8 minute read
The perfect balance
Karen Wood, owner of Kidvelo Bikes, explains why balance bikes are the best way to encourage your kids to learn to ride a bike - even from a young age.
Is your child struggling to learn to ride a bike? They aren’t alone. A recent YouGov survey suggests a fifth of all children in the UK are unable to ride a bike.
My husband Gary and I introduced balance bikes to the UK back in 2009, when our own children started to learn to ride a bike. I had a toddler that had to walk or be pushed in a buggy, while our four-year-old tried to use the traditional method, a bike with stabilisers. We spotted a balance bike and imported two from the USA. We were surprised at how easy both children found them to use. It freed up my hands too, as I wasn’t having to help them, and made trips out much more fun as we could all ride a bike at the same time!
Stabilisers support the bike upright with a focus on teaching pedalling first. This is the wrong way around to learn to ride as the child isn’t learning any balance, which is the most important skill needed to ride a bike. Bikes with stabilisers are heavy and won’t fit a child until at least three years old. However, regardless of their age, once the stabilisers come off, we see children falling over to one side immediately, as they have not learned any balance. Maybe you remember your first bike with stabilisers and the sheer joy when you could ride without them?
Did you know that children are now learning to ride a bike, much younger than ever before, from 18 months? You may already have considered push along trikes or ride-on toys, but they don’t help your child learn to ride a bike and they will outgrow them quickly. Pushalong trikes make negotiating curbs difficult and aren’t a great deal of fun for the toddler just sitting in them, as they have no independence. In addition, some push-along trikes have pedals that are often in the wrong place to be effective.
What is a balance bike?
A balance bike’s geometry is different from a pedal bike, as the child has their feet safely on the ground while sitting on the saddle. The pedals, crank and drivetrain have gone, leaving a simple frame, handlebars and two wheels. The simplicity allows 18-month-old toddlers to start learning to balance by walking the bike along at their own pace. As they start lifting their feet for longer and perfect their balance, they get more confident.
The benefits of a balance bike
The skill of balancing is essential when riding a bike, and a balance bike enables kids to break this skill down into easy learning steps, without even realising they are gaining skills! As riding a balance bike is intuitive, kids have fun gaining speed and confidence and developing good balance is the key to all motor skills. We use our balance to control all motion, such as running, walking, playing football or ballet. These all require balance, so the earlier your
child develops this skill the earlier their confidence and coordination improve. It’s a great way to make exercising fun and enjoy time outside. Plus balance bikes are much easier to carry back from school or put in the car to take to parks.
How do they work?
Balance bikes have two wheels, a handlebar to hold on to and no pedals. The rider’s feet are flat on the ground. With nothing complicated to confuse, the rider starts walking the bike along. Initially, they don’t even sit down and shuffle it along. Then, as the bike leans to one side, the rider will naturally bring it back up-right to move forward. Your child is learning to balance without even realising it.
As their confidence grows, they start sitting down, picking up their feet for more extended periods and moving quicker. They are learning to balance this whole time, and their motor skills and coordination are improving. It also frees up your hands to care for a younger child and you can get around much faster.
So how do you choose the correct balance bike?
If children find learning fun and easy, they will stick with it! To choose a suitable bike, it needs to be lightweight and fit well. Bike size: feet will be on the floor, unlike a bike with pedals. Ignore the wheel and frame size; what matters is whether they can put their feet flat on the floor when sitting on the seat. Always check the minimum seat height will fit the inseam of your child. Don’t rely on age indicators alone: some bikes will market for a particular age group, but a child won’t always fit, as everyone has different leg lengths. A good starting point is around 30cm (11.8in) for toddlers and watch the suggested maximum age, as most seat posts don’t go high enough. Adjustability: the bike needs to cater for your child’s growth. You need to know the lowest and highest seat positions, as you will want a few years’ use out of the bicycle. Metal frames have an advantage, as wooden bikes rely on 3-4 pre-drilled
Did you know?
positions, so adjustability is poor and they get outgrown quickly.
Weight of bike: if the bike doesn’t state the weight, it is likely because it’s too heavy. Anything over 3.5kg is too heavy for a toddler who only weighs a few kg. When a heavy bike falls over, it’s scary and knocks their confidence. Extras such as tassels, baskets, flags and mudguards all add weight. Alloy is far better than steel, as it won’t rust and is lighter.
Bikes fitted with stabilisers tend to start from 6kg. We have seen adverts for 14kg bikes as suitable for four-year-olds. No wonder kids struggle!
Karen and Gary Wood founded Kidvelo Bikes in 2019
Brakes: I am not a fan of them for the under 3’s. I’ve seen children struggle with a front lever system as they can’t reach the levers or they have to remove their hands from the handlebars to use them. Young children feel safer just stopping using their feet, as they are in control. Sure, a three-year-old has a better understanding, so it comes down to choosing an age-appropriate bike. The aim is to make the process easy, so less is more when it comes to selecting kids’ bikes.
Footrest: ideally, they need integration into the frame, under the seat, and where the pedals will be on their next bike. So as well as teaching balance in the correct position, the child can rest their feet and take bumps in their legs, not their bottoms! Riding off a curb with your feet dangling hurts. It’s the same for advanced balance bike riders. A footrest allows them to put their feet up while coasting.
Tyres: some bikes have foam tyres, as they are light and inexpensive to manufacture. They work fine to start with, but they wear quickly and don’t offer a comfortable ride. Air-filled tyres add cost and weight, but last much longer and give a far smoother ride and better grip.
I have an older child that can’t ride. Can they use balance bikes?
Yes! Kidvelo set out to help all children learn to ride, regardless of age or ability. We purposely designed larger balance frequent opportunities to ride, so keep it fun and give them time to learn and the magic will happen.
bikes with an included pedal kit, which saves you money, as there is no need to buy another bike once they can happily use their balance bike. Kidvelo’s Rookie 14 and Rookie 18 include a pedal-kit to convert the balance bike into a lightweight pedal bike. We know children with autism or dyspraxia typically show little interest in bikes until they reach five years old, by which time there isn’t a suitable balance bike to learn on. Until now.
How to use a balance bike?
It depends on how old your child is when you introduce them to the bike. The simple method for toddlers is to leave the bike lying around so the child can pick it up and use it as they wish. Please don’t hold the bike for them as the child will figure it out. They straddle the bike and will start shuffling it along. Little ones won’t sit down straight away – this is OK! Gentle encouragement is all that is needed. Occasionally we hear from parents that their child doesn’t like a balance bike. When we enquire further, they aren’t getting short and Karen Wood has more than 13 years of experience in the balance bike industry. She started retailing balance bikes from her kitchen table in 2009 and grew to become the official Strider Distributor for the UK. In 2019, Karen and her husband Gary then stepped up to manufacturing their brand; Kidvelo Bikes (kidvelobikes.co.uk), which specialises in manufacturing top-quality but affordable, balance bikes designed to help children learn to ride. Kidvelo Bikes has been named the winner at the 2022 British Business Awards in the Start-Up Category, as well as scooping Gold for the Best Balance Bike in the Made for Mums 2022 Toy Awards and Best Bike in the Organic Baby Awards.
