I respect the decision not to show your daughters face on camera, she hasn't made that call yet. But I have to say seeing her having some fun going for it on a bike makes me smile
That's why he's the GOAT in the genre ... No other MTB TH-camr comes close to making the original, consistent content that comes from Seth. I know people who don't even ride bikes that follow his channel. My cousin is into carpentry and saw me watching one of his videos at Thanksgiving and was like "you watch Seth?"
I'm in my seventies and never thought I'd be so interested in a balance bike video. I started riding at about four, my son's first bike was when he was three, well before balance bikes came on the scene. The first balance bike I saw was about 2010 and was made of flat sheets of plywood and looked craftsman built. I was super impressed from that first sighting. The range of bikes Seth has in his collection is very impressive.
My daughter had that plywood thing. She rode it for maybe 18 months. It didn't matter how terrible it was. Her first pedal bike was an absolute breeze. No tuition needed at all.
Great video Seth! I am not a parent, but when I saw the Woom online several years ago I thought this is the best method to learn to ride a bike. The training wheel method is so unnatural of a riding experience. I hope more parents of young children find this video and have their kids learn on these types of bikes.
Just bought my 2.5yr old daughter her first “real” balance bike. We let her pick the one she wanted out of about a dozen. She picked it because it was purple, not because it was the coolest “Lil Lefty” Cannondale, with heaps of over engineered parts, but now she’s obsessed! She was even following me around as we walked through the bike shop on it too haha. I’ve never owned a serious mountain bike either, but I love this channel and now as my daughter progresses, I’ll finally be getting myself a bike and do some riding together. Thanks for riding with all of us Seth!
This is so true! I work at a local bike shop and we sell three brands of balance bikes. Time and time again, kids pick their bikes based on their favorite color. Strider has awesome colors, so they tend to get picked most often.
After 2 hours scooting around on his balance bike, my nearly 3 year old was sending it down slopes faster than I could run to catch him. Thanks for your videos on these for putting me on the right track to have him learning to ride so early.
Hey Seth! Love the videos man, you’re the one who got me into moutain biking now it is one of my favorite things to do I go everyday I can. You’re a big inspiration! Keep it up!!
I love how respectful you are to your own kids, respecting your life and privacy, giving them everything you can in hopes of equal interests, even with her face covered I could feel the joy and love for bikes. This was am awesome video, I don't need a balance bike yet but one day I'll have a kid. I started riding on a vintage road bike when I was a kid Because it was free.
Love it Seth and as an experienced parent who’s had 3 kids thru a strider (my oldest on an adult XS now) all the benefits you call out of getting the little ones on these was spot on. Keep this up!
So glad you're finally reviewing bikes your size! But also, as a parent of a 2 year old, foot placement bits, weight, and the knockblock (as Trek called it) are the most important features for us, and of course colour and looking like Mama and Papas bike. Cool to see you review the Kids Ride Shotgun balance bike as well! Yay for NZ
I ended up going with the Cannondale Kids Trail, for a lot of the same reasons you mentioned preferring the Prevelo, plus that lefty fork is just so awesome 😎
Thank you so much for making this video! Been watching your channel for a couple years now. My son is going to be turning two in August and I've been scouring through all of the balance bikes trying to figure out which one would be best. It was nice to see them all laid out together, especially since you were covering the three I've been looking at the most. Thank you again so much for making this video! Keep up the awesome work! 🤙🏻
Definitely right about the twitchiness of some balance bikes. My niece gave up riding hers for ages because it was so twitchy. My kids had a cheaper bike but felt more stable and they loved it. Very quickly they were coasting and taking on bigger challenges because the bike was not scaring them.
My 1st daughter started a pedal bike at 3 thanks to a balance bike [haro 12in] w/upgraded tires.... Second daughter started pedaling at two thanks to her balance bike[Ridgeback Scoot]. Breaks on the balance bikes allowed for learning braking control. Neither has ever used coaster breaks and went to bmx and mountain bikes by 4. Absolutely balance bikes are amazing learning and teaching tools. Third daughter has bikes to grow into now lol. Love this video for covering these. quality matters and makes for a fun riding experience and great memories. My girls were hitting trails and pump tracks at two and, although they could ride well by 3, they preferred the balance bikes for ripping around and for teaching cousins. Second daughter is now 6 and still loves ripping up and down the street. FYI we started them on 10in wheels/tires, then to12in and the largest balance bike in our family arsenal has 14in wheels/tires..... again amazing video.
I didn't notice there were diferent types of these kids bikes, amazing content! Slacker bikes definitely seem a better option for toddles, never seen one with a disc brake I wouldn't feel my kids were going to be safe around disc brakes specially if they are starting (if I had any), but it seems to be something you can remove to begin and then implement it when the kid gets the hang of it, this is awesome! I bought a balance bike to my nephew a while ago there weren't many options where I bought it but it had v-brakes, that was one of the requirements I had in mind when I bought it...
V-brakes are the better option in my opinion. They have more than enough stopping power for a balance bike and you can't get cut by it. Also maintenance is easier, though I doubt you'll ever need to service the brakes on these, regardless of which type you chose.
@@schwuzi Even better than v-brakes for these are mini drum brakes. We had a Joovy Bicycoo BMX that had a rear drum brake and it seemed like a far better solution than any of the bikes that I've seen using standard brakes. - It took very low effort to operate (on par with a disc brake) - It was a small sealed unit near the hub (so no worries about fingers getting caught) - It was far lighter than most "standard" brakes Unfortunately I don't know of anyone else that produces a current model with a similar braking system.
