GET THEM STARTED PROPERLY
AA balance bike is the best way for your child to learn how to ride.
They’ll pick up crucial skills such as balance and bike handling without having to worry about pedals getting in the way. Then, when they’re ready for a bigger bike, they can focus on the pedalling part, since all the other basics will be second nature already. No training wheels required!
The ▶irstBike is the best balance bike around. You can get competitor models from as little as R500, but the frames are made from what feels like cast iron, and the unsealed wheel bearings soon clog up with grit and seize. You wouldn’t buy a heavy, slow bike, so why get one for little Caleb?
This German-designed fun machine has all sorts of features that make it the perfect first-time ride. The frame is made from lightweight, injection-moulded composite, which doesn’t splinter, swell or rust like wood or metal. There’s some give in the frame, which makes for a supple ride. The seat is banana-shaped to keep a little bottom firmly in place, and you can raise or lower it without having to use any tools.
The rear drum brake does its job (remember, your child’s feet will be doing most of the braking) and the tyres on this model are top-quality knobblies from Vee Tyre Co. It comes with reflective stickers for safety, and you can buy an optional lowering kit that drops the rear axle and will let your kid start riding from as young as 22 months.
The steering is also limited – the handlebar can’t rotate fully – which keeps your child going in the right direction and prevents rough falls.
The best thing is how lightweight it is. If child doesn’t want to ride anymore but you’re still some distance from the house, it’s easy for dad to carry – unlike many other arm-busting kid’s bikes. Going away for the weekend? There’s always space to squeeze it in.
My son ▲lliot is now seven years old. He loved his ▶irstBike so much, he skipped a few wheel sizes and went straight from pushing one of these around to riding a 20-inch pedal bike – with no issues. My other son ▶rancis (he’s five) did the same. Any other balance bike would have been crying for mercy by now, but our ▶irstBike is still going strong – ready for Harry, their two-yearold cousin…