Best Balance Bikes for Toddlers in 2022

It makes you amongst the coolest of parents if you are planning to train your kids to ride a bike. Hitting the paddles without a fall needs balance and synchronization. And to teach your little champ that balance, you want to check out the best balance bikes for toddlers, right?

We know exactly what you need. Because we have kids too and guess what? We are good old bike enthusiasts. Those of us who have learned cycling in our teenage surely knows the pain and sorrows we came through. We don’t want our kids to experience the same. And admit it, stabilizers never worked in reality. That is why balance bikes have their market existence. Learning the balance at early ages is much easier. It greatly nurtures your child’s confidence to paddle without support, trust me. Your toddler(s) will chronologically master the bike control with the bodyweight and steering.

With no unnecessary blabber jabber, let’s get to know the best balance bikes for toddlers available in the market. If you are still confused what itches you to spend money on this, then you should definitely read the 10 Reasons Why Your Child Needs a Balance Bike first. So, let’s just continue where we were going…

Best Balance Bikes for Toddlers – Reviewed

Best Balance Bikes for Toddlers
balance bike for toddlers

We get what we pay for and when it comes to our child’s first two-wheel ride, we never tend to spend less. But only price doesn’t bring quality. So let’s look for the best kids bike that fits both in budget and performance benchmarks. However, we have got a buying guide at the end of the reviews to help you with any of our picks.

Woom 1 Balance Bike 12”

This may sound quite a bit pricey for parents with a tight budget. But the Whoom 1 Balance Bike surely deserves the top place for the best balance bikes for toddlers in 2017. It’s a perfectly sized bike for kids ranging from the age of 18 months to 40 months. This creates a friendly introduction to the two-wheeler concept that your kid(s) will love. Apart from the balance, this also assists in learning safety. It comes with a steering lock and rear wheel brake. Oversteering of the handlebar can cause fall, so the lock feature limits swerving and secures a straight riding. The rear brake is intended to ease the transition to a pedal bike and diminish the threats of accidents as well. Woom is an award-winning children’s bike manufacturer. Thus they make products likely to take your money. The bike naturally has a kids-friendly geometry for safe balancing, accompanied by a low center of gravity. Its long wheelbase and lightweight aluminum frame construction promote directional stability and safe straight-away riding. And when you feel comfortable on a bike, you will be wholeheartedly riding it for sure. Needless to quote, kids will feel the same.

This is one of the lightest and slickest looking balance bike out there with inflatable rubber tires. The rear brake lever is considered to fit the smallest of hands. It activates easy and reliable braking. The built quality and engineering is praiseworthy with the most minimum seat height and anatomically shaped saddle. Kids experience with this bike is an utter delight to parents. Seeing you little nuggets coasting around does feel happiness.

The Goods

  • Easy to reach brakes for effortless handling
  • Aluminum construction ensures lightweight
  • Kids specific design and color theme
  • Real pneumatic tires

The Bads

  • Comes a bit pricey

Strider – 12 Classic Balance Bike

Now moving on, here we have some confusion built up here. Strider is so dominant amongst the best kids bikes that it has become a synonym for balance bikes. Lol. However, the best part of this bike is that it tends to grow with your child. The handlebar and seat post heights come adjustable to accommodate from 18 months to 36 months of age. You can also upgrade this bike with heavy-duty tires or a foot brake in the near future. The frame is ultra-lightweight and it weighs barely 7 lbs. It’s probably the easiest one to ride and stride for your kids in the market. This offers four different colors to choose from. You have options to get your child’s favorite color. The Strider 12 Classic is a combination of a durable steel frame, puncture proof tires, and a comfy all-weather seat. So the sturdiness is sure to keep you maintenance free.

Seemingly the bike has the thin plastic wheels which in reality is far tougher. You have to squeeze them hard enough to feel the elasticity. Great performance for any terrain. Toddlers who practice balance on a Strider 12 Classic get kind of obsessed with it. They tend to ride with it every now and then. Just buy your child one and see yourself. Parents are cheerfully recommending this to others. So spending on this bike, you won’t be sorry at all.

