The bike is suited with puncture-proof EVA wheels. These are lightweight and textured to provide superb traction. Your toddler can ride over various surfaces without affecting the steering. Other updated details on the Banana Bike are the cushioned handlebars. They offer a secure grip that is comfortable for your toddler’s long rides. The handles are slightly textured, helping your little one hold on better. MORE THAN JUST A BIKE - Help your kids learn the essential first skills needed to riding a bike. Toddlers love the independence and sense of achievement they get from riding a balance bike. It also build their motor skills, coordination and increase their confidence. Balance bike frames are typically manufactured with steel, alloy, wood, plastic, and even carbon fibre. While steel is the most robust of these materials – an important factor in withstanding the rigours of playtime – steel bikes will be amongst the heaviest options and typically sit at the pricier end of the spectrum. Steel bikes are also prone to rust if left outside or uncared for.

It’s also important to understand the fit of the balance bike you’re purchasing. If purchasing online, be sure to measure the balance bike rider to ensure proper fit. The Vitus Nippy is the lightest bike on test. Weighing in at 1.99 kg it is the only bike to dip under the two-kilogram mark. This low weight and a similarly low minimum saddle height make it great for younger children. The Nippy is also light on the wallet and was the cheapest bike on test. GOODBYE TRAINING WHEELS - Balance bikes allow children as young as 18 months to be prepared for cycling before stepping up to a pedal bike by three or four years old - without ever using training wheels. The extra-large wheels are a fantastic feature on this bike. My kiddo is always biking over uneven terrain like grass or gravel. These large wheels help to level out bumps, assisting the rider’s balance. Unfortunately, many manufacturers do not publish geometry charts for balance bikes. Of the bikes we have on test LittleBigBikes, Vitus and Specialized are notable exceptions in an otherwise geometry free zone. WeightHowever, that appearance is as good as it gets for the Fixie. The bike is heavy, the handlebar reach is enormous, and although my daughter really liked how similar this was to “Daddy’s bike”, she found it too heavy and awkward. She did want to ride it quite often and always rode in the drops (that’a girl!), but that always involved having me lift it into the open and helping her onto it, which was not the case for lighter bikes.

GROWS WITH YOUR CHILD - The seat height and handlebar height can be adjusted to ‘evolve’ with your child ensuring a best fit for children from 18 months - 4 years old, or up to 45 lbs. The adjustable seat allows for a ride height 11” – 14.17”. It’s the first bike that grows with kids and their confidence. Specialized has made the bar grips narrower on the HWC to match smaller hands. The HWC grips measured in at 19.6 mm in circumference, compared to the 25-30 mm found on most other bikes on test. The reach to the handlebars is also much better, allowing my daughter to take a more natural position without reaching for the bars as on other bikes. The bike also has those pneumatic tyres for a more cushioned ride and what looked to me like a comfy saddle without the deep arch shape many of the other bikes’ saddles featured. Hopefully, if you have got this far, you will have noticed the importance we put on a bike’s life span. Key to this life span is the bike’s durability and serviceability. While undoubtedly costing more, bikes that resemble adults bikes and manufactured with recognisable bike parts are almost always longer-lasting and more serviceable than bikes treading the line between balance bike and toy. Anyone riding a bicycle should always be wearing a helmet on their head. This important piece of safety equipment is especially crucial for kids whose bodies are still developing. The fit of the helmet is perhaps the most important part — after all, it won’t be able to do its job if it doesn’t cover and protect your child’s head properly. Be sure to measure the circumference of your child’s head before purchasing and try it on before use. That said, it is better suited to indoor and gym riding than outdoor biking. Once kids become more athletic and aggressive, they are better off with a REAL bike. Even then, however, the Y Velo remains a fun toy to play with inside the playroom. Do More Research Before You Buy

From The Manufacturer

ULTRALIGHT BALANCE BIKE - Reinforced nylon frame, lightweight construction, only 6.4 lbs.! This makes it super easy for kids to handle the bike and learning to ride is a breeze. Solid foam or plastic tyres offer many benefits, including being puncture-proof, lightweight, cheaper than pneumatic tyres, and the fact they require low or zero maintenance, Specifically, due to the lower cost, foam tyres are often found on lower-priced bikes. While keeping the price down, foam tyres also have the added benefit of keeping the weight of these lower-priced bikes down. In fact, the lightest bike on test, the Vitus Nippy, features foam tyres and is also the lowest-priced of all the bikes on test. The Hornit Airo features pneumatic tyres with an inner tube. Balance bikes are great for all ages, but the younger kids begin using them to practice their skills, the better. Most balance bikes will display what ages they’re suited for, so look there before purchasing. Typically, balance bikes are suitable for kids as young as 18 months. Get them started early! A correctly sized balance bike can help your child ride without training wheels. They make it fun for small children to learn — it’s easy, and almost every toddler can master it. The bike itself is fairly low-maintenance. The tires are 12-inch EVA polymer foam, so they don’t require air. They’re also rust-resistant and will be able to carry your little one for years.

The Yvolution Y Velo Junior balance bike provides a fun and easy introduction to bicycles for very young toddlers. It’s low minimum seatpost height, light weight, and innovative double rear wheel makes it superior to most balance bikes for learning to ride. The Vitus Nippy is unavailable in the USA, but the same bike is readily available under different brand names. Type Cruzee into your search engine of choice and hit enter. Both the Cruzee and the Vitus Nippy bikes are almost identical to the popular Strider 12 Classic. The traditional learning-to-ride journey on bikes with training wheels first develops the child’s pedalling skill, before introducing the balance skill later. Balance bikes flip that approach on its head, by first developing balance and later introducing pedalling. In my experience, children find the progression on a balance bike more intuitive than trying to adapt to a regular pedal bike with training wheels. A child’s confidence also grows as they progress on a balance bike, building another key component for when the time comes to pedal off unassisted.

Itching to get your young toddler on a balance bike? Many balance bikes are too big and too heavy for the very youngest riders to handle. That’s why we like the Yvolution Y Velo Junior balance bike.