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We have restored our upgrade option, the Woom 1 12-inch balance bike, which is back on the shelves after being out of stock for a long time.
A good balance bike can help children develop the coordination and confidence they need to ride a bicycle-something they can’t get with training wheels. We spent about 40 hours researching and assembling 13 balance bikes and handing them to a group of energetic children aged 2 to 8. After all, after consulting with other parents and industry professionals, we believe that the Strider 12 Sport is the best balance bike for most children (and their parents).
Strider 12 Sport is sturdy, lightweight and easy to assemble, making it the best adjustable choice for children from 18 months to 5 years old.
The Strider 12 sports balance bike hides an amazing design under the simple appearance. It is the most popular balance bike on the market, and we understand why: easy to assemble, wide adjustable range, light weight (6.7 pounds) and a low standing height of 8 inches, it is easier to balance. Among all the bicycles here, it has the best design feeling, and it is mini-me-friendly, with narrow handlebars for children and toddler-sized handlebars. Its seatpost has the widest height adjustment range (9 inches!) of any bicycle we have tested. Its simple design includes an ultra-light, maintenance-free nylon sleeve earphone (the pivot that allows the handlebar to turn), very light plastic wheels, pleasantly gripping foam rubber tires that never need to be inflated, and pedals Boards, this is a great feature. A child starts to try techniques like bunny jumping, or just wants to rest their feet when they gradually go downhill. We also like the full-length handlebar pads when the rabbit jumps wrong. The 12 Sport does not have brakes, but Strider provides additional foot brakes for hilly terrain.
This aluminum balance scooter is more expensive than our first choice and has less adjustability, but it is equipped with shock-absorbing rubber pneumatic tires suitable for indoor use.
If our top pick is sold out, or if you want the cushioning and traction of rubber tires, especially when riding indoors, REI’s Co-op Cycles REV 12 children’s balance bike is a good choice. Although its pneumatic tires, alloy wheels and standard ball-bearing earphones make it 9 pounds heavier than Strider Sport, REV 12 also has thoughtful design elements for children, such as low top tube (same as Strider 12 Sport 8 inches) and The adjustable seat height of 5 inches is still good, but it is 4 inches less than the Strider. Compared with Strider 12 Sport, the slightly more expensive Co-op lacks some size adjustability, especially on the handlebars, but some of our testers prefer the stability of the wider handlebars and their ability to pass through its fat rubber The speed generated by the tire. REV 12 also scored high for its very simple assembly. Clean welds, flawless painting work, and precisely assembled components create bicycles of the same high quality as REI’s renowned customer support.
Although not as exquisite as Strider or Co-op, this lightweight, low-backward bike will allow most children to get up and glide happily — without breaking the budget.
Our experts agree that you have to make some trade-offs if you spend less than $110 on a balance bike. Although the steel frame Banana Bike LT V2 provides beginners with what we think are the two most important features-low standing height and light weight, at a very affordable price, it takes more than 45 minutes to actually get out of the box. However, the frame is well-designed, and the handlebar has a wide range of height adjustment, which fits the seat (approximately 3 inches). Banana’s foam tires work well on paved and carpeted surfaces, but are slippery on kitchen linoleum and hardwood floors (unlike our top and runner-up). I need to use a pair of wrenches to loosen its wheels (which is bad because the bicycle has only one wrench) because they spin very slowly, and its bicycle standard ball bearing earphones are too tight when they arrive, causing the handlebars to turn gaps. Nonetheless, this bike is beautiful and performs well-once mom or dad (or local bike shop) makes it roll well.
Flexible, easy to assemble, and equipped with a useful rear handbrake, this is a balance bike for cyclists and parents who want their children to have a professional tyke bike.
Balance bikes (also called carts) are not for everyone. But after we conducted a poll of many parents, we found that the more active your children are, the more likely they are to accept them. Woom 1 won’t compromise in any way—simple assembly, sturdy parts, ideal geometry—so if money is of secondary importance, and the passion for bicycles is primary to you, then this bike is suitable for clothes size Children between 2T and 4T. Woom is designed in Europe (the home country of the best bicycle culture), manufactured in Cambodia, and precisely dialed at Woom’s assembly plant in Austin, Texas, which provides high-quality control for the brand. Woom 1 weighs less than 8 pounds, has an ideal upright riding position, a very low 7-inch top tube height (very suitable for small children) and a 5-inch seat adjustability, 10¾ inches from the bottom ( Initially) about 12 inches). Embedded hardware on the wheels keeps children’s legs from getting stuck, while a detachable rubber O-ring forms a flexible steering limiter to prevent front wheel folding knives. The bicycle also teaches hand braking through its levers designed for small hands-this is the second step in learning to ride a bicycle after balancing. The brakes can be troublesome for beginners, but Woom does not need to be adjusted, just like other parts of a bicycle.
