One of the most joyful parts of childhood is the freedom that comes from bike riding. Freewheeling down the biggest hills you can find, racing friends and finding a bit of independence. But learning to ride a bike can be tricky – that is, unless you’ve been practicing on a balance bike.
What is a balance bike?
A balance bike is a bike for a child that doesn’t have pedals. Instead of pedaling, kids propel themselves forward by using their feet – similar to a trike, but with two wheels. The idea behind this is it gets kids used to the balance part of riding a bike – often the trickiest bit – while building confidence.
How do I know what size balance bike to get?
The best way to figure out what size balance bike your child needs is to measure their inseam – that’s the inside of their leg. Most retailers will then tell you if a bike will fit that size child. Some bikes might list an age, but as kids are all different heights, a measurement is a much safer way to figure it out. As a rule of thumb, your child should be able to bend their knees when sat on the saddle, but not have them bent at too much of an angle.
What should I look for in a balance bike?
There are several key things to look for when choosing a balance bike. The most important thing is fit (see above). It’s a good idea to look for one that has an adjustable saddle height, and ideally adjustable handlebars too. This will ensure your bike has a good, long lifespan as it’ll grow with your child.
A lightweight frame will make the bike much more appealing to your child. Find one they can comfortably lift and get on to independently. A lightweight bike will also be easier for them to drive forward, making it a more fun experience for them.
Other engineering details to look for is a good-sized cockpit. That’s the space between the saddle and the handlebars. A larger space here will allow your child to manoeuvre the bike more easily. As well as this, the bigger the wide wheel base – the space between the front and back wheel – the more stable the ride. So look for wheels set far apart from one another, as it’ll make for a steadier ride and boost your child’s confidence.
And a nice ‘to have’ is the fork angle – the angle at which the front fork attaches to the front wheel. A sharper angle will further make the bike easier to manoeuvre.
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Frog Tadpole Plus balance bike
This balance bike has everything you’d want from a balance bike. It’s incredibly lightweight, meaning our kids found it very easy to use and get on to – even littler toddlers had no trouble with it.
It looks rugged, and like a “big kid” bike, so no worries about it being “babyish”. There is a rear brake, which our older tester loved and we appreciated that it helped them get their heads around the concept of braking. There’s also an adjustable seat, with quick release, which meant our kids could use it interchangeably without us having to carry an allan key everywhere with us.
Be warned – the larger wheels on this bike mean that it gets up some speed. But the longer wheel base made it one of the most stable rides of any we tried. Our adrenalin junkie loved it.
Buy now £220.00, Rutland Cycling
Puky LR 1 L Plus Supermoto balance bike
Those who love whooshing down hills at top speeds will get a real kick out of this bike. It has a footboard, which allows riders to tuck their feet up when they’re heading downhill.
Our tester remarked on how cool this bike looks – it’s styled after a dirt bike with number plate and mud guard at the back. The frame was pretty lightweight, but the seat height is quite high, which make it best for slightly older and taller toddlers. Puky suggest it’s best for heights of 90 to 115cm.
Safety handlebar grips provide plenty of grip, while a kickstand stops kids leave their bikes lying around on the ground… in theory, at least.
Buy now £109.99, Decathlon
Bobbin Gingersnap balance bike
As well as looking incredibly adorable, this bike offers brilliant performance. It’s incredibly lightweight, making it easy for even smaller riders to get to grips with. And it helped us too when having to carry it across the park back to the car.
With a basket and bell, it immediately drew interest from our mini testers. A smart brown leather-look seat and brown handlebar grips complete the look. The Gingersnap is suitable for mini riders with an inside leg of 30-40cm – about two to four years old.
Buy now £109.00, Bobbin Bikes
Hoy Napier balance bike
We found this bike was great for mid-sized toddlers and up, as it has a reasonably high seat. This can be adjusted into three positions, while the handlebars can be adjusted too, which is great for longevity.
The aluminium frame is nice and lightweight, which meant our kids went back to this bike over and over as it was so easy for them to use independently. The handlebars (with anti-slip grip) have a lock in them to prevent wayward toddlers from oversteering. This bike feels really sporty, from the design to the pillar-box red colour.
Buy now £55.00, Evans Cycles
Micro Scooters Micro 2-in-1 chopper balance bike
Our youngest tester absolutely loved this balance bike. You have the choice between a normal rear wheel or a stabilising double wheel, which is a good way to introduce a balance bike to very young kids. They can also use this to scoot the bike along, which is smart.
The bike is very lightweight and easy for even pint-sized kids to pick up – and parents to carry back to the car. The foam-filled wheels are on the small side – this is good for learning on, as it doesn’t pick up too much speed but older children may get frustrated.
