REI Sale, Balance Bike for pre-k/k kid

[gummibear]

REI is currently having an anniversary sale, ending Monday the 27th. I don't normally shop REI but friends/family seem to say this is a big one.

If you're in the market for a balance bike for a slightly bigger/older child, I suggest checking out the Novara Zipper by REI. It's on sale for $85 (from $99). The Giro helmets are all 25% off too.

The Zipper is not for younger balance bike riders. The website says "the Zipper has a minimum standover height of 17.25 in., which means that the child's inseam must be a minimum of 17.25 in. long". DS is almost 4.5, has an 18" inseam, and it fits him now, with room to grow. The store rep said the seat height goes from 17.25-21" but DH thinks the post goes higher than 21". We haven't measured yet.

I scoured the internets for a bike that would fit DS now and give some room to grow. The Strider is everywhere, but it's too small for DS. I was debating between two other options (one too small, one too big) - when this Zipper thing was in our backyard, on sale, this whole time! REI is everywhere here, with a generous return policy.

Also, they are having their Garage Sale on June 8 in my area - maybe in yours too? It's supposed to entail massive discounts for used gear (returned items). I've never been but there are online blog posts about it that makes it sounds like fun.

[gobadgers]

Thanks for posting this! We are going to pick one up tomorrow!

4 year old DS had mastered his little balance bike and will probably be ready to move on to a real bike (no training wheels) soon this summer. But we never got a balance bike for nearly 6 year old DD and she is nowhere near ready to lose training wheels. It's making me feel so guilty! I'm excited to get a balance bike in her size :)

[gummibear]

You're welcome! Glad to help, hope it works out for you! Just check their stock online before you go - our closest REI was out of stock on it but we found it at another location.

If the Zipper is too small, you could check out the Go Glider ($130 / foam tire 2012 model or $150 / air tire 2013 model) or the new Super Strider ($189 air tire). Both have 16" wheels, adjustable handlebars (SS + GG 2013 only), and hand brakes (The Z has 12" wheels). The Go Glider has a turning limiter, kickstand, & quick release clamp for the seat. The Super Strider has a higher weight limit than the Zipper (120 lbs to the Z's 60lbs). I don't know when kids hit 60 lbs but the Super Strider is marketed as a trick bike, with 10 year olds using it. Our local bike shop carries the Strider and said they could order the Super Strider for us, but no one carries the Go Glider in-store here.

I wanted the features of the Go Glider, but I really wasn't sure about the fit. The Novara fits DS nicely, and REI has a great return policy, and DS has been chomping at the bit all week to get his own bike, now that preschool is out for us... and its on sale - and even the base price costs a lot less than the GG and SS, really - so it was a no-brainer for our family. :bighand:

And it's got air tires, so it's not totally barren of features. =)

[Gracemom]

You're welcome! Glad to help, hope it works out for you! Just check their stock online before you go - our closest REI was out of stock on it but we found it at another location.

If the Zipper is too small, you could check out the Go Glider ($130 / foam tire 2012 model or $150 / air tire 2013 model) or the new Super Strider ($189 air tire). Both have 16" wheels, adjustable handlebars (SS + GG 2013 only), and hand brakes (The Z has 12" wheels). The Go Glider has a turning limiter, kickstand, & quick release clamp for the seat. The Super Strider has a higher weight limit than the Zipper (120 lbs to the Z's 60lbs). I don't know when kids hit 60 lbs but the Super Strider is marketed as a trick bike, with 10 year olds using it. Our local bike shop carries the Strider and said they could order the Super Strider for us, but no one carries the Go Glider in-store here.

I wanted the features of the Go Glider, but I really wasn't sure about the fit. The Novara fits DS nicely, and REI has a great return policy, and DS has been chomping at the bit all week to get his own bike, now that preschool is out for us... and its on sale - and even the base price costs a lot less than the GG and SS, really - so it was a no-brainer for our family. :bighand:

And it's got air tires, so it's not totally barren of features. =)

Thank you so much for mentioning the Super Strider. I have a very large 6 year old who hasn't gotten the hang of balancing on his pedal bike. I was sad that I missed out on the balance bikes, all of which he outgrew many pounds and inches ago. Now to find a deal on it!

