Adventure with Alex

One of the first bits of parental advice I got after finding out I would be a dad was to get my child a balance bike as early as possible. Even though Alex was more than a year away from being big enough to ride it I pulled the trigger on a Strider bike. Other than some minimal playing around inside I knew we wouldn’t really get to use it until this Spring. At 2 and a half years old his running and motor skills are just at the point where he can start to get used to the bike, and today we had our first true outdoor session!

Strider Balance Bike

For those who have never heard of a “balance bike” let me fill you in. Many of us learned to ride bikes using training wheels. These awkward wheels may actually slow a child’s ability to learn to balance on a bike… you are basically just relying on one crutch until you lean to far one way and now you are relying on the other crutch. Balance bikes have no training wheels. They also have no pedals. At first that seems odd, until you watch a toddler struggling to learn balance and the leg coordination to pedal correctly while trying not to bee-line it into the nearest tree. By removing the pedals a child can simply focus on learning to balance (and steer). Essentially they walk around until they feel comfortable sitting down and gliding.

Today we headed to our neighborhood park for a true biking session. Alex’s best buddy Rowan joined him with his brand new Smart Gear balance bike.

Couple of future X-Gamers

While there was no real “gliding” going on yet both kids enjoyed “riding” the bikes around the park for almost an hour! They took turns on each bike, and Rowan’s mommy and I started formulating a plan for weekly ride-play-dates. While I liked the eco-friendly nature of the Smart Gear bike, and the “anti-jackknife” feature, I think the boys liked the thinner profile of the Strider bike. It was easier for their little legs to stay under them on the narrower bike. This probably won’t be an issue once they both get a few inches taller. The Strider bike though also has foot rests which are definitely going to be needed once he starts gliding.

Ready to race

RoRo is moving, Alex closes the gap

While we were at the park multiple parents came over with their kids asking if they could let their little ones try. Alex & Rowan were happy to spend time on the slides & swings while their bikes were demo’d. I got the impression that many of the new parents didn’t realize they could start their young toddlers on a “real” bike at such a young age. At least one parent seemed like he was heading to a store to buy one right after leaving the park!

There are some pretty amazing Strider videos out there. Check out Strider’s official YouTube channel here.

How old were you or your kids when you starting riding? Did you use training wheels? Any tips for other parents?

Also please subscribe at the top right if you enjoyed this! This blog lost some momentum over the long winter and it’s nice to know people are reading. We have a busy Spring/Summer planned so there will be at least a weekly post… here’s a preview of next weeks product review update:

It works!