Stewart Campbell

So I was looking more into balance bikes, actually a 12" pedal bike for my daughter and came across this....
Smart Gear Easy Rider Balance Bike

Smart Gear Easy Rider Balance Bike
Your rad little rider can get his first taste of the open road with this Chopper Smart balance bike from Smart Gear®! It's designed just like a real two-wheel bicyc...
View on www.sportsauthority... Preview by Yahoo

No worries, this is a safe link.

-Stewart

________________________________
From: David Rosen
To: 'Mistr Solo'
Cc: obra@list.obra.org
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 11:13 PM
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Strider/ Balance bike question

I will look into the Wishbone brand for sure, but it sounds like the biggest thing is if his feet can touch the ground (he is a big 1 year old- about the size of most 2 year olds), then he should be good to as it relates to starting him on the bike.

Thanks for the responses everyone.
Love the OBRA community.
Dave

From:Mistr Solo [mailto:mistr.solo@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 11:07 PM
To: David Rosen
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Strider/ Balance bike question

We started our boy as soon as he could reach the ground with the seat at its lowest position. We're a short family so he started just before he turned 2 and he's been riding ever since. I remember we tried earlier maybe around 18 months, since he was really into riding other 4 wheeled toys. But he got really frustrated with it because it was too unwieldy for him due to his short stature.

I would say try it out with him, and see how he does. Every kid is different, so there is no right or wrong age. I say the earlier the better.

The brand Wishbone has a scoot that converts into a trike for the earlier years and then converts to a bike as the grow into it. This could be a good option.

Good luck, and I hope to see your nephew at a kiddie cross some day!

Cory

On Sep 10, 2014, at 22:41, "David Rosen" wrote:
This goes to all of the parents out there who have gotten Strider (or Balance) bikes for their kids at one point or another: How early did you start your young ones on the bike? I have not looked up whether there is a minimum age for the bikes, but I am thinking of getting one for my nephew. He just turned 1 year old and is already running full speed around the house and in the park. He can climb up slides in playgrounds (on his own) and he is already kicking a soccer ball around. He started running before he got into crawling…. I realize he might be young for it, but I can’t imagine it will be too much longer before he can actually use one.
>
>My other option is a tricycle of sorts that might be more age appropriate.
>
>Thanks for the feedback. You can reply off list if you don’t think anyone else is interested in the chat.
>Dave
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Stewart Campbell

Hey David,

I'm sure you got some good input. Age- as soon as their feet can touch the ground, but their attention span will vary, my 3.5 yr old can ride her balance bike but not a long enough attention span yet to race cx this year.
I saw the idea of a same size wheel bike with a drivetrain, but as a gift, just skip this idea.

As for brands and price. As a dad, I ditched the whole wooden bike idea, my daughter sees my bikes and I feel that kids understand more than we think so I got her a bike that looked like Daddy's. I also went with the Performance brand bike. The reviews are just as good as any other brand, but way cheeper. Just a heads up, the bike does come with a cool sticker decal packet that you would need to ask for.

One last tip, to help teach the kid...stand behind them and reach over them and place your hands on the out side of their hand grips. This allows the kid to feel more free, I see a lot of parents trying to get beside the kid and end up just getting in the way.

-Stewart

________________________________
From: David Rosen
To: 'Mistr Solo'
Cc: obra@list.obra.org
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 11:13 PM
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Strider/ Balance bike question

I will look into the Wishbone brand for sure, but it sounds like the biggest thing is if his feet can touch the ground (he is a big 1 year old- about the size of most 2 year olds), then he should be good to as it relates to starting him on the bike.

Thanks for the responses everyone.
Love the OBRA community.
Dave

From:Mistr Solo [mailto:mistr.solo@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 11:07 PM
To: David Rosen
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Strider/ Balance bike question

We started our boy as soon as he could reach the ground with the seat at its lowest position. We're a short family so he started just before he turned 2 and he's been riding ever since. I remember we tried earlier maybe around 18 months, since he was really into riding other 4 wheeled toys. But he got really frustrated with it because it was too unwieldy for him due to his short stature.