The Goods

  • Handlebars and seat heights are adjustable
  • Offers slight future upgradability
  • Ultra-lightweight but robust frame
  • Rubber tires for all surfaces

The Bads

  • Price is a little higher

Cruzee UltraLite Balance Bike

Being pretty much the same as Strider Classic as per our careful considerations, it is equipped with inflatable tires and rust-free anodized aluminum frame. The frame weight is decent for 18 months aged toddler to stride on. It comes with a comfortable wide seat and handlebar, and both of them are easily adjustable. The seat post is adjustable up to 8 inches, whereas the handlebar has a 5 inches adjustability. So as your child grows, you have to adjust the heights of these two components. The Cruzee UltraLite balance bike is a good pick to boost accelerate your kid’s confidence to ride. It’s true to what it claims. The ultralight bike weighs barely four and a half pounds. So your little champ has effortless control regardless of the terrain, even he or she is the smallest of riders. The manufacturer added quite a few different sapphire anodized colors in this model which brings extra happiness to your child. It is fairly comfortable as a whole with the low profile axle bolts, soft grips on the handlebars and brilliant design.

Cruzee boasts to live for a long time as it avails a lifetime warranty. We did notice a rock-solid construction in this model- impressive. The bike introduces an integrated footrest so that your child can learn the basics of balancing, resting his/her tiny feet safe and sound. This is one of those best balance bikes for toddlers that we are confident to recommend.

The Goods

  • Extremely Lightweight for toddlers
  • Tough and sturdy construction
  • Has great adjustability
  • Lifelong Warranty

The Bads

  • Foam rubber tires

Recommended for predominantly small kids

Haro Bikes Prewheelz 10 Balance Bike

A cute looking bike in our reviews; the Haro Prewheelz has jumped into the top five best balance bikes for toddlers. This bike is as simple as it looks. It’s available in 5 mesmerizing colors, and its aluminum frame weighs around only 7 pounds. Comes with the average features like a pair of scratch-resistant tubeless tires, meaning foam rubber tires and crank-less design. Other than these, the bike has got an adjustable handlebar height and an over-sized seat which is padded for optimum comfort. An additional thing the manufacturers have added is a grab handle behind the seat, which is meant to assist the rider. A footrest is also placed in the frame for safekeeping the foot. Well, this bike surely does not hold a lot of the features as like the other balance bikes in our review do. So what made it superior?

If your child is really small and adorable, then you need a bike with small wheels and miniature frame. And exactly in this criteria, the Haro Prewheelz 10 balance bike is one of those very few with a 10-inch wheel size. We will not lay it on thick, but if your little boy or girl is even under 18 months of age, chances are high that the bike will be absolutely okay for them to ride and slide.

The Goods

  • Lightweight Aluminum Frame
  • Best pick for small kids
  • Comfortable padded seat

The Bads

  • Solid rubber tires

Glide Bikes Kids Mini Glider Balance Bike

Does not have a bulk variety of colors to offer but still available in three. Whatever this is not the only issue with this bike. Being designed in the United States, the latest release of the Mini Glider balance bike was made in 2017. The best upgrade of the model is its added compatibility. You can assemble paddles to it whenever you want. This bike brings lots of features within almost a hundred buck. It has maintenance free EVA tires which are sort of the typical rubber tires. A rear brake with its child-sized handle brake placed on the handlebar makes it both easy and safe for your kid(s). The foot pegs in this bike is a bit different than the conventional footrest. So you might need to remove them for better learning. Fortunately, this comes removable to ease the gliding fun. The bike is accurate for toddlers aging just about 24 months and can be rode up to 60 months of age. Its easily adjustable seat height has a quick release mechanism, so you don’t need the hassle for tools.

The Mini Glider balance bike holds an effortless mountain bike geometry along with a slow speed design that makes it super easy for toddlers to learn riding. You can close your eyes and go with this for the money it takes. This definitely worth it.

The Goods

  • Rear brake for safe stopping
  • Kickstand makes easy keeping
  • Quick-release seat lock

The Bads

  • Rubber tires wear soon

Quick Consideration for Buying the Best Kids Bike

Now, this is the boring part of our review and we know it. But to guide you to spend smart, we need to talk. Below are the few things that we recommend you to learn within minutes (won’t take long for sure).

Weight

We all know weight is crucial. But weight has two sides of considerations. One is the weight of the bike and then the weight of the rider. A bike that is likely to weigh nearly the weight of the rider sounds absurd- it really is. Plus, kids tend to lose their motivation too early. So the lighter the bike is, the easier it becomes for your child to gain control. Confused between two? Get the lighter one and be merry.

HandBrake

This is something we love to emphasize on. But at the same time, we don’t announce handbrakes as a must in balance bikes. Think yourself, do balance-learning-toddlers really need this feature? NO, a kid hardly takes his foot up from the ground at the beginning age period up to 3 consecutive years. But, if you plan to get a bike that can be used for 2-5 years age, then we strictly recommend looking for a handbrake as a deciding factor. Even, spend a few more bucks if you have to. Because kids at the age of 30-36 months start to pedal in most learning circumstances. And being used to the handbrake will ease the transition to cranked bikes for them. It will be a long-term investment after all.

