What's the difference between balance and pedal bikes? What skills are necessary? When is my child ready?
The difference between balance and pedal bikes.
A pedal bike places the rider higher off of the ground.
A pedal bike needs to lean 15 degrees with the pedal in the lowest position without the pedal striking the ground. This safety requirement will likely mean that a properly fitting seat height will result in a child not touching the ground with feet while seated. Maybe, just maybe, the child might touch the ground with tippy toes.
A properly fitting balance bike has a child seated while feet are flat on the ground, legs slightly bent.
What skills are necessary?
1) Controlled Steering. Pushing with arms on handle bars, pushing waist side to side to lean the bike with feet up.
2) Controlled braking. If your balance bike has a brake, the rider learns to pull the brake lever with enough pressure to slow the wheel, but not skid, all the while having feet up.
I made a video for lean turning because I get this question a lot. Watch the video here!
You’ll see my neighbor at 4.5 years old. His parents bought the LIKEtoBIKE 16 for him at the time of that filming. He needed more skills practice on the balance bike riding with feet up. I went with his dad, twice, to a multi-use off road paved path with a slope to a flat with a curve. First we brought the jumper 14, and the second time the LtB 16. Using the bike path with a yellow line, I told him to keep on the yellow line down the slope with feet up. At a certain point the path makes a curve so he had to learn how to push the bike with his hips to “lean turn”. Kids get tired fast, 10 minutes in this case, so I told “dad” we’d go back another time. On the LtB 16 I had him follow that yellow line a couple of times but told him to keep straight which led into the grass at which point he was to stop with the hand brakes. Then we told him to follow the curve and sure enough both “dad” and I saw the hip movement! It’s crazy when you see it! From that point he had it.
It takes time to learn how much/ how hard to pull on the brake lever and avoid skidding.
When is my child ready?
When they've mastered the above skills, and they ask for pedals, ideally when they can fit a 16" pedal bike.
To recap
1) With feet up, practice riding and turning with control. The rider should be able to ride a slalom course with feet up. Tip: Set the obstacles far enough apart, but not too far apart, so that the rider can complete the lean turns. Adjust as necessary.
2) Hand brakes! With Feet up, practice braking with control. Braking with control means not skidding while pulling the brake.
Please let me know how I can help more.
kokua@kokuabikesusa.com or call/ text to 808-222-2377 (Hawaii Standard Time)