NBR - STM bike recommendations for 2 yr old?

BP607 · May 2014

DS1 birthday is coming up at the end of June and I would like to get him a bike. I had been perusing the idea of a balance bike but the quality ones seem hard to get ahold of, the two I were looking at have been out of stock for some time now and the release dates just keep getting pushed back.

Anyone have any bike recommendations for me?

lindslalala · May 2014

I actually just ordered DS a Strider balance bike off Zulily this morning ! They're selling them for $65 plus shipping, which is a pretty good deal. It'll either be a present to him from the new baby or a Christmas gift, haven't decided. DS turned 2 in March. ETA: four different people have recommended the Strider bike to me

[Deleted User] · May 2014

DS has a Kazam balance bike. I used a 20% off at TRU and got it for about $80. So far so good. I've heard good things about the Strider, too.

AKbadwolf · May 2014

DD has a Smart Gear balance bike from Amazon. Free shipping with Amazon Prime and some cool designs.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_sporting-goods?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=Smart+Gear&node=3375251

AKbadwolf · May 2014

One thing I recommend is pneumatic tires vs hard plastic. I know a lot of people that have had issues with hard plastic tires slipping.

marsalisails · May 2014

ditto to the balance bike - my kid LOVES his. the only "drawback" is that it took him a lot longer to learn how to use pedals!! he ended up learning at pre-school b/c all of the other kids knew how to pedal, but i was trying to work with him all last summer, and he just didn't see the point

ETA: now he's not interested at all in training wheels - he wants to go straight to a two-wheeler...we'll see how that goes!

reils500 · May 2014

My 2 year old loves his Kettler balance bike. My mom scored it for $10 at a tag sale, its beat up but works great. It has 10 inch wheels. If we hadn't got this one our plan was to buy a small used pedal bike & remove chain & pedals to make it a balance bike

unaveragejane · May 2014

Wow, bikes already?? I just ordered my kid a tricycle for his upcoming 2nd birthday. I feel so behind.

cookieinva · May 2014

Since everyone has spoken for balance bikes, I'll come in with the other side. My sister shelled out for good balance bikes for her kids (same age as my DS). They never really liked them and therefore didn't use them much; we borrowed it and DS wasn't too into it. Got him a traditional bike and he loved it. I can't even keep up with him any more. He will probably be out of training wheels by the end of the summer. I know the pros of a balance bike, but just throwing out there that your kid isn't destined to training wheels forever if you don't get a balance bike.

BP607 · May 2014

unaveragejane said:

Wow, bikes already?? I just ordered my kid a tricycle for his upcoming 2nd birthday. I feel so behind.

My DS1 birthday is coming up at the end of the month, he will be 2. That's who I was asking about for the bikes!

BP607 · May 2014

Thanks for all the recommendations everyone! I went ahead and took advantage of the zulily sale on strider bikes. I hope he likes it. I'm nervous as PP mentioned her child didn't really like it. Guess we'll find out!

aimeepigott · May 2014

A friend bought DS a red rider tricycle for his first bday. He is 18 mos now and loves it. We are working on using the pedals now!

ghostof5letters · May 2014

We have a Strider balance bike and it is awesome. We ordered it online for under $100 and my daughter is a little balancing rocket on it. We skipped the tricycle phase.

My daughter turned 2 in July, and it wasn't until October that she really got the hang of it and LOVED it. She's now almost 3 and really fantastic at it.

alyss0nl · May 2014

I feel so behind. Ds1 has a tricycle that he has just mastered and he's only 2.5 years old.

ghostof5letters · May 2014

alysson.lawless said:

I feel so behind. Ds1 has a tricycle that he has just mastered and he's only 2.5 years old.

From what I've read, pedaling isn't a skill that most 2 year olds pick up on quickly. It takes some time. You're definitely not behind. The delayed pedaling skill is why a lot of people start with the balance bike first at a younger age.

RJHarmon · May 2014

cookieinva said:

Since everyone has spoken for balance bikes, I'll come in with the other side. My sister shelled out for good balance bikes for her kids (same age as my DS). They never really liked them and therefore didn't use them much; we borrowed it and DS wasn't too into it. Got him a traditional bike and he loved it. I can't even keep up with him any more. He will probably be out of training wheels by the end of the summer. I know the pros of a balance bike, but just throwing out there that your kid isn't destined to training wheels forever if you don't get a balance bike.

Same here. I bought 2 strider balance bikes for my DD and DS, and they don't get used :-(

Huahine · May 2014

RJHarmon said:

cookieinva said:

Since everyone has spoken for balance bikes, I'll come in with the other side. My sister shelled out for good balance bikes for her kids (same age as my DS). They never really liked them and therefore didn't use them much; we borrowed it and DS wasn't too into it. Got him a traditional bike and he loved it. I can't even keep up with him any more. He will probably be out of training wheels by the end of the summer. I know the pros of a balance bike, but just throwing out there that your kid isn't destined to training wheels forever if you don't get a balance bike.

Same here. I bought 2 strider balance bikes for my DD and DS, and they don't get used :-(

Ditto - DS1 has had his strider since he was 18mos old. No interest. Now, the 4 year old down the street's Razor scooter? That he is all over everytime he has a chance.

Shelleybell · May 2014

My dd has a smart gear balance bike and a scooter. She is obsessed with the scooter and could care less about the balance bike.

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