As a parent who went the cheap / “only buy one bike” route and got a used trek cub for my kid at 4, I can tell you that I wish I had seen this video years ago. Kids can’t learn on a bike they won’t ride, either because it’s way too heavy or because they haven’t got the fundamentals of balancing down (or both at the same time). You, Seth, are doing a huge service for people trying to decide if a balance bike is worth it.
I think if I ever have to buy another balance bike, I'd go with the Prevelo or a Guardian. Guardian's balance bike is assembled in USA, which is nice, and I really like Prevelo bikes. I have a 16" guardian that my oldest learned to balance on and then I added pedals, and then my second son got a dedicated balance bike, which was a terrible choice because it was poorly designed. I liked how the 16" bike could just add pedals though, so it saved me from needing to buy two bikes in short succession.
My kids have a Guardian (and a Kokua, Strider, and Belsize). I didn't expect to love it because of the proprietary brake system, but it's been great and was the cheapest I found with brakes. And the kids were stoked to get a bike with brakes. For a cheap light bike with good tires but no brakes I'd go Belsize over the Strider.
Loved having the Strider for my kids when they were younger. I raced BMX at the time and all the tracks had a strider class. So it was great that we could take part in the sport as a family with kids so young. We held on to the bikes even after they outgrew them and riding pedal bikes because they loved just booting around the driveway and front yard. It's crazy to see how evolved these bikes have become.
@SethsBikeHacks I have to chime in, the woom used to have brakes mounted under the chain stay like the pravelo. My kids both kept getting their ankles jammed between the ground and the brakes. I left a review and now the brakes are mounted up top. For having kids on your bike I'm a big fan of Mac ride. I have it on my full sus bike and then I used road bike grip tape on my handlebars for the kids to grip. I ride stuff way sketchier than I should with my daughter on the bike.
My girls are in college now, but I bought a Specialized Vegas with 12" wheels in pearl white and pink/purple decals for my oldest when she was just a little past 2 yrs old for $200. My non-cycling friends thought I was insane. My youngest rode it next and 17 yrs later, it's still hanging in my garage awaiting the time when I can get my future grandkids involved in cycling.
Great video! I don't know if Puky has any offerings over the sea, but if they do, I'd be interested to see how some of their models compare (LR M, LR Trail etc.) to your favourite Specialized and your child's favourites.
Great video! My youngest started on the Strider Classic and 110% worth investing in a balance bike. The skills they can gain even in a months time of a couple hours a week on it is HUGE!
You should also try the Kokua Jumper (full suspension / rear suspension / hard tongue category). And you should experiment with more frame materials - titanium, steel, wood, :D
My kids (and therefore all the neighbors kids) have a Kokua and they like it, but they honestly get enough suspension from high volume tires with a low inflation in a rigid frame. They're only doing up to about 8" drops though. Tire stiffness makes a huge difference for what pressure you need at a toddler's weight, so there's a pretty big range of what is right for a tire.
His mini crawler video was the first time I'd heard of them. Now I have two and they are such a blast. I love how Seth just gets on random tangents covering different stuff like that.
Seth, I’ve watched all or nearly all of your videos and this one is in my top five favourite. Well put together and great opinions on all the bikes. I hope you continue to review kids bikes as your daughter grows up.
I like that there are things about these that get kids interested in riding a bike--looking like a parent's bike--but this variety seems like it's just priming kids for being endlessly obsessed with buying gear and upgrading. Toddlers are sponges that absorb what's around them and replicate it. Picking up on that gear-fomo mindset, they might miss out on the joy they could be having with any old bike. When I was a young rider, I spent way too much time thinking about the kind of bike I "needed" to be a better rider when I should have been having fun with the bike I had. We should be careful not to encourage that feeling in the coming generations.
It also depends on goals. (As much as I hate the over-professionalization of leisure activities.) One of my kids REALLY likes road biking. On the other hand, a full carbon race bike for most kids isn't in the picture, so, we compromise. He needs something more competitive than a granny geometry bike to compete, but at the same time, it's not like we want to spend on a bike that has limited resale value. The local club he's in puts limits on what a kid can buy because the organizers realize cost would put most people off the sport.
my bigger kid is 13 now and owns 3 bikes for different terrain. We started her out on a Kokua jumper, with the optional hand break, not seen anyone else yet with rear suspension!! The Kokua was fantastic, her brother learned on it and about 3 cousins so far. love balance bikes.
My Kids are far beyond balance bikes, but I enjoyed the video for sure. I can see why you had to get all this information out of your head, and good thing you did. There are those who will seriously use this information to make purchasing decisions for their young shredders to be, and THAT is awesome!
Love this review - thank you! One thing that we need from the balance bike industry (I like that term ;-): Balance bikes with slightly bigger wheels for the bigger 3 year old or the 4 year old. A 16" wheeled balance bike would be great for many of these kids. The Woom 2 comes close with a 14" wheel.
