We welcome product reviews, personal stories that are real which make us laugh, smile or even shed the occasional tear to help preserve a better kids on bikes experience. The question is, do you want a bike with front suspension for that extra comfortable ride, or a well tested bikes such as the Cruzee which offers more seat adjustment and is a lighter weight. You need to know your child's inside leg (or inseam) measurement and you need to know the seat height of the balance bike. The rear V-brake is a great way to encourage safe stopping in little riders, while the anti-jackknife headset lock prevents the handlebars turning too far to the side, for safer turning.

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We'd say that, roughly speaking, a child probably doesn't have the hand/eye coordination for using brakes until about 2. Which you go with may be a personal preference and what kind of terrain kids are likely to be riding on. Our child tester Brooke, 4, could see herself transitioning from balancing to pedalling on the LittleBig and said, "I can't wait to go to the forest to ride my bike and when I am older, I can use the pedals like the big kids do.

At the other end, the highest seat height is 15 inches (38cm) so it’s not the best choice of balance bike for a very tall child as there isn't be much growing room. And some balance bikes also come with pedal attachments, so that you can turn it into a pedal bike later.

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The seat can be adjusted without any tools from approximately 34cm to 42cm which is a nice height range for most 3 year olds.The drop handle bars give this bike a grown up feel so they can be like older siblings (or Mum and Dad). To make sure there is growing room in the bike, look for a maximum seat height which is at least 5cm (2 inches) greater than the child's inside leg measurement (inseam). Chester, 2, our child tester (pictured above), loved whizzing around on the Squish 12 and his mum, Brogan, was impressed by how perfectly the bike fitted him.

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But does the micro bike live up to the same standards as the mini micro scooter is well known for in the scooter world? It's pretty much ready to go out of the box – you’ll just need to twist the handlebars and fix them in place (tools included). The features 14 inch wheels with pneumatic tyres so will give a smooth ride and give good traction on more uneven surfaces. Good adjustability means the balance bike's likely to fit your child better and last longer, as they grow.There are no standard sizes for balance bikes, so pretty much every make and model is different – even if they have the exactly same size wheels. With a comfy padded saddle that can be height adjusted to find the best fit and a lightweight aluminium frame that makes steering a breeze, the Squish 12 is best suited to riders aged 2 years and up as they'll need a minimum inside leg measurement of 30cm. It's important that bikes for young children are lightweight so easy to control and carry when needed (for example when going uphill). Most balance bikes are pretty lightweight, which is handy for a toddler trying to pick it up and a grown-up having to lug it home.

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kg which isn't the lightest of bikes, however the weight of the bike matters less as kids get older and better. It's standout feature is a carrying handle set in the frame – very useful when your little rider decides to dismount before you've reached your destination.The alloy seat post is adjustable and goes down to 41cm, allowing children with an inside leg measurement of 30cm to enjoy the ride. For a child starting their cycling journey a little later, this convertible balance-to-pedal bike is ideal it converts in 2 ways, both from a smaller balance bike suitable for riders with a minimum inside leg measurement of 37cm (around 3-4 years old) to a larger balance bike suitable for riders with an inside leg measurement up to 55cm (around 6 years old) and to a first pedal bike for riders from about the age of 4. The stepover is nice and low, the light-action brake levers are small enough for little hands to wrap round easily, and the comfy, scooped saddle definitely helps keep a small bottom centred.