They are silly. My kids were riding two wheelers without training wheels in preschool...so by about 3 or 4 years old. There is nothing special about my kids. Back then, almost all kids could ride well before kindergarten. The thing that really amazes me is that parents will pay money for someone else to teach their kid to ride a bike. |
Balance bikes are for 2-3 year olds, not 4/6 year olds. It’s a scooter/tricycle substitute. |
Right. You can use a pedal wrench to remove the pedals from a regular bike, then put them back on once child has learned to balance. A pedal wrench is cheaper than a balance bike. It makes no sense to buy a balance bike. |
They are awesome! No idea if it helps ride a bike or not. I didn't get them for my older two. I can tell they are 100x more efficient than a tricycle or bike with training wheels at a very young age. My 3 yr old can independently ride and keep up with the big kids on their bikes on her balance bike. She speeds up and down hills, around corners, like a pro. Makes going out as a family WAY easier and she loves it |
My son has been keeping up with the rest of the family and older neighborhood kids on his balance bike since he was 2.5. He balances on it, feet up and flys around the neighborhood. Then he puts his feet down and runs up the hills. We were able to ride about 3ish miles together.
Then around 4.5 he transitioned to a pedal bike no training wheels and picked it up within a day. Because he knew how to balance. I mean if you use a balance bike and never balance then sure it serves no purpose. But if you use it properly, it takes the place of training wheels and goes faster and is more fun so most kids prefer it. |
Dumb gimmick for parents too lazy to run alongside their kid. It takes like three tries and you let go. They’re off! |
You buy a balance bike for a 2 year old because if you bought tiny regular bike the kid would need a bigger one by the time they have the motor skills to pedal. There’s no reason to get a balance bike for a 4 year old or even an older 3 year old. |
This thread is great. I’m not from this country and I too wonder about the point of a balance bike. |
Exactly. A balance bike is for a kid who wants to be like the big kids but can't handle a pedal bike yet. And to the OP, 4 and 6 are not impressively young ages to be using a regular bike. Strangers are asking if your children used a balance bike as a means of making small talk. |
This. |
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I didn't say they were impressively young to be riding a bike without training wheels. In fact my six year old was late in my opinion. My point was that I don't think having a balance bike would have made any difference. They seem pointless. |
I think they serve a purpose but both my kids hated them. My overly cautious kid learn how to ride a 2 wheeler the summer after K and his sister learned how at 4. |
Wow. Nasty unnecessary replies. |
Your kid learned to ride with training wheels.
Mine didn't do the whole training wheel thing. Balance bike only. Should i start a thread how I don't understand training wheels? How I am far superior of a parent b/c my kids didn't need training wheels to know how to ride a bike? |