# Next bike after a balance bike



## Roc (May 9, 2006)

My son who is now 3 has been riding a Strider balance bike since he was 18 months. He's completely mastered the bike, he rides constantly, he's even done up to 4 miles of singletrack the little bike has really served us well. Now I'm looking for a pedal bike to fit a 3 year old, any suggestions?


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## essjss (Aug 16, 2008)

My girls got 16" Specialized Hotrock bikes when they turned 4. They still ride the balance bikes 7 months later but enjoy their pedal bikes too.

I'd suggest getting him whatever fits well in a 16" bike. I'm sure he won't be on a 12" bike for long (if he hasn't outgrown it already).


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## dogstar (Dec 16, 2005)

If you have to go with a 12", just get one from Craigslist. Immediately throw the training wheels as far as you can (you already know that), and let them get used to pedaling, steering, and braking as soon as possible. We ran my son through a progression of CL cheapies until he was a little over 4 and could just squeeze into a 20" dropped frame bike. Because he'd been riding for so long, mastering hand brakes, freewheels, and six speed gearing was no sweat.

For a 12" you can use whatever you can get cheap. Just make sure it's safe and the bearings mostly spin. He won't be on it for long or going that far. For 16", 18" or 20", I recommend grabbing something at least "name brand" -- better chance of working bearings and a lighter ride (though ALL kids bikes are ridiculous tanks).

I have some tips that may be useful down the road (for the 20 and 24" bikes) in a series of posts at my family biking blog: "Kids bikes suck and what you can do about it.". It's mostly tailored at making a road/commute machine out of a mountain bike, but you may find something useful.

Have fun riding with your kids!


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