Hi Seth, thank you for that balance bike shootout ! As I really appreciated all the various aspects you analysed in the review, I think I could add just a few thing. 1 The foot rest is essential. It is by puting you little feet on the stands that you master balance (not having your feet touching the ground that is) 2 The disk brake danger really has to be taken into account (remember, you are dealing with 2 years old) 3 One terrible design error I see much to often is : the seat post coming out from the "bottom bracket" . First it impeeds the ground clearance but, more important, a kid's foot is very likely to get a little bit crushed by the protrubing tube at the bottom of the bike. (and once your little ripper has been bitten, he won't like his new machine so much) 4 The balance bike afterlife. The cheapest ones are meant to go to the rubish bin :( but a more solid one can be used by at least 1 little sister or brother + it'll make your neighbours or friends kids happy after that ! My kids never had problem with their Commencal balance bike, which I fitted with an old disk brake when the time came to learn how to use the brakes. And talk about the transition to the pedal bikes ! What a joy to see your kid getting to ride a real bicycle ON HIS FIRST TRY ! :D
So, full disclosure, earlier this week at trivia, there was a question about the types of bikes that are phasing out training wheels. I was like, "What are you talking about?" I had never heard of balance bikes in my life, so we obviously got the question wrong. That’s fine, but I made a mental note to Google it later. Your video popped up on TH-cam, and I was thinking, "How are they getting out of hand if I didn’t even know they existed until yesterday?" So here I am, watching your entire video, even though I don't have any toddler-aged kids in my life anymore. I was completely captivated. Thank you for this video; it was very informative. I now understand what balance bikes are, how they work, and which type I would buy if I had any toddlers. It’s not about you; it’s just me sitting here thinking, "When did this even happen? What even are they?" I can't believe I watched the whole video, but it was very well made and informative. A+
Great content! It's great that I can watch the videos with my kids without worrying about language or anything inappropriate. I would love to see more videos on maintenance and upgrades on bikes for bigger kids. Like the 20" and 24" bikes. My kids are interested in maintaining and upgrading their bikes.
as a parent with grown kids and teaching them the hard way to ride these are amazing. also with the idea of grandchildren someday... can't wait to see how these evolve over the next few years.
Finally reviewing bikes my own size.. lol That cheered me up. I watch you do things cause its entertaining even reviewing balance bikes that I'm likely to never consider.
We got my first kid a balance bike with a handbrake because i knew he would be going down single track where dragging feet would not be effective or safe. It made the transition over the the Zulu2 effortless as he knew how to brake already. My other kids have also used the same balance bikes and my daughter has also transitioned to the Zulu2 flawlessly.
The Kokua USA bikes are a good choice too, my son uses the Jumper 14 which has Rear V-Brake and an Elastomer Rear shock that allso for him to do a little better offroad and going over bumps/curbs. He monsters at racing with it too, with the conforming well for the BMX Track, too. It does have the Steering Damper and is really light. We ended up adding higher Bars after a growth spurt (becasue he doens't want to give it up!) even after learning to pedal. It'll be passed down for our daughter and the kid to come, becasue that already happened with his first bike. Also, wheel upgrades are a big one, the foam are great to learn on (or we strap the cheap skis to them for use in the winter) but recently upgraded the original $40 Joystar bike with true bearing wheels and tires, and my 2 year old flies on it. They're lighter too, so she coasts over twice as loing and can get up the BMX hiulls too. Great video, Seth, becasue the little rippers keep us young and loving the sport just as much!
I never thought that I would be so entertained by balance bikes. Seth can make anything entertaining. And it looks like his daughter is going to be an absolute shredder😂
Balance bikes were fairly unknown when my son was growing up, but he still made it. I do remember getting him a Mongoose Mini-Motivator bmx and noticing the thought given to the geometry of the kid riding it. He loved riding it everywhere. :)
I did a report on bikes in highschool and these bikes were literally the first bikes to ever be created. Its funny seeing these making a come back hahahaha
I recently saw an e-balance bike. At first I was a little upset as to why someone bought their kid a tiny motorcycle, but after seeing this video, it makes total sense!
The cheap steel ones can definitely be a little heavy, and that seems to have an intimidation effect on my kiddos. I found a lighter one with foam tires and a two-wheel setup in the back that I really like, though, and so does my 2 year old! The nice thing about it is that it will hold itself up a smidge for her, but those back tires are only both on the ground when she's stopped completely. So, it's still teaching the same skills, and was a great yard sale find. The other good thing about balance bikes is that they are so mechanically simple, you don't have to really worry about getting one at a yard sale. It'll be fine!
I remember when I was 3, I went down like a super big hill on one of those and my mum nearly had a heart attack lol. Balance bikes will always have a special place in my heart
Both my sons started riding GT Vamoose (~$150) as soon as the were able to run on their feet. They rode it everywhere, and got used to keep the balance, that is what the balance bike is about - to teach a kid to keep balance with a handlebar. And at the age of 3 both of them were able to switch to regular bike within a week.
My kid rode a used strider from 1.5 years until kindergarten at least. We got the larger version as well because they simply didn't want the pedals. It was a hard transition. Got so jealous when we passed the strider to the younger kid. Had no idea these bikes got so expensive.
Such a great video Seth! So many MTB parents are going to find this information so helpful when it comes time to introducing their little ones to the world of balance biking. Stoked our Dirt Hero is one of your daughter's favs! ps - you've got a little shredder on your hands 🤘
my older son, now he just turned 5, started on a Spawn Tengu (was at the beginning of the pandemic in Canada the easier of the better bunch, priced similar to the Prevelo and Woom) when he was about 21 months old, and with just two rolled the slopes in the skatepark and followed us with it for 2h non stop on walks in parks. In winter he wanted at -15C and snow storm regularly a walk around the block with it, so we did. A week before he turned 3, he rode (pedals, no training wheels) a real bike, a Woom 2 (14"). With 4yrs a Woom 3 (16"), and now since a few months a Prevelo Alpha 3 (20"). But he still reaches to the Spawn Tengu for some crazy skate park fun at devilish speed, even though it`s his brothers now, who is 2.5yrs. So yeah, it`s way too small for the 5yrs old, but I guess he loves the feeling of speed and the super tight corners he can do with it!
