Balance Bikes
Ditch the training wheels and grab a balance bike for your child's first two wheel adventure. Balance bikes redefine how kids learn to ride. Training wheels are a thing of the past and the transition to pedals is quick and easy. Try not to overthink this one as just getting them on a blance bike of any sort is the goal. That said, if you are after the best, look for a light frame paired with tubed tires, child sized grips, recessed/rounded axle bolts or covers and a child friendly rear mounted brake. While a brake is not necessry (not all kids this young can manage a brake), its nice to get the skill introduced for the first pedal bike. For fit, measure your child's inseam and compare to minimum and maximum seat heights, best to have an inch or so more inseam than minimum seat height.
12 inch Balance Bikes
Woom 1
One of the better balance bikes available, the woom 1 has had a re-design placing the rear brake on top of the stays (our preference is below so kids can rest feet on top of stays), new bar/stem combo and new grips. Great weight, stand over and geometry, check out OUR FULL REVIEW HERE.
Weight: 7.9 lbs | MSRP: $249 US | Min-Max seat height: 10"-14.5" | Where to buy: Woom | REI
Prevelo Alpha Zero
With loads of time on this machine, we give it a "top pick" rating for 12 inch balance bikes. Aimed at 18 months plus, this robust yet light weight little machine will be railing corners and laying skids in your neighborhood soon. This bike breeds future MTB riders! Check out OUR FULL REVIEW HERE.
Weight: approx 8.5 lbs | MSRP: $219 US | Min-Max seat height: 11.5"-14.6" | Where to buy: Prevelo | Prevelo Canada | Backcountry
Pello Ripple
Another awesome alloy step-thru frame that has everything we like. Aluminum bits, reverse mounted rear brake, and tubed tires. Choices, choices!
Weight: 9 lbs | MSRP: $209 US | Min-Max seat height: 12"-16" | Where to buy: Pello Bikes
Likeabike Kokua Jumper
Believe the hype, this is the funnest balance bike around. Your little guy/gal a daredevil in toddler clothing? Look no further, here is the best bike for off-road trails, bike parks, skate parks, and driveway jump sessions due to the rear suspension. A rear disc brake and this would be the perfect bike! Be prepared to go through some shoes...
Weight: 7.5 lbs | MSRP: $240 US | Min-Max seat height: 12"-17" | Where to buy: likeabike
Spawn Tengu
This robust little bike will take the toughest of beatings. Sealed bearings, reverse mounted tektro v-brake and 2.125 inch wide tires make this a great bike for those 2-4 year old's pushing the limits of off-road Flintstone style pedal power.
Weight: 8.9 lbs | MSRP: $250 USD $300 CDN | Min-Max In seam: 12"-17" | Where to buy: spawn
Guardian Balance Bike
Guardian's version of the 12 inch balance bike hits the mark. Low step through frame, light weight, pneumatic tires, quick release at seat post, proper headset and the Surestop breaking system (one lever, two brakes). Not all kids this young are able to use the brakes but some are and the Surestop system is very cool.
Weight: 8.5 lbs | MSRP: $199 US | Min-Max seat height: 12.5"-16" | Where to buy: Guardian
Early Rider Big Foot
Early Rider's off road version of their balance bike, the Big Foot is equipped with 2.25 inch wide crown gem tires and a tektro rear brake. We also like where that brake is placed as the kids can res their feet on the chainstays should they be so inclined. Nice light weight frame. Only wish would be quick release seat post.
Weight: 8.3 lbs | MSRP: $269 US | Min seat height: 12.5" | Where to buy: Ready Set Pedal
Vitus Smoothy
This sleek little bike delivers on value and performance. Light weight magnesium frame and 12 inch alloy wheels, 2.1 inch tires and nifty carry handle. Sooooo much value here.
Weight: 7 lbs | MSRP: $73 US | Min-Max inseam: 12.9"-17.3" | Where to buy: Chain Reaction
Hornit Airo
Why spend $1,000 on carbon balance bike (yes, they make them), when you can get this magnesium alloy framed little machine with proper headset and pneumatic tries. Aimed at the 18 month crowd, this bike and the Vitus offer amazing weight bikes for the wee ones. The Airo comes in 6 colors.