[lucy94103]

You can turn most two-wheel bikes into balance bikes. Here is one of the many tutorial clips available on internet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRk1xZbahf0

Hope it helps.

[gummibear]

Update: The Zipper *does* have a turning limiter!!! We didn't realize this in the store. There is also a small bit of adjustment range in the handlebars.

@Gracemom - Glad to help! I think the Super Strider came out in 2012. I've seen something online saying that it was $159 at one point. Hopefully you can find a good deal.

A third bigger-kid bike I came across is the Ridgeback Scoot, for $174.95. WeeBikeShop just imported a small number of these, i.e. 1 per color (8 colors total). The rep (owner?) I spoke with said that 3 were opened for bike shows, while the other 5 are only available for sale to households that will really use them (their website says the bike is out of stock - it's not). It comes with two seat posts, has a handbrake, aluminum frame, etc. The handbrake is internally routed, which is nice. I don't know how high the seat post goes, but the rep/owner? told me that he can sit on the bike with the larger post. I didn't think to ask him about the weight limit. I'm sure they will be importing more of these bikes later this year.

@lucy94103 - Yup, some people prefer to just remove the pedals from a pedal bike. There are pros/cons to that; it just boils down to a personal decision I think.

Pros: less expensive, less gear in the house, less shopping to deal with. The kid will already be familiar with their pedal bike.
Cons:
- Pedal bikes are heavier. Major/minor con, depending on the kid.
- The geometry of a balance bike is supposed to be different (i.e. lower to the ground) to facilitate balancing. (I'm not sure how major/minor this con is - just sharing the claim here since I can't speak from personal experience or specific knowledge about bike geometry).
- The sizing is different. On a balance bike, the kid should have their feet firmly planted on the ground. On a pedal bike, the kid should sit a little bit higher. Minor con because you can just adjust the seat height if the bike permits.
- Braking for older kids: Removing the pedals from a 16" pedal bike means removing any coaster brakes the bike may have (the brake that activates when you pedal backwards). Kids will mainly brake using their feet, especially at first, but if you want a second braking option, you'll want handbrakes. Some pedal bikes have handbrakes and some don't. (Smaller pedal and balance bikes don't normally have handbrakes because little kids don't really have the hand strength to use one anyway). Minor con since you should be able to install a handbrake (with or without a bike shop's help) - although you have to find a child-size handbrake and the brake wires will be outside the frame, running from the front handlebar to the back wheel. The Go Glider and Ridgeback have the brake wire integrated into the frame - I'm not sure about the Super Strider.

For us, we shopped for both balance bikes and pedal bikes (with the intention of removing pedals), since DS doesn't already have a 2-wheeler. If DS already had a pedal bike, we probably would have tried removing those first, but in retrospect I'm glad we got the balance bike (and on sale! Did I mention that it's on sale?). The biggest factor for us came down to the weight of the bike. It seems to be a better learning tool - the lighter weight is easier for DS to handle, and he seems very confident with it. He has already taken a couple of stumbles on his balance bike, and he's been able to pick himself up, straighten his bike, and go again like nothing happened. He can lift the bike by the handlebars to go up a curb, and he can carry his bike by himself. DS is also a little small for a 16" pedal bike right now, so we'll get that for him next year. The Zipper does not have a handbrake, so we are going to try to install one later if it looks like he needs it.

For moms who can wait past the summer & have no budget limitations, the guy at WeeBikeShop told me they were working on importing a balance bike from Europe that converts to a pedal bike. Its an expensive piece - he named a number, it might have been 260? 280? Which sounded outrageous to me at first but then again, as I understand it, lighter frame materials (i.e. lighter bikes) cost more, and it is a 2-in-1. He didn't name the bike; I think they are keeping it secret for a big reveal. I think it was a 16" wheel.

...I really should just make a separate thread about balance bikes, in the KidFun section. I've just learned so much about balance bikes recently and wanted to share with my favorite online mommy community. :)