Data point - we have the silver aluminum strider, and our little guy has surfaced two flaws: the foam tires have very little grip on tile floors, and the head bushings like to give out.
My oldest kiddo is now 11 but when he turned 2 grandma got him a strider. At the time they were made of steel, no footrest, and the seat was hard hard plastic. Oh my he loooooved it! When he got too big i replaced the seat with a softer and larger one and put on a longer seat tube because his legs got too long. And he looooved it till he got on a pedal bike at 5.
I completely agree with your comment about brakes. They are completely pointless for actually operating the bike, but Both of my kids started experimenting with them and eventually learned how to use them anyway. It made the transition to a pedal bike quite straightforward because all they had to think about was using the pedals to move, and getting a feel for the bike while they pedal. Stopping was not much of an issue!
The time I could see the brakes being useful is when they're close to outgrowing the bike, have gained confidence, and are taking them down hills with more speed. I have memories taking turns with friends hurtling down a steep hill on an old tricycle we'd outgrown.
I got the Strider for my niece because it has foot rests. Strider makes a slightly larger balance bike that has the option to bolt on drivetrain and turn it into a pedal bike.
Great vid! I got my kid started on a Strider and not long after we started doing balance bike races at the BMX track. It's one of his favorite things to do! Now he has his own micro mini pedal bike and nearly ready to race in the 5 & under class. Check out your local BMX track with your kiddo!
Great stuff Seth! As a father of a 10 month old I cannot wait to put her on two wheels! This video helped a lot to have an idea about whats important and what is good for them.
Just FYI, I like the name Seth's Bike Hacks better than Berm Peak for the channel even though all your videos aren't about bike hacks, I never thought twice about that
I got my kid the $99 red aluminum strider with foam tires. From age 15 months threw 3 years he rode it every day after school. The foam tires held up just fine to the abuse a toddler could throw at it. After that I got him a trek MTB bike. One thing I noticed is that the weight matters to them. If the bike is to heavy they won’t ride it. His strider held up well and I literally sold it a week ago for $50 to clear room in the garage. He’s 5 now and rides his blue trek every day. How the bike looks is important to them. He picked out his trek because it had big knobby tires like dads SB130.
I remember stopping at the lbs probably around fall and seeing a specialized balance bike. No brakes or anything fancy. It even came with tubes in the wheels. We picked up one for our boys Christmas present. That was the best money ever spent. It was the best way to have a kid learn how to ride a bike. I remember the neighborhood asking where we got it and how much. Think we spent about $200. It looks like the balance bikes out there are getting crazy and out of hand lol.
I respect the decision not to show your daughters face on camera, she hasn't made that call yet. But I have to say seeing her having some fun going for it on a bike makes me smile
Yeah I agree, good call Seth 👍
Very good call!
That's exactly what I was going to say!
💯
I wonder what your dog thought....
As a 21 year old with no plans for kids, I did not know balance bikes could be so entertaining
Ahhh to be 21 again and say "I'm never going to have kids". My daughter says the same thing. 🙃
@@explorenaked ah, to be 41 and think your opinion is more correct than hers 🙃
As a 32yo I can't see how would anybody pass on a purple unicorn
@@ericl6460 the heck?
They were saying FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW how they see it. No one said anything about more correct. Geez louise
@@RC-fp1tl the implication was that they will want kids when they get older.
This is the most in depth balance bike video I have ever seen, naturally it’s from Seth. Gotta love it
That's why he's the GOAT in the genre ... No other MTB TH-camr comes close to making the original, consistent content that comes from Seth. I know people who don't even ride bikes that follow his channel. My cousin is into carpentry and saw me watching one of his videos at Thanksgiving and was like "you watch Seth?"
@@topspot4834 yeh everything is a lil bit different, but kinda the same
"Teach your kids to love bikes, and they will never have money for drugs......."
Real😂
@@keatonkolanok Keaton
Urmm I'm living proof that ain't true I do both 😂🥦
goes for dirt bikes aswell 🤣
I'm in my seventies and never thought I'd be so interested in a balance bike video. I started riding at about four, my son's first bike was when he was three, well before balance bikes came on the scene. The first balance bike I saw was about 2010 and was made of flat sheets of plywood and looked craftsman built. I was super impressed from that first sighting. The range of bikes Seth has in his collection is very impressive.
My daughter had that plywood thing. She rode it for maybe 18 months. It didn't matter how terrible it was. Her first pedal bike was an absolute breeze. No tuition needed at all.
10:40 "which one stood out"
They both deserve love, appreciate your bike saga
YOURE EVERYWHERE
(Edit: and also how are you subscribed to all the same people as me, I’m not expecting you to respond)
Great video Seth! I am not a parent, but when I saw the Woom online several years ago I thought this is the best method to learn to ride a bike. The training wheel method is so unnatural of a riding experience. I hope more parents of young children find this video and have their kids learn on these types of bikes.
Just bought my 2.5yr old daughter her first “real” balance bike. We let her pick the one she wanted out of about a dozen. She picked it because it was purple, not because it was the coolest “Lil Lefty” Cannondale, with heaps of over engineered parts, but now she’s obsessed! She was even following me around as we walked through the bike shop on it too haha. I’ve never owned a serious mountain bike either, but I love this channel and now as my daughter progresses, I’ll finally be getting myself a bike and do some riding together. Thanks for riding with all of us Seth!
