Bike for my 4 year old?
Discussion
After sorting my now 7 year old with a new (to him) bike at Xmas, it’s the turn of my near 4 year old. And I’m after some advice again.
His balance bike broke a couple of weeks ago. Plan was to get on Marketplace and source a replacement. But, in the meantime we took him out on his brother’s old 16” bike with stabilisers. It was his first go at pedals but he did ok…however, it was obvious the bike is a little too big for him and he was only able to ride it (slowly) due to the stabilisers.
I was thinking though, is it the wrong thing to do to put him on a bike with stabilisers when he was getting on so well on his balance bike? Will he actually go backwards and forget how to balance?
If so, I’m trying to figure out if I should go back to my original plan and buy another balance bike (12” I think), or at nearly 4, if he old enough to try a 12” bike with pedals and no stabilisers???
His balance bike broke a couple of weeks ago. Plan was to get on Marketplace and source a replacement. But, in the meantime we took him out on his brother’s old 16” bike with stabilisers. It was his first go at pedals but he did ok…however, it was obvious the bike is a little too big for him and he was only able to ride it (slowly) due to the stabilisers.
I was thinking though, is it the wrong thing to do to put him on a bike with stabilisers when he was getting on so well on his balance bike? Will he actually go backwards and forget how to balance?
If so, I’m trying to figure out if I should go back to my original plan and buy another balance bike (12” I think), or at nearly 4, if he old enough to try a 12” bike with pedals and no stabilisers???
My 4 year old never took to his balance bike, much preferred his scooter.. But could use it when he felt like it.
We started him on a proper bike with stabilisers just to get him used to pedalling but was cautious not to let him become reliant on them.
Bike wise, I'd try and hunt down an Islabike or a Frog. Buy used and you will be able to sell again and likely not lose any money. They are both very well made, light, and help youngsters pedal and get used to cycling.
We started him on a proper bike with stabilisers just to get him used to pedalling but was cautious not to let him become reliant on them.
Bike wise, I'd try and hunt down an Islabike or a Frog. Buy used and you will be able to sell again and likely not lose any money. They are both very well made, light, and help youngsters pedal and get used to cycling.
If your child has got used to the balance element on a balance bike the stabilisers can undo a lot of that, as the turning of a bike with stabilisers is completely different than without.
I know a few people that have bought 14 or 16" bikes and removed the pedals to use it as a balance bike then put the pedals on when the child is ready to pedal.
My son went from balance bike to pedal bike with no stabilisers. To get him used to pedaling I created effectively a bit of a bike stand for the rear wheel out of wood that lifted it off the ground so he could sit supported and work out which way to pedal etc. That meant when he went out on the pedal bike for the first time he already knew exactly what to do.
I would second the frog or isla bike. Also cerrera cosmos, which is very similar in geometry to the frog 14" bikes. The smallest frog 14" bikes may be the right size for your child already as they are sized for the smallest riders.
I know a few people that have bought 14 or 16" bikes and removed the pedals to use it as a balance bike then put the pedals on when the child is ready to pedal.
My son went from balance bike to pedal bike with no stabilisers. To get him used to pedaling I created effectively a bit of a bike stand for the rear wheel out of wood that lifted it off the ground so he could sit supported and work out which way to pedal etc. That meant when he went out on the pedal bike for the first time he already knew exactly what to do.
I would second the frog or isla bike. Also cerrera cosmos, which is very similar in geometry to the frog 14" bikes. The smallest frog 14" bikes may be the right size for your child already as they are sized for the smallest riders.
I would recommend something like an Isla CNOC 14, Frog 40 or 43 or Vitus 14 and let them get on with it, don’t fit stabilisers.
If they are confident on a balance bike they should be able to go straight on to a proper bike.
Key is getting on of the above or similar that has proper kid’s components and geometry.
If they are confident on a balance bike they should be able to go straight on to a proper bike.
Key is getting on of the above or similar that has proper kid’s components and geometry.
