Need bike 411 for 3.5 yo...........

[Kyras mom]

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday. It's hot here in So. Cal.- 100 degrees outside, so the A/C is on!

We are considering getting our 3.5 yo DD a bike for christmas. We live in the country with out any streets or driveways to ride wheeled things on. We hope to have a driveway within the next 6 months or so. She has had a Kettler trike since about age 1.5 but hasn't really learned to pedal because it isn't the easiest trike to pedal, and the dirt makes it even harder, so it still has the pushbar on it.

So, I think she's behind in pedaling and learning balance. She does have a plasma car that she handles pretty well (we take it to cemented areas to ride).

My questions are:
1) At what age have your DC's started riding bikes?
2) Did you get a bike with training wheels, or a balance bike at first?
3) What size bike would be best to start with (wheel size)?
4) Would a scooter be good for learning balance? Or should we just get balance bike first to learn that?
5) Should we get an easier to pedal tricycle so she can learn to pedal before we consider a bike?

So many questions, plenty of time!

Thanks for any advice you can give!

[bubbaray]

My DD#1 has been using a bike with training wheels since last Christmas or so, prior to that she used a trike. I haven't ever seen a kid on a balance bike and don't quite understand the concept, personally.

At your DDs age, I would just get her a bike with training wheels. Get it to fit her. AND GET HER A HELMET THAT FITS PROPERLY AND THAT SHE WEARS EVERY TIME. Sorry -- I just see too many kids without helmets! :)

If you aren't familiar with how a bike should fit, go to a bike store and they will help you.

HTH

Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[Kyras mom]

Thanks for the info!

Does your daughters bike have 12" or 16" wheels?

Our DD has a helmet that she uses on the plasma car. She can go pretty fast on that thing, especially going downhill!

[JBaxter]

We are in Maryland and with my older 2 boys they were about 4ish not because of the ability but the fact the bike would have sat in the garage most of the winter. My older 2 both started with 16inch bikes because they were tall kids and we just adjusted the seat down. They were about 5 to 6 before we took the training wheels off.

Before 4 they were both happy with a big wheel type trike

[o_mom]

We got DS1 a balance bike at about 3.5 yrs (Kinderbike). He had a tricycle before that which he never rode at all. He is a pretty cautious kid, but shortly after we got the bike he started using the tricycle also and could even do three point turns in the kitchen after just a few weeks. I think they pick up the pedalling very quickly once they decide to do it. I think a balance bike or a scooter would be good to start with. Riding a bike without training wheels comes later from what I have seen.

[glbb35]

When we were in the store a few months ago we tried our son on a 12" bike to see what he thought. It scared him. He was 3 1/4 years old. Although he loved the bike and he sat on others that whole balancing act really got to him. So he walked away and we decided to wait. These bikes even had the training wheels but there is some give side to side and it was scary I guess.

This summer we bought the Target balance bike (we got it for that awesome deal when they were putting things on clearance) and put it together and he really got the hang of it quickly. We were surprised. He likes the balance bike and has even ridden it the 1 1/2 miles to the park with my DH twice now. In the beginning he was wobbly but now he is so balanced. It was worth every penny. My DH just thought it was another "deal, bargain we can't live without" that I brought home but now he agrees with this DS is was the smart way to go. He turns 4 in Oct and if he doesn't get a bike with training wheels from the grandparents then he definitely will for Christmas.

And I back the helmet thing completely. If they never ride without one then they never learn to complain. It's like wheat bread, if they don't have white they never know the difference. good luck. B

[chunkychow]

DO NOT buy any bike before you check out Gliderridder
and watch the video or just read about them.
They are made in Germany.
They are running a special price in October of $94.

www.gliderrider.com

[julieakc]

>They are running a special price in October of $94.
>
>www.gliderrider.com
>

Will it be a code? Or do we just need to place the order in Oct? I am seriously considering one as DS's big Christmas gift.

