# My experience with the balance bike concept.



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

Came home this morning from a ride and it was such a nice morning that I pulled my sons' bikes out of the garage and they began their routine push-and-glide, push-and-glide. Now, a couple weeks back I converted their bikes to ghetto-strider by removing the pedals, zip-tieing the crank arms back, and slamming the seats. This morning, for the first time, I noticed one of my sons (I have 5 yr old twins) lift his legs and glide about 20 yards down our inclined street. When he reached me I asked if he'd like to put his pedals on. To my amazement he said 'yes'. He was *going for it*. Put the pedals back on, raised the seat and in about 10 minutes he was pedaling his little heart out, even turning unassisted. The other twin was having none of that, so he implored me to put the pedals back on his bike and in no time he was riding around too.

I think I've just become a zealot for the b-b concept now. My daughter was on training wheels (several years ago) until she was seven years old, but I never even considered removing them to IMPROVE her riding development. Anyway, I'm a proud papa today and balance bike convert! The first boy even rode his bike into our rock front yard and said, "Look dad, I'm mountain biking".

Here's a pic of them riding today, about four hours after the pedals went on:


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## coldbike (Feb 24, 2011)

That's similar to my experience.
My son had no balance bike and even though I took the training wheels off his real bike, it took him months to learn to ride. My daughter's first 10 seconds on a real bike consisted of coasting down a hill, putting her feet on the pedals, and riding away.


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## CaptainDecisive (Sep 4, 2007)

I hear you coldbike.
We bought an Islabikes Rothan for my boys 2nd birthday. He took a while to get interested but was soon coasting down hills and banking around corners. I remember the first time he locked the rear wheel braking on some loose gravel and fishtailed wildly. He held it together and his expression when I caught up with him was a mixture of shock and awe. When he turned three he started biking just under a mile each way to his nursery school. Saved me having to lug him on my bike.

Then for his fourth birthday he got a Redline Pitboss, the "pedal bike" he'd been talking about for months. With the saddle dropped as far as it would go he could only just touch the ground tippy-toes, so I wasn't sure he was big enough. We went to the local park and I told him I'd hold him and push him along the path so he could try out the pedals. I started out gently and five seconds later he accelerated away from me. Right, that'll be pedaling sorted then.

It seems that once little ones get the balance, adding in pedaling is pretty easy.
And as you know CCMTB, a little bit of peer pressure is a powerful motivator for kids


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## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

@CaptainDecisive

Don't you know it!

Sent from my mountain bike while crashing


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## jcolby (Dec 11, 2011)

As a parent and a physical therapist who treats balance disorders I have no 
Idea why these things didn't become popular earlier than they have. My 3 year 
Old son has been shredding it on his balance bike sine his 2nd bday. My 20 month
old boy can't wait to ride it but he can't reach the ground from the seat yet. I already
Cut the seat post down to fit my older boy when he first got it. I am pretty
certain he is ready for pedals


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## evandy (Oct 3, 2012)

I was reading an article by Sheldon the other day on teaching kids to ride. He noted that a lot of parents don't realize that training wheels should be slowly raised a bit at a time, making the bicycle "tippier." Thus forcing the child to start to balance.


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## gsrblack (Feb 20, 2012)

I'm a balance bike convert and swear by it!

When my oldest son was 4, after a lengthy hospital stay, we had bought him a balance bike as part of his "rehab" for scooting around in the house. After 1 week of getting used to it in the house and lifting his legs, we let him take it outside. After a week of that, I had asked if he wanted his training wheels off his pedal bike and to my surprise, he said 'yes'. I couldn't believe that all it took was 2 weeks and he was without training wheels!

Well, my youngest (now 3, almost 4), started earlier this year, just when he could touch the ground. We had it in the house and it took a few weeks, but he was able to scoot around the house and turn with is feet up. He's been riding without training wheels on his 12" bike all through this past spring/summer.

Totally sold on this concept....it's great since he learned balance and how to turn without the restrictive training wheels. Turning was a big deal since kids tend to turn very sharp with training wheels on.