Strider 14x Sport is slightly larger, with easy-to-install pedals, and can also be used as your child’s first pedal bike, which is an all-in-one reliable investment.
Strider 14x Sport represents a small part of balance bikes that can be equipped with sprocket components to quickly transform them into sturdy, uncompromising pedal bikes. Although we like the Strider 14x Sport and its closest competitor, the LittleBig 3-in-1, the Strider has a lower price and a wider range of adjustable sizes. In terms of geometry, the 14x has 14-inch wheels (different from the other balance bikes we tested, which have 12-inch wheels), and Sport is suitable for middle-to-high 3-year-old children under 7 years old. It has a moderately low step-in height of 10 inches; a long and stable 28½-inch wheelbase; and an extraordinary seat height range of 15 to 22 inches. Our favorite feature: Smart half-width pedals, allowing children to put their feet down and stop without being stepped on by the pedals, and will not scratch when making sharp turns. Combine all of this with a handlebar stem that can be raised nearly 4 inches, and you have a very versatile bicycle with the right size.
Strider 12 Sport is sturdy, lightweight and easy to assemble, making it the best adjustable choice for children from 18 months to 5 years old.
This aluminum balance scooter is more expensive than our first choice and has less adjustability, but it is equipped with shock-absorbing rubber pneumatic tires suitable for indoor use.
Although not as exquisite as Strider or Co-op, this lightweight, low-backward bike will allow most children to get up and glide happily — without breaking the budget.
Flexible, easy to assemble, and equipped with a useful rear handbrake, this is a balance bike for cyclists and parents who want their children to have a professional tyke bike.
Strider 14x Sport is slightly larger, with easy-to-install pedals, and can also be used as your child’s first pedal bike, which is an all-in-one reliable investment.
We spent more than 15 hours of research time, and spent more than 20 hours assembling, dissecting and testing 13 balance cars. I am a lifelong mountain biker. I participated in races and worked as a bicycle repairman during my college in Athens, Georgia, and wrote articles on road and mountain bikes and bicycle races for VeloNews, Bike and The New York Times (Wirecutter’s parent company) ) Early in my three-year journalism career. A few years ago, when my son was 2 years old and too excited to ride his pedal bike that was too big, I transformed it into a balance bike by unscrewing the pedals and tape the seat to the upper tube.
In this guide, I interviewed John Bradley, the former editor-in-chief of VeloNews magazine, and before that, the editor of Outside magazine. Bradley has a son named Max. He recently graduated from the Strider balance bike and later switched to a 14-inch Islabikes Cnoc bike. Bradley is keen to ride with Max and observes his young riding habits from the eyes of a scientist. I also talked to Toby Hill, who was the editor-in-chief of Bicycle Retailer magazine at the time, to understand the development direction of the children’s bicycle market, and to get more wisdom on the subject from Marissa Guyduy, a spokesperson for the NPD Group, consumers Research organization, as well as Katie Bruce, then head of marketing and communications for the National Sporting Goods Association. I also emailed Ivan Altinbasak of WeeBikeShop and Dave Norris of Woom.
After determining that at least one Strider bike will be the final choice, I also talked with Strider inventor Ryan McFarland for an hour on the phone. Like many engineering entrepreneurs, McFarlane is passionate about the behavior and characteristics of his consumers-in this case, parents and children from toddlers to second graders to children with special needs of all ages, he is They made bigger balance bikes.
A suitable balance bike can allow children to maintain balance on two wheels at an amazing speed, even if they are only 18 months old, it is also an interesting first step in learning to ride a bicycle. In addition, once they master it, they can ride their first bicycle well. Our experts suggest that learning to ride a bicycle has changed over the years (there are no more training wheels), and a balance bike is the first step. Once they can balance, they will learn to use the handbrake, and finally learn to pedal, skipping the training wheels altogether.