I would say try it out with him, and see how he does. Every kid is different, so there is no right or wrong age. I say the earlier the better.

The brand Wishbone has a scoot that converts into a trike for the earlier years and then converts to a bike as the grow into it. This could be a good option.

Good luck, and I hope to see your nephew at a kiddie cross some day!

Cory

On Sep 10, 2014, at 22:41, "David Rosen" wrote:
This goes to all of the parents out there who have gotten Strider (or Balance) bikes for their kids at one point or another: How early did you start your young ones on the bike? I have not looked up whether there is a minimum age for the bikes, but I am thinking of getting one for my nephew. He just turned 1 year old and is already running full speed around the house and in the park. He can climb up slides in playgrounds (on his own) and he is already kicking a soccer ball around. He started running before he got into crawling…. I realize he might be young for it, but I can’t imagine it will be too much longer before he can actually use one.
>
>My other option is a tricycle of sorts that might be more age appropriate.
>
>Thanks for the feedback. You can reply off list if you don’t think anyone else is interested in the chat.
>Dave
_______________________________________________
>OBRA mailing list
>obra@list.obra.org
>http://list.obra.org/mailman/listinfo/obra
>Unsubscribe: obra-unsubscribe@list.obra.org
_______________________________________________
OBRA mailing list
obra@list.obra.org
http://list.obra.org/mailman/listinfo/obra
Unsubscribe: obra-unsubscribe@list.obra.org

David Rosen

I will look into the Wishbone brand for sure, but it sounds like the biggest thing is if his feet can touch the ground (he is a big 1 year old- about the size of most 2 year olds), then he should be good to as it relates to starting him on the bike.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Love the OBRA community.
Dave

From: Mistr Solo [mailto:mistr.solo@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 11:07 PM
To: David Rosen
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Strider/ Balance bike question

We started our boy as soon as he could reach the ground with the seat at its lowest position. We're a short family so he started just before he turned 2 and he's been riding ever since. I remember we tried earlier maybe around 18 months, since he was really into riding other 4 wheeled toys. But he got really frustrated with it because it was too unwieldy for him due to his short stature.

I would say try it out with him, and see how he does. Every kid is different, so there is no right or wrong age. I say the earlier the better.

The brand Wishbone has a scoot that converts into a trike for the earlier years and then converts to a bike as the grow into it. This could be a good option.

Good luck, and I hope to see your nephew at a kiddie cross some day!

Cory

On Sep 10, 2014, at 22:41, "David Rosen" wrote:

This goes to all of the parents out there who have gotten Strider (or Balance) bikes for their kids at one point or another: How early did you start your young ones on the bike? I have not looked up whether there is a minimum age for the bikes, but I am thinking of getting one for my nephew. He just turned 1 year old and is already running full speed around the house and in the park. He can climb up slides in playgrounds (on his own) and he is already kicking a soccer ball around. He started running before he got into crawling…. I realize he might be young for it, but I can’t imagine it will be too much longer before he can actually use one.

My other option is a tricycle of sorts that might be more age appropriate.

Thanks for the feedback. You can reply off list if you don’t think anyone else is interested in the chat.

Dave

_______________________________________________
OBRA mailing list
obra@list.obra.org
http://list.obra.org/mailman/listinfo/obra
Unsubscribe: obra-unsubscribe@list.obra.org

David Rosen

This goes to all of the parents out there who have gotten Strider (or
Balance) bikes for their kids at one point or another: How early did you
start your young ones on the bike? I have not looked up whether there is a
minimum age for the bikes, but I am thinking of getting one for my nephew.
He just turned 1 year old and is already running full speed around the house
and in the park. He can climb up slides in playgrounds (on his own) and he
is already kicking a soccer ball around. He started running before he got
into crawling.. I realize he might be young for it, but I can't imagine it
will be too much longer before he can actually use one.

My other option is a tricycle of sorts that might be more age appropriate.

Thanks for the feedback. You can reply off list if you don't think anyone
else is interested in the chat.

Dave