The Strider Balance Bike
We love our new Strider Balance Bike!
One of the newer things out on the market are balance bikes. I was pretty skeptical at first but after looking into it, it just makes sense. It’s the ideal way to teach your child to ride a bike without training wheels or pedals. It focuses on the main thing you have to have in order to ride a bike: balance.
The goal is to encourage them to balance which in turn boosts confidence. It is incredibly empowering for little ones to succeed especially at something as big as riding a bike. Kids can do so much when they believe in themselves!! With confidence comes the excitement of learning new things and stepping out of comfort zones. I love that Strider keeps this in mind!
Here are the 4 main things Strider wants you to know as your kiddo begins to learn to stride.
1.Make sure the bike fits your child correctly. Seat height is the most important thing here. Your child’s feet should be flat on the ground with a slight bend in the knee. Be sure to check your bike often and adjust as your child grows.
2. Support your child not the bike. It’s our instinct (as you can tell by my pictures). It’s something I need to remember as well! The best way for them to learn to balance is by doing it!
3. Let your babe set the pace. The goal is to build confidence. You don’t want to start too soon and have them scared. Follow their lead and praise them often!
4. Be their biggest fan! As a teacher, I love that they encourage parents to praise their child! Whether they are riding like a pro, stepped up to try it for the first time, or tried it for a little bit and got scared, praise them! Build that confidence and you will have a kiddo that is excited to learn and try again in the future. Praise them for the big things AND the small things. <3
Now onto the specs…
The Strider Sport bike has an amazing age range of 18 months to 5 year olds! That’s crazy to me. I am super excited about having a toy that will stick around for the long haul!
One of the best features in my opinion: puncture-proof tires. This means no flats tires. No replacing inner tubes or caps that get lost. No searching for air pumps. Can we all say: THANK. GOODNESS!
The bike feels super sturdy and durable. The frame is made of patented steel with built in foot rests. The foot rests are perfect for riders that are a little bit more experienced and wanting to glide.
Putting it together was very easy and I was overthinking it. I ended up watching the video that you can find here. It was incredibly helpful and I should have just watched it from the beginning instead of causing myself unnecessary stress. Seriously, this bike takes less than 5 minutes to put together. It’s amazing.
The seat and handlebar can be adjust with no tools necessary. This is great because kids grow so quickly that you may need to adjust it pretty regularly. Also, who wants to deal with searching for a tool to adjust a handlebar or seat? No one, that’s who. Thank you, Strider!
The handlebar and seat are both super comfortable. They are padded nicely and will provide comfort for your child for hours of fun! The other bonus of the new padded handlebar is that it’s also safer for your kiddo. The slimmer handlebar pad actually provides your kiddo with a better grip to maintain optimum control of the bike.
Overall, we have had this bike for close to a month and really are enjoying it. My daughter is still checking things out but we are being patient and going at her pace. I know that she will warm up to it over time and as she grows older.
The bike itself is top notch. There are plenty of accessories you can purchase to personalize it or modify it on striderbikes.com. It is super durable. It’s stylish and sporty. I would highly recommend to anyone in the market for a balance bike!
You can find your’s here for just $120. It is absolutely worth it to me when I think of how I am building up my daughter’s confidence. This will translate over into so much more than just simply learning to ride a bike. This will help encourage her to take chances, explore, make mistakes, and never give up. We love our Strider bike! Thank you!!
*Thank you Strider for sending us a bike to review! All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. <3