Many children need a little encouragement (and flat, paved terrain) to start riding a balance bike. Unless they start by riding a toy car or scooter or pushing a tricycle, they may not pick up the bicycle and leave. Several parents told me that even if their children have balance bikes, they will not use them at all. They are more likely to choose a scooter or tricycle. Other parents, who usually have active, athletic children, say that they do a good job on balance bikes, and they find that they are very useful tools for learning how to ride a bike.
A suitable balance bike can keep an 18-month-old child balanced on two wheels, which is an interesting first step in learning to ride a bicycle.
We contacted Harry Sawyers and Kalee Thompson, two Wirecutter editors working on baby/children’s stories. They doubt whether balance bikes will become mainstream like bicycles equipped with training wheels. For Sawyers, both of his children are attracted to tricycles and scooters. When the child doesn’t even want to ride it, it doesn’t make sense to let the child start riding an expensive balance bike. However, this was questioned by John Bradley, who said that, just like adults, children are more likely to want to ride light, high-quality bicycles (this proved correct among our testers). He also pointed out that such bicycles will also be sold in a significant proportion on Craigslist, provided it is properly handled to make it a more digestible investment.
Balance bikes give children the opportunity to build the coordination, balance, leg muscles and confidence they need to ride a bike.
So how about skipping the balance bike and heading directly to a small bicycle (such as a 16-inch model with auxiliary wheels)? Experts tell us that it is not worth it. Children will soon stop riding 12-inch and 14-inch bicycles. Let your children continue to ride 12-inch balance bikes or 14-inch hybrid bikes (with height-adjustable seatposts and handlebars) until they are ready to at least A 16-inch pedal bike has a longer service life.
Balance bikes also give young children the opportunity to build the coordination, balance, leg musculature and confidence they need to ride a bike-if you let them start on the training wheels, they won’t get all of this. Many experts we have spoken to agree that training wheels make the bicycle nothing more than a dangerous four-wheeled tricycle and will not teach children to balance.
I spent at least 10 hours researching balance bikes online, reading Amazon and other reviews until my eyes were dull, and then cross-checking on Fakespot. I also spent a few hours doing a lot of research on “two-wheelers”. I secretly bought balance bikes at my local store in Charleston, South Carolina and the REI store in Greenville, South Carolina, and gathered ideas from our experts and some bicycle editors at Wirecutter.
For our test subjects, we recruited adventurous children of our friends, including 2-year-old Elle, 6-year-old Luke, and 7-year-old Fleet in Charleston, South Carolina. We tried to get another friend’s son, Asher, who is almost 2 years old, to test the bike, but he helped us realize that balance bikes are not suitable for all children (Asher rides a tricycle, pushes himself on the skateboard with his knees, fearless He fell to his face time and time again, but he didn’t want to have anything to do with the balance bike). The 3-year-old River is a skilled balance driver who has joined our team enthusiastically. My 8-year-old son Fritz is clearly beyond the age and size range of this guide, but he is 51 inches tall and weighs 55 pounds (and his 20-inch mountain bike likes the local monorail very much) and can still travel on the highest setting. Wandering around on a few bikes, and there is a lot to say about what to do with even the smallest bikes.
We tested the bikes around a flat neighborhood for several weeks. During that time, the 2-year-old Elle went from being a little overwhelmed to striding comfortably. We also ran a sprint race along my paved lanes and streets, and visited James Island County Park, where there are miles of stretches of paved and dirt bike paths, winding through moss-covered lowland oak forests and Forrest Gumpian salt On the edge of the swamp.
Strider 12 Sport is sturdy, lightweight and easy to assemble, making it the best adjustable choice for children from 18 months to 5 years old.
After testing the 13 most popular balance bikes on the market, we decided that the Strider 12 sports balance bike combines all the advantages: child-friendly, high-end design; affordability; wide usability; appropriate geometric shapes; few. It is one of the best-selling bicycles, and we understand why: it is easier to assemble than almost all of our other options, has a wider range of size adjustability than our other bicycles, and is affordable. Rounding up is the strong and lightweight steel pipe, making the overall weight very light, only 6.7 pounds. Combine all of this with first-class customer service and extensive usability, and you have the iMac of the world of balance bikes.
