# What age for first kids bike?



## Shwaa (Jan 13, 2004)

I want to get my niece her first bike. She turns 3 in a couple months. Is that too young? I am thinking maybe I would be better off waiting another year

For the parents out there, how old were your kids before you got them their first bike? I guess at that age it would be a tricycle? Or bike with training wheels? I really don't know to be honest, as I have never shopped for this sort of thing before and can't remember that far back  

Thanks


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## crisillo (Jul 3, 2004)

for a 2 y.o., try to get her a push/run bike to help her develop her balance first...


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## mrpercussive (Apr 4, 2006)

:eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster: :eekster:


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## pancho4 (Jul 4, 2006)

my kid is gona learn to pedal before they walk


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

I would say at 2 years old, get them a tricycle. Kettler makes nice ones. Pedaling is a foreign concept and that takes a while.

After a while, you can get them a bike with 10 inch wheels and training wheels. I would recommend going to Goodwill and picking one up for $10.

fc


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## Dan'ger (Aug 26, 2004)

We picked up a push bike for little Maya (23mos) the other day but it turns out that she's not quite tall enough yet. She got to play on one of her little friend's Kettler trike today and now she REALLY wants one.


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## rockymtnrider (Apr 29, 2007)

When my son was two, I got him a Tricycle/stroller. I could let him get used to it and he could pedal but I could do the steering and help him keep moving. The handle is removable and he was pedaling and steering on his own around 3. Now he is four and has a bike with training wheels, but he doesn't want to pedal it much. He keeps saying he rather ride the tricycle or his scooter.


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## GuruAtma (May 17, 2004)

My son got this for his 2nd birthday. It has no pedals, chain, sprockets, or brakes. He's now two and a half, and he is "gliding" (balancing) for 8-10 feet at a time. He loves it. He'll never need training wheels. His bike is the Specialized "Hot Walk". He has the boy's version which has pirate stickers! There's a pink one too.


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## Dan'ger (Aug 26, 2004)

Poh, they're talking chronological age, not maturity.

- nice bike though, and love the bell on the bars.


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## AK47 (Mar 22, 2004)

*Each kid is different...*

All kids will learn at a different pace, but a tricycle is a good choice for the age. You could also look at a Specialized Hot Rock and use the training wheels for awhile while they get accustomed to pedaling, etc. My son had a tricycle around age 2, the Hot Rock about age 3, and was riding it without training wheels by about age 4. :thumbsup:


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## bikesbeerandgrub (Nov 26, 2005)

*I definitely recommend a bike without pedals for age 2 1/2 to 3 1/2.*

My son and twin girls rode the wooden bike without pedals at first. This definitely allows them to develop confidence and balance on their own first.

The twin girls are riding on their own pedal bikes now too at almost 5 years old. My son started on the skuut bike at 2 and a 1/2 and is 3 and a 1/2 now. He started riding the pedal bike with 12" wheels last week


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## Mountain Medic (Oct 12, 2004)

My daughter got a Spec. hotrock for her 3rd b day. She is now almost 3 1/2 and loves riding it. I've been adjusting the training wheels up for the last couple months. She is starting to show signs of riding on two wheels now since the trainers are so high up...


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

Dan'ger said:


> Poh, they're talking chronological age, not maturity.


ahahahahahahahahah
:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## FoggyGoggles (Nov 20, 2006)

AK47 said:


> All kids will learn at a different pace, but a tricycle is a good choice for the age. You could also look at a Specialized Hot Rock and use the training wheels for awhile while they get accustomed to pedaling, etc. My son had a tricycle around age 2, the Hot Rock about age 3, and was riding it without training wheels by about age 4.


Ditto this post for my 4 year old. It was his idea to remove the training wheels and keep them off even though he crashes a lot.


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## yo_ca (Jul 17, 2007)

*Like A Bike*

One of the original push/balance bikes is made from wood, amazingly robust, and pretty unique. The company is LIKEaBIKE. There are different models available.

You can also look around for used ones of course.


