Comments on: Finding an acceptable balance bike

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:01:12 +0000

Balance bikes are great for really young kids learning to ride a two wheeler on their our. But my two sons rode bikes with training wheels until they were 4 and 6. They developed balance on their two wheel scooters. When they wanted to learn riding their bike without the training wheels, I did the run-behind-the-bike-thing, and because of their time spent on scooters, they got the hang of the bike real fast. I ran behind each of them for less than a minute each. Don’t forget to make them wear a helmet.

By: Amber

Amber — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:52:03 +0000

I bought a Strider balance bike for my son when he was 1.5 yrs old. He feel in love with it and was balancing by 2. Beware of the handlebars on the metal bikes…he fell and the end of the handlebar cut his lip all the way through about a half inch up(Cut Tennis balls and stick them on the ends asap). Three hours at the ER and 9 stitches later he still loves his bike.

He’s 2.5 yrs old now and wants a bike with pedals…I’m unable to find one that is small enough. The closest is a 10″ Radio Flyer…it’s still too tall for him and it doesn’t have brakes!

Anyway, balance bikes are the only way to go! It’s so exciting watching your child accomplish such a feat at such a young age.

By: Shana

Shana — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:10:08 +0000

Thanks so much for the review. You can add the park racer bike to your unacceptable category. My son just got one this weekend. It’s cute but poor design. The seat is too high even on it’s lowest setting and the handle bars are too far away and to low. My son was struggling to ride while another little boy about the same size went whizzing by on a better designed balance bike. Don’t waste your money on this one.

By: Christina | AmiExpat

Christina | AmiExpat — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:43:14 +0000

@Monika: The article appeared in the 18.07.2008 issue and is available on the Stiftung Warentest website: Kinderlaufräder: Gift in den Griffen. Here is the relevant section from that article:

Beim Händler reklamieren Besonders fatal ist der Weichmacher DEHP (Di2-EthylHexylPhthalat). DEHP ist für Spielzeug und Babyartikel verboten. Trotzdem fanden die Chemiker der Stiftung Warentest die giftige Substanz. Vier Laufräder sind damit belastet. Beim FirstBike Big Apple und beim Monz Mini Viper steckt DEHP in den Griffen, beim Coolproducts und beim Kawasaki im Sitzbezug. Diese Laufräder hätten nicht verkauft werden dürfen. Wer ein solches Modell gekauft hat, sollte es zurückgeben und beim Händler reklamieren.

By: Monika Brand

Monika Brand — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:06:08 +0000

I have had an interest in the Rennrad 14″ bike, and have searched for the article as per your info above (the article in teh Stiftung Warentest)
The article that I got from their website does not mention anything about any products that were found to be unacceptable due to harmful chemicals found in the handles, tires and seat, and 4 of those were found to have illegal chemicals (those four, marked by an asterisk below, are now off the market and if you bought one, you should take it back to the store immediately).

Maybe you have a different article — could you please e-mail me the article that mentions the above.
Thanks
Monika

By: Christina G

Christina G — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:19:03 +0000

@Maria: Would love to know what brand it is!

@Peter: Thanks for the info, I’m going to update the post and add it in there.

@Alice: Glad to help!

By: Alice

Alice — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:32:34 +0000

Wow. Thanks for this review. I’ve been wanting to get Bubba Joe a bike for his birthday in May and wondered about these types of bikes.

WONDERFUL review. Yet again, I will make an informed purchase based on this website.

Thanks again for the awesome job!

By: Peter Emblad

Peter Emblad — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:15:31 +0000

Thank you for this thoughtful article.
Since our product, The Skuut, is prominently displayed, we feel compelled to add our thoughts. The Skuut has been designed with all safety precautions in mind. It has passed EVERY available test and has received every certificate necessary. There are NO harmful chemicals (including phtalates, lead, etc) in any of the parts. We are equally concerned about the environment, and childrens´health, so we are committed to absolute safety. Furthermore, to help protect the environment, we plant a tree for every Skuut sold, to have a net positive impact on the environment. Plus, The Skuut is substantially more affordable than any of our competitors.

If you have any questions regarding any part of our bike, our warranties, etc, please feel free to look at our website http://www.skuut.com or email us at sales@skuut.com.

Peter Emblad
CEO, Skuut,LLC

By: Maria

Maria — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:07:13 +0000

I have a balance bike for The Boy, but I think its manufacturer is Specialized? I’ll have to look. He really likes it, and it looks like a big boy bike minus the pedals, so I think he’ll continue to like it even when his friends have training wheels, which I was trying to avoid.