So we bought my son a Wee balance bike from Walmart for only 20 bucks last spring, when he was about 26 months old. He had just figured out how to pedal a tricycle and was really unsure about the balance bike. In fact he hated...So I packed it up and tried it again for his Christmas/Birthday...He loves, loves--loves it.....Problem is-- it was made like it only cost 20 bucks. The wheels wobble when they spin and now that he's gotten the hang of trying to balance on it and not just "walk" with it I really want to get him a better quality one. One where he could potentially balance and glide on it...
I have narrowed it down to 3 types the PV glider, the strider and/or the kinderbike. Has anyone used any of these? Can you tell me the likes and dislikes of either! The PV & the strider seem very similar except the PV glider actually has a foot peg, the strider just a foot rest. Both have foam tires. This is the same as the Wee balance bike my son already has. And now I'm unsure as to whether the tire wobbliness is from the foam wearing wierd or just a bad tire all the way around...The kinderbike has rubber inflatable tires and is slightly heavier and taller?
If I'm going to drop a 100.00 on a bike I'd like to make sure I'm getting the best one...
Any thoughts...
I would get him a 2 wheeler bike with training wheels instead of another glider. He sounds more than ready for that.
I love balance bikes! My son had one just before he turned 3 and was riding a real bike (albeit a tiny one) two months later! That said...
I wouldn't get him another glider... you'd be surprised how soon he'll be ready to ride a bike with pedals. See if you can tighten up the wheels a little and keep him on the balance bike for another month or two. Then...
Just get a 12 inch bike without training wheels (they usually come with them on, just take them off), put the seat all the way down so he can put his feet flat on the ground like with the balance bike, and let him ride that... even if he isn't ready to pedal, he'll be able to glide around on it, and when he's ready he'll put his feet on the pedals.
HTH
T.
We bought a Strider for our son's 2 year birthday last May and he LOVES it! We haven't had any problems with it. It is very durable but light. I'm surprised the tires are described as 'foam' because they don't seem like foam to me. They are very sturdy and not soft at all. Our son hasn't really tried to glide with it yet, mostly just walks/runs with it, so I can't really compare the foot rest vs. foot peg. It is very light, my son can carry it himself. It has been really amazing to see him develop more control and balance over the bike. At first he was a little uncertain and would let it fall over but now he is very confident with it. I can't wait until he realizes that he can glide with it too!
I have a nice Playskool balance bike for our toddler (actually a "Glide to Ride" bike that starts as a balance bike and then has wheel assembly included to easily convert to a regular bike), but because she is so tiny, we haven't given it to her yet. They may have been discontinued, recently, but I've seen them on ebay and craigslist.
But, when talking to a friend about balance bikes, he said for his son, he just purchased a decent kids' bike and took it to a bike shop to have the pedals & chain removed. Then, when his son was ready, he had everything put back on--all with the same bike, with only the added cost of removing and then putting back on a few parts. :)
We were fortunate to borrow a Specialized Balance Bike from a friend who was in between kids (one who had mastered it and moved on to a bicycle & the other too small to start). It's the best in this category and I didn't know that until I was returning the bike and stopped by the bike shop for a new tube.
Do whatever you can to borrow, rent, or buy a used high quality balance bike.
Carigslist might help.
We have the Kinderbike for my daughter, I thought it worked really well. My niece had the strider and that was pretty good as well.
I preferred the Kinderbike because it seemed sturdier and more stable and i'm a nervous wreck :)
how about buying a conventional children's bike and removing the pedals (the left pedal is reverse threaded) and lowering the seat so your child can 'scoot' like on a balance bike - then when he gets the hang of it, you just need to raise the seat and put the pedals back on :-)
I wouldn't trust foam tires.
Yes, it is cheapy and will not last.
Why don't you just get a bike with training wheels?
Same diff.
And it will grow with the child... and last.