Strider 12 is well lined and protected in the box when it arrives. It is also almost assembled on the pre-installed wheels, the wheels are perfectly tightened, so they can rotate freely without any gaps. The print and online step-by-step instructions are simple and fun, and never frustrating. The final assembly involves installing several nylon bushings, including ultra-sturdy and simple steering headsets, and then tightening the quick release levers that raise and lower the seat and handlebars. The quick release levers even have gaps where they should sit. The 12 Sport also comes with a six-page “learning to ride” guide-which can also be found on Strider’s well-maintained website-it clearly lists how to teach your child to ride a balance bike and how your child learns to balance behind Science, and the best practice for transitioning from a balance bike to a bicycle.
In terms of geometry, Strider 12 Sport is a top-down children’s bike. In addition to its light weight, it also has a very low step height-the height of its main or top tube-of 8 inches. This makes it the third lowest among our test bikes, which is ideal for 2-year-olds. For short riders, this is also the key, because it is difficult for them to use high jacks to straighten a fallen bicycle. (Recall the embarrassment and fall of riding a bicycle that was too high when you were a child.)
The Strider mountain bike straight handlebars are 14.5 inches wide and children’s size, which makes the bike very sensitive, while the tapered handles with a diameter of 2 to 2.5 inches are suitable for young children. Like most balance bikes sold today, the end of the handle has a bulb, which not only prevents the torso from being punctured by the broken handlebar, but also prevents the inevitably touching the gravel or the sidewalk and scratching the fingers. The narrow seat allows for easy installation and removal, and gently tilts down from front to back to help your child maintain the saddle. Its surface is neither too smooth nor too sticky, and is made of durable but just soft enough foam rubber. This bike is equipped with two easily interchangeable seatposts-one short (8.6 inches) and one long (11.5 inches)-allowing height adjustment from 11 to 20 inches. This is what we have tested The widest range of all bicycles is the widest among all balance bicycles. Combined with the handlebars that can raise nearly 5 inches on its own, you have a small bike that our 2-year-old tester and even my 8-year-old son can ride easily.
The functional design of the Strider 12 Sport continues to its very lightweight plastic wheels and non-inflatable foam rubber tires. We tested several bicycles with foam tires and found that all bicycles (including Strider’s) slip out more easily than pneumatic rubber tires on smooth surfaces such as wooden or tiled floors. But the Strider tires seem to be made of a slightly softer and more grippy material than our other foam tire bikes, which helps to reduce some slippage and can handle bumpy dirt roads well. Our testers also like the pedals. When they lift their feet and wander around and try to bunny jumps, the pedals are basically skateboard-style grip belts glued to the slightly longer rear chain (the fork that fixes the rear wheel). Of the incision.
Thousands of parents all over the world (from Japan to the United Kingdom to the United States) love the brand’s Strider Cup, a series of national champion balance bikes suitable for children between 2 and 5 years old. Not surprisingly, these standards driven by Fred Flintstone are the creative ideas of Strider founder and avid motocross rider Ryan McFarland. The zeitgeist of these races is well captured in this story and video by Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal, “The End of the Training Round,” where he described the intersection between Sesame Street and Mad Max. For this great external story, “in the cruel world of toddler bike racing,” the son of writer Ian Dier actually participated in the race reported by Guy.
Strider 12 Sport does not have a rear linear pull hand brake-it is ideal for balance bikes. Although the handbrake is not very useful for beginner balance riders (in fact, we even find it occasionally an obstacle), once the child has mastered the coordination and basic knowledge of “stride”, a child-sized handbrake does become an ideal The safe choice. Most children can indeed stop the balance bike on a gentle hillside, using only their feet or simply walk off the back of the bicycle, but the good squeeze of the handbrake can make them stop faster. Strider does sell a simple add-on foot brake for $20, which can also help teach roller coaster braking techniques. This is an important safety feature for hilly terrain, but we would like to see the handbrake option.
The other two disadvantages are the foam tires and the narrow handlebars of the 12 Sport. Although we did find that Strider’s foam formula is stickier and softer than the foam tires on Kazam or Banana, it still cannot provide the traction or resilience of old-fashioned inflatable rubber. Feedback from our testers led us to disagree about Strider’s narrow handlebars: they did make the bike turn faster, but some testers felt it was more difficult for them to maintain balance. Although the crossbars can be adjusted well because they are not bent, we cannot tilt them away from the knees of older children like the Strider 14 Sport and Co-op REV 12.