Weight: 6.5 lbs | MSRP: $185 US | Min-Max inseam: 11.8"-18.9" | Where to buy: Hornit | Amazon
Kids Ride Shotgun Balance Bike
The Aesthetics of this little balance bike are squarely aimed at mountain bike parents. The Magura rear disc brake is really great and the protected shield was well thought out. There is no doubt toddlers will be able to actuate a hydraulic disc brake much better than a v-brake. Perhaps most won't need a 66 Head Angle or mullet capability but here you go...an enduro balance bike for off-road toddlers. Available in 12 inch, 14 inch, mullet configurations with or without brake and built-in foot rest. OUR FULL REVIEW HERE
Weight: 9-11 lbs | MSRP: $340-469 US | Where to buy: REI
RoyalBaby
Need a carbon wonderbike for your toddler? Here is a "value" carbon balance bike that is feathery light with integrated foot board. Don't be the parent that shows up at the local pump track with a $1,000 carbon balance bike, our sport is already elitist...
Weight: 5.5 lbs | MSRP: $210 US | Where to buy: RoyalBaby
Strider
One of the lightest balance bikes available and a low stand-over height make the Strider great for the 18 month - 2 year old crowd. If you are super eager to get them on a bike early, this bike works well...but it will not last long with heavy use. If you are planning heavy use and willing to spend the extra money, we would recommend to jump straight to a premium bike as the extra features like pneumatic tires and proper headset are worth it. OUR FULL REVIEW HERE.
Weight: 6.4 lbs | MSRP: $99-169 US | Min-Max seat height: 11"-16" | Where to buy: Amazon | Backcountry
Vitus Nippy Superlight Balance Bike
Like the Strider, the Vitus Nippy is great for a introductory balance bike for the littlest of riders. The difference here is it is extremely light and well priced. Yes, you will probably upgrade to a premium balance bike if there is interest by your child, but for 50 bucks...that makes the decision easy.
Weight: 4.2 lbs | MSRP: $38 USD | Min-Max seat heigt: 12"-15" | Where to buy: Chain Reaction
14 inch Balance Bikes
If kiddo seems too big for a 12 inch wheel balance bike, 14 and 16 inch options do exist. The alternative here would be to purchase a 14 or 16 inch quality pedal bike and take off the pedals and/or cranks to use a balance bike. Simply re-introduce cranks and pedals when they are ready.
Woom 1 Plus
A good option for the 3 years old plus crowd for a balance bike. From here you can jump right to a 16 inch pedal bike without the use of stabilizers/training wheels. It has all the features we expect from Woom and then some! Check out OUR FULL REVIEW HERE.
Weight: 9.81 lbs | MSRP: $299 US | Min-Max seat height: 14.75"-18.5" | Where to buy: woom bikes, amazon
Propain Bam Bam
14 inch balance bike with a nice wide bar and off-road tires. The unique feature here is the ability to throw on a dis brake with the frame caliper mount and the hub disc mount. Its too bad they don't offer the brake standard as a 14 inch bike with MTB tires deserves it. Pretty niche here as most kids would be ready for a 14 inch pedal coming off 12 inch pedal balance bike. Also, when you add in a disc brake and rotor, it becomes pricey (appeals to MTB dads that get ahead of themselves, LOL).
Weight: 9.9 lbs | MSRP: $279 US | Min-Max rider height: 90-110 cm | Where to buy: Propain
LittleBig Bike convertible balance/pedal bike
A very unique design and 14 inch application, the LittleBig Bike successfully does what others have struggled with, a quality convertible balance-to-pedal bike. Balance Bikes have called into question the use of stabilizers/training wheels for good reason, they are simply a better way to learn. The LittleBig capitalizes on this by providing a single platform that can teach a child to balance, steer and pedal in a single great value package. Personally, we are more inclined to go the 12 inch balance bike to 14 inch pedal bike route as including shipping with the pedal kit this runs $430 USD. Also, dedicated 12 inch balance and 14 inch pedal bikes are significantly lighter with lower min seat heights. OUR FULL REVIEW HERE.
Weight: 13.3 lbs balance bike 15.5 lbs pedal bike | MSRP: $300-385 US | Min-Max seat height: 14"-22" | Where to buy: LittleBig Bike
16 inch Balance Bikes
Same thing as the 14 inch balance bikes, a regular 16 inch pedal bike with pedals and/or cranks removed will do just as well.
Bixie 16 Balance Bike
Aimed at the 5 to 9 crowd, the Bixie 16 is excellent value for large riders wanting/needing a balance bike. No brake and at this price, this bike serves well as a temporary transition to a pedal bike with its pneumatic tires.
