Balance bike for older kid

[melrose7]

I am thinking of trying a balance bike for DD1 who is on the autism spectrum and can't pedal. Does anyone know if balance bikes are good for kids on the spectrum? The bikes I've seen, Skuut balance bike, and Strider kids running bike both say for ages 2-5. She will be 6 next month and is tall for her age, about 49". She is all legs too. I might be able to got to an REI and try one out but wondering if there are bigger bikes for her. Or is this something else that will be too hard for her?

[DrSally]

I think the wee ride was the tallest I saw. Although, I don't know what the specs are for the hotwalk or trek float.

[stefani]

Hotwalk is a 12":http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=52924&scid=1005&scname=Kids

My DS is a tad shorter than your DD (he is almost 48"), and he is outgrowing his 16" Trek Jet. He had a Kinderbike 12" before.

I would suggest going to a bike store and fit her. Then ask if they can remove the pedals and chains for now. Later when your DD is ready, you can ask them to put the pedals and chains back.

[mytwosons]

My DS1 (recovered from autism) learned at 6 on a balance bike. I can't remember the brand, but it was sold at costco and online at TRU.

It was smaller than a bike should have been for his size, but that was good. It gave him more confidence because he wasn't overpowered by the bike. When we got a real bike a couple of months later, we bought the same size (knowing we'd have to buy yet another bike the next year) to make the transition easier.

Good luck to your daughter! It's pretty amazing to see them get the hang of the balance bike.

[ncat]

My 6 yo DD who is about hte same height, just learned to ride her 16" bike, which she is outgrowing. To learn (once we removed the training wheels), she used it essentially as a balance bike.

[Kindra178]

You can take the pedals off any bike and make it a balanced bike. We (well, the bike store) just took the pedals off our new 16 inch Specialized Hotrock. My guy is 44 inches, and certainly not all legs. You guys might need a 20 inch bike, and then she will be set for awhile.

There is no way the Hotwalk will fit your dc.

[geochick]

My son, now 7, has a Trek (the Float) with removable pedals. He's tall, and now needs a new bike, but it was the perfect glider bike for him. He was afraid of riding bikes until the age of 6 when we got it for him. If you're in Utah, we could sell it to you. :)

[melrose7]

My son, now 7, has a Trek (the Float) with removable pedals. He's tall, and now needs a new bike, but it was the perfect glider bike for him. He was afraid of riding bikes until the age of 6 when we got it for him. If you're in Utah, we could sell it to you. :)

Thanks, but we are in Wisconsin. I will ask DH about taking getting a bike her size and just taking off the pedals and see what he says.

[GaPeach_in_Ca]

We took the pedals off my son's 16" Jet and he glided for a week and then could ride. This was a couple months ago. He was 48" tall.

The bike seems a little short for him, but I think the gliding would have been hard with a taller bike. He also needs the confidence I think of putting his feet down on the ground easily.

[egoldber]

Here's an REI video on teaching a child using a regular bike as a glider bike:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADkm4qkXAj8&feature=player_embedded

[ssjarrett]

Glide Bikes has one for older kids now: (ages 5-10)

http://glidebikes.com/category/goglider.html

It's a dedicated glide bike, but has foot rests where pedals would be. We just got the regular version for smaller kids and it seems like a nice bike. Got ours at bikesthatteach and I posted a possible discount there in the discount thread.

[WatchingThemGrow]

just fyi, our bike shop charges $25 for pedal removal and probably the same for putting them back on. The tool may be just about that much if you were to purchase it. Also, I've heard/read that the cheaper bikes aren't meant to be taken apart/put back together and it may not work well with them.