This aluminum balance scooter is more expensive than our first choice and has less adjustability, but it is equipped with shock-absorbing rubber pneumatic tires suitable for indoor use.
If our top pick is sold out, or if you want the cushioning and traction of rubber tires, especially when riding indoors or on rough roads, REI Co-op Cycles REV 12 Children’s Balance Bike is a good choice. Although it is usually $30 more expensive than Strider, we still like the bike’s Strider geometry, ease of assembly, light weight, wheel settings and relatively low price, and REI’s reputation.
Like the Strider 12 Sport, the REV 12 has a very low step-in height of only 8 inches-a key aspect of the balance bike-and its seat height can be adjusted between a very impressive 13.5 and 18.5 inches. There is also a neat little “handle” behind the seat for adults to use when picking up the car. Although our younger kids prefer the Strider and its narrower handlebars, our larger testers like the Co-op’s slightly wider handlebars (16.5 inches vs. 14.5 inches) for added stability, and we appreciate the use of hexagon sockets The ability of the wrench to change the angle of the handlebars. Although the pole can only be raised about 2 inches by the pole (and Strider’s rise is nearly 5 inches), tilting the pole upward provides an extra half inch of height. The diameter of these rods is not 1 inch wider than the rods on the Strider, and the grip is about 3 inches, but they are definitely children’s size.
REV 12 also received a high score because it may be easier to assemble than Strider. It is basically pre-assembled. Turn the handlebar to the correct position, tighten it with the included Allen key, and then adjust the height of the seatpost, and your child can start rolling.
Although its pneumatic tires, alloy wheels, and standard (and very sturdy) ball-bearing headphones make it 9 pounds heavier than the Strider 12 Sport, the REV 12 is still light. Our test child used the REV 12 pneumatic tires to produce slightly higher speeds. These tires are hemispherical and provide good off-road traction. The bicycle’s 24-inch wheelbase is the same as most of our choices, giving the bicycle good stability and agility. The tire valve stem is also equipped with a child safety valve cap-you can push it down and turn it like a child safety cap on a pill bottle-to prevent your toddler tires from mistakenly thinking of raisins. Children also love the custom sticker packs that come with the bikes—letters, numbers, and illustrations of dinosaurs, birds, rabbits, and robots.
Our complaints: It would be nice to have a quick-release seatpost option; we wanted a simple foot pedal that could glide like a Strider; and a tilted tire valve stem to make the tire easier to inflate. Although the Rev 12 is relatively light, it is not as light or easy to lift as the Strider, especially the front half (due to its heavier earphones and wheels), and children will move it in place by lifting the handle. Like Strider, REV 12 does not have a rear brake, but unlike Strider, they do not provide a rear brake option. At this price, the brakes will be a good addition.
Nonetheless, the fit and finish of the REV 12 are top-notch, it’s fun to ride, and you can get support and availability from REI’s physical store and online, making this bike a reliable backup choice.
Although not as exquisite as Strider or Co-op, this lightweight, low-backward bike will allow most children to get up and glide happily — without breaking the budget.
We looked at 20 bikes in the price range under $100 and decided that the best budget bike for most kids is the steel frame Banana Bike LT V2. Most bikes are around this price, and you may compromise on weight, component quality, ease of assembly, and/or geometry. But this affordable bicycle from a small company in the United Kingdom provides children who are just starting out with what we think are the most important features: low standing height, child-friendly geometry and light weight without affecting too many others. It is easily obtained from Amazon and highly rated on Amazon. It really lacks the fit and finish of its expensive cousins, ease of construction, brakes and quality components.
In terms of geometry, Banana is very similar to our runner-up Co-op Cycles REV 12. The curved frame is well-designed and the stepping height is very low, only 8.5 inches. The handlebar handles are child-sized, with a handle circumference of 3.5 inches, and the seat is located exactly on the edge of the 5.5 x 8 inches large size that children need. You can easily raise and lower the seat with the quick release lever, from a minimum of 12.25 inches to a maximum of 15.5 inches (maximum height shorter than our main choice and runner-up), and you can raise the handlebar by 3 inches. Banana’s ultra-light foam tires and wheels work well on paved and carpeted surfaces, but are slippery on kitchen linoleum and hardwood floors.
Post time: Nov-09-2021