Did you get a bike? That's so wholesome, kids finding hobbies is amazing.
This is so true! I work at a local bike shop and we sell three brands of balance bikes. Time and time again, kids pick their bikes based on their favorite color. Strider has awesome colors, so they tend to get picked most often.
After 2 hours scooting around on his balance bike, my nearly 3 year old was sending it down slopes faster than I could run to catch him. Thanks for your videos on these for putting me on the right track to have him learning to ride so early.
You're daughter is going to be a kick ass rider! Genuinely impressed especially how well she handled the skatepark, that's aweseom!
Next Redbull downhill world champion XD
Hey Seth! Love the videos man, you’re the one who got me into moutain biking now it is one of my favorite things to do I go everyday I can. You’re a big inspiration! Keep it up!!
I hope he gets back to trail building that trail system is sick
Judging by all these videos I believe that Seth may actually be a man-child 🤔
And we love him 🤙🥳🚲
May? He looks like one, is the size. And is as cool as a kid.
He is in fact a child at heart and I think we all love that
lol that’s crazy
I love how respectful you are to your own kids, respecting your life and privacy, giving them everything you can in hopes of equal interests, even with her face covered I could feel the joy and love for bikes. This was am awesome video, I don't need a balance bike yet but one day I'll have a kid. I started riding on a vintage road bike when I was a kid Because it was free.
Love it Seth and as an experienced parent who’s had 3 kids thru a strider (my oldest on an adult XS now) all the benefits you call out of getting the little ones on these was spot on. Keep this up!
So glad you're finally reviewing bikes your size! But also, as a parent of a 2 year old, foot placement bits, weight, and the knockblock (as Trek called it) are the most important features for us, and of course colour and looking like Mama and Papas bike. Cool to see you review the Kids Ride Shotgun balance bike as well! Yay for NZ
I ended up going with the Cannondale Kids Trail, for a lot of the same reasons you mentioned preferring the Prevelo, plus that lefty fork is just so awesome 😎
the carbon hotwalk aligning the tire info and the valve core/rim sticker is just so good.
Thank you so much for making this video! Been watching your channel for a couple years now. My son is going to be turning two in August and I've been scouring through all of the balance bikes trying to figure out which one would be best. It was nice to see them all laid out together, especially since you were covering the three I've been looking at the most. Thank you again so much for making this video! Keep up the awesome work! 🤙🏻
Im not even a parent but this video makes me so happy. Im glad so much thought has gone into kids beginner's bikes.
Definitely right about the twitchiness of some balance bikes. My niece gave up riding hers for ages because it was so twitchy. My kids had a cheaper bike but felt more stable and they loved it. Very quickly they were coasting and taking on bigger challenges because the bike was not scaring them.
My 1st daughter started a pedal bike at 3 thanks to a balance bike [haro 12in] w/upgraded tires.... Second daughter started pedaling at two thanks to her balance bike[Ridgeback Scoot]. Breaks on the balance bikes allowed for learning braking control. Neither has ever used coaster breaks and went to bmx and mountain bikes by 4. Absolutely balance bikes are amazing learning and teaching tools. Third daughter has bikes to grow into now lol. Love this video for covering these. quality matters and makes for a fun riding experience and great memories. My girls were hitting trails and pump tracks at two and, although they could ride well by 3, they preferred the balance bikes for ripping around and for teaching cousins. Second daughter is now 6 and still loves ripping up and down the street. FYI we started them on 10in wheels/tires, then to12in and the largest balance bike in our family arsenal has 14in wheels/tires..... again amazing video.
So cool for toddlers nowadays, we love it. The woom BTW has the accessory "surfboard" to use as a footrest.
Cheapest is the best. My kids used it for 2 days.
13:16 'balanthe bike' caught off guard 🤣🤣
I didn't notice there were diferent types of these kids bikes, amazing content! Slacker bikes definitely seem a better option for toddles, never seen one with a disc brake I wouldn't feel my kids were going to be safe around disc brakes specially if they are starting (if I had any), but it seems to be something you can remove to begin and then implement it when the kid gets the hang of it, this is awesome! I bought a balance bike to my nephew a while ago there weren't many options where I bought it but it had v-brakes, that was one of the requirements I had in mind when I bought it...
V-brakes are the better option in my opinion. They have more than enough stopping power for a balance bike and you can't get cut by it. Also maintenance is easier, though I doubt you'll ever need to service the brakes on these, regardless of which type you chose.
@@schwuzi Even better than v-brakes for these are mini drum brakes.
We had a Joovy Bicycoo BMX that had a rear drum brake and it seemed like a far better solution than any of the bikes that I've seen using standard brakes.
- It took very low effort to operate (on par with a disc brake)
- It was a small sealed unit near the hub (so no worries about fingers getting caught)
- It was far lighter than most "standard" brakes
Unfortunately I don't know of anyone else that produces a current model with a similar braking system.
@@schwuzi1:43 😮😮l
Voom with their color coded brake handle and v-brake coloring won my heart. So simple almost genius
I love your videos!(first lol) Im trying to get a mtb because of you. Thank you for getting me into this hobby!
As a parent who went the cheap / “only buy one bike” route and got a used trek cub for my kid at 4, I can tell you that I wish I had seen this video years ago. Kids can’t learn on a bike they won’t ride, either because it’s way too heavy or because they haven’t got the fundamentals of balancing down (or both at the same time). You, Seth, are doing a huge service for people trying to decide if a balance bike is worth it.