We never bothered with balance bikes. Bought a cheap ridgeback 14" bike with stabilisers for about a week, but took them off as they relied on them too much. We used an old cricket pitch as was super smooth and flat and just practiced for a day. They pretty much picked it up straight away and never looked back.
tog said:
If he was happy on his balance bike I'd just go straight onto a pedal bike with no stabilisers. My kids started when very small on an Isla balance bike, then moved on to Frog 43s (14" wheel) on their 4th birthdays and never looked back.
same - skip the stabilisers. Ours went from balance bike to full bike in almost one session. My only recomendation is don't worry too much about Frog or Isla etc at this stage - better off getting the cheapest one of FB marketplace that is about the right size as it'll only last 6 months anyway.
We ended up with a Halfords Carrera Cosmos for something like £40 and sold it after a year for the same price that we paid for it and it was great.
We had the same question and we went for a Frog bike. (Green, not sure of the size)
I duly showed him and he refused to use it, so I tool the pedals off and he refused to use it. I put the pedals back on and he had a couple of go's and did ok with a bit of help.
Then the bike sat for months but one day , he put his helmet on and just rode. He was 4 1/2 by then. He's not yet 5 but he comes on short rides with us and does really well.
The Frog is a great machine and we got it 2nd hand off ebay for about £140 including postage
I duly showed him and he refused to use it, so I tool the pedals off and he refused to use it. I put the pedals back on and he had a couple of go's and did ok with a bit of help.
Then the bike sat for months but one day , he put his helmet on and just rode. He was 4 1/2 by then. He's not yet 5 but he comes on short rides with us and does really well.
The Frog is a great machine and we got it 2nd hand off ebay for about £140 including postage
Got a frog 48 and it’s been fine for my quite short 4 year old, he got it and learnt to ride it just after his 4th birthday, we went from balance bike (and scooter) to this - whenever I see kids on stabilisers it just looks like a bit of an antiquated way to teach kids IMO.
Get a towel and do the towel trick, my son learned in about 30 mins with this method but 4 is quite old for riding a bike these days, most of his pals did it when they were 3.
Get a towel and do the towel trick, my son learned in about 30 mins with this method but 4 is quite old for riding a bike these days, most of his pals did it when they were 3.
If they can ride a balance bike, 100% don't put them on stabilisers, it's completely different trying to learn to pedal with stabilisers because they need to learn to pedal and balance at the same time, they already have the balance, so no point teaching them how to pedal wrong.
I had my daughter pedalling at 3 years old, what made the difference after the balance bike was a bike with a back-pedal brake; she couldn't pedal the 'easy' way so she didn't, would recommend that too.
The difficulty with learning at 4 is that most kids don't, so there aren't many suitable bikes out there, many of the ones suggested above might be too big eg the Frog 48 is 16" wheels and is going to be too big for most 4 year olds. For reference, this is the bike that was the right size for my daughter to learn on; https://www.damianharriscycles.co.uk/Cube-Cubie-12... 14" I would say is the absolute maximum wheel size to consider.
I had my daughter pedalling at 3 years old, what made the difference after the balance bike was a bike with a back-pedal brake; she couldn't pedal the 'easy' way so she didn't, would recommend that too.
The difficulty with learning at 4 is that most kids don't, so there aren't many suitable bikes out there, many of the ones suggested above might be too big eg the Frog 48 is 16" wheels and is going to be too big for most 4 year olds. For reference, this is the bike that was the right size for my daughter to learn on; https://www.damianharriscycles.co.uk/Cube-Cubie-12... 14" I would say is the absolute maximum wheel size to consider.
There are kids in my son’s year on bikes with gears now, they’re 4-5 as it’s reception. I do disagree that many kids don’t ride at 4, they really do, many at 3 even - Frog make a bike even smaller than the one we have with pedals.
My son is very short for his age, and the 48 on the lowest saddle height was fine, but then I am a cyclist and I can’t stand seeing kids riding with barely any leg extension as it just looks wrong so I sized it more like how a normal person rides, he’s on top toes when he stops and his leg extends properly so he has the power of a proper pedal stroke.