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## Dan'ger (Aug 26, 2004)

yo_ca said:


> One of the original push/balance bikes is made from wood, amazingly robust, and pretty unique. The company is LIKEaBIKE. There are different models available.
> 
> You can also look around for used ones of course.


LikeABike is a good product but pricy. We settled on a similar bike by RadioFlyer. It's about 1/4 the price.


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## Shwaa (Jan 13, 2004)

Thanks guys for the suggestions. I will look into it


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## SMT42 (Nov 9, 2006)

Any age you feel comfortable is fine, I started mine at 2+. I would suggest that you don't spend a bunch on a name brand as they run through them rather fast and the name brands arn't that much better than kmart brand at least untill you get to geared bikes. I would also suggest buying used untill they get a real bike around age 10 or so. When they are young they have no idea whats new or used they just want to have fun with their new toy.


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## Stalk (May 24, 2005)

All depend on the kid. My kid started successfully pedaling at tad over 2. Training wheels of course. The biggest issue was the size. Year later he rides his bike very confident and got a grasp on the coast brake, althouth taking training wheels is not an option yet, since he still have to climb on the bike. (12" bike)

One thing to note is bike quality. The bike we bought to him cheapo Rhino bike and he couldn't learn to pedal on it at all. Other day we stepped into TrailHead and he sees Speshi small bikes, he climbed on one and few seconds later he cranked around shop. No, we didn't bought speshi, he just learned to pedal his Rhino afteward


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## Cycledelic (Oct 13, 2004)

My daughter is almost 3. She has ridden her wooden pushbike, called a "Park Racer", into the ground in the last year. The wheel bearings have blown twice, and the steerer/fork has split through the wood. Hanging on with tape right now. But this is her primary transportation these days. She easily rides 2 miles a day on it, to town and back, plus trips to the park. We rode out in Bear Valley this weekend and on the Cross Marin Path. She took it to GG Park last week and ripped it up through the Botanical Gardens.










Because her bike is just about destroyed, I just bought her a bling bike - the LikeABike Jumper. All-aluminum, two adjustable seatposts, Schwalbe Big Apple tires and an elastomer rear shock - just like my Castellano. Crazy!? I am so psyched - maybe more than she is. It's not cheap, but I think it's going to have great resell value - especially in this market.

(edit: the other cool thing I like about the Jumper is that the steering limiter is removeable - so she doesn't have to deal with the 20o turning radius for long. I've been disappointed with this feature in most push bikes - a good idea when they're starting, but when you get to a certain level you want it off - like when you're doing double barspins coming off a handrail grind)

We're also getting her a 12" pedal bike for her birthday next month. She could pedal a bike (w/training wheels) the first time she got up on one, but I don't think she'll really take to it for a while longer yet - she's just so proficient on the push bike.


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## JoeBMX (Apr 7, 2007)

That kokua is kinda neat!


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## yo_ca (Jul 17, 2007)

*LIKEaBIKE*



Dan'ger said:


> LikeABike is a good product but pricy. We settled on a similar bike by RadioFlyer. It's about 1/4 the price.


Fell, vat du yu zink. It's German of korse, zee LIKEaBIKE, sso it kosts morr LIKEaPORSCHE.

Buying it used if you can find a good one is the way to go with that bike.


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## gregg (Sep 30, 2000)

*Cheaper than a Likeabike = Skuut*

Retail price is $89 and can be bought at local stores.
http://www.skuut.com/

My son is 1 month shy of 2 years old and this is still a tad too big for him. But he still enjoys rolling around (with mom or dad holding him up) on it.

I really think the pedal-less bikes are the way to go, in regards to easing the transition to biking without training wheels.

Here is a pic of ours. Behind the Skuut it the other toy that our boy likes to ride.

-g

(and no, 3 years old is not too early to start.)


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Here's a how to guide on how to fall btw.






fc


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## fastale (Jul 2, 2007)

francois said:


> Here's a how to guide on how to fall btw.


My life is better now that I watched this. What a little badass.


