Balance Bikes (for nippers)
Discussion
outnumbered said:
One thing about dedicated balance bikes is they are really quite expensive. I didn't want to shell out £100 for a balance bike my daughter was going to use for a couple of months before inheriting her sister's CNOC (yes, another one for the thread!).
So I got a knackered small kids bike off the local Freecycle scheme, took the cranks off & lowered the saddle, and thus made a balance bike at a cost of £0.
well done... personally my daughter is worth more to me than thatSo I got a knackered small kids bike off the local Freecycle scheme, took the cranks off & lowered the saddle, and thus made a balance bike at a cost of £0.
, £88 is not a lot now is it ? So, the balance bike approach worked for us. My boy is 3, and has never ridden a bike with stabilsers - only ridden his likeable. We took him along to the Islabikes stand at Mildenhall, and Isla measured him up and sat him on a Cnoc16. We explained that he doesn't know about pedalling, but she just popped him on and walked with him. She came back and said "he's ready to ride, just run behind him with your palm on his back and he'll ride away from you". Sure enough, that's just what he did.
It was all a bit too crowded to really let him loose, but I let him get a couple of metres ahead, and he was fine, if a bit wobbly. Sadly, my wife was too crap with the phone to get a good pic, but she got all emotional and cried. Good times! The Cnoc should be with us next week.
It was all a bit too crowded to really let him loose, but I let him get a couple of metres ahead, and he was fine, if a bit wobbly. Sadly, my wife was too crap with the phone to get a good pic, but she got all emotional and cried. Good times! The Cnoc should be with us next week.
Tried to convince my daughter that a CNOC was the ideal bike for her but all she cares about is it being pink, so I have just bought her a Ridgeback Melody which I am sure isn't quite as good as a CNOC, but she will love it and want to ride it so is very looking forward to her birthday! Monies saved will get her a pink Giro Flume helmet too which looks very cool!
Here is a couple of photos of her on the wooden balance bike doing some downhilling at the weekend!
Here is a couple of photos of her on the wooden balance bike doing some downhilling at the weekend!
just spotted some great balance bikes in my local Honda shop in the style of superbikes, classic bikes, Vespa's etc. They can be found here :
http://www.kiddimoto.co.uk/
Noggin Jnr would be getting one if he didn't already have his 'firstbike' .
http://www.kiddimoto.co.uk/
Noggin Jnr would be getting one if he didn't already have his 'firstbike' .
Mekon said:
hughjayteens said:
Tried to convince my daughter that a CNOC was the ideal bike for her but all she cares about is it being pink...
Not that it matters in the scheme of things, but you did know that Islabikes gives you the option of green or pink transfers on the Cnoc, right?The Ridgeback is very pink!!
I had a Puki balance bike for my boy. He used it loads from just under three until he was four. On his 4th birthday he went in a four mile ride on his brand new Ridgeback. Job done.
Starting his little sister on the balance bike now (2 yrs 8 moonths).
Avoid stabilisers - a pain - as the other poster pointed out.
Starting his little sister on the balance bike now (2 yrs 8 moonths).
Avoid stabilisers - a pain - as the other poster pointed out.
My neighbour just got of these for his youngest
http://www.simpsoncycles.co.uk/product.php?xProd=2...
No cheap but extremely light
http://www.simpsoncycles.co.uk/product.php?xProd=2...
No cheap but extremely light
Time flys, kids now 8 & 10, so it's hard to remember exact ages when things happened.
Our kids 1st 2 wheel bikes were 14" with staberlizers, both riding unassisted by the time they went to early years (4 years old?), and prior to this went through the stages of staberlizers down fully, raised slightly etc, but the best fun we had was an 'aligator' (a tow bar behind my bike which lifts the kids bike front whhel off the ground) enabling us to go for miles. We are quite lucky where we live as you can go for miles off road on paths meaning it is very safe.
It all comes down to money. We skipped the 12" wheel on the recomendation of the bike shop, as he said they would out grow it in no time at all, so to invest in a balance bike which you can't ride anywhere is quite an expence.
Although my 8 year old now has full size wheels on a 13 1/2 " frame, he still occasionally rides his 14" wheel bike round the garden like a 'micro bike'. The 20" wheel he had inbetween gets used for school, so all in all, we have had good use out of all the sizes we have purchased.
Would highly recomend an 'Aligator' to increase the distance you can ride for your own pleasure, whilst still entertaining the kids!
Our kids 1st 2 wheel bikes were 14" with staberlizers, both riding unassisted by the time they went to early years (4 years old?), and prior to this went through the stages of staberlizers down fully, raised slightly etc, but the best fun we had was an 'aligator' (a tow bar behind my bike which lifts the kids bike front whhel off the ground) enabling us to go for miles. We are quite lucky where we live as you can go for miles off road on paths meaning it is very safe.
It all comes down to money. We skipped the 12" wheel on the recomendation of the bike shop, as he said they would out grow it in no time at all, so to invest in a balance bike which you can't ride anywhere is quite an expence.
Although my 8 year old now has full size wheels on a 13 1/2 " frame, he still occasionally rides his 14" wheel bike round the garden like a 'micro bike'. The 20" wheel he had inbetween gets used for school, so all in all, we have had good use out of all the sizes we have purchased.
Would highly recomend an 'Aligator' to increase the distance you can ride for your own pleasure, whilst still entertaining the kids!
Thought I'd resurrect this as I've just tried ordering an Islabike balance bike for my 2-y-o. I'm happy to pay the GBP90 plus a bit for postage, I thought maybe GBP30, but was surprised that the postage came to GBP80 to Sydney. Thats GBP170 in total, which even at todays rates means $AU330'ish - when a FirstBike costs AU$270 and a top-notch wooden bike costs AU$90.
Are Islabikes really that good???
Are Islabikes really that good???
tricky69 said:
saw this on saturday... And my daughter is 2 in October ! Perfect present !!
We have this bike for my 3 year old (in red). He took it from his sister, and was using it from about 2 onwards (as soon as he could get near the thing!). It worked a treat, and he was cycling a pedal bike a few months before his 3rd birthday - looked really wierd such a small kids cycling a proper bike with no stabilisers!!I can't recommend the specialised enough. £79.99 well spent, and 2-3 years on it still looks like new.
PomBstard said:
Are Islabikes really that good???
My boy has had his Islabike since 17th September and it`s fantastic!Build quality is excellent and he`s taken to it remarkably well. I`ve lost count of the amount of parents who`ve asked me where the bike was bought from.
It`s well worth the money!
the islabike rothan is nice, but at the end of the day, there isn't a lot to balance bikes. I don't think I'd want to pay £80 to get it posted half way around the world. I think I'd have been as happy with my boy to have a £60 puky as I was with his £150 likeabike jumper. However, the later islabikes, particularly the benin upwards do look really special compared to the rest of the market.
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