I’ll be honest, I’ve never considered a balance bike until I was approached by Sippy Cup Mom to review the Strider with my 2.5 year old son. We watched the compelling Strider video on YouTube and were blown away by the abilities of these small kids. The man in the video, the founder of Strider, seems so genuine and truly wants kids to succeed and be confident with bike riding.
The Strider Balance Bike arrived quickly and since we didn’t have a helmet for him, we had to wait nearly 24 hours to let him try it. Isaac sat on the box and rocked it back and forth much of the day. He was so excited about “his” bike. When Daddy got home, he grabbed his hand and said, “Come on daddy, let’s fix my bike!” It took my husband less time to put the bike together than it did for me to get Isaac dressed and helmeted. The efficient no-tool assembly was so convenient because he was able to hop on in just a matter of minutes.
It weighs next to nothing, only 6.7 pounds. Isaac picked it up and put it on his shoulder as if he had done it before and was ready to go mountain biking. He is an above average height kid (38” at 2.5 and about 30 lbs) but not very stout. He looked like a little man and PROUD that he could do it himself. He has a tricycle and a Cozy Coupe and until that day, had not really figured out how to make either move efficiently, which I know frustrated him.
I would love to say he hopped on and started doing wheelies and balancing immediately, but this is going to be a process. He walked it around the school parking lot; he’s a pretty cautious kid but once he warms up, he gives it his all. He was easily able to move it and steer it in the direction he’ wanted it to go. He did take a spill, but only once, he figured out quickly that his feet were the ones on the ground holding him up and he stayed upright and on the seat for the remainder of his ride. He got more and more courageous and eventually did put his feet up on the footrests and did a tiny bit of walk-free true bike riding!
It was very easy to assemble, it’s super cute (I mean, umm, “rad” and “manly”), well made with fun color options, and it builds confidence and physical coordination. Once he gets outgrows the balance bike and moves onto a pedal bike, he will only have to learn how to move his feet on the pedals. I am floored by that! I think that sometimes learning the larger concept and then filling in the details is the way to learn.
There are so many videos of these awesome kids who seem to be impossibly defying their age by zooming around on the balance bike that it makes my heart happy. It’s empowering and refreshing to see active kids and I know that having a bike that my child loves to ride will encourage us as a family to be more active as well. I really can’t say enough good things about the Strider. I’m now a balance bike believer!
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Disclosure: I received the above product for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
What a really cute bike. How nice that they make bikes to fit a child so well. I like the color and how easy it is to assemble. I think your son looks so cute on this bike.
I’ve been really wanting to get one of these for my son. This one looks really sturdy.
It took me a minute to realize that the bike didn’t have pedals! It does look pretty interesting and I am going to check it out more on YouTube for sure.
This is a cute one! My son has a balance bike. It’s really good for his development and we have a lot of fun with it.
we have this and my kids loved it. It really helped them in balancing and now they both can ride a bike!
Now that really is a cool way to teach the skill, and yes, that’s totally rad and manly!
I love those bikes. They’re like mini bmx style bikes.
Aww, so precious! Way to go Isaac on your first bike!
This is great! I wish my son had a balance bike when he was first learning to ride.
I wish *I’d* had one when I was first learning to ride (60 years ago). But I think this is a great way for kids to learn the balancing part first.
What a great idea to get the skills and the balance down pat. So smart!
(Love the pout in that last photo too!)
My husband is not on board with the balance bike idea. I need to get him to watch the You Tube Video.
This is a good way to start kids learning what it takes to ride a bike.
Such a great starter bike for the little ones. Wish they were around when I was a kid!
This is such a good invention. Kids need to be able to balance before they can really ride.I like that it is lightweight and easy to balance.
I learned that they are also useful for children with special needs .I like that it is lightweight and easy to balance.Yes I would use a Balance Bike for my kids!