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## crisillo (Jul 3, 2004)

fastale said:


> My life is better now that I watched this. What a little badass.


totally badass! :thumbsup:


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

My son got a STRIDER at 15mos (eager father?). He is 18mos now and can handle walking on it.
http://www.stridersports.com/faq.html


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## Stalk (May 24, 2005)

Another good place to get a runner bike: www.runbikes.com

Just ordered PLIM Swiss bike for 69.99 + $8 shipping.


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## Plim (Dec 8, 2004)

Stalk said:


> Just ordered *PLIM *Swiss bike.


WTF?! :madmax:

Someone owes me some royalties.


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## Dan'ger (Aug 26, 2004)

Stalk said:


> Another good place to get a runner bike: www.runbikes.com
> 
> Just ordered PLIM Swiss bike for 69.99 + $8 shipping.


Great customer service - NOT!!!

Connecting to the RunBikes.com Concierge Desk to live chat with a personal shopping assistant&#8230; 
You have been connected to Matt N. 
*Matt N:* Hello and welcome! 
I'm a personal shopping assistant and can help answer any questions or issues you have. 
How can I assist you? 
*Customer:* I'm interested in a PLIM swiss running bike but I want to know what height a kid needs to be to use one 
*Matt N:* Give me a moment, and I will check on that for you. Be right back... 
*Customer:* i.e. what length from the floor to the seat at its lowest position 
*Customer:* Thanks 
*Matt N:* Well usually like age 3 is when kids start you use it 
*Customer:* age is one thing, height is another 
*Customer:* I ordered a Radio Flyer model and it is too tall for my daughter so I'm looking for an exact answer before I order 
*Matt N:* I cant find a height specification 
*Matt N:* I'm sorry 
*Customer:* can you measure one? 
*Matt N:* Sorry I can not I do not have access to one. 
*Customer:* Thanks, I guess I'm not ordering one.


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## Stalk (May 24, 2005)

I affraid PLIM would be on the large size height wise out of the box. There is few brands with apparently lower seat option but more expensive. 

I wouldn't blame CS, since it's just warehouse, so CS doesn't have an access to the products so original manufacturer could be a better place. 

My son just hit 36" and I figured as long as it's plywood, I always can go McGuire on it to make an adjustments


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## Dan'ger (Aug 26, 2004)

Stalk said:


> I affraid PLIM would be on the large size height wise out of the box. There is few brands with apparently lower seat option but more expensive.
> 
> I wouldn't blame CS, since it's just warehouse, so CS doesn't have an access to the products so original manufacturer could be a better place.
> 
> My son just hit 36" and I figured as long as it's plywood, I always can go McGuire on it to make an adjustments


That's MacGuyver...

But anyway, why bother with having CS if all they can tell you is exactly what you or I could read from the website or the box?


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## Stalk (May 24, 2005)

Here is what I found on Skuut bike, PLIM frame construction seems similar:
The seat is adjustable so children of all sizes can ride: 13 1/2"-16 1/2"

That would be inseam size. Also, judging by the pictures, it should be not hard to flip frame upside down, it would get downswing that way lowering the seat position by another 2 inches. Will see, mine arriving on April 7th.


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## G_Blanco (Feb 26, 2007)

I too looked into getting a push bike for my daughter but she was sooo not interested in it. So when she was just over 2 years old I "settled" for a trike. It is a Schwinn Roadster, very low center of gravity and she jams on it. She loves to take it off road. We also went to the bike store and she got on a bike with training wheels and was ridding up and down the isles. So at 30 months I think its time for a bike. YMMV though, every kids is different. Do not get to down on yourself if you kids doesn't want to ride a bike.


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## Dirt_Diggler (Jun 7, 2006)

francois said:


> Here's a how to guide on how to fall btw.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that's retarded! is that like steve peet's or joshua bender's son?