Now, if I can only get both kids to move up to the next sized bike (from 16" to 20" and from 12" to 16")....they still want to be able to touch the ground with their tippy toes.

Now, I end up loaning the balance bike to friends who want their kids to learn to ride without training wheels.


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## julioardz (May 29, 2008)

We got a balance bike for my son a couple months before he turned 2. He will be 4 in December and is already pedaling off road. They work. Here's my proof.

Elan's First Mountain Biking Ride - YouTube


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## axisofoil (Aug 21, 2012)

julioardz said:


> We got a balance bike for my son a couple months before he turned 2. He will be 4 in December and is already pedaling off road. They work. Here's my proof.
> 
> Elan's First Mountain Biking Ride - YouTube


No FS rig?

Also - NICE!!


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

What did I say? Balance bikes are as good as training wheels are bad.

In fact, balance bikes are such good tools that they're not really needed for a long time.

Congrats!

fc


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## rho (Dec 13, 2007)

Well, my 15month old is big enough for a balance bike. Looks like the little monster will be getting one soon or for christmas. We were thinking of going the way of a 12" wheel pedal bike and taking the pedals off and slamming the seat and doing that in the spring, but he's got another couple inches to go.

Plus we got to stick the kid on on of the 12" wheeled balance bikes at performance today and he could sit on it with the seat all the way down and his feet flat on the ground. He got upset when we had to pry him off to go home.


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## shortribs_nyc (Oct 18, 2012)

I too am looking into (wooden) balance bikes for my soon-to-be 1 year old. Now, I know it will be some time before he'll be able to use it, but do any of you have experience (or thoughts) about the convertible 3-in-1 models (such as the "Wishbone bike" which offer the initial stability of a trike? 

Or is this a feature that is decidely limited in function?


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## TechniKal (Mar 18, 2004)

rho said:


> Well, my 15month old is big enough for a balance bike. Looks like the little monster will be getting one soon or for christmas. We were thinking of going the way of a 12" wheel pedal bike and taking the pedals off and slamming the seat and doing that in the spring, but he's got another couple inches to go.
> 
> Plus we got to stick the kid on on of the 12" wheeled balance bikes at performance today and he could sit on it with the seat all the way down and his feet flat on the ground. He got upset when we had to pry him off to go home.


Note that most 12" pedal bikes have a much higher minimum 'saddle to ground' measurement than a balance bike. It has to be higher to accomdate the crank. If your kid needed the balance bike seat almost all the way down, a normal 12" pedal bike will be too large.

I had the same thoughts for my 2 year old son. I was planning to get him a 12" pedal bike, but they were all way too large. I ended up 'pimping' his big sister's old pink Strider bike out for him with a new paint job, flames and a new seat - and it works much better. He's fully balancing on his own now and really enjoys it.


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## TFitz (Jun 21, 2008)

Balance bikes seem to be the coming thing. I'd caution that all kids are different and it's not always obvious what's going to work. My 8-y-o grandson has eyesight issues (aka "lazy eye" in olden times) and learned late. Trying to transition from training wheels was a disaster, so I did the ghetto balance bike thing and it didn't seem to catch fire. What finally worked was several months of razor scootering to help him get his sense of balance. That and the promise of a new helmet and gloves did the trick. YMMV !


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## julioardz (May 29, 2008)

TFitz said:


> ...and the promise of a new helmet and gloves did the trick.


That was a big motivator for my son to make the switch from a balance bike to a pedal bike as well. I told him we could get a new helmet when he learned to ride his new bike.


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## julioardz (May 29, 2008)

TechniKal said:


> Note that most 12" pedal bikes have a much higher minimum 'saddle to ground' measurement than a balance bike. It has to be higher to accomdate the crank. If your kid needed the balance bike seat almost all the way down, a normal 12" pedal bike will be too large.


