balance bike for kid with SI issues

[knaidel]

My 6 y.o. son can't seem to get the hang of riding a bike. I would like him to help him learn, because 1) it would be fun for him and
2) he has a lot of sensory issues, and those affect his confidence, self-esteem, etc.... if he's able to get the hang of it, I think it will be a big boost to his self confidence- something that he can do that the big boys can also do, etc.

anyway, is 6 too old for a balance bike? any particular brands to reccomend? he is on the shorter side of things.

[stefani]

Hi,

My DS learned to ride a bike when he was 6 years old. He has a Kinderbike, and a 12" wheel Huffy. I think it is better for the bike to be a tad too small than a tad too big, because the children can control a tad too small better than a tad too big. DS is also petite. Our neighbor used the same bike when he was 5 years old (he is a tall one though). I know that there are some who first ride a 2 wheeler at age 3.5 or 4 years old.

Now, I have seen on Youtube where they just remove the pedals themselves (of a regular bike) and ride it like a balance bike first. That might be an option. Search balance bike on this forum and you will get lots of options :-)

Good luck! It was quite exciting for DS to learn to ride a bike.

[ssjarrett]

Here's one for older kids:

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

We got the smaller version for our 4 year old and it is a very lightweight bike.

Also, I just got a promo code from bikesthatteach.com for 15% off:
btt15 - good through 6/19

You can do a free fitting with them sending measurements, etc. and they will suggest bikes or let you know if what you are interested in is a good fit. It does seem like many of the bikes out there are for younger kids (2-3) and they were helpful for me in getting one a little bigger for a 4 year old.

Good luck! The lightweight factor really pushed me to getting a balance bike vs. taking off pedals. My 7 year old still can't ride without training wheels and part of the problem I think is that his bike is too heavy (and we just need to try it more!).

[MommyAllison]

My 5.5 year old just used DS' balance bike for a few weeks before we removed her training wheels on her bike, so I don't think it's too old. The balance bike we have is a discontinued model, but I'd look for one that your younger DS can use as well. DD got the hang of the balance bike really quickly, so your older DS may only need it for a short time.