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

ffwlwhite said:


> I too looked into getting a push bike]


push bike? like this?:thumbsup:


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## surlytman (Nov 9, 2005)

I just found this thread. You can check out the Striders on this post in the new products section.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=386313

I just had an email from one of our customers that was also going to submit a review here.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

francois said:


> I would say at 2 years old, get them a tricycle. Kettler makes nice ones. Pedaling is a foreign concept and that takes a while.
> 
> After a while, you can get them a bike with 10 inch wheels and training wheels. I would recommend going to Goodwill and picking one up for $10.
> 
> fc


:thumbsup: Yup, the Kettlers are expensive, but our first of 3 trashed a cheepie fast. The beauty of the Kettler is the push behind bar and all terrain aspect so you can cover a lot of ground as an adult. It serves as stroller, wagon and bike.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

crisillo said:


> for a 2 y.o., try to get her a push/run bike to help her develop her balance first...


You can make one of these with a free or $10 little bike and strip parts.


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

FYI we bought a Kinderbike for my daughter's 2nd birthday last September, but it doesn't look like she'll be remotely tall enough to touch the ground sufficiently to use it until next summer. If there was something smaller she'd probably try it out.... in the meantime, we just wait for her to grow more. She'll probably be trying out XC skis first.

She loves going for rides in the trailer and jibbers random cheerful bits about bikes, helmets, gloves, etc all the time, so it's still all a positive thing. We aim to keep it that way. When she's ready, she'll roll.


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## donalson (Apr 13, 2004)

i think my daughter got her trike on her 2nd b-day... it had a little handel that went up on the back that let someone (ie me) push and steer... to start with she'd just dangle her feet and hold on the bars... eventualy she got to where she'd steer pretty well... she'd do some pedaling but never got to where she would steer AND pedal.. 

due to where we've been living she's just finaly gotten on 2 wheels (er 4 if you include the traing wheels)... she's now 5 and if she keeps it up she'll be off the traning wheels before it starts getting to cold to ride... she realy teares it up in the driveway though... she'll get rollin quick and skid in the dirt to a stop ... makes me proud haha... (every kid did it when they had coaster brakes)... she did a nice mild 4 mile ride with us (paved trail) not long back... impressive (she was still 4 at the time)... i'd like to get a tag-a-long type thing for the longer quicker rides

my son is 3 1/2... he's working on the pedaling motion on a bike... the getting the pedal hump so he ends up backpedaling which hits the brakes.... on a fixie (his big-wheel) he does fine... he wants to be able to bike so badly it's kinda sad... we'll work with him a bit more and hopefuly he'll be rolling on his doing well with in another month or so... 

basicly as soon as they can balance enough and hold on i'd say it's a good time to start learning...


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

Looking at one of these Wishbone bikes for my girls first birthday. Starts as a trike then goes to two wheels when they're old enough. Later it flips over to be a little bigger.


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

I dont think 2+ w/training wheels is pushing it, if they are physically big enough for it..My little guy rode his in the fall right before 3 yrs old (the following Feb) and then by september he was w/o training wheels (3.6 yrs). NOW he's crazy on the bike!
CDT


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## surlytman (Nov 9, 2005)

verslowrdr said:


> FYI we bought a Kinderbike for my daughter's 2nd birthday last September, but it doesn't look like she'll be remotely tall enough to touch the ground sufficiently to use it until next summer. If there was something smaller she'd probably try it out.... in the meantime, we just wait for her to grow more. She'll probably be trying out XC skis first.
> 
> She loves going for rides in the trailer and jibbers random cheerful bits about bikes, helmets, gloves, etc all the time, so it's still all a positive thing. We aim to keep it that way. When she's ready, she'll roll.


The Strider goes down to an 11" standover. I took a notch out of the saddle nose on mine for my 15 month old and gained an extra 3/4". One tyke started inside with the foamie tires removed with a 9+" inseam, that was this winter, he now is outside with a regular Strider.


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## Dman233 (Dec 15, 2007)

My son has been using a Red Rider push bike(has 4 wheels) since around his 1st birthday. I bought him a Specialized Hot Rock 12" at 19 months he is now almost 21 months. I didn't want to get the Hotwalk because I wanted him to learn how to pedal. He is getting the concept now but still needs a lot more practice. It's never too early to start them on a bike as long as they're interested and big enough.:thumbsup:


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## formica (Jul 4, 2004)

Dirt_Diggler said:


> that's retarded! is that like steve peet's or joshua bender's son?