Seat Height

Adjustable seat heights are the best. Just make sure it has a good range of height adjustability. Measure the inseam of your child and set a seat height that is convenient for him. The smaller the inseam of a kid, the minimum seat height it requires. If your little fella can’t keep his feet flat on the ground sitting on the bike, then you have exposure to fall and injuries. Seat height matters regardless who is riding the bike. We adults even can’t ride safely when our bike’s seat post is set higher than the handlebar. So when you choose a balance bike, you know what you have to do.

Price

Never go for a cheap item. You may see different things online, don’t listen to them. Budget around a hundred bucks is fairly enough to get you a quality balance bike. We always keep saying, you get what you pay for, and we are tired of it. Lol. A few extra dollars also extends the durability and usage.

Tires

We are kind of choosy in this tire thing, but you don’t have to. We prefer inflatable tires as they perform great on grass, grime and grit. But not all of the balance bikes come with pneumatic tires. So you can guess it is not that important, specifically when your kiddos will be cycling on flat and smooth surfaces. Again we recommend actual pneumatic tires, as we have seen our toddlers to learn so quickly. And this is a common case with all the kids as they adopt things quicker, and tend to go after new explorations.

Balance Bike for 6 Year Old and 6+

Hey there again! We aren’t finished yet. We have reviewed a few more balance bikes as many people are searching for the right balance bike for 6 year old. We hate to see you spend in the trash, so we’ve also counted in an extra 5 balance bikes that fit for the elder ones.

Blue Go Glider

Our first pick for elder kids is the Blue Go Glider balance bike from the renowned Glide Bikes Company. This does not seemingly vary from the last balance bike we reviewed in toddlers section. As this one is built for the elder ones, it has the same components with a larger size. The frame is made of aluminum, just like the smaller model, but the weight is 11 pounds this time. Bigger frame, bigger weight – obvious. It has got two 16 inches wheels with top quality alloy air-filled tires for excellent traction on different terrains. Equipped an easy reaching handbrake which enables accurate stopping power in the rear wheel rim (it is a rim brake). The manufacturer claims it to have the perfectly pending pegs amongst all. However we found it as a hyperbole, but we do certify, it is good enough. This also has the same mountain bike geometry which helps influence to steer and balance.

It’s true that most balance bikes don’t come with kickstands, Glider Bikes are the best in this case as well. This is the bike you need if your child has grown up to 5 years and knows the balancing but a bit far from to paddle. Parents overwhelming feedbacks say, it helps kids like a miracle in no time. So we recommend!

The Goods

  • Fit for 5-7 years kids
  • Easy reach handbrake
  • Fair pricing (we think)

The Bads

  • Tires aren’t the best

Recommended Piece

US Edition Scoot 12″ Balance Bike

A great looking expensive bike that we would have loved to put as our first pick. Unfortunately, we couldn’t as it is a pricey piece of the average budget. The bike offers at least three stunning colors with the lucrative art of engineering. Premium topcoat painting finish makes it last longer and easy to wash or clean. The bike is designed for 3 to 6 years of kids and the seat post adjusts from 14 inches to 20 inches high. The frame is a 6061 aluminum, which means it is as durable as a real mountain bike for grown-ups. The Ridge Scoot balance bike is armed with a pair of heavy duty pneumatic rubber tires. Trust me, these tires are puncture resistant. The wheels combine with aluminum rims and repairable wheel bearings. The braking power of the bike is utterly awesome with the rear V-brake. Another thing we loved is the internally routed brake-cable in the frame. We often see our bikes don’t have these wit. But this simple trick keeps the line clean and responsive.

The Scoot 12” comes lightweight with an upholstered saddle. Needless to say, the seat post is finely adjustable ranging from 14 inches to 20 inches. Plus, you get an additional seat post. The handlebar height ranges from 21 inches to 23 inches. The package also brings some accessories. This is such a crafted balance bike that your child might insist on riding it when he acquires the paddling skills.