We found that when the seat was on its lowest setting the rubber stopper at the bottom of the bike got stuck on curbs and uneven ground, which was slightly frustrating. For any kids, like ours, who love hauling around a miscellany of toot with them, you can get a trailer to attach to the back of this bike (this is sold separately).
Buy now £89.95, Micro Scooters
Chicco Eco+ balance bike
Go green – literally and figuratively – with this eco-friendly balance bike. Chicco claim it’s the first ever balance bike made from recycled plastic. And plastic it is. Moulded into the shape, this has its plus points such as that it’s lightweight, and relatively compact and robust. The downsides are that the handlebars and seats aren’t adjustable so it has limited longevity. But for a first two wheeler, it’s a lot of fun – kids who are used to a trike will quickly adapt to this bike as it really feels like a small jump from that.
It is one the smaller side, so it’s easy to sling under an arm to carry around. The front also has a bar, which is handy to use to pull it along if your child is prone to dawdling like ours.
Buy now £36.89, Amazon
Kiddimoto Official Marc Marquez 93 Superbike Wooden Balance Bike
Perfect for any budding petrolhead in the family, this balance bike has been designed to look like a superbike. It’s also a great option if you want to have a wooden bike, as it’s made from sustainable birch. There are nice little design touches, such as the rotating handlebars, which are meant to mimic driving a motor bike, and the signature of Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer Marc Marquez on it.
With regards to engineering – it’s got different angles to any of the other balance bike we tried. The very long wheel base offers plenty of stability, but the weight of the bike means it’s not suitable for younger kids with less strength.
Buy now £119.99, OnBuy
Banwood Bikes First Go balance bike
If you’re into those classic bike aesthetics then this balance bike is going to float your boat. It’s completely adorable, with a bell, basket and tan saddle – we admit we were pretty jealous of it. Owing to those timeless shapes, the cockpit is slightly smaller than some other balance bikes meaning it was slightly less easy to use for our testers, and certainly heavier too. A height-adjustable handlebar and saddle give it a longer lease of life. We absolutely loved the look of this bike, and our mini testers were totally hooked in by the basket – as cute as a button.
Buy now £139.00, Kidly
Halfords Carrera Coast balance bike
This has everything you’d like from a balance bike at a very reasonable price. The frame is lightweight – not as lightweight as some others on this round up, but certainly our mini testers found it ok to handle. The wide wheel base makes it a stable ride, while a rear brake is very useful for learning about how to stop – and no worn out shoes either! While the cockpit is of average size, the raised handlebars go someway to creating more space. Certainly our kids enjoyed this bike, and it was one that was fought over.
Buy now £90.00, Halfords
Hornit Airo balance bike
Insanely lightweight, our kids found the Hornit Airo one of the easiest to manoeuvre. Air-filled tyres and a footrest with grip tape made freewheeling on any terrain a lot of fun. As with other well-designed balance bikes, the wheel base is very generous to provide a stable ride and it gave our mini testers greater confidence as they got going. The adjustable seat height means the bike will grow with your child to a degree – Hornit say it’s suitable for 18 months to five years, but our five-year-old tester was slightly too large for it.
Buy now £139.99, Wiggle
Raleigh Banana Bike
There’s something about this bike that made us nostalgic for our childhood in the 80s. Is it the colourway or the shape? We’re not sure. But either way it got two thumbs up from parents and riders alike. A decent fork angle means it’s easy to manoeuvre, even at speed and a lightweight frame meant even our mini-est of testers could handle it with ease.
Although the cockpit of the bike is relatively small, the raised handlebars give more room to the rider so they can get up some good speed without being cramped. Air-filled tyres mean that bumps are cushioned and our riders looked comfy on it over all terrains.
Buy now £129.00, Raleigh
Kidvelo Rookie 12 balance bike
A lot of careful engineering has gone into this bike by people who clearly know their onions about kids’ bikes. First of all we were struck by how light it is – we can pick it up and carry it for ages with just one hand. This also meant our mini testers were able to pick it up, get on it independently and propel it forward without it seeming like hard work. This is made easier by a decent size cockpit and a generous fork angle, which will all help little riders get about with no problems.
There’s a raised handlebar for extra space and air-filled tyres for a cushioned ride. A quick-release saddle and adjustable-reach handlebars means this bike will grow with your child. Of course our mini testers were drawn to the bell, and exciting colours. They also liked the integrated footrest when freewheeling, with grips to hold their feet in place.
Buy now £130.00, Kidvelo
Verdict
The Frog Tadpole Plus is hard to beat – it’s clearly been designed by people who know kids and their bikes inside out. It’s a great stepping stone to a pedal bike, too, as it has a brake and a similar look and feel. It is expensive though. If you’re not looking to part with quite that much cash then Kidvelo and the Hornit were both very close contenders in our testing.
