meena Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Last year we bought our niece a Schylling Scuttlebug (this: http://www.amazon.com/Schylling-SBBD-Scuttlebug-Dragonfly/dp/B005FP41BY ) for her first birthday, and she loves it. She is starting to outgrow it, so we are going to buy her a balance bike for her second birthday as the next step. Do you have a specific type or brand of balance bike that you would recommend? We are looking for a metal frame, not sure whether to get molded wheels or air-filled. She is a petite almost-2yo so the seat needs to be able to adjust down yet still grow with her. So far we've liked the looks of the Kazam and the Strider. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 We bought a Kaazam for dd, they have rubber tires not plastic and they are aluminum so light weight. Worked great for her. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) I really liked our Kaazam as well. The kids left it outside a lot last year and it rusted, but it gave us three good years before that, and it actually still rides ok for my 3yo. Really well built. Edited June 8, 2016 by JodiSue 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upptacka Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) For some reason our 3 kids didn't like our kazaam at all......I think they always felt like the seat was sliding them forward or something. It sat unused for 5 years in our garage until I finally accepted defeat and sold it. I was impressed with the bike overall (it was nice quality and had good reviews), it just didn't work for us. If you can try any of them out at a store, I would do that......see which one your niece is most comfortable on. Edited June 8, 2016 by Upptacka 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 DS loved his Kazaam too - he was able to transition to a bike with pedals really quickly at 5 yrs old too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meena Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 Lots of Kazam users here! :) Thank you for the feedback. Do you think the footrest was a help or a hindrance? I've seen mixed reviews, especially when it comes to petite children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 My daughter had a Strider, and I highly recommend it. We got it when she was two, she's not tiny but a bit smaller than average, and it fit her just fine. She didn't actually use it much until she was a little over four, but, six months later, she was riding a regular 12 inch bike without training wheels. Obviously the method worked for her. I thought the molded plastic wheels were great because I never had to worry about putting air in them, and the frame is super light. At four she could easily lift it. It was a bit of a shock for her when she moved to the regular bike and couldn't easily lift it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) We really liked our Strider bike. For older DS we just took the cranks off a 12" bike and it was barely adequate. For younger DS we got a balance bike. He rode the bike ~1mile a day for 2 years just taking his older brother to preschool plus other longer rides. Overall, he probably rode the Strider 1000 miles before moving on to a pedal bike around age 4. Since then we have given the Strider bike to friends who have ridden it for another 500+miles. The wheels are more than durable enough and it is crazy light. Edited June 8, 2016 by raptor_dad 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpe Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 We have a KinderBike. It has real tires and a handbrake so it's "just like Daddy's" (an important selling feature for my little boys). It goes short enough for a 2 year old but tall enough that my 6 year old can still ride it. It's on it's 3rd kid so far and it's still holding up well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meena Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 We really liked our Strider bike. For older DS we just took the cranks off a 12" bike and it was barely adequate. For younger DS we got a balance bike. He rode the bike ~1mile a day for 2 years just taking his older brother to preschool plus other longer rides. Overall, he probably rode the Strider 1000 miles before moving on to a pedal bike around age 4. Since then we have given the Strider bike to friends who have ridden it for another 500+miles. The wheels are more than durable enough and it is crazy light. Wow, your DS got a lot of great early riding experience! I'm hoping my niece can do the same, especially since my BIL and SIL are pretty active and into biking and running. Glad to hear of the Strider's durability. I wasn't sure how those wheels would hold up. Do you think the lightness became a disadvantage as your DS got older? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meena Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 We have a KinderBike. It has real tires and a handbrake so it's "just like Daddy's" (an important selling feature for my little boys). It goes short enough for a 2 year old but tall enough that my 6 year old can still ride it. It's on it's 3rd kid so far and it's still holding up well. I didn't see this brand but it sounds like it has some great features. I'll definitely check that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 We have had two different ones. Honestly, all four of my kids learned to ride a real bike within weeks of riding the balance bike. Since it had such a small amount of use, I don't know that it matters what brand. We had a skuut but it was wooden and the other one was just the cheapest one I could find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Wow, your DS got a lot of great early riding experience! I'm hoping my niece can do the same, especially since my BIL and SIL are pretty active and into biking and running. Glad to hear of the Strider's durability. I wasn't sure how those wheels would hold up. Do you think the lightness became a disadvantage as your DS got older? We are bike commuters. DW rides year round ~3K in snowy Minneapolis. The kids ride 5-7miles a day in the Summer. The durability and weight aren't an issue. The one issue we had with balance bikes was pedaling. Zipping along down hills,around corners,etc was easy but younger DS had hard time mastering the dynamics of pedalling. He was modestly delayed on various motor skills so the fact he could zip along on a balance bike was surprising. To make the transition to a pedal bike he had to back off and ride a slow *frustrating* trike for a month or so to grok the pedaling motion. ETA: We liked the Strider bikes... The Kazam bikes look fine too.. I remember when I first saw the balance bike concept and the ~$300 german wooden likeabike was the only option... Any of the light weight, quality built balance bikes should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meena Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 We are bike commuters. DW rides year round ~3K in snowy Minneapolis. The kids ride 5-7miles a day in the Summer. The durability and weight aren't an issue. The one issue we had with balance bikes was pedaling. Zipping along down hills,around corners,etc was easy but younger DS had hard time mastering the dynamics of pedalling. He was modestly delayed on various motor skills so the fact he could zip along on a balance bike was surprising. To make the transition to a pedal bike he had to back off and ride a slow *frustrating* trike for a month or so to grok the pedaling motion. ETA: We liked the Strider bikes... The Kazam bikes look fine too.. I remember when I first saw the balance bike concept and the ~$300 german wooden likeabike was the only option... Any of the light weight, quality built balance bikes should be fine. I really appreciate your input. Since this is a gift, I want to try to get the best bike within our budget but I need to remember not to overthink the choices too much. You are right, that either bike should be fine, and I'm sure our niece will have great fun with whichever one we finally decide on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 The middle piece on the Kazaam was never an issue for daughter, she mostly ignored it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) Strider riders here! Got one for DS7 when he was 2.5. We've passed it down through our kids, and now DS2 is using it (so the 3rd kid). We need to get new tires for it, especially since we plan on #4 using it too. But the tires have gotten a lot of road and off-road use, so I'm not surprised they need replacing. Also, our older two have learned to ride a pedal bike without training wheels at about age 4. Love our Strider! ETA, A common complaint of the Strider is that it doesn't have footrests. The thing is... it DOES! The bars that extend from the mainframe to the rear wheel have a non-skid finish on the top to place your feet. The placement works well because it keeps the child leaning forward even when resting his feet, like you would on a pedal bike. Edited June 8, 2016 by carriede Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Ds got an Evo Beep Beep when he turned two. It is very sturdy and well-built. He loves it. Older Ds had an Early Rider bike when he was little. It was wood, so not what you are looking for, but it was also an excellent balance bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 We just took the pedals off the 12" bike and boom. Bonus: also my daughter's first bike! We got it as a hand me down from a neighbor but they are a dime a dozen at Goodwill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Kid was 3 at the time btw. Might be large for a 2 yr old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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