My son is very short for his age, and the 48 on the lowest saddle height was fine, but then I am a cyclist and I can’t stand seeing kids riding with barely any leg extension as it just looks wrong so I sized it more like how a normal person rides, he’s on top toes when he stops and his leg extends properly so he has the power of a proper pedal stroke.
designndrive62 said:
If your child has got used to the balance element on a balance bike the stabilisers can undo a lot of that, as the turning of a bike with stabilisers is completely different than without.
I know a few people that have bought 14 or 16" bikes and removed the pedals to use it as a balance bike then put the pedals on when the child is ready to pedal.
My son went from balance bike to pedal bike with no stabilisers. To get him used to pedaling I created effectively a bit of a bike stand for the rear wheel out of wood that lifted it off the ground so he could sit supported and work out which way to pedal etc. That meant when he went out on the pedal bike for the first time he already knew exactly what to do.
I would second the frog or isla bike. Also cerrera cosmos, which is very similar in geometry to the frog 14" bikes. The smallest frog 14" bikes may be the right size for your child already as they are sized for the smallest riders.
This is a great answer and similar to the path we took. I was always against stabilisers as everything I had read and experienced suggested it took a lot longer to learn the balance (which is the hardest part) and went for a balance bike early on. That was followed by a pedal bike which we took the pedals off initially, then we also had a follow me tandem which attached his bike to the back of ours, using which he was able to master pedalling. After that he quickly put the balancing and the pedalling together and was able to ride independently at the age of 3.I know a few people that have bought 14 or 16" bikes and removed the pedals to use it as a balance bike then put the pedals on when the child is ready to pedal.
My son went from balance bike to pedal bike with no stabilisers. To get him used to pedaling I created effectively a bit of a bike stand for the rear wheel out of wood that lifted it off the ground so he could sit supported and work out which way to pedal etc. That meant when he went out on the pedal bike for the first time he already knew exactly what to do.
I would second the frog or isla bike. Also cerrera cosmos, which is very similar in geometry to the frog 14" bikes. The smallest frog 14" bikes may be the right size for your child already as they are sized for the smallest riders.
In terms of picking a bike, the MOST important factor in my opinion is weight. You want the lightest bike you can find and Frog etc. are good for this. Some of the Halfords specials are woefully heavy (like, heavier than my adult size road bike) and that is really hard for small kids to get on with. Brands we have had are Frog and Squish, I think Islabikes are no more but you should still be able to pick one up second hand.
If you buy a decent brand you will get most if not all of your purchase price back when you come to size up and need to sell.
Thanks for all the answers guys.
Think I've decided what to do...
Definite no to using stabilisers...so, I'll put the 16" back away for a good while [it is too big for him without the stabilisers], and get on Marketplace to buy a 14" bike [I think a 12 would only last him a short while]. If initially we have to take the pedals off and use it as a balance bike, fine, but I will keep encouraging him to give the pedals a go. As I mention above, he got the idea of the pedals when riding on the 16" with the stabilisers, so hopefully he'll be able to combine pedals and balance on a 14 pretty fast!
Cheers all...I'll update with progress
Think I've decided what to do...
Definite no to using stabilisers...so, I'll put the 16" back away for a good while [it is too big for him without the stabilisers], and get on Marketplace to buy a 14" bike [I think a 12 would only last him a short while]. If initially we have to take the pedals off and use it as a balance bike, fine, but I will keep encouraging him to give the pedals a go. As I mention above, he got the idea of the pedals when riding on the 16" with the stabilisers, so hopefully he'll be able to combine pedals and balance on a 14 pretty fast!
Cheers all...I'll update with progress
okgo said:
There are kids in my son’s year on bikes with gears now, they’re 4-5 as it’s reception. I do disagree that many kids don’t ride at 4, they really do, many at 3 even - Frog make a bike even smaller than the one we have with pedals.
My son is very short for his age, and the 48 on the lowest saddle height was fine, but then I am a cyclist and I can’t stand seeing kids riding with barely any leg extension as it just looks wrong so I sized it more like how a normal person rides, he’s on top toes when he stops and his leg extends properly so he has the power of a proper pedal stroke.
