platforms for their feet. Our kids are 5 and 4 now but they still like to muck around on the runners.... They do endos, bunny hops, jumps etc... which wouldn't be possible without the foot rests.

If you don't already know. Verde BMX do a super light runner on the small side and Kink BMX do a runner that according to a review is the most BMX like of all runners.... if you like carbon Zelvy

 

[takai]

Im not particularly a big BMXer, havnt not ridden a BMX for about 20 years now (raced up until i was 10). So i dont mind the riser bars of the DK.

Thanks for the info on the Kink and Verde though, they look decent at roughly the same price.

 

[John U]

http://www.firstbike.com/bikes/firstbike-cross-red/

I got one of these for my son when he was about 18 months (see my avatar). He didn't touch it for a while, until he saw an older kid having a go on it in our backyard. After that you couldn't get him off it. He was doing a bit of kids northshore on it too, riding along the brick borders of some of the garden beds in our front yard.

It was easy to set up, light, and easy for him to ride. The shape of the frame allowed him to stand over it to pick it up. I think some of the other designs aren't as good for this as the kid would not be able to straddle the bike while it was lying down. This being the case they bike would need to be standing up for them to get on it. This might remove a bit of the riding self sufficiency for the kid and may result in less riding.

After a bit over 3 years of having it the rear wheel split. I think this might have been due to it copping the western sun every afternoon. The front, which wasn't as exposed was fine. My son was mostly riding his pedal bike at this point so it wasn't a huge issue. I had trouble finding some where to replace the wheel. I looked fairly extensively and had no luck so I eventually emailed the company directly. I got an email back within half an hour asking for my address details. Immediately following that I got an email saying a new set of wheels was on its way to me.

I got the version with the brake as I wanted to encourage it's use. At the end of the day it didn't get much use, but he knew how to use it.

I was really happy with it and how it got my young fella cycling. So much so that I bought my daughter a pink one. She loves riding it but she is no where near as keen as my son was. I don't think that's anything to do with the bike. Just a difference in the kids.

One last thing, the wheel bearings are top notch. Sealed and still free spinning.

 

[c3024446]

I have a Firstbike with a brake for my daughter. It's a super bike, but based on my experience, one of the bigger balance bikes and for kids who are 2.5+.

She got it for her second birthday, but hated it since it must have been too big for her (even with the lowering kit). Took her 8 months to get on it without me making her, encouraging her didn't seem to help, and probably made things worse! Now it’s a month since she started riding it - she is learning really quick, and is riding up and down the street with me.

I think the strider or the hotwalk have a much lower standover height, which might encourage kids to get on them younger, but it probably just depends on how keen the kid is. I have no regrets buying the Firstbike now, but the 8 months she didn’t use it were frustrating.

If you do buy a balance bike, and they had a trike previously, you must hide this so the only bike they have is the balance bike...

 

[PLUGGA]

Got a DK for my lil girl, and gotta admit it's awesome, quality bit of kit. Bought a Wee ride first, and then promptly took it back, absolute piece of shit.

 

[Jay Taylor]

plastic fork was the reason I chose the giant pre ... heaps lighter and still more than strong enough

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)

 

[SlowManiac]

As has been mentioned a few times - I think the most important thing is bike fit. Kids don't really care about spokes, stems, etc.

My wife did a lot of research and chose a Strider because it had a lot of adjustment which meant he was riding from 18 months. We've had no issues with the Strider, it's been great. The DK looks cool too