I think if I ever have to buy another balance bike, I'd go with the Prevelo or a Guardian. Guardian's balance bike is assembled in USA, which is nice, and I really like Prevelo bikes. I have a 16" guardian that my oldest learned to balance on and then I added pedals, and then my second son got a dedicated balance bike, which was a terrible choice because it was poorly designed. I liked how the 16" bike could just add pedals though, so it saved me from needing to buy two bikes in short succession.
My kids have a Guardian (and a Kokua, Strider, and Belsize). I didn't expect to love it because of the proprietary brake system, but it's been great and was the cheapest I found with brakes. And the kids were stoked to get a bike with brakes. For a cheap light bike with good tires but no brakes I'd go Belsize over the Strider.
Loved having the Strider for my kids when they were younger. I raced BMX at the time and all the tracks had a strider class. So it was great that we could take part in the sport as a family with kids so young. We held on to the bikes even after they outgrew them and riding pedal bikes because they loved just booting around the driveway and front yard. It's crazy to see how evolved these bikes have become.
@SethsBikeHacks I have to chime in, the woom used to have brakes mounted under the chain stay like the pravelo. My kids both kept getting their ankles jammed between the ground and the brakes. I left a review and now the brakes are mounted up top.
For having kids on your bike I'm a big fan of Mac ride. I have it on my full sus bike and then I used road bike grip tape on my handlebars for the kids to grip. I ride stuff way sketchier than I should with my daughter on the bike.
My girls are in college now, but I bought a Specialized Vegas with 12" wheels in pearl white and pink/purple decals for my oldest when she was just a little past 2 yrs old for $200. My non-cycling friends thought I was insane. My youngest rode it next and 17 yrs later, it's still hanging in my garage awaiting the time when I can get my future grandkids involved in cycling.
Great video! I don't know if Puky has any offerings over the sea, but if they do, I'd be interested to see how some of their models compare (LR M, LR Trail etc.) to your favourite Specialized and your child's favourites.
Great video! My youngest started on the Strider Classic and 110% worth investing in a balance bike. The skills they can gain even in a months time of a couple hours a week on it is HUGE!
You should also try the Kokua Jumper (full suspension / rear suspension / hard tongue category). And you should experiment with more frame materials - titanium, steel, wood, :D
Yes! The Kokua Jumper, as made famous by the then 3 year old Jackson Goldstone! One of my all time favourite mtb videos!
My kids (and therefore all the neighbors kids) have a Kokua and they like it, but they honestly get enough suspension from high volume tires with a low inflation in a rigid frame. They're only doing up to about 8" drops though. Tire stiffness makes a huge difference for what pressure you need at a toddler's weight, so there's a pretty big range of what is right for a tire.
This is the sort of video I'm filing away in the back of my brain for however long when I finally have a kid. top tier content.
You should bring out the rc crawlers again I liked those videos
His mini crawler video was the first time I'd heard of them. Now I have two and they are such a blast. I love how Seth just gets on random tangents covering different stuff like that.
@@williamreinhard yeah
Seth, I’ve watched all or nearly all of your videos and this one is in my top five favourite. Well put together and great opinions on all the bikes. I hope you continue to review kids bikes as your daughter grows up.
These balance bikes are more expensive than my full suspension 😭
Lol 😂
How much is your fs?
How is that possible😂😂
Well, I ride a 2007 stumpjumper like it’s brand new just take really good care of it
I’m glad you are finally reviewing bikes your size
I like that there are things about these that get kids interested in riding a bike--looking like a parent's bike--but this variety seems like it's just priming kids for being endlessly obsessed with buying gear and upgrading. Toddlers are sponges that absorb what's around them and replicate it. Picking up on that gear-fomo mindset, they might miss out on the joy they could be having with any old bike. When I was a young rider, I spent way too much time thinking about the kind of bike I "needed" to be a better rider when I should have been having fun with the bike I had. We should be careful not to encourage that feeling in the coming generations.
It also depends on goals. (As much as I hate the over-professionalization of leisure activities.) One of my kids REALLY likes road biking. On the other hand, a full carbon race bike for most kids isn't in the picture, so, we compromise.
He needs something more competitive than a granny geometry bike to compete, but at the same time, it's not like we want to spend on a bike that has limited resale value. The local club he's in puts limits on what a kid can buy because the organizers realize cost would put most people off the sport.
my bigger kid is 13 now and owns 3 bikes for different terrain. We started her out on a Kokua jumper, with the optional hand break, not seen anyone else yet with rear suspension!! The Kokua was fantastic, her brother learned on it and about 3 cousins so far. love balance bikes.
Who's that cute good boy on the background at 2:18??
My Kids are far beyond balance bikes, but I enjoyed the video for sure. I can see why you had to get all this information out of your head, and good thing you did. There are those who will seriously use this information to make purchasing decisions for their young shredders to be, and THAT is awesome!
Love this review - thank you!
One thing that we need from the balance bike industry (I like that term ;-):
Balance bikes with slightly bigger wheels for the bigger 3 year old or the 4 year old.
A 16" wheeled balance bike would be great for many of these kids.
The Woom 2 comes close with a 14" wheel.
Hi Seth, thank you for that balance bike shootout !
As I really appreciated all the various aspects you analysed in the review, I think I could add just a few thing.
