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Can STW recommend me a balance bike for my nephew's Christmas? He's almost 2 and, as the cycling nut in our family, I feel it's my duty to buy his first bike.
I'll have to buy it new as I don't think my sister in law will appreciate second hand stuff (otherwise I'd try to source an Islabike or equivalent on eBay/Gumtree) and it can't be horribly expensive as I'm on maternity leave and haven't been paid for a while.
Is the Decathlon balance bike worth getting? Or are there any others I should be considering? It may be passed down to my son in due course so I'd like to buy something relatively decent!
We had an Adventure Zooom (same as Ridgeback Scoot I think?) and an Islabike Rothan.
The Islabike feels better but was double the price. The Zoom came with 2 lengths of seatpost which was a nice touch. The kids loved both and transitioned to pedals really fast.
There's a few balance bike threads if you stf but I'll throw in the Puky LRM again for good measure. Great for 2-3 yr olds
Put together one of the 2018 Zoom yesterday, they've come along a bit recently.
The only thing is that the loose ball hubs and headset benefit enormously from careful tensioning out of the box and some extra grease, they're always over tightened and really draggy otherwise.
If you're happy to sort this yourself then there won't be a whole lot of difference performance wise between this and an Isla.
Or.... 2nd hand Frog/Isla/Early Rider
Is the Decathlon balance bike worth getting?
Done daughter no.1 sterling service for 2 years, and will soon be passed onto no.2.
Yes you could go a lot more expensive with a balance bike, but bear in mind they'll take a fair beating, and for £40 you can't really do better.
Or.... 2nd hand Frog/Isla/Early Rider
Spesh Hotwalk, too.
Bloke at work got a Decathlon balance bike for his daughter and she apparently loves it.
I think it is the one we will be getting, once our two year olds legs get a bit longer!
I like the fact it has a rear brake with a lever for small hands to grasp.
We had a decathlon balance bike and it was fine, just make sure the handlebars are done up tight.
We have a Firstbike which I suppose I should sell. It's had 5 kids worth of use (3 of ours and it's been loaned out) and it's been fautless. Tool free saddle height adjustment and the rear axle lowering kit is really useful for starting out too
No involvement with the link above, just a good price from Googling
Look at cruzee weigh less then 1kg and easy to adjust
Early rider trail runner is awesome, but probably too big.
I think if you get the 12" wheel early rider, then you can upgrade to 14" wheels later though.
The Early Rider stuff is fantastic! My kid started out on their Spherovelo model and is now bopping around on a 12” Trail Runner. It’s nice and light, and is properly made with cartridge bearings and Allen bolts all round...
We inherited the smallest Islabike which my (just) 2 year old son isn't yet tall enough for - so worth bearing in mind if you think they are ready to ride now.
We picked him up a Puky LRM which is a bit smaller, and he has taken to it like a duck to water.
How cool is this?
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/mgt-collection/mgt-collection/mgt-collection/scoot-xl-mgt
My lad has a Kokua Likeabike and has been getting on really well with it. Just transitioning to a pedal bike at the mo. It's not cheap, bought ours second hand, but it's well make with proper components and is so light (you will end up carrying it). And it has suspension 😀
Good enough for Jackson Goldstone
I've just got mine a Strider. Is second hand of fleabay but managed to find one in good condition but was collect only so only paid 20 quid (had to travel and hour each way). Nice and light with plenty of adjustment and feels plenty sturdy enough. A good clean and check over and it looks near enough new.
We have a wooden Early Rider which was a big hit with both kids. Being wooden and light (relatively furniture-friendly) we are happy to have it lying around indoors, so it probably got more use than a chunkier metal one would have. My daughter especially loved doing circuits of the dining room table, and even though they're both on pedal bikes now it regularly gets played with around the house.
Thanks all. Plenty of bikes for me to google whilst feeding my nocturnal baby all night!
I love these old school bmx looking bikes from FTB. Seen one in the flesh,quality is top drawer:
http://www.ftbbmx.com/FTB_BMX/BalanceBikes.html
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Those look flipping orsumz!
they do look great but for a balance bike it looks like the bars would be a bit high. When the kids really get into going as fast as possible they'll really lean forward into the bars to get maximum leg push - these look like they'd restrict that full-gas legs pumping action. Not always a bad thing if you've seen your son stack and faceplant at full pelt trying to break the sound barrier 🙂
I think I'm gonna go with the Decathlon bike as it seems to give the best bang for my buck. So the question is - brake or no brake?
Defo brake, even though the Decathlon one is on the 'wrong' side, it's meant our tot has learnt about slowing herself down.......and maybe learned to enjoy skidding 😉
Transition to a pedal bike with 2 brakes was pretty easy, brake orientation took about 5 seconds!