Choosing the best balance bike for your child

If you're looking for a balance bike for your child the choice can be a bit overwhelming as there are just so many makes, models and sizes out there.

How can you be certain that you're picking the best balance bike for the size and age of your child?

What is the best balance bike if they're really small?

What's the best if you've got a limited budget?

What's the best choice of bicycle if they're just about to start pedalling?

What's the best balance bike for an older child? Fear not! We've got all the answers right here for you!

If you need more information about what a balance bike is, and what you need to consider when buying one, then check out our post 10 things to consider when buying a balance bike for your child. If not, just dive in!

The best balance bikes for children of all ages

In this post we look at some of the most popular choices of balance bike available in the UK at the moment, and whether or not they will suit your child.

We include secondhand and rental options to help you make the right choice for your family.

Woom 1 Balance Bike - (£229)

The woom 1 is really lightweight which means it's easy for a younger rider to move about - plus it's kinder for you to carry when they get fed up and decide they've had enough balance biking for one day!

This balance bike is fitted with a rear brake (which a young toddler won't be ready to use) but it's there ready to help get them prepared to move onto a pedal bike as they grow.

The brake pad and the brake lever on the woom 1 are both green. This starts to make sense when you move onto the woom 2 and woom 3 pedal bikes, which both have the same rear brake feature.

Buy New

Black Mountain - balance bike that turns into a pedal bike (from £349)

Cycle Sprog reviewed and recommended brand

Kids grow and develop so quickly so you don't know how long they're going to be riding a balance bike for, and when they're going to be ready to transition to pedals.

One way to ensure your child doesn't get stranded without a bike is to buy a balance bike that can be converted into a pedal bike when they're ready - and - this is the really clever bit - then grows with your child!

Some kids transition from a balance bike to pedal bike really quickly and others can take much longer. The Black Mountain bikes start their life as a balance bike and then you add pedals when your child is ready.

You can read more about how the Black Mountain bikes work, and our rider reviews here:

• Black Mountain - closer look at the bike and how they work
• Review of the Black Mountain PINTO - balance bike mode

Buy New

Hornit AIRO - Best lightweight balance bike (£129)

CYCLE SPROG REVIEWED AND RECOMMENDED BIKE

Hornit already make a great range of kids cycle helmets in some really fun designs (unicorns, icecreams, sloths - check 'em out if you have a reluctant helmet wearer!) and are now turning their attention to two wheels.

The thing that really stands out is just how light it is for a balance bike that has "proper" pneumatic tyres (hence the name "AIRO").

Weighing in at just  2.95kg this is quite a feat of balance bike design.  They've even managed to include a footplate for your child to rest their feet on as they gain confidence and start moving at speed - but you don't get brakes.

The frame design of the Hornit AIRO allows a lot of variation in the height of the seat post, meaning it is suitable for children with an inside leg between 30cm and 54cm.

This could equate to between 1.5 years and 5 years depending how tall / small your child is.  The AIRO's comes in six colour options - white, red, yellow, pink, blue and turquoise.

Hornit are so confident in the quality of this balance bike they're giving it a lifetime warranty which can be registered on-line for free.

If you want to know more about our thoughts you can read our first impressions review of the Hornit AIRO balance bike here.

Buy New  Buy Used

If you're looking for a balance bike that's packed full of premium features, including a rear brake, but don't want to avoid paying top price for one of the premium brands, then it's well worth taking a look at the brand new Hoozar Cruz 12.

Designed by a husband and wife team who wanted to merge the best features of the leading balance bikes into one affordable package the Hoozar is extremely lightweight (3.2 kg), has an ergonomically designed scoop saddle, plus a rear brake and a foot rest for when your little one is picking up speed.

We've taken a closer look at this balance bike, so check out our article First look at the Hoozar Cruz 12 balance bike for more details on the specification.

Buy Now

Strider - best racing balance bike (from £110 - or £5 per month rental)

This balance bike is available to lease from The Bike Club

If your little one has that competitive streak, then the Strider is the perfect balance bike for them. Striders are built to be raced (the Strider Balance Bike World Cup takes place globally each year). We love the fact that the Strider balance bikes come with two seat posts, meaning that the bike can be used up to the age of about 5, so the fun doesn't have to stop just because they've grown!

The good news is that the Strider Sport is now available to rent from The Bike Club meaning you can pay a monthly subscription and upgrade to a pedal bike as soon as your child has outgrown it.

Buy New  Hire Buy Used

Forme Hartington - Best balance bike with a wicker basket

If your Cycle Sprog wants the stylish look of a city bike, complete with a basket on the front, then the Forme Hartington is a great option.  It comes in a choice of two pastel shades and has bell fitted too.

Lena Bike - best bike for a 1 year old

Cycle Sprog reviewed and recommended bike!

The Lena Bike is small, lightweight, and durable - and so much fun! It's designed for when your child has just started to walk (so this varies around the 18-month mark) and will give your child the confidence to move onto a proper balance bike when they're old enough.

You can read our review of the Lena bike here (also known as the Toddlebike).

Buy secondhand: These great little bikes do sometimes become available on eBay - these are links to some of the names that they could be listed under, as they've been sold using various names over the years:

Toddlebike

Lena Bike       

Lena Scooter

However, we've had feedback from parents that because these are so cheap they often don't bother with eBay and sell locally so it's worth asking around on local sales boards/Facebook groups etc.

Frog Tadpole - best choice for smaller or taller kids (from £170 or £5 per month rental)

Cycle Sprog reviewed and recommended brand!

