You can buy a bike the same size as the striders with hand brakes and either remove the cranks or remove the pedals and zip-tie the cranks to the chainstay so they can move to pedalling when they are ready.

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I have deceptive speed.........I'm slower than I look!

This

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who's smarter than you're? i'm!

http://islabikes.com/us/index.html

Isla bikes are fantastic. We have a strider, and it worked, but we found this on amazon when our guy was 2ish and were very happy with it.

http://www.amazon.com/...els/sim/B0041RQGVU/2

The above Isla bikes are amazing little bikes for kids. A friend has their Rothan and their child loves it. When our eldest guy was ready for a pedal bike, we bought a 12 inch specialized. It was a mistake, as it was pretty heavy and he probably would have fit on a isla cnoc 16", which we purchased within a couple months of the specialized. The isla bike is amazing, when your guys are ready to pedal. It has allowed my son to climb hills, get used to a hand or foot brake and he loves it! Resale value is very high, too. Also, a 12 inch bike goes really slow, even at high cadence. A 16 inch is much better for learning, I feel. He's done many 4 to 8 mike bike rides, often divided in half by a playground or park somewhere.

http://www.twowheelingtots.com/...d-hotrock-12-review/ This article is a fantastic read!!

http://www.bikeradar.com/...es-cnoc-16-13-47534/

https://www.canyon.com/...gory=Z10&id=7693


Based on the Bikes Below.

http://store.likeabikeusa.com/...;Category_Code=BIKES

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Trying since 81
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We got a Strider and no complaints. If I were to do it again, I'd definitely get the Isla. My sons first pedal bike is an Isla and we love it. Totally a brand that deserves cyclists' support.

Bought my daughter a strider bike for her 3rd birthday and she used it the whole summer and loved it. She got really good at it too. Early the next summer she was coasting down our whole street and doing tight turns in the driveway. Later that summer she got on a pedal bike for the first time. Her 6 year old cousin held the seat, took two steps and she rode off, never to use the strider again. That is ok because it went to the next kiddo. There is no way she would have had the ability to just ride off on her first try without first being so good on her strider. I think all kids should start on a pedal-less bike. Our strider has held up pretty well considering it gets dropped all the time when they are done riding. Striders work, just as I am sure other pedal-less bikes do too. I bought a strider because it was way cheaper than the Specialized version.

Started with a Chillafish when the little one was sub 1. We migrated to Strider (super light one) which he likes a lot. We tried the specialized with pedals off but it is just so heavy so hasn't had much use.

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Founder: BestBikeSplit
Amazonian

This is ST, don't make a decision without seeing some tunnel data on the bikes.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Has anyone done any wind tunnel testing? Is the Strider or the Isla faster to the mailbox and back?

Over here in the UK we have a brand called B'Twin who produce a balance bike called the Run Ride. It's almost a quarter the price of a Strider/Isla. We have friends with these and I honestly can't tell the difference. They come from a chain of stores called Decathlon. I don't know if these are available outside the UK, but I'd heartily recommend.

A QR clamp on the seat post is a feature I would recommend, I'm always tweaking the saddle height to account for my daughter's growing legs!

Balance bikes are one of those things that I just don't understand. It's a product that was designed to take your money when there is a perfectly good option already available, i.e. a regular bike. Just remove the pedals and your good to go. It's how I taught all three of my kids to ride without any issues. Let them mess around on it for a few days in the driveway. Once they are having fun take them to a small hill (driveway works if it's steep) and let them start getting some speed rolling down. Once they've got that down throw the pedals on and let tell them to coast down but not pedal. Once they do that a few times tell them to try pedaling. Two of my kids were riding in just one session, the other took 2 sessions. So simple.

Balance bikes are a fraction of the weight, many 7 or 8 pounds and the step over height is exceptionally low, much lower than any 12 inch bike. If you have a toddler that wants to start very young, such as age 2, it's the only real option.

