The quality of the tires can be divided into two parts. The material and the size. While the small 10-inch version also uses solid rubber tires, most 12-inch and 14 tires are already air-filled. The air-filled tires offer a higher comfort for the children’s vehicles, best hybrid bikes under 300,as they can swallow unevenness better on almost any surface. Larger tires (from 12 inches) are more suitable for children from 3 years.
First balance bike, then bicycle or children’s scooter
With the wheel, it usually starts. It is the easiest means of transport for children to learn because it most likely involves natural movements. After that, children’s scooters and the children’s bikes can be considered to learn further motor skills.
Also with regard to the age recommendation of the manufacturers, the balance bike is the toy with the lowest age recommendation, some models are already suitable from about 18 months or 1 1/2 years, so when the child just masters learning to walk.
We have summarized a lot more information about the scooter for children here.
Often, tricycles and support wheels are also included at this point. Both variants also help young novice drivers to discover the world of mobility. However, training wheels also prevent the child from learning to keep the balance and thus convey a false sense of security. For example, it can sometimes take longer for children to keep their balance on bikes, scooters, and balance bikes.
Learn to ride a wheel – This is how it works
The good news comes first. Most children learn to ride a balance bike all by themselves. Often parents observe that the wheel is only pushed in the first few days. This is quite normal and not bad. If they are sure of it, you can also put the kids on the saddle and push them slightly.
With joyful shouts such as “And now move your legs” or “Juhu and now you have to walk” you can – depending on your childhood – perhaps give a small boost to development. The ideal is, of course, neighbor children, who also own a baby bike and can demonstrate the sequence of movements. So the little ones learn in a very playful way by imitating how to learn to ride the balance bike.
Most children only need a few start-up attempts and exercise units to “get the hang of it”. The most difficult part is certainly to use the legs correctly while keeping your balance. Therefore, a crash helmet is of course mandatory when practicing. When the children then roll the first few meters without putting their feet on the ground and balancing their balance nicely, the mission was successful.
Wheels from 1 year – Our tips and recommendations
Depending on the level of development of your own child with regard to motor skills, balance bikes can be tested from about 15 -18 months. Models from the manufacturers Puky and BIG have proven themselves here. Both can refer to numerous details in terms of security and offer a good price and performance ratio. Also, a good choice is wheels with three or four wheels that provide more stability. However, these do not really promote a sense of balance. Another great concept is Strider. The US manufacturer has a wheel in the program that is a first rocking horse and later wheel. Here, kids from about one year of age can already have fun with the vehicle.
Strider impeller in the test
Balance bike from 2 years – Our tips and recommendations
By the age of two, most children are in their prime age to start the balance bike. The sense of balance is there, the running already works and you can communicate with each other. The willingness to learn is also immense. In addition, the body size is now sufficient to move an impeller. Most kids are between 80 and 95 cm here and are already taking steps of 30-38 cm in length. With these two values (stride length and height), parents can now search for the right balance bike. When choosing, the weight can also be taken into account.
The correct tire size is between 10 and 12 inches
The saddle height should be between 30 – 38 cm
The child is between 80 and 95 cm tall
The child has a stride length of 30 -38 cm
The less weight the bike has, the better for the child
Balance bike from 3 years – Our tips and recommendations
By the age of 3, most children already have enough sense of balance and motor skills. Here, the praised pneumatic tires are already preferable to solid rubber, so that the kids also have fun on their bikes.
Alternatives to the balance bike for three-year-olds
The children’s scooter, like the learning balance bike, is a popular method for training balance, motor skills, and above all having fun. The movements are easy to learn and the variety of models is great. Unlike the balance bike, the child stands here on a running board and pushes himself off the ground with one foot. However, the scooters do not have a saddle, as they roll while standing.
equipment consisting of balance bikes and bicycles for children. Parents who like to buy with foresight can already deal with the idea of purchasing a combination device. This refers to a balance bike that can be converted into a children’s bike. The concepts of most 2:1 models, such as the BMW Kids bike, provide that the pedals can be unscrewed. In a way, a compromise is being made here, as it is more of a children’s bike than a balance bike.
In addition, parents consider children’s bicycles with training wheels as well as the tricycle as an alternative.
Balance bike from 4 years – Our tips and recommendations
There are no special balance bikes for children from 4 years of age. But of course, there are also those among the novice drivers who get on a little later. Here you usually resort to the running bikes for 3-year-olds, as these are sufficient both from the size settings and from the safety aspects of a 4-year-old child. Also in terms of weight, it should
Is a wheel worthwhile that grows with you?
Of course, it is a consideration to buy a learning bike in such a way that a child enjoys the device for a long time. For this purpose, the saddle and handlebars should be height-adjustable and the scooter should be built on air-filled tires. The better the scooter is equipped from the outset and the more flexible the setting options, the more future-oriented the purchase is. Even with a view to a second child, a high-quality balance bike is a good consideration. Because then the adjustments can also be made in the other direction.
Balance bikes for children in the test
Of course, we will also carry out our own wheel tests in the future and describe our impressions. Until then, the test report by Stiftung Warentest can give an indication of the quality of the individual children’s balance bikes tested. The good news: Some of the children’s balance bikes tested at the time from brands such as Kettler and Puky can still be bought today. The bad news: The review is already 10 years old. Since then, of course, a lot has happened in production and new manufacturers and models are available on the market.
In the test at that time, two test winners were chosen:
The Kettler Speedy
Das Kokua Mountain
At the time, the two models convinced the test jury with their low pollutant load, low dead weight, and maneuverability. men hybride bike the third best test wheel was the Kokua Jumper, which was still awarded the grade satisfactory. Whether the test winners in 2019 are the same as they were then can be doubted. With reference to the pollutants that were often criticized at the time, Stiftung Warentest itself wrote on 6.11.2017 that the results of that time no longer have any significance today.
Ideally, you should test the learning impeller anyway before buying it in specialist shops and check whether, for example, the size of the model fits the child.
The children’s balance bike in a nutshell:
With about 1.5 years it can be with many children up on the balance bike. Wheels are fun, train motor skills, and are inexpensive to buy. They prepare the children optimally for road traffic and cycling. Nevertheless, parents should think directly about the appropriate protective equipment, especially the helmet. With proper use and moderate speeds, the balance bike is a harmless and great toy with educational benefits.