[chunkychow]

They are going to put up a reservation page which will be for orders placed in Oct. After Nov.1, the regular prices will go into effect. They are in Germany now trying to get more of the bikes that have the brake (sold out last year). I THINK (but don't quote me) that the one without the brake will be $79 and the one with brake $94.
Just keep checking the web site www.gliderrider.com

[julieakc]

Thanks - I will definitely keep checking. Just have to get DH onboard with this option. :D

[KrystalS]

ITA with the PPs, you should definitely consider the Gliderrider bikes. My DD is 3.5, I just got her one about 2 months ago. She also has a Kettler, and she also had trouble pedaling it. She LOVES her Puky bike, it is the only thing she plays with every single day. She learned to ride it really well after a few days, now 2 months later she can glide like a pro! I know in a few years she will definitely be ready for a big bike w/o training wheels.
We don't live in the country so she rides on the drive way and in the cul-de-sac, but my dad lives in the country and she rides at his house on the gravel road, no problems.

[chunkychow]

Just received another email from the Gliderrider guys and the list price will be 97 and the Oct price will be 79. I think this is for the one with the brake but they didn't make it clear. What is a "Puky" bike?

[KrystalS]

Puky is the brand of the bikes sold on Gliderrider

[lpl47]

I just want to second the advice of getting a glider-rider. We got my son one for his 3rd birthday and he learned to ride it in 2 days. He rides it all over town and has loved it. It actually takes less effort to ride than a trike, so he can ride it for longer distances. He'll be 4 in 3 weeks and we just got him a regular 2-wheeler. We asked the store to remove the training wheels so that it wasn't even an option for him (that's the whole point of learning to ride on a balance bike first). He learned to ride the 2-wheeler without the training wheels in one day. It's only been one week and he still needs help getting on the bike and a push to start but otherwise he can ride it. We ended up getting the 12 inch bike though because he was really intimidated by the 16 inch. And eventhough he will outgrow it within a year, we have a younger DD to pass it down to (after she learns to ride the glider-rider!)

Good luck

[brittone2]

we're balance bike fans here too. DS has the gliderrider/Puky bike. He got it for his 3rd bday and it was perfect. He was kind of cautious with it initially, but after a few weeks he was gliding a solid 20-30 seconds pretty often. He took a tumble or two, ended up w/ a scraped knee, and now he's a bit more conservative. He really enjoys it.

He's on the shorter side, so he was unable to pedal his Kiddio independently until this past summer (just shy of 3.5). He had renewed interest in his trike (the Kiddio) once he could pedal. He still uses both, but uses the Puky balance bike more at this point in time. I think having both can be a nice complement to prepping them to advance to a regular bike without training wheels. They can work on the balance component and the pedaling component separately.

We've never had a bigwheel here, but I think several parents have mentioned their kids learned to ride on one of those first. It is a good thing to check consignment stores/sales, yardsales, etc. for. At her age I wouldn't shell out much $ for a trike, but if she's interested in something like a big wheel, I think it can complement the balance bike.

[Kyras mom]

Thanks for all of the great advice!

I have decided to get the gliderrider/puky balance bike at 4yo bday in December, then regular bike at 5yo possibly. I'll be watching the webite for the October deal.

[mum1day]

My DD got the Pedobike-similar to the Balance bike for her 3rd birthday. She is already riding a bike without training wheels, 6 months later. I LOVE IT!

I could not recommend the balance bike any more.

[wesleysmom]

I'm a little late on this topic, but hopefully someone will reply. I was wondering if you could just remove the pedals on a small bike that your child could fit on (i.e. legs can reach the ground) so that you have something that will work the same, but is a longer term investment? I taught myself how to ride a bike in elementary school, many years ago, by borrowing my younger neighbor's bike, which was really small so I could easily put my legs down, and practiced going down our driveway until I could balance myself. I would like to buy a high quality bike for my son, so I thought maybe I could save money by just doing that. Any thoughts?