Balance Bikes for Kids: Reinventing the (Two) Wheel
An ancestor of today’s modern bicycle is the Laufmaschine, German for “running machine.” Patented by Karl von Drais in 1818, this running machine had two in-line wheels and was propelled by the rider pushing along the ground as if walking or running.
Though the Laufmaschine was short-lived, Drais’s basic concept has recently made a comeback in a much smaller version as balance-training bikes for young children. Very small bikes with 12” or smaller tires and no pedals or crankshafts are becoming more and more popular as an alternative to tricycles and even bikes with training wheels.
The benefits of balance bikes (also called walking bikes, running bikes, or push bikes) have been largely ignored, especially in the United States. Some people feel that young children don’t have the ability to balance on a two-wheeled vehicle. The “AGE DETERMINATION GUIDELINES: Relating Children’s Ages To Toy Characteristics and Play Behavior” published by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2002 states (http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/adg.pdf, 169), “Children at age 3 have developed the ability to pedal, and have the coordination required to use a steering wheel or handlebar. They can use three-wheeled scooters, but they have not developed the balance required to operate two-wheeled scooters and bicycles.” However, one look at numerous online videos proves that children as young as 18 months can and do balance on two wheels.
Perhaps we have underestimated our children’s ability and it is time to rethink the way we help our kids learn to ride bicycles. So often we see children on bikes that are much too big for them leaning to one side or the other because the training wheels hold them up. They may learn to pedal, but the training wheels only give false confidence and teach bad habits that have to be unlearned when the parent finally convinces (or bribes) their child to try the bike without them. The parent then ends up running behind their child, holding on to the bike while the child screams, “Don’t let go!” and scrutinizes the shadow on the ground to ensure their parent is still holding on tightly.
With balance bicycles, children learn balance at their own pace, just as they learn to walk at their own pace. Some need more encouragement than others, but with a balance bike the skill of balance comes more naturally because it begins with walking rather than pedaling.
As soon as a child has mastered walking and can place their feet flat on the ground while straddling the balance bike, he or she can begin to walk/ride their bike. As children become more comfortable, they soon sit on the seat and do more running or pushing. Before long, they can glide for short distance, lifting their feet off the ground entirely.
Compared to tricycles, balance bikes are much more maneuverable and versatile. Because they are running and gliding, children move more quickly than when riding tricycles. However, they can quickly stop by just placing their feet on the ground. Whereas pedaling a tricycle becomes very difficult on dirt and nearly impossible on grass, riding a balance bike is just a matter of pushing on the ground a little harder. This is an amazing benefit to parents who like to go for walks or mild hikes with their children. A two or three-year old, who is beginning to get a little heavy for a baby backpack and often has to be prevented from mauling a younger sibling in a double stroller, can easily keep pace with a walking or even jogging adult.
Though balance bikes are definitely not a new concept, they are worth revisiting when it comes to helping our children learn balance easier and more naturally.
Katie Stirling, President
Boot Scoot Bikes, LLC
katie@bootscootbikes.com
www.bootscootbikes.com