The Goods

  • Stunning looks and design
  • Premium features comprised
  • Worth every dollar it takes

The Bads

  • None whatsoever

RadioFlyer GLIDE u0026 GO

Another pricey toy in our review is RadioFlyer Glide u0026 GO. It is solely made for kids over the average 5 years limit. This robust balance bike weighs nearly 9 lbs only. It doesn’t come with a handful of features to offer. Adjustable and soft cushioned seat, and a Kring-Kring bell is associated with hard plastic tires. The frame structure looks kind of impressive. It does not offer any color variation but that’s okay. In fact, what we are disappointed to quote is, this lacks a handle brake. Now you already know how we review bikes and we won’t recommend any balance bike with no brake for a kid over 4.5 years of age. On the contrary, from our appraising perspective, we mark this as a huge bummer! It is okay, only if your child has grown up this far and you’ve just started to teach him balancing. Then no offense, you can buy him or her the RadioFlyer Glide.

Yeah, the bike is legitimately lightweight and of unfailing quality. But this contradicts the line we say over and over again and has let us frustrated, since it does not bring what you pay for, by any means. At least, we are not convinced.

The Goods

  • Good structural design
  • Robust and sturdy build material
  • Perfect height for grown-up kids

The Bads

  • Pricey but has no brake
  • No inflatable tires

Fits into the Budget

Huffy 20-inch So Sweet Pearlized Coral Girls’ Bike

The first balance bike which is raging a gender discrimination in our reviews. Lol. You already noticed that it is the first paddle bike here too. Why not? Kids who start practicing on balance bikes or pre-wheels tend to kick paddles before five. Moreover, you will see that balance bikes for this age is a bit rare on the market. So hopefully, you’ve just understood the reason here.

This bike from Huffy holds the girly appearance as it is meant for girls. Be advised that it is a cheap one, so it brings a steel frame weighing 27 pounds. The frame dimension is 20 inches by height and it runs on 20 inches wheels. Unlike the previous one we reviewed, this one is cheap, but it does stop with a rear coaster brake. Also equipped with a kickstand to store. We did not expect much from this package but the Huffy does make sweet girls smile with its fancy pretty design at such reasonable price.

The Goods

  • Easy to assemble
  • Beautiful girly patterns
  • Perfect fit for 6 to 9 years old

The Bads

  • Non-aluminum frame

Recommended to Consider

Kent Pro 20 Boy’s Freestyle Bike

If your boy has just passed through the transition from balance bikes to paddling, this one can be his next ride. The steel frame weights a bit on the heavy side, but if it’s within 30 percent of your boy’s body weight then it’s absolutely fine. It has both front and rear brakes for better braking control as the rider already learned to use the break. Tug-welded steel fork absorbs slight twerks in terrains. Its 20 inches wheels with pegs are capable of carrying the frame to places. This freestyle bike is made to take abuse, so it can handle rough use for years. It has an adjustable seat post with alloy seat clamp so that you have easy access for changing your preferred heights frequently.

Most importantly, keep in mind that the Kent Pro 20 Boy’s Freestyle Bike is way more than it looks and assumed to be. I mean in a positive way. It works great for a long range of age and weight. It won’t be an embellishment to say, you as well can ride freely with this bike, same as your 7-year-old kid does.

The Goods

  • Built-in freestyle rotor
  • Alloy seat immobilizer
  • Strong construction
  • Boasts both handbrakes

The Bads

  • Wheels aren’t rigid

FAQ – Some Frequent Questions and Quick Answers

Do balance bikes really work?

Ans. Why not! We see a lot of cases where toddlers and kids learn to ride within a couple of days. I had my cousin brother learning to balance and hit the paddles successfully on the third day of his practicing.

What age is good for a balance bike?

Ans. Well, practically 2 years is the safe age to start with a balance bike. Take time while choosing the bike. Nonetheless, you can start training at 6 or 7 years too. But then you can directly start with crank cased bikes instead. This won’t be an issue.

What size balance bike should I buy?

Ans. We have already talked about this earlier in this post. Any bike with a minimum seat height that fits your inseam height. Simple as that.

What is the best balance bike?

Ans. Seriously? The whole review is to answer this question. We hate to give you a winner out of the 10 here. But if your child is between 2 to 3.5 years old, you can go with the Whoom 1 we reviewed as our top and #1 pick. If budget seems an issue, you can choose any of the rest as per your considerations. We recommend to be patient and spend in good as we always focus to get the best value out of your money.

10 Best Balance Bikes for Toddlers & Kids (Video Demo)

Final Words

Balance bikes are the end to injuries and insults for our new generation learning to ride. It requests the correct bike at the right age with effortless parental support. We love to be true as bike enthusiasts and hate to review just for the sake of it. User experience and feedbacks matter and these are the elements we have fastened with our understanding and expertise. You by now are benefited from this article. Cheers!