Weight: 12 lbs | MSRP: $110 US | Min-Max seat height: 18.2"-22.5" | Where to buy: Amazon
Not sure how Early Riders haven’t made this list, the BigFoot 12 beats 90% of this list for rippers. Shotgun is a close second
We had the 14 ER on the list but they came hard to find in US after REI distribution was killed, we will take a look again. The like a bike jumper is hands down the winner for rippers.
Hey Bike Dads!
I have a 21 month old boy, He has an 11” inseam and is 31 inches tall. No fear.
A balance bike I can get local a Spawn Tengu, Frog Tadpole and Yeedoo.
Is there one that you would recommend over the other?
Thank you again!
The Yeedo has a bit twitchy handling, go with Spawn or Frog.
Hi!
My 3 very tall 3 yr old hasn’t ridden a bike yet and we are considering the strider 14x with the pedal conversion. There si not seem to be brakes on the strider, however, so is the pedal kit not necessary? When most kids are ready for pedals, don’t they need brakes?
That said, if I should be considering a balance bike with brakes, are there any out there with brakes that are more affordable than the woom?
Thanks! Katie
Hi Katie, we recommend just buying a 14 inch pedal bike and taking cranks and pedals off to use as a balance bike until they are ready to pedal. You can sometime just take the pedals off if they have been using a balance bike already.
Thank you! She has no experience with bikes yet, so definitely starting with a pedal bike. I guess the protective side in me wants brakes- do you feel brakes are necessary for a first timer?
It’s hard to find brakes, and almost impossible for a conversion bike with them.
Balance bike that can later be used for pedaling, I mean. Do you have any suggestions for pedal bikes for an inexperienced, very tall 3 year old?
Take a look at our 14 inch pedal bike page. Any of these will work as balance bike by taking chain, pedals and/or cranks off if you get the freewheel/handbrake options. The other option is just get her a budget 12 inch balance bike so she learns to balance and steer. Don’t worry about a lack of brake for 12 inch balance bikes, while nice not necessary, they can use their feet to stop.
Hi Katie, any 14 inch pedal bike with hand brakes and freewheel will work. You can simply take off the chain and cranks/pedals and it becomes a balance bike. Assemble it back together when she is ready to pedal. The convertible balance bikes to pedal bike are not that great with the exception of the little big bike.
Excellent- great advice. Thanks so much!
Hi Colin, my 4 y.o. daughter is riding a Strider 14x, and is just killing it. Will throw on the pedal kit that came with it in the coming weeks. My question is, how should I transition her to trail riding? I will have a Woom Off waiting for her when she’s big enough (she’s currently 41″ tall without shoes on). Should I put her on the trail with the Strider as a balance bike, or as a pedal bike?
Next step for her would be a 14 or 16 inch pedal bike with good tires and geometry. Don’t rush it, start with low angle/flat dirt paths and trails with lots of treats and ice cream apres.
Ok, so I’ve been looking between the Early Rider Seeker vs. Zulu 2 Heir. Money isn’t an issue, since both are in my budget, and I plan on her riding it for 1.5 to 2 years. I like the Seeker bc of the light weight but like the Zulu bc of the good reviews on the bike and fork. I’ll be using a towwhee. Which do you think is the best option?
The Zulu 2 heir is for kids who know how to pedal and ride pedals level standing up on descents. The fork works on jumps and riding off curbs etc but its tire pressure at this age that smoothes out the bumps. More comparable to the Seeker would be the alpha series from Prevelo that is great geometry to learn on and take on light trails. My youngest rode an Alpha on our local trails at age 4 with great success. The regular Zulu would be a good option if you are only towing and letting her descend but not as good for neighbourhood use as the Seeker or Alpha. It takes a good 8-12 months for kids to learn to pedal and descend standing up and that is being optimistic. I would highly recommend a good light weight neighbour hood pedal bike that you can flip in 8-12 months and then get a MTB oriented bike thereafter (disc brakes, wider tires and perhaps air fork).
Thanks, I looked at the Alpha, and decided I’ll go with the Seeker X16. Has hydro disc brakes, which is probably unnecessary at her body weight, but still cool to have. Yet it’s still lighter than the prevelo bikes. At 13.8 lbs, the weight is more comparable to the Strider she’s been throwing around. Will be nice for her to use around the neighborhood, as well.
Hi guys, upgrading my 2.5 year old from a 10″ Norco Ninja to a 12″ bike. Intrigued by Spawn Tengu but can’t find much info on the internet. Spawns site doesn’t even list the weight of the bike which surprises me. Do you have any other insights/opinions/details on this bike? Thanks
Good little bike, brake is in correct position, low min seat height and weight is above.