 Noah Barber, aka Lil Manimal, his dad is Manimal on Ridemonkey. He's at least 7 or 8 now. Lots on youtube. Episode 3


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## Bertleman (Feb 10, 2004)

The LIKEaBIKE site list the heights of the bikes...they have the mini which has a seat height range of 9.8 to 13.4 inches...I measured the Specialized hot walk and the stand over is 11" with the seat height being 15" the like a bike is pricey...but my little girl is worth it


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## surlytman (Nov 9, 2005)

Bertleman said:


> The LIKEaBIKE site list the heights of the bikes...they have the mini which has a seat height range of 9.8 to 13.4 inches...I measured the Specialized hot walk and the stand over is 11" with the seat height being 15" the like a bike is pricey...but my little girl is worth it


Which exact site listed sizes? A search came up empty.

Back to answer the original question.

I can safely answer in regards to our bikes. Had a couple tall one year olds (11" inseam) the average seems to be between 18mo and 22mo for most kids. I keep ours in the house, even though my little guy isnt quite tall enough he has an attachment to it already. He wants to sit on it most days so he will be rolling soon.


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## BiknMama (Sep 25, 2006)

*Push bikes Rock!!*

We started our boy on a four wheeled scooter at 1. It was a little Radio Flyer trike thing with 4 wheels. He rode it into the ground - literally. When the wood split on the steering column and separated from the steer tube we figured that was the end of it. He got a trike after that and then a push bike. The one we got is made by Puky. (The US distributor we got it from is no longer in business so I don't know where you can get them now.) We got it for him before he turned 2 but we had to wait until just after he was two before he could straddle it and have both feet flat on the ground. I really liked the Puky because it has the glider plate where they can put their feet. By 2 1/2 he was gliding around with his feet up on the plate! At 3 we got him the Hot Rock with training wheels (12"). He liked it okay but prefered to ride his Puky. He had a lot more control over it. Finally just before he turned four we took the training wheels off the Hot Rock (he was ready way before then but mom and dad were the hesitant ones!) and now he zips around the neighborhood like a little rocket!
I would have to say that the trikes are good for learning how to pedal and the push bikes are awesome balance toys. They can learn to balance pretty early when they don't have to figure out the whole pedaling thing at the same time. My son was balancing on his Puky before he figured out how to pedal his trike. Then once they have those two skills it's all gravy from there.
I don't think it's ever too early to get a kid a bike (or bike like contraption) - you just have to make sure it fits (trike, push or pedal) and the kid is interested. My son is all about the bike. Our friend's daughter could care less. It just depends on the kid.


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## Bertleman (Feb 10, 2004)

http://store.likeabikeusa.com

just click on the bike and it has all the info


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## Guest (Jul 29, 2008)

Stalk said:


> Here is what I found on Skuut bike, PLIM frame construction seems similar:
> The seat is adjustable so children of all sizes can ride: 13 1/2"-16 1/2"
> 
> That would be inseam size. Also, judging by the pictures, it should be not hard to flip frame upside down, it would get downswing that way lowering the seat position by another 2 inches. Will see, mine arriving on April 7th.


Were you able to flip the frame upside down and have everything rideable? It looks logical,but I can't really tell with the photos I've seen on the internet.

Thanks!
G.

To answer my own question: You can, it really slackens the head tube angle. A video with converted bike on Skuut's media page: http://www.skuut.com/media.php


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## 2melow (Jan 5, 2004)

Shwaa said:


> I want to get my niece her first bike. She turns 3 in a couple months. Is that too young? I am thinking maybe I would be better off waiting another year


Old thread, but we got my son a pvglider https://www.pvglider.com/ for his 3rd birthday.

He was riding a bike 2 weeks later. Never had training wheels.

The newest glider bike on the website is the best out of all of them. *These guys have a patent on the foot rest which is a really nice feature the others don't have. * Just $99 bucks with a rear brake.

contact: Ed Mondedello [email protected]

~Brett


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## surlytman (Nov 9, 2005)

Brett, the Strider also has footrests which I agree is a HUGE benefit!