1 The foot rest is essential. It is by puting you little feet on the stands that you master balance (not having your feet touching the ground that is)
2 The disk brake danger really has to be taken into account (remember, you are dealing with 2 years old)
3 One terrible design error I see much to often is : the seat post coming out from the "bottom bracket" . First it impeeds the ground clearance but, more important, a kid's foot is very likely to get a little bit crushed by the protrubing tube at the bottom of the bike. (and once your little ripper has been bitten, he won't like his new machine so much)
4 The balance bike afterlife. The cheapest ones are meant to go to the rubish bin :( but a more solid one can be used by at least 1 little sister or brother + it'll make your neighbours or friends kids happy after that !
My kids never had problem with their Commencal balance bike, which I fitted with an old disk brake when the time came to learn how to use the brakes.
And talk about the transition to the pedal bikes ! What a joy to see your kid getting to ride a real bicycle ON HIS FIRST TRY ! :D
I'm loving the edits keep it up, Seth! 🤣
12:24 how I felt riding a 26" after getting used to 29
So, full disclosure, earlier this week at trivia, there was a question about the types of bikes that are phasing out training wheels. I was like, "What are you talking about?" I had never heard of balance bikes in my life, so we obviously got the question wrong. That’s fine, but I made a mental note to Google it later. Your video popped up on TH-cam, and I was thinking, "How are they getting out of hand if I didn’t even know they existed until yesterday?"
So here I am, watching your entire video, even though I don't have any toddler-aged kids in my life anymore. I was completely captivated. Thank you for this video; it was very informative. I now understand what balance bikes are, how they work, and which type I would buy if I had any toddlers. It’s not about you; it’s just me sitting here thinking, "When did this even happen? What even are they?" I can't believe I watched the whole video, but it was very well made and informative. A+
Great content! It's great that I can watch the videos with my kids without worrying about language or anything inappropriate. I would love to see more videos on maintenance and upgrades on bikes for bigger kids. Like the 20" and 24" bikes. My kids are interested in maintaining and upgrading their bikes.
as a parent with grown kids and teaching them the hard way to ride these are amazing. also with the idea of grandchildren someday... can't wait to see how these evolve over the next few years.
Finally reviewing bikes my own size.. lol That cheered me up. I watch you do things cause its entertaining even reviewing balance bikes that I'm likely to never consider.
As a person who has a really nice pedal bike I am still watching this. I also know how to balance the pedal bike.
We got my first kid a balance bike with a handbrake because i knew he would be going down single track where dragging feet would not be effective or safe. It made the transition over the the Zulu2 effortless as he knew how to brake already. My other kids have also used the same balance bikes and my daughter has also transitioned to the Zulu2 flawlessly.
Not my favorite subject, but it's Seth, so I HAVE to watch. The reference to "bikes my size" was totally worth watching the whole vid for! 😆
My wife is due in one month and I was already looking at these, and now Seth's got a video on them lol. Thanks, Seth!
My dude ... Just get through the no sleep phase of having a baby before buying them a bike. Good luck my man, you're gonna need it.
I think Seth is having more fun on the balance bikes than the kids are. great video
Seth, this is my favorite video of yours in a long, long time.
The Kokua USA bikes are a good choice too, my son uses the Jumper 14 which has Rear V-Brake and an Elastomer Rear shock that allso for him to do a little better offroad and going over bumps/curbs. He monsters at racing with it too, with the conforming well for the BMX Track, too. It does have the Steering Damper and is really light. We ended up adding higher Bars after a growth spurt (becasue he doens't want to give it up!) even after learning to pedal. It'll be passed down for our daughter and the kid to come, becasue that already happened with his first bike.
Also, wheel upgrades are a big one, the foam are great to learn on (or we strap the cheap skis to them for use in the winter) but recently upgraded the original $40 Joystar bike with true bearing wheels and tires, and my 2 year old flies on it. They're lighter too, so she coasts over twice as loing and can get up the BMX hiulls too.
Great video, Seth, becasue the little rippers keep us young and loving the sport just as much!
Perfect timing for your balance bike kick. My daughter just turned 4 months!
I never thought that I would be so entertained by balance bikes. Seth can make anything entertaining. And it looks like his daughter is going to be an absolute shredder😂
Balance bikes were fairly unknown when my son was growing up, but he still made it.
I do remember getting him a Mongoose Mini-Motivator bmx and noticing the thought given to the geometry of the kid riding it.
He loved riding it everywhere. :)
This is great, kids should learn on capable mountain bikes, and your daughter is shredding even though we can’t see her face she is a legend
It's just nice that bike brands have been so accommodating for people Seth's height lately.
Honestly. I wish I wasn’t 6’3. There is no way I could possibly ride one of those. Mad respect! Ride on sir!
I did a report on bikes in highschool and these bikes were literally the first bikes to ever be created. Its funny seeing these making a come back hahahaha
Great Job... And... Good to See you are finally reviewing Bikes your size. 😁
I recently saw an e-balance bike. At first I was a little upset as to why someone bought their kid a tiny motorcycle, but after seeing this video, it makes total sense!
The cheap steel ones can definitely be a little heavy, and that seems to have an intimidation effect on my kiddos. I found a lighter one with foam tires and a two-wheel setup in the back that I really like, though, and so does my 2 year old! The nice thing about it is that it will hold itself up a smidge for her, but those back tires are only both on the ground when she's stopped completely. So, it's still teaching the same skills, and was a great yard sale find.
The other good thing about balance bikes is that they are so mechanically simple, you don't have to really worry about getting one at a yard sale. It'll be fine!