Mate the commencal balance bikes are great. a place for the feet plus a rear disc option made or small hands.Would love to hear a review. although a bit pricy with disc option but with resale it is worth it.
We would gladly have a look if commencal sent one out. Disc brakes, although cool, might be over-kill and dangerous for little fingers poking around the wheel. Good looking bike but some others listed here are less expensive, include a brake, lower stand over and lighter in many cases.
Because I’m ridiculous, our son got a Frog Tadpole mini for his first birthday. Turns out he’s enormous. He’s 21 months but already grown out of it. He likes to try to ride his sister’s old kokua jumper (which was our best score ever, we got it for $20 on craigslist while on vacation in Rhode Island) but he can’t actually sit on the seat. I’d like to upgrade him to something that fits and will last this summer and next. His inseam is about 12 in with a diaper on. I’m debating between the prevelo alpha 0 (which I lean toward over the woom 1 because of the longer wheel base and slightly higher max seat height) and possibly the spawn tengu, because he’s already so tall for his age it seems like the even higher seat height would be worthwhile and possibly better on single track. I just have never talked to anyone whose actually used the spawn bike, which makes me hesitate. What do you think?
We all get a little excited for the first bike! would not over think it too much especially if there is a Kokua Jumper going to be handed down. The inch difference in wheel base and small difference in max seat height is splitting hairs between the woom an prevelo. Both great, both will serve him well. The spawn is also a great bike with a bit more off road oriented tires. All great bikes.
Hey Bike Dads,
Have you written anything on pumping the tires for 12″ wheels? I know most avid riders don’t purchase 12″ pedal bikes for their kids, but many balance bikes, trailers and even strollers have 12″ wheels. The issue though, is that the ties are near impossible to inflate since the wheels are so small and the spokes are so close together, you can’t even fit the head of most bike pumps on the valve. What’s the trick? Do you have to have one of those valve extenders?
Hi Nicole,
We feel your pain. We have two solutions…one, we use a mounain biek shock pump or two buy angled valve tubes like this, https://amzn.to/2BOtue9
Cheers, Colin
Mountainbiker dad of a 2.5 yrs old boy here: Kokua is by far the best of the listed here. Every single detail on that bike, from geometry to Schwalbe tyres, from its lightweight frame to the jacknifing preventer, from the high quality manufacturing to the elastomer… it is a marvel. I personally also like that it comes close to a mini mountain bike. It is not the cheapest, but definitely worth the money, especially if you can pass it on to your 2nd or 3rd child.
It’s great for sure as are the others listed…it really depends where and how the kid rides.
It’s really an amazing little bike. Ours has taken a beating through about 5 kids at this point. The bearings must be a miracle because it seems to roll forever after they barely lean on it. But since we’ve also got some bikes with brakes, some kids really prefer that. For my oldest, having the hand brake has made a difference in what terrain she’s was wiling to try out.
Check out the “runners” aluminum balance bike. http://www.runners-bike.com/ultralight-runners-bike Our son has been on it since 2 years old and now is flying down blue single track and pump tracks, riding over skinnies in the woods, and racing around the neighnourhood. Super simple design with rear shock. Great tires for trail riding, but needs tubes to be switched to 45 degree stems to easily pump. It’s a little high for stand over height, so not the best first bike, but amazing once it fits. $129.00 Canadian and I think the best value for what you get.
Dads, looking for a bike with more platform for him to stand on and practice pumping. Also, what do you think of the bentley with disc brake? For 2.5 year old on a swagtron
The Bentley is expensive for what it is and uncovered discs are sharp for little fingers (Plus a Bentely balance bike is a bit douchey, LOL). Our experience is pumping best learned on a pedal bike not a balance bike. If they can pump on a balance bike it is definitely time for pedals. Consider having a 14 inch pedal bike waiting for him when the time is right. You can even use it as a balance bike with cranks and pedals off.
Bentley price dropped to $230. Douchey for sure, but i thought a good disc brake would be easier to learn. I will look for a prevelo alpha 14 to have ready to go. Thank you!
Perfect, just take the front brake off and cranks from the alpha and he will rock it as a balance bike. No doubt disc brakes are awesome and make sense for little hands with less grip strength. At that price, it might be worth taking the plunge on the Bentley and swapping to a hydraulic brake if you have one kicking around the garage. Just be mindful of that disc if he is playing with it…and you can always pry off the Bentley badge, LOL.