Balance Bikes

Balance Bike

The balance bike has fast become the go-to training bicycle for children, helping them to slowly build up vital core muscle strength and learn the motor skills required for safe cycling. Using a balance bike can help to make learning to ride a bike just that bit easier and safer for your child to grasp.

Balance bikes for kids are simple, easy to use bikes. A kids balance bike has no pedals and instead sits low enough to the ground for a child to propel themselves using their legs. Once they’re moving, they must lift their feet just high enough to clear the ground while they concentrate on balancing their weight across the lightweight riding frame. This simplifies the riding process, helping kids learn how to effectively balance their weight first before introducing the tricky part of using pedals to power the bicycle. It also slows them down while they’re learning. They’re only able to move as quickly as their legs will power them, helping to prevent frightening falls and keeping them safe.

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What is a balance bike used for?

Using balance bikes for toddlers has made teaching kids to ride a bike easier, safer and more effective. You can introduce a no-pedal bike earlier to your child than larger bike frames and training bike wheels which means you can get your kids excited about exercise sooner rather than later. Because balance bicycles are so easy to use and reduce the risk of kids falling and hurting themselves, younger kids can join the rest of the family on regular rides sooner, so everybody stays healthy, active and has fun while enjoying plenty of fresh air.

As a lightweight product with a simple frame and safe, chunky wheels, the balance bike is quick and easy to transport, requiring no disassembly or expensive car frames and the seat is adjustable so you can tweak the height as your child grows in confidence and as they get bigger.

Learning to balance a bicycle while powering it is the hardest part of learning to ride a bike. Using a balance bike with brakes helps toddlers and young children to build the strength and motor skills they need to safely coordinate their body while on a bike frame. They learn to hold themselves, propel themselves, slow down and steer more quickly and more safely, helping them build the confidence they need to graduate to bigger and more powerful bicycles.

Understanding road rules and pedestrian safety is another big learning curve for young children and why kids bikes are so important. Getting outside and on a balance bike earlier will expose kids to how road rules work, how to use bike paths safely and how to take care of themselves. They learn to respond to their environment earlier, including factors like ambient temperature, wind and different types of riding terrain, which make graduating to a grown-up bike that much easier.

Introducing your child to a safe, easy and fun way of exercising helps build healthy exercise habits for later down the track and is a great way to bring the family together for quality time and making fond memories for everyone.

How to choose a balance bike?

Deciding to buy your child a balance bike is a big step but a rewarding one. First, ensure that your child is walking comfortably. Kids will need to be able to comfortably and confidently stand over the bike with both feet on the ground before they can start to learn how to ride. Knowing that they can control their speed and direction will help them build their confidence but if they’re not ready yet, forcing them can have disastrous effects.

The idea of introducing your child to a new balance bike is to make the process of learning to ride easier and more fun than using traditional training wheels. Your child must be ready before they start to ensure they build happy, healthy and fun memories of what it’s like to feel the freedom of zooming around on their bicycle.

If you’re certain that your child is walking confidently and can manage the weight of a balance bike frame, then it’s time to start shopping. BikeExchange is your online marketplace bringing together thousands of specialist retailers offering a complete range of bikes and cycling accessories, including 20inch kids bikes that your child will eventually move up to.

You’ll find everything you need for both children and adults at BikeExchange, including family bikes and commuter bikes as well as the latest range of road bikes and scooters, including kids scooters. A scooter uses the same propelling power as the balance bike so this is another great way of helping your child to learn how to coordinate their body and build the strength they need to scoot around as well as ride.

The first, and most important factor, for choosing a balance bike is the size. Choose a size that fits your child now, not a size that you know your child will grow into. The idea of using the balance bike is to slowly introduce the various physical elements required for maintaining speed, direction and balance while riding. If the bike doesn’t fit perfectly then this may lead to difficulty controlling it and possibly a negative experience while riding.

The various sizes for a balance bike relate to the size of the tyre and not the frame. You’ll most commonly see balance bike sizes available as 12 inches or 14 inches so you’ll need to accurately eyeball or test the child on the frame size to know which bikes are the best fit. If you find a good size for your child, consider the following:

-Is the child comfortable standing over the bike? Are their feet flat on the ground when they’re standing?

• Can they walk the bike while standing over it? Do they have the strength and coordination necessary yet?

• What is the maximum and minimum seat height? How much adjusting can you do?

• Are the handlebars easy to reach and use?

• Does the balance bike have a brake? Does your child know how it works?

• What kind of tyres does the bike have?

Some balance bikes come with low cost and low maintenance foam tyres that are easy to use and they won’t puncture. Standard inflated tyres, as you’d find on an adult’s bike, are also available and while they are more expensive and can be punctured, they will also help your child feel the terrain under them, providing cushioning and better grip across a range of surfaces.

What is the best age to get a balance bike?

There’s no standard age for when to introduce a balance bike to your child. If your child is confidently walking and tall enough to manage the frame, then it might be time. You may not really know until your child is standing over it.

Slow and steady really does win the race when it comes to learning to ride a bike and the balance bike is a great new way of helping younger children to grasp the motor skills and build the strength needed to zoom along the bike path with the rest of the family. Shop online now for kids balance bikes at BikeExchange, the international online marketplace for every kind of cyclist.