Help me to choose a balance bike!!!

[susanasou]

I am interested in buying a balance bike for my 21 month old. I have two in mind Strider prebike versus G-bike original. The Strider is a little less than 7 pounds and the G-bike is less than 4 pounds. I am tempted to choose the G-bike for its weight. Have anyone tried both of these and which one did you decide to buy ultimately? Are you happy with your choice?

[LMPC]

I haven't tried the Gbike, but we are happy with our strider. DD has been on it for a few months now. She's about 50%tile for height and it's a nice size for her. She has no problem picking it up and taking it where she wants to go.

[susanasou]

I am going to take my son to a local bike shop to get a helmet, is there a particular brand that has higher quality compared to others? Is there other protective gears I should consider to buy for him?

[abh5e8]

i like that strider has the footrests...but not sure if that really matters.

[pastrygirl]

My son is the same age and I plan to get him a Kinderbike Laufraud Mini. I like that it has a handbrake.

[okinawama]

we love our strider! we got it when my son was 18 months

[stefani]

Originally Posted by susanasou

I am going to take my son to a local bike shop to get a helmet, is there a particular brand that has higher quality compared to others? Is there other protective gears I should consider to buy for him?

I think if you go to a local bike shops then they carry good brands. What is important is that it fits well. I think we tried a few for DS. What he has now is Specialized brand. I think they also have Giro brand.

[susanasou]

Thanks for all the advices. I am gonna get the strider and pick up a helmet from a local bike shop. Should I get the elbow and knee pads too?
Where do you get elbow/knee pads that don't already come with helmet. Bell's elbow and knee pads come with the helmet but I want to buy the helmet seperately. Any suggestion?

[pastrygirl]

I just ordered from Bikes That Teach (I found them through Amazon). They have a 15% off coupon code on retailmenot, and also are having a sale right now where you get a free helmet with some balance bikes. But, it's probably better to try out the helmet in person. We tried a few before finding one that I really liked for my younger son. ETA: I don't plan to get elbow and knee pads, though. Hadn't thought of that...