Bike Post #1: Balance Bikes

We love biking with our kids. Had we known just how much fun it was – and how quickly kids pick up riding – we might not have waited until our oldest, Charles, was 2 1/2 to find a bike for him. If our kids could be on their bikes all day, we’re pretty sure they would.

 

STEP 1: THE KICKSTER

When we first started looking at balance bikes for Charles, we wanted something sturdy. We didn’t know anything about the kid’s bike world, so we went with Trek’s balance bike, the Kickster. It had thick wheels and was much better put together than the bikes he’d been able to try out at retail stores. Since we live in a rural setting and our driveway is gravel, we needed something that had thicker tires (think mountain vs. road bike) and a well-made frame for him to bump around on. It was a pretty ideal first balance bike: very simple. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to complain about, either… except the footrests for coasting. This is a feature I have seen on SO MANY entry-level balance bikes, and it drives me absolutely crazy. Not only have I never seen a kid who’s proficient on the bike really use them; I’ve seen them in multiple instances – with my own boys and with other kids – be an annoying distraction/hindrance to riding, whether because kids use them as “pedals” and fall over, or because they stick out from the frame enough to catch at a kid’s feet and ankles. I think they’re one of the features that sounds good to a parent who isn’t sure what kids do with their feet when they’re riding if they don’t have pedals.

STEP 2: THE RIDGEBACK DIMENSION/SCOOT AND THE WOOM 1 Once Charles had spent a year riding his Kickster like a maniac – in the snow, up and down stairs, on trails with us – he started to chew through the toes of his shoes trying to stop, and it became apparent we needed something a little more aggressive for him. That’s when we discovered Two Wheeling Tots, by far the most useful website about kid’s bikes ever created. [If you’re looking for a site that will guide you on how to pick the right bike for YOUR kid, please visit them! I can just offer you advice and a glimpse at what it was like as a parent to choose bikes.]

After a little bit of research and some soul searching (did we REALLY want to spend upwards of $300 on a balance bike?) we bit the bullet and ordered a Ridgeback Dimension. Our model is from a few years ago now – the redesign is the Scoot. When we found the Dimension, we liked that it looked a little more like a “real” bike; we liked its more aggressive (that is, less upright) riding posture; and we especially liked that it had a functional handbrake. Now that we’re starting to move into pedal bikes, I cannot stress the importance of this feature on a balance bike enough. It’s easy for the kids to ignore a handbrake before they’re ready to use it, and now that he really needs it (we’re skipping coaster brakes because they’re heavy and unnecessary!), we’re glad he learned to use it when he still had his feet as “backup brakes.”

When the bike came, we were unbelievably impressed with its craftsmanship, and Charles was enchanted with it. It has now been ridden almost every day for almost a year, including on snow and ice. It’s fallen off the edge of a trail, taken him over logs, been hosed down at Kingdom Trails dozens of times, gotten muddy, wet, grassy, dusty, abandoned in the driveway, taken to the beach, and thrown in the trunks of various cars…and it’s still going. With Little Bro now tall enough to ride it with its seat at the lowest setting, we can attest to its brilliance yet again: it’s encouraging speed, better balance, and more aggressive riding from him as well. He’s happy to inherit wider wheels, a “cooler” frame, and a more comfortable seat than his own balance bike.

I like to think that we had no requirements from Theo’s first bike besides that he be able to sit on it – he had an 11-inch inseam at the time of purchase, and most balance bikes don’t have a low enough seat. The truth is, I was impressed with the Woom 1 for more reasons than just the low seat height. The Woom’s more upright positioning, thinner tires, and lighter frame make it perfect for an 18-month-old who is just mastering walking. It also has a functional handbrake that is easy to adjust, and comes in so many fun colors! We’d be sticking with Woom bikes if we had less aggressive little mountain bike riders; the wheels are just a little thin and the positioning just a little too upright to make their larger bikes functional for our kiddos. I have seen plenty of kids flying around out on the trails on them – it’s just not the right choice for our kids. I would recommend the Woom 1 to ANYONE just starting out, because there is so much room to grow on this bike, and it’s so easy for even the smallest kids to balance from the get-go.

Our only complaints are small. The more upright seat position paired with the geometry of the bike set a toddler’s feet right below the rear fork. This made Theo’s feet hit the fork (he had little ankle bruises!) when he was very short and first learning to ride; now that he is taller and faster, he catches and cuts up his little ankles on the outside of the brake calipers. This definitely bothers me a lot more than it bothers him, and, much like the footrests on other bikes, he is adjusting to both problems by learning to keep his legs wider when he rides. The handbrake is also better suited to older kids who ride the bike – he’s been on it for over a year now, and only in the past month have his hands finally gotten big enough to squeeze the brake. (The brake on Charles’s Dimension is softer to squeeze and set closer in to the handlebars; the angle can also be adjusted independently of the handlebar position, which is very useful when switching the bike between kids. The Dimension also doesn’t have the same problem with rear fork/brake interference with the feet – the brake is set higher on the wheel and the curve of the frame keeps the fork up and away from kids’ feet.)

STEP 3: THE CLEARY GECKO Now that Charles is proficient with his handbrake, and has started pushing the limits of his Ridgeback, we looked into the pedal bike reviews on 2 Wheeled Tots and, based on our kid’s riding style and weight (he’s only 35lbs!)  picked the Cleary Gecko. [More about actually learning to ride with pedals in another post – we are just using it as a balance bike for now!] This bike is a step up from his Dimension in a few ways. It has both rear and front handbrakes, with faster response than the balance bikes. This is extremely important, as it’s about twice as heavy and another inch longer than the Dimension

Even though it’s Charles’s bike, and even though it’s so much bigger, Theo has been able to get on the Gecko and tiptoe it around the driveway and flat lawn; the wheel travel is great, and doesn’t require a lot of strength to gather momentum. The pedals are VERY easy to get on and off, so while we’ve done a few experimental runs with them on, we’re letting Charles use it as a balance bike to adjust to the new weight, brakes, and body position.

 

On an entirely practical parental note, I have been spoiled by the ease of adjusting both the Woom and the Dimension, whose seat height I can change with no tools. The Gecko needs an allen wrench to adjust the seat height and a regular wrench to secure the pedals. I’ve been in a bind a couple of times because I’ve been without tools and needed to make adjustments for comfortable riding. That said, I am pretty much a novice at actually assembling/caring for bikes, and the instruction manual to assemble the Gecko out of the box was so clear that I set it up in less than an hour, even with an excited 4 1/2 year old trying to rip it off the bike stand while I was working. Thanks for the super instructions, guys!!!! Even MOMS can follow it!