That was my thought as well. My son got the Specialized Hotwalk balance bike. He has long legs, but I had to modify it by cutting the seatube and a piece of the saddle so it could drop even lower. He was 1, going on 2, at the time and there's no way he could have started on a pedal bike with the pedals removed at such an early age, at least not with the ones we saw around. He wouldn't have been able to reach the floor. Now for older kids or kids with really long legs, removing the pedals of a 12" bike may work.


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## Billinsd (May 10, 2012)

julioardz said:


> Now for older kids or kids with really long legs, removing the pedals of a 12" bike may work.


My son just turned 4. I had him on a Specialized 16 with training wheels. However, it is a bit too big to use as a balance bike. Then I bought him a Novara 12 bike and took the crank, training wheels off and the size is right, but it does still weigh about 14 lbs.

He is only interested in riding his 12 inch modified Novara balance bike with me when I go riding on bumpy, cobbly trails. He did fine one time I took him.

When I take him to the park or try to get him to use his modified balance bike in the neighborhood he will use it for about 1 or 2 minutes, he just isn't interested. I tried to get him to coast down a grassy hill and he insisted on going to the top and was a little scared going down and then lost interest.

A couple of times he said he wanted the pedals put on. When I put the pedals on he will pedal about 30 feet and then stop and say he is done. He has not crashed, and he seems coordinated to do it, but he just doesn't want to yet.

I don't think it makes much difference whether his bike weighs 14 pounds or if I got him a Strider that weighs 7 pounds. I also got him a push scooter and he was really interested in it at first, but now is not very interested at all.

I think he will get there, maybe a few more months or a year. He loves!!! the idea of riding with me, but not enough to really try.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Bill


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## julioardz (May 29, 2008)

Have you tried some sort of reinforcer? My son did and still does anything for stickers. I tell him he can have stickers after a long ride. We get home and I'll let him have some stickers which he sticks on his bike. This also worked to get him potty trained before he was 2. Offering to get him a new helmet when he transitioned from a balance to a pedal bike also helped. The trick is to find something that your child is really interested in. Stickers, a small toy, a handful of M&M's or Goldfish, whatever will motivate him, and of course, lots of verbal praise for his hard work. 

This and some time should do the trick. They'll do it when they're ready.


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## TechniKal (Mar 18, 2004)

You can't push them too hard. I made that mistake with my daughter. She's an incredible little athlete, and was riding her 12" bike like a pro at age 3, until she had one bad crash. She refused to get back on the bike - which made me upset - which made me push her to get back on - which solidified her resolve not to. She spent almost 2 years not riding at all, until one day she pops up and says 'I want to ride again'. We'd gotten rid of the 12" and replaced it with a 16" Hotrock. It took her about 15 seconds to get used to it and she's back to being a little pro - did her first mtb race back last summer and beat a lot of boys that were older than her. She's since moved on to a nice geared 20" bike.

It's still frustrating at times as she'll decide she'd rather ride her scooter, or climb trees, or play Frisbee or whatever - than ride her bike. I just have to keep reminding myself she's a small kid and she's doing what she enjoys - not what I enjoy. So encourage, but don't mandate and back off and give them some room. It's got to be a positive, fun experience for them if they're going to develop a love for it.


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## Billinsd (May 10, 2012)

julioardz said:


> Have you tried some sort of reinforcer?


Not really, except to tell him he can ride with me and his sister "where there are rattlesnakes" when he can pedal. I can't think of any bigger encentive than the adventure of biking alongside rattlesnakes .



julioardz said:


> This and some time should do the trick. They'll do it when they're ready.


Yes time and patience for me 



TechniKal said:


> You can't push them too hard. I made that mistake with my daughter. She's an incredible little athlete, and was riding her 12" bike like a pro at age 3, until she had one bad crash. She refused to get back on the bike - which made me upset - which made me push her to get back on - which solidified her resolve not to.


Sounds like me 



TechniKal said:


> It's still frustrating at times as she'll decide she'd rather ride her scooter, or climb trees, or play Frisbee or whatever - than ride her bike. I just have to keep reminding myself she's a small kid and she's doing what she enjoys - not what I enjoy.


