Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage for many children. I was recently given the opportunity for my children to try the balance bikes from Strider Bikes. My son and daughter selected blue and pink versions, respectfully, from the Strider 14x model – which is appropriate for their ages and sizes.
Strider Bikes’ mission is to “build lightweight, efficient, all-terrain bikes that develop two-wheeled balanced, coordination and confidence in children.” Their claim is that the traditional bike with training wheels or tricycle doesn’t teach a child how to balance. By learning to balance first, they believe a child will ride a bike two years sooner than with a traditional setup.
I have fond memories of learning to ride with training wheels, but probably used them for longer than I should have because I was so scared of riding a two-wheeled bike. In fact, I had to be cajoled with the promise of a new doll to gain the confidence to ride without the wheels. But, what if a child could learn to balance and control a bike without the additional help of training wheels? That is an interesting proposition.
The bikes arrived quickly, including instructions for how to introduce the bikes to young riders. Assembly of the bikes was relatively simple. My kids even enjoyed pitching in to the process, opening boxes and helping to prop up various components. We left the pedal assemblies off of the bikes, as the first skill to learn is balancing on the bikes.
I believe that exposing children to something multiple times will increase their comfortability with said item. With that thought in mind, I challenged our kiddos to walk down the driveway with their bikes each time we go to close the gate. We live on 10 acres in the country with no close access to paved roadways, but our gravel driveway is a relatively straight path. After a few trips walking beside the bikes, the kids were ready to sit on the bike seats and walk the bike down the drive.
As a matter-of-fact, Strider Bikes encourages parents and caregivers to follow this natural progression for riders on their bikes:
My daughter, who is nearly six, is now mostly on step two, but has been visiting steps three and four during our trips. My son, who is four and a little more timid than his big sister, is squarely at step two. And that’s okay! Each time the kids take their bikes down the drive, we see their confidence levels increasing. That is really the ultimate goal.
With kids that are rapidly growing, it is important to check the seat and handlebar heights. My kids both hit growth spurts this summer, and we noticed they began to regress a bit with their balancing skills on the bikes. After a quick check of the bike fit, and easy adjustments made of the seats and handlebars, the kids were back in the saddle and doing even better on their balance bikes.
One of my favorite things about the Strider Bikes company are all of the easily-accessed resources they offer to parents and caregivers for teaching children how to use the products. Their simple and easy-to-understand graphics and tips are really helpful. Learn more at their website.
As the summer progresses, and my kids continue to spend time on their Strider Bikes, it is so much fun to see them enjoy riding. The Strider Bike 14x model has been a great tool for confidence building and gaining skills, one stride at a time. [MSRP $249.99]
Jackie Baird Richardson is an interior designer, editor at The WON and avid junker. Watch for her design tips and occasional crafting ideas, bringing the outdoors indoors. View all posts by Jackie Richardson