LMAO. Right. you need a white-paper

On the subject, would appreciate advice from any parents of kids who have already got them up and riding

Our eldest daughter has just turned 4. She's pretty tall and strong for her age, but not that adventurous and is quite slow to learn new physical skills. She's got a 3 wheel scooter which she is now very confident on and which is great for family walks as she can go pretty fast. She's also got a bike with stabilizers but it's been pretty slow going - she's fine with brakes and steering, only just got the hang of pedalling full circles in the last few months, but is still pretty slow (slower than the scooter) and heavily reliant on the stabilizers, doesn't seem anywhere near ready to take them off. Was thinking the best plan was to just leave it until the spring when she's a bit older, and then try taking off the cranks and doing some freewheeling on a gentle grassy slope or something. Any tips? Don't want to push her before she's ready.

Younger daughter is complete opposite. Doesn't turn 2 until January, is also very tall for her age, but completely gung ho and fearless with it. Already tries going on her sister's scooter and can push herself along and steer on smooth surfaces. Climbs up everything, leaps off things, goes on her sisters bike (she can't reach the pedals), gets on my rowing machine and tries to row (can do it well enough to register a split, but definitely needs work...), throws herself into swimming pools regardless of whether anyone is there to catch her, etc. Was thinking she is already ready to try a balance bike out? Looked at the Islas but was concerned about whether she would grow out of it too fast - minimum height for their 2 year old bike is 88cm, she's already 100cm which is big enough for their 3 year old bikes.

Bought a Specialized Hotwalk for my son. LBS has a trade up program for kids bikes, so when he's ready to move up we get credit for the balance bike toward a pedal bike.

I started my boy on a balance bike when he was 2. I am hoping it translates well to a real bike.

Kickster

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Carl Matson

Just be sure their seat is not too high.
(poor things they just fall over if you do)

We went with the Kazam, been very happy with it. LBS has a trade up program.

We started him when he was two. He's almost four now. Rough going for a while, but he's crazy good on it now. Can do circles around other kids. And is possibly THE least coordinated kid in the world.

He has always refused to use anything with pedals. Even before he got going on the balance bike. He just sits there. Laziness or defiance, or both.

Herbert, our twins are similarly aged to yours, and we got them this:


Target.com (or sometimes in-store), $120 for the PAIR, and they function and look fantastic.

We got my son one of these for his 2nd birthday and it quickly became his favorite thing on Earth.

http://www.firstbike.com/...irstbike-street-red/

It's all plastic so it's super light and easy for him to maneuver around.

You, as a bike guy, should not be buying a dedicated strider-bike.

I bought a schwinn with 12" wheels and removed the drivetrain. This same bike worked with my 3 kids and 3 of the kids and in the neighborhood. My kids only "coasted" on it for about 2-6 weeks before the drivetrain went back on and they started pedaling. All three were pedaling full-time by 3 1/2 years old. My youngest wanted the pedals on after only a week, but we gave him another week to practice before it "grew pedals".

Purchasing a dedicated machine for a month of coasting seems wasteful if you have the mechanical aptitude to switch it back and forth.

Scott

Bought my son a wooden balance bike for his first xmas, knowing he was way too small for it but he started riding it before he was two. They'll initially just sit on it and then you'll have to push them around a bit but they learn that it's way faster than walking pretty quickly and then you'll have to run after them. We got him a proper bike at four and a half. The transition from balance bike to proper bike was very smooth, far better than those kids with stabilisers who keep falling over. Peddling wasn't much of an issue. However keep in mind (for the future) that learning how to use the brakes is a problem. With the balance bikes they slow down by sticking out their feet so it becomes conditioned. Hoping we get to ride the Stelvio one day together....

SteveMc

While I do not disagree with your overall post, if you get a Strider or equivalent, you are not buying a dedicated machine for a "month of coasting".
We bought a Strider for my son before he turned 3, and this is the second year he is "coasting" on it.

Lightweight, easily adjustable, very easy to handle for those young kids. There are probably some "regular bikes" out there with those characteris, but I honestly do not believe getting a Strider or equivalent is a waste of money.

While our son has not yet transitioned to a regular bike, when I see him "coasting" on his Strider, I do not see why it would take more that "5 mins" to transition!

Fred.