Yep, sounds like my son and his 8 year old sister.

I am buying my son some Bell brand Spiderman gloves, knee pads, and elbow pads  He said he would like some protection.

Yesterday I brought my dog along on my bike ride with my daughter and she REALLY enjoyed that!!!!

Thanks Bill


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## Garasaki (Apr 7, 2010)

CCMTB said:


> The first boy even rode his bike into our rock front yard and said, "Look dad, I'm mountain biking".


My 3 year old rides up to curbs and smashes into them, than lifts his strider up and walks up the curb.

I assume he saw me riding over curbs on my bike and now he thinks it's cool. It cracks me up...he goes totally out of his way to do it!


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## Renntag (Nov 21, 2011)

I have been working with my 4 year daughter. She is riding the balance bike pretty well, but hasnt made any long glides yet. We are on the cusp of pedaling so I am now on the look out for a 12''er and a tag a long. With the tag we can go for longer rides that currently we are just using a trailer for. It will be great when she can pedal on her own and we use the trailer for "picnic". 


Our balance bike is wooden. I liked the look of it more than the metal models.


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## Billinsd (May 10, 2012)

My son made some huge gains recently. I realized he was not ready for pedals, so I took of the crank, chain, etc. I took him to the trailhead where I usually ride and he was gliding his bike a little on the asphalt road into the parking lot. Then he started gliding down a really long hill and was having a blast!!! He was holding his feet up and insisted on going back up the hill several times. He begged to go back the next day and we did and he had fun. He had a bit of a problem with going to fast and I tought him to his the rear hand brake. Tonight he wants to go to a nearby park and bring his bike and I will. I'm not sure when he will be ready for pedals or will want them, but I will let him decide and do what he wants to on his bike!!

No going back to training wheels for me and I wish I had never put them on his bike.
Life is good....
Bill


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## shupack (Nov 28, 2012)

My oldest was similar, scooted for a while, then (FINALLY, I tried really hard not to push her) she asked me to put the pedals on. In about 10 minutes she was riding up and down the driveway without stopping to turn around, then pulled a perfect power-slide! That's now her younger sister's bike and she's getting a 20" soon.


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## jpatt28 (Aug 9, 2012)

My boy is 2 and loves his bike. I put pegs on the front and he just puts his feet up there and coasts. I've taken him everywhere to ride that thing.


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## tex22 (Dec 15, 2012)

One of my kids(7 yo) stopped wanting to try riding just as she was ready to do it by herself for some reason; never could get her to explain why. (She had been using a balance bike.) 
I ended up getting her a foot bike (footbikeusa) so she could get over whatever fear she had about bikes while still getting balancing practice; after a few months on that she was willing to try a regular bike again and was riding in just a few minutes.
Foot bikes are fun, but not so good up hills! We still have it and use occasionally, though I mainly use it at burning man since it is low maintenance.


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## shupack (Nov 28, 2012)

oh, pegs are a GREAT idea..


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## FullBladdy (Aug 26, 2011)

My son will be 4 in Feb. and he has been pedaling on his 12" bike for almost a year. Prior to that I had him on a balance bike and I am just as happy as the rest of you that I made that decision. When you let your mind move away from what we were taught as kids and what is a "normal" way of learning how to ride a bike the balance first method totally makes sense. Balance is instinct pedaling is foreign, start with what is natural and then work the rest. 

Something to keep in mind is that your kid will most likely get a lot of time learning how to pedal on other things like tricycles, etc. so they will know the basic concept. I thought I was running into problems when introducing the "pedal" bike because it was a challenge and the strider was easier. Lots of big boy talk and of course watching Daddy did the trick. It is seriously one of the biggest joys I have had in my life!