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## Razorfish (May 9, 2008)

You said, niece. Who's gonna teach this kid to ride?


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## mtbrae (Oct 11, 2005)

*I'd say she is old enough*

we started all three of our children out riding at three without training wheels or a tag along. OUr then youngest started mountain biking at three the older two were five I believe. It's like anything else, if you start them young, it comes as second nature for them. Have fun. Pass on the Passion


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## jf951 (Jun 16, 2008)

here ya go a Ti tricycle from litespeed a few hundred bucks should get them going


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## HardyWeinberg (Aug 3, 2007)

My 3.5 yr old is riding a tricycle all the time at her daycare, a pretty big one (most are yellow, the kids wait w/ varying degrees of patience for their turn on the one blue one). She rides a 16" bike w/ training wheels at home. No pedals would be better for learning balance yadda yadda but she's pretty kamikaze.










Her older brother started on a 16" bike at 3 also, took him 2+ yrs to drop the trainers, but he was perfectly happy commuting to K all year on 4 wheels. Last year, 1st, all year on 2 wheels. He's going to get a 20" bike before 2nd grade starts in a few weeks. Gears and handbrakes time.


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## Mountain Medic (Oct 12, 2004)

My 3.5 yr old getting tricky. She's been on 2 wheels for about 3 months now. She's fast as hell and has already taken a few good diggers.


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## A-NON-A (Sep 21, 2008)

My son is 2yr 8mo and I put him on a little 12inch bike at WalMart and he couldnt ride it. Went to the LBS the other day and put him on a HotRock and he was flying around the store turning down the aisle and everything on carpet....... Needless to say my son is getting a bike for X-mas.!!!


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## SirNiner (Oct 23, 2008)

Try the Glider its under $100 and has foot pegs (keeps the shoes from getting trashed) Brakes, adjustable handle bars and a quick release on the seat. Its also got downhill geometry to help kids learn balance by slowing down the steering and lowering the center of balance and moving it further back (helps prevent endos). It weights 8 lbs and is made out of alloy with EVA puncture proof tires. It even has a cool roller brake with a adjustable reach. email me for a discount coupon. [email protected]


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## SirNiner (Oct 23, 2008)

Try the Glider its under $100 and has foot pegs (keeps the shoes from getting trashed) Brakes adjustable handle bars and a quick release on the seat. Its also got down hill geometry to help kids learn balance by slowing down the steering and lowering and moving the center of balance further back (helps prevent endos). It weights 8 lbs and is made out of alloy with EVA puncture proof tires.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

*Hot Wheels to 12" w/ training wheels*

Hot Wheels to 12" w/ training wheels was the process at my sons Montessori for the 3 year olds. They rode them to death and I had to replace the training wheels after 3 months. They all rode without training wheels between 3.5 and 4 years and did it largely on their own.

They understood pedaling, propulsion, and balanced power delivery before unsupported balance. Once on the bikes momentum and the gyroscopic effect taught balance. These new devices being marketed simply teach control in a different way. I doubt that one is superior to the other. Whatever is the most fun!

The biggest challenge in our area is a good flat open space to ride in as hillsides and traffic are major factors limiting riding. And that is not just limiting for kids but for everyone. The Preschool didn't have a nice soft lawn for the kids but a converted flat parking lot. Just putting the bikes and helmets out there was all that was needed. Fear was just not an issue.

Don't overthink this; just create the opportunity and allow the kids to supply their own motivations. This is the method that ADULTS need to learn if they want the kids to love cycling. Sharing it with dad or mom is icing on the cake. In fairness I'm sure we all hope for the icing but this is for the kids, remember?


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## Demo9 (Nov 20, 2006)

I bought my son a Hotwalk at 1 year. He pushed it around without the seat for roughly 7 months. At 19 months he could finally straddle it with the seat on. I sent him outside and within 10 minutes he was balancing it. I was blown away. Here is a couple you tube videos 



 and


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## Ka_Jun (Oct 1, 2007)

2 for a tricycle, 3 for a Strider or similar and 12" inch bike.


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