Strider Bike: the Solution for Young Beginner Riders
Learning to ride a bike is an important step for any child. Balancing on a bike is a skill that will follow them through childhood and into adulthood because, as the saying goes, “It's like riding a bike; once you learn, you never forget!
That's why it's so important to make sure your child feels comfortable, happy and safe on their bike as they learn to ride, and a Strider balance bike is perfect for that. Designed specifically for younger kids who want to learn (with durability to match), the Strider Balance Bike is the perfect tool to help your child figure out how to ride on their own.
What is a Balance Bike?
A balance bike is exactly what it sounds like: a bike you learn to balance yourself on. It is generally used by children as a learning tool. As the name suggests, a balance bike has no pedals on its frame and is used to start teaching children how to balance themselves better on a bike.
It follows the same kind of principle as a tricycle or a training wheel bike. A balance bike is a different type of bike that teaches kids to be better riders on a full-size bike. However, unlike tricycles or training wheels, a balance bike has the same shape as a traditional bicycle (minus the pedals). Because kids don't focus on getting their feet into the pedals and just move around with their feet, they're forced to learn the basic mechanics of the bike without all the fluff that comes with it - at least not. until they are more comfortable with the process.
Balance bike are lightweight yet durable enough for kids to move
One of the reasons a Strider bike – or a balance bike in general – is so great for kids is that they aren't heavy at all. This is important because it's easier to balance something lighter as opposed to something heavier. Even as adults, we would struggle to balance with something that weighs about as much as we do!
A typical balance bike weighs about six or seven pounds, or about one-third the body weight of an average toddler. Because the bike is so light, it's easy to manage for kids, including toddlers.
The Strider 12 Classic Balance Bike is made of lightweight steel specifically designed for kid-level durability. Its puncture-proof tires mean your child is free to fly over gravel, puddles, and more without having to worry about the bike getting damaged. These bikes were designed to take out the toughest punishments your child can throw at them while learning to ride.
It's easier to teach proper cycling techniques.
Even though tricycles and training wheels are useful for children when they start their cycling journeys, these tools are not useful in the long run for good cycling habits. The problem with tricycles and training wheels is that kids will quickly learn to depend on these kickstands when riding a bike, so when it's time to remove the training wheels or switch from one tricycle to a bicycle, their bad cycling habits will continue.
With balance bikes, however, children are forced to learn the basics of riding on two wheels - and only two wheels. To stay upright, they must quickly learn to balance on two wheels, to steer, to brake, etc. Of course, these mechanics will change depending on the type of bike you eventually get for your child, but the basics will remain the same.
This is not true for training wheels or a tricycle. Learning to balance on two wheels is very different from balancing on three or four, and using these instead of a balance bike can be detrimental to your child's overall cycling prowess in the long run.
Learning to quit isn't as difficult.
When learning to ride a bike, one of the most vital things you need to know is how to stop. Every bike is different; some make you stop by squeezing the handlebars, some make you stop by moving the pedals a certain way, or there can be any number of other ways a bike can come to a stop.
With a balance bike, stopping is easy: just put your feet on the ground. There are no handlebar levers to pull, there is no trick to moving your feet on the pedals a certain way. It's a simple process that kids can easily grasp and understand that teaches them how to slow down and stop on a bike.
Some other balance bike models have hand brakes on the handlebars, but the Strider Bike Classic does not have this feature. This makes learning to steer, balance and stop with the feet the focus of learning to ride a bike.
Strider Balance Bikes help young children learn to do.
Cycling and it's one of those skills you can keep in your back pocket forever once you learn to master it, but getting there takes work. Just like learning to cook, learning a new language, or learning any other skill, riding a bike doesn't happen overnight. It takes practice and lots and lots of small steps to get to a level of proficiency.
However, if you start learning these skills when you are young, you can incorporate them into your everyday life. They become part of your routine and come to you like second nature. That's why it's so much easier to learn new skills when you're younger than when you're older.
The Strider Balance Bike is the perfect first bike for any child who wants to learn to ride and for any parent who wants to help them out. Getting them started early can make the process smoother and easier than ever.
Plus, when they're ready to start learning to pedal, the Strider 14X balance bike has the option of adding pedals. It starts as a balance bike to help kids get used to being on two wheels, then adding the pedals is a great way to help them transition into pedaling. It's the perfect blend of two worlds!
Strider Bikes are comfortable.
One of the biggest hurdles in teaching a child to ride a traditional bike is that they tend to be much bigger and heavier than the kids learning to ride them. Not so with the Strider balance bike. Because the Strider bike classic is lightweight and specially designed for teaching children to ride a bike, it is much easier and more comfortable to handle than the classic bike. This allows them to ride the bike comfortably with the right seat size, handlebar width, etc., to make riding comfortable for them.
We believe that if they are happy with how everything feels, kids will be better able to understand how to ride instead of paying attention to how everything "doesn't feel right".
Balance Bike and Strider Bike.
At Balance Bike, we are happy to bring you the best balance Strider bikes. The Strider Classic 12 is perfect for kids ages 18 months to 5 years old to help them get ready to ride a "big kid" bike. With no pedals or hand brakes, this Strider bike makes it easy to learn the basics.
If your child is a bit older and might be using pedals soon, the Strider 14X balance bike may be your best bet. With the ability to add pedals, this bike is a great option for your child if they plan to transition to pedaling on their own soon.
Whichever bike you choose, you're sure to have a great experience with our huge selection of Strider bikes. Try us!