100% agree. My son is very short for his age, and the 48 on the lowest saddle height was fine, but then I am a cyclist and I can’t stand seeing kids riding with barely any leg extension as it just looks wrong so I sized it more like how a normal person rides, he’s on top toes when he stops and his leg extends properly so he has the power of a proper pedal stroke.
There are loads of proper kids bikes with the right geometry for getting them riding from aged 3 onwards, all dependant on their inseam. The 14” wheeled bikes from Frog, Isla, Woom, Vitus, Squish etc. will fit a kid with an inseam of around 40cm
My lad was riding his Frog 43 at 3yrs 2months, we went to a bike shop and he picked out a bright green one and off he went.
He was on that for 2yrs and then we moved on to a 20” wheeled Giant ARX with 6 or 7 gears.
The key was getting him on a 12” wheeled Specialized balance bike from around 2yrs old, he’d bomb around on that whilst we out for a walk etc. it became second nature and the progression to a full bike was seamless.
We've had Frog and Hoy from 3 yrs on for our boy. Now 6 and on an On-One MTB (no suspension, but discs). Started on a little Specialized with reverse pedal brake, not the best but probably more pragmatic than lever brakes for small hands!
Hoy was great, really light, even more so than his sisters Frog.
My advice would be go for a used Hoy Bonaly.
Hoy was great, really light, even more so than his sisters Frog.
My advice would be go for a used Hoy Bonaly.
My kids both started on balance bikes - the cheapest ones we could find as we knew they'd only be on them for a matter of months. In both cases the balance bikes were £19.99 and they loved them. They weren't even 4yo when they started. To be fair, they were very very lightweight:
Then they moved up to the cheapest smallest pedal bikes - single speed - and again for only a few months. By 5yo they were riding with my family and me on rides between 10 and 16 miles - the family trail in the Forest of Dean (10 miles), the Mawdach Trail from Barmouth (8 miles each way), and the Tarka Trail from Barnstaple (which is where the next pic was taken).
The next bike is a Ridgeback - the first branded bike we had bought for either of them. My boy loved it, and as he grew we put a pair of BMX handlebars on it so he could keep it a little longer.
My daughter wanted gears but loved that little blue bike and wasn't ready to let it go, so I bought a Sturmey Archer 3-speed for it and laced it into a pair of alloy rims, and put some better tyres on it.
After these cheap bikes, they moved onto Halfords Carreras for about 2-years before they were old enough to look after more serious bikes. My kids are 20yo and 16yo now and have PlanetX London Road bikes I built from scratch for them.
Then they moved up to the cheapest smallest pedal bikes - single speed - and again for only a few months. By 5yo they were riding with my family and me on rides between 10 and 16 miles - the family trail in the Forest of Dean (10 miles), the Mawdach Trail from Barmouth (8 miles each way), and the Tarka Trail from Barnstaple (which is where the next pic was taken).
The next bike is a Ridgeback - the first branded bike we had bought for either of them. My boy loved it, and as he grew we put a pair of BMX handlebars on it so he could keep it a little longer.
My daughter wanted gears but loved that little blue bike and wasn't ready to let it go, so I bought a Sturmey Archer 3-speed for it and laced it into a pair of alloy rims, and put some better tyres on it.
After these cheap bikes, they moved onto Halfords Carreras for about 2-years before they were old enough to look after more serious bikes. My kids are 20yo and 16yo now and have PlanetX London Road bikes I built from scratch for them.
Edited by Mars on Wednesday 14th May 13:30
The best way I found from balance bike to proper bike was proper bike with pedals removed do use as a balance bike again, get use to the weight then introduce the pedals with you providing stability if required.
Oh and Frog every day of the week they do factory seconds and thirds with decent discounts which is probably wise at that age as they tend to park them with force. I’ve bought a few seconds and the chains drivetrain were new with very little obvious defects to the frame.
Oh and Frog every day of the week they do factory seconds and thirds with decent discounts which is probably wise at that age as they tend to park them with force. I’ve bought a few seconds and the chains drivetrain were new with very little obvious defects to the frame.
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