I've been watching Seth's bike hacks for about 7 years and I'm 13 Berm peak really made my childhood fun
I remember when I was 3, I went down like a super big hill on one of those and my mum nearly had a heart attack lol. Balance bikes will always have a special place in my heart
Both my sons started riding GT Vamoose (~$150) as soon as the were able to run on their feet. They rode it everywhere, and got used to keep the balance, that is what the balance bike is about - to teach a kid to keep balance with a handlebar. And at the age of 3 both of them were able to switch to regular bike within a week.
My kid rode a used strider from 1.5 years until kindergarten at least. We got the larger version as well because they simply didn't want the pedals. It was a hard transition. Got so jealous when we passed the strider to the younger kid. Had no idea these bikes got so expensive.
As a 5'4" guy the comment at the end about finally reviewing bikes your size was funny enough to earn a like by itself
Such a great video Seth! So many MTB parents are going to find this information so helpful when it comes time to introducing their little ones to the world of balance biking. Stoked our Dirt Hero is one of your daughter's favs! ps - you've got a little shredder on your hands 🤘
We're expecting our first baby in the autumn. I really hope she takes to biking as much as your daughter has! 🤘
Video timing... perfect! Been following since the OG Drama Drop and now I have a 2yo son and looking at a balance bike for his bday!
I think it has been proved time and time again, anything Seth puts up will be highly entertaining to watch 😊
I'm impressed by your balance bike riding skills.
Thanks for teaching me what those funny little bikes with no cranks are.
i dont have a kid but i love watching you talk about toddlers bikes x)
my older son, now he just turned 5, started on a Spawn Tengu (was at the beginning of the pandemic in Canada the easier of the better bunch, priced similar to the Prevelo and Woom) when he was about 21 months old, and with just two rolled the slopes in the skatepark and followed us with it for 2h non stop on walks in parks. In winter he wanted at -15C and snow storm regularly a walk around the block with it, so we did.
A week before he turned 3, he rode (pedals, no training wheels) a real bike, a Woom 2 (14"). With 4yrs a Woom 3 (16"), and now since a few months a Prevelo Alpha 3 (20"). But he still reaches to the Spawn Tengu for some crazy skate park fun at devilish speed, even though it`s his brothers now, who is 2.5yrs. So yeah, it`s way too small for the 5yrs old, but I guess he loves the feeling of speed and the super tight corners he can do with it!
Data point - we have the silver aluminum strider, and our little guy has surfaced two flaws: the foam tires have very little grip on tile floors, and the head bushings like to give out.
Our dude is obsessed with balance bikes😂
Keep it up, we love it❤
My oldest kiddo is now 11 but when he turned 2 grandma got him a strider. At the time they were made of steel, no footrest, and the seat was hard hard plastic. Oh my he loooooved it! When he got too big i replaced the seat with a softer and larger one and put on a longer seat tube because his legs got too long. And he looooved it till he got on a pedal bike at 5.
I completely agree with your comment about brakes. They are completely pointless for actually operating the bike, but Both of my kids started experimenting with them and eventually learned how to use them anyway.
It made the transition to a pedal bike quite straightforward because all they had to think about was using the pedals to move, and getting a feel for the bike while they pedal. Stopping was not much of an issue!
The time I could see the brakes being useful is when they're close to outgrowing the bike, have gained confidence, and are taking them down hills with more speed. I have memories taking turns with friends hurtling down a steep hill on an old tricycle we'd outgrown.
I got the Strider for my niece because it has foot rests.
Strider makes a slightly larger balance bike that has the option to bolt on drivetrain and turn it into a pedal bike.
Great vid! I got my kid started on a Strider and not long after we started doing balance bike races at the BMX track. It's one of his favorite things to do! Now he has his own micro mini pedal bike and nearly ready to race in the 5 & under class. Check out your local BMX track with your kiddo!
Me - puts my phone down after spending 14 minutes watching a grown man ride a balance bike… love your videos
I love the Tonka in the background 😁 and thanks for the cool kids specific content - working on some of that myself 🤙🏻
My kid loved his balance bike. He would go over anything, and we took that thing everywhere.
Great stuff Seth!
As a father of a 10 month old I cannot wait to put her on two wheels!
This video helped a lot to have an idea about whats important and what is good for them.
Great video as always and informative and fun as always but lets talk about that dog after the 2m47s :)
Just FYI, I like the name Seth's Bike Hacks better than Berm Peak for the channel even though all your videos aren't about bike hacks, I never thought twice about that
I got my kid the $99 red aluminum strider with foam tires. From age 15 months threw 3 years he rode it every day after school. The foam tires held up just fine to the abuse a toddler could throw at it. After that I got him a trek MTB bike. One thing I noticed is that the weight matters to them. If the bike is to heavy they won’t ride it. His strider held up well and I literally sold it a week ago for $50 to clear room in the garage. He’s 5 now and rides his blue trek every day. How the bike looks is important to them. He picked out his trek because it had big knobby tires like dads SB130.
I had a balance bike when I was 4 and got a pedal bike when I was 5 and as soon I jumped on the pedal bike I was riding it every we go.
Was this a guide how to decide for a balance bike or for a child.
Because now I want both for all the good reasons.
So wholesome.
Man. You are talking like a Father now. Happy Father day!
I remember stopping at the lbs probably around fall and seeing a specialized balance bike. No brakes or anything fancy. It even came with tubes in the wheels. We picked up one for our boys Christmas present. That was the best money ever spent. It was the best way to have a kid learn how to ride a bike. I remember the neighborhood asking where we got it and how much. Think we spent about $200. It looks like the balance bikes out there are getting crazy and out of hand lol.