Emma, Mum of two boys, tells us how her two year old son got on when he moved from a Toddlebike to the LIKEaBIKE Balance Bike
My youngest son was lucky enough to be one of the testers for the Toddlebike.
It had featured on nearly every journey we had undertaken, and went with us everywhere. At one point he was riding it so much, we likened him to Madge from Benidorm in her mobility scooter, and I began to worry if his walking ability may regress.
Then out of the blue, just after his second birthday, he won a LIKEaBIKE balance bike in an online competition.
First impressions of the LIKEaBIKE
When it arrived, the balance bike needed minimum assembly. The only tricky part was actually my favourite feature.
Between the forks and the main top tube, there is a very tough elastic o-ring, which stiffens up and straightens up the steering. It prevents the handlebars from being turned too aggressively and therefore stops jack-knifing. A wonderful simple fix that in no way compromises the manoeuvrability of the bike.
The LIKEaBIKE balance bike has a great minimal design. No fiddly brakes and to be honest, I doubt the brakes would’ve been any use. There are various accessories, like bags you can buy in addition. However, there are only mudguards for the ‘Jumper’ bike in their range. Kids love riding bikes through puddles. In fact, it’s the quickest way to get them picking up their feet and actually balancing, so I am constantly baffled about why balance bikes don’t come with a mudguard.
The LIKEaBIKE is competitively priced for an Aluminium light weight balance bike. Don’t be fooled by cheap heavy steel frames. Although you want to make sure, as with all Aluminium frames, you take care to clean it now and then (yes, your bike too – chop chop). Salt from the roads and Aluminium are not happy bedfellows.
It has a scooped padded saddle and narrow easy to grip handlebars which have little bumpers on the end to protect little hands against wall scrapes from close passes. My son also loves the fact he has ‘proper’ pneumatic tyres. Lots of balance bikes don’t. But he enjoys caring for his bike and making sure his tyres are pumped up is part of that.
So, we are now 10 months on and the LIKEaBIKE is still ridden every day.
In fact, we have managed to do away with the pushchair as any journey we make, features his bike in some way.
It has lasted extremely well, despite it being ridden so often and on such varied terrain. You would not believe it is nearly a year old.
In summary
Would I buy a LIKEaBIKE balance bike? Yes definitely. The added feature of the limited steering was a big plus point for me. Since we won the balance bike the model has been upgraded to from a “Hardy” to a “Jumper”, which I’d have bought if I’d needed to.
LIKEaBIKE jumper balance bikes can be purchased at Amazon.co.uk
Emma won the LIKEaBIKE Hardy Balance Bike in a competition. She blogs at Manc Bike Mummy, and can be followed on Twitter @Farnie
You may find these other articles useful:
- What is a balance bike?
- 9 things to consider when buying a balance bike for your child
- Choosing the best balance bike for your child (a closer look at the makes and models available)
- The best balance bikes as recommended by parents
- Are these the 5 most desireable balance bikes ever?
Disclosure: This review contains affiliate links. This doesn’t affect what we write about a product, but if you do buy through one of the links you are helping us to fund the ongoing hosting and maintenance of Cycle Sprog.
This post was first published in March 2014 and updated in March 2017 to reflect a new model of the bike
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