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## Billinsd (May 10, 2012)

My 4 year old still is afraid of pedals. I got a trailer bike and he likes pedaling on it. Yesterday he insisted that I stop pedaling and let him pedal us down a hill. I figure he will want pedals by summer, maybe when he is 5? Bill


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## theNomad (Dec 27, 2010)

Got my son a 16" with training wheels after thinking I'd just be buying "twice" to get a strider then a bike. He had fun on the bike but learned all the bad habits of training wheels. I worked with him on balance and finally when he turned 5 he decided he wanted to do it himself and started riding. 

My daughter now has a strider. At 2.5 she's scooting around great. I convinced my brother to get one for his sone and at 2 he was scooting and at 3 he is riding a 12" bike. The more I take my daughter out the better she gets and I'm certain she'll be riding by 3.5 as well.

It works, do it. I still think they are a bit expensive for what they are (especially when big brands are jumping in to push the price to $150 or $200!)


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## matbar20 (Jan 30, 2012)

I'm betting we will see a giant leap in bicycle talent for the generations of kids being brought up to ride beginning with balance bikes. Both my friends' kids learned to ride a proper 2 wheeler before they were 3 years old. I'm pretty sure i my dad didn't take my training wheels off until I was 4 years old. These days i'm watching kids hit the small set of dirt jumps at our local skills park when they are only three or four!

How Kids Balance Bikes Push The Sport of Mountain Biking


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## evandy (Oct 3, 2012)

My parents got my 3yo a 12" with-training-wheels bike last Christmas. I let her play with it before deciding on the balance bike... After a couple months she has pedaling and steering down, but has NO balance at all. She rides with me on the Big Dummy whenever we get, so she is used to the bike leaning for the turns and all, but can't do it by herself.

This afternoon, two boxes arrived in the mail... a Strider for my 2yo, and a Burley MyKick for the 3.5yo. Both girls are small for their age, and I definitely wanted a balance bike for the younger one. Given what I see, we will be keeping both. The 2yo could manage the height on the Burley with the seat all-the-way down, but it's too heavy to lift herself. I don't mind spending an extra $80 to have them both. (interestingly, the Burley is cheaper than the Strider... and a MUCH nicer bike. If your kids aren't <25% size like mine, I would totally check out the Burley).

As far as the 3.5yo... within 20 minutes, I looked up from helping my 2yo and saw the 3.5yo doing a two-foot push & lift and gliding about a foot. By the end of the hour, she was able to go 2-3 feet at a time, and was keeping the balance bike straight and under control as she ran around. I give her 2 months max before she moves back to the pedal bike (which will never have training wheels on it again).

Needless to say: the Balance Bike thing is worth it!


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## evandy (Oct 3, 2012)

Quick update.... 4 days along, and the 3 year old is now picking up her feet and gliding over 10+ feet (including turns). Every time she gets on the bike, she is doing better.

My 2yo isn't doing much more than walking on it, but that's ok. She's still having fun. Actually, what she REALLY wants is to pick her feet up and have me push her along. I've been holding her lightly by the shoulders and having her work on steering an balance. HUGE grin on her face every time we do that.


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## TechniKal (Mar 18, 2004)

My 2 year old has spent the last 6 months on the Strider bike. He became very good at balancing, and grew tall enough to be able to reach the ground on a 'normal' 12" bike - so we picked up a Hotrock for him a month or two back. I put a 'balance buddy' handle on the back so I could keep him upright while he was learning.

It was an interesting transition - while he knew how to balance, he didn't know how to pedal. Add in the coaster brake, and most rides were an exercise in frustration for both him and me. However, after a while, it clicked, and he's successfully riding the bike now. Still working starting and stopping on his own, but you can see him ride here (sorry for the sideways video):






I don't know whether I should be happy that I have him riding before being potty trained, or if that means my priorities are all screwed up - but it's a great feeling to have my whole family riding now...

Compared to my daughter, who is the 'pure' athlete in the family, my son had a much easier and much earlier transition to riding. I credit the Strider bike for that completely. That, and his desire to chase his sister (and all the attention he gets for riding when he's so little). The Strider is well worth the investment, imo.


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