THIS BIKE IS AVAILABLE TO LEASE AT THE BIKE CLUB! 

Frog Bikes only make kids bikes, so they are able to concentrate on getting all the details right. We've reviewed a number of their kids' bikes over the years and have always been impressed. Their Tadpole range comes in three sizes, so there's a balance bike suitable for virtually every height or age of child.

 All the Frog Tadpole balance bikes come with a rear brake to get your child used to the concept of braking (although they will probably still use their feet a lot to stop, especially in the early days).

The tyres are pneumatic, so good for use on a variety of terrains, and all three bike models come with features such as a steering lock to prevent over-steer accidents and a quick-release seat post, plus a 5-year warranty on the frame and forks.

We've reviewed lots of different sized Frog Bikes over the years and have always been very impressed so have no hesitations in recommending their balance bikes as a great way to get your Sprog onto two wheels.

The good news is that you can lease a Frog balance bike from The Bike Club for a monthly subscription fee. This is an increasingly popular way to keep your child in bikes as they grow.  When your Sprog is ready to move onto a pedal bike you just send the Tadpole back and upgrade to the appropriately sized bike. If your child grows but isn't ready for pedals you can swap for the next sized up balance bike too.

Buy New  Hire  Buy Used

Islabikes Rothan - best choice for N+1 addicts (RRP £199) 

Cycle Sprog reviewed and recommended brand!

THIS BIKE IS AVAILABLE TO LEASE AT THE BIKE CLUB!

Islabikes are the original manufacturers of quality kids' bikes, with over a decade of experience in designing and manufacturing lightweight frames fitted.

Whilst there's now a large number of other options available on the market, Islabikes are still renowned as the premier kid's bike brand in cycling circles.

The Rothan is their balance bike offering - it's suitable for children with an inside leg of 30cm. The attention to detail is superb on every Islabikes product, and you'll smile every time you see the paintwork or lift up the frame (3.2kg).

There's plenty of cheaper balance bikes out there, but if you're planning to invest in Islabikes, then the Rothan will be the start of your journey. Be prepared to become addicted to the range - we've reviewed loads of Islabikes over the years, and love them!

The Rothan also occasionally becomes available for monthly rental at The Bike Club - for a small monthly subscription you get to use the balance bike and then can upgrade to a pedal bike when your child is ready.

Hire  Buy New  Buy Used

Chicco - best cheap balance bike (RRP £35)

As with all things in life, when it comes to kids' bikes the cheaper models have to compromise on weight and quality somewhere along the line.

Often this makes them very difficult to ride, however, we know a few parents who recommended Chico balance bikes as being lightweight and easy to control, although the riding position is very upright, which may affect how fast your child can go.

At this price you're only getting solid plastic tyres, so the ride won't be anywhere as near as comfortable as a more expensive balance bike with pneumatic tyres, but given how quickly they're likely to be progressing onto a pedal bike, the Chicco allows you to save now for when they move on up to pedals.

Buy New  Buy Used

Banana balance bike - best balance bike for a 2 year old (RRP £50)

The Banana balance bike gets rave reviews on Amazon from parents with 2 year olds.

The reviews all comment on it's lightweight, low saddle height, ease of use and low price.

The Banana Bike has a saddle that goes from 31cm to 40cm, so your child needs to have a slightly longer inside leg measurement than 31cm whilst wearing their shoes to allow them to scoot along.

The Banana balance bike is nowhere as small as the Frog Mini Tadpole (inside leg 24cm) but is a much cheaper alternative if your child is slightly taller.

Buy New  Buy Used

Phantom - best for riding in the dark (£140) 

If your little one is regularly riding their balance bike in low light conditions (say home from nursery on dark winter days) then the Phantom Ride light up balance bike will help keep them visible.

The Phantom Ride was designed in California and came to the UK in December 2016. The innovative polycarbonate frame houses two LED units that make the bike quite literally glow in the dark. You can read more about how the bike came into being it in our post on the new light up balance bike.

The Phantom Ride Balance Bike has an RRP of £140 and comes in two colour choices – blue or red – and each colour is available in either plain or glitter options.

A word of warning - the LED inserts take 3 AAA batteries each (which are not included), so you’ll need 6 AAA batteries to have a fully lit up balance bike.

Buy Now  Buy Used

Find out what happened when a Cycle Sprog swapped her heavy bike for a Black Mountain Skog in our review.

The frame also grows so you can have the bike in a small frame mode and then when your child has outgrown it you can adjust the frame to make it bigger.  Yes, it's a bigger cost upfront, but if you buy when your child is at the balance bike stage you get three bikes in one, plus there are no hassles of shopping for new bikes for quite a few years!

There are four Black Mountain bikes - the Pinto is their smaller 14" wheel offering which is aimed at ages 2.5 years and over. It's designed to replace a balance bike and a 12" and 14" wheel pedal bike.  Their larger offering is the Skøg, which comes with 16" wheels and is suited for taller children (approximately 4.5 years and over) and will replace a larger balance bike, 14" and 16" wheel bike.

For older kids there are two larger models - the 18" wheel Kapel and the 20" wheel Hutto, so there is the complete range of sizes for all ages (although note that with these larger bikes you have to buy a separate balance bike adaptor kit).

The Black Mountain balance bikes can only be purchased or picked up from their South Wales showroom. They are too new to be available secondhand at the moment as the children are still using the growing frame. One thing to note if you're thinking about resale values is that the 3 year warranty is transferable to a new owner, which is very unusual with kids bikes.