Help Your Kids Learn to Cycle with a Kidvelo Balance Bike

For the last 2 weeks Effie has been testing out her first proper bike! She might only be 22 months but my little Miss Boo is already a little adventurer. Always willing to throw herself into trying new things, she’s going to make me grey before my time, honestly! So when Kidvelo got in touch offering to send Effie one of their Balance Bikes to review I knew she would totally love it!  They sent us their Rookie 12 Balance Bike and it is perfect for her even though she is still very dinky.

We were sent this toy for review but all thought and opinions are my own 

Why we thought a Balance Bike would be perfect for Effie

My favourite thing to do as a family on the weekend is take a trip to the park for a lovely long walk around the lake, or to wander the beach front (not on the sand! I don’t like sand! hah!) and enjoy an ice cream or chips. Since Elian received a wiggle scooter for Christmas our weekend trips usually include him practicing his wiggling, which usually means Effie is in the buggy.

So while Elian is bombing around on his Wiggle Scooter Effie was feeling a little left out and usually demanding we let her out of her buggy so she can walk. The problem with that is that Effie is very stubborn and tends to have a mind of her own, which leads to her wander (or running in some cases) off in the wrong direction, or taking an absolute age to walk 10 foot, while Elian is a mile ahead of us. Enter Effies new Kidvelo Balance Bike…which I’m hoping will be the answer to my problem! It will give her a way to whizz along with Elian which should keep her happy.

Kidvelo Rookie 12 Balance Bike – The Stats

So lets get the detailed info out of the way first shall we. Here are all the stats for the Kidvelo Rookie 12 Balance Bike

• 12 Inch wheels
• Suitable for ages 1-4.5 approx
• Seat height 30-44cm
• Super lightweight – weighing in at just 2.9kg
• Maximum Rider Wight 30kg
• Lifetime Warranty on Frame and Forks
• No brakes – Kids use their feet
• Integrated Footrest
• Easy to Assemble

Why Balance Bikes are better for helping kids learn to ride

There are 2 main skills you need to learn to ride a bike: Peddling and Balancing

Traditionally kids start on bikes with stabilisers which teach them to pedal. But there is a fundamental flaw with teaching kids to ride with stabilisers…it doesn’t teach them how to balance, which is a kinda integral to riding a bike. It means once the stabilisers are removed, the bike topples and kids are back to square one in leaning to ride. And often normal bikes which have aded stabilisers are really heavy, often to heavy for the size of the child that is riding them.

So what if we spun the tables round and first taught children to balance, and taught peddling later? It means kids learn to steady themselves on 2 wheels right from the get go. They are closer to the ground, meaning a better centre of gravity to balance, and able to keep their feet on the floor as they will learn to propel themselves and stop themselves with just their feet.

If you’d like to read more about why a balance bike as a first bike works best, there is loads of info on this post

WHAT WE THOUGHT OF THE Kidvelo Rookie 12 Balance Bike

Well she has been out on it a few times so far, and she has been wobbling round the living room at home too, and she is loving it. She hasn’t really got the hang of properly scooting along yet, but im sure with a bit more practice she will 100% be whizzing around in no time. She’s already asked a few times to take it outside, so she is obviously comfortable on it and not scared in the slightest. I think it’s going to be a big hit over the summer months when we are out in the park lots or taking walks along the country lanes.

On to the bike itself, it was super quick and easy to put together (not that I actually did it, Jon did obviously) It took less than 10 minutes to add the 2 wheels and handle bar and it was ready to go. Its pretty dinky so isn’t too hard to store or pop in the boot of the car to take to the park

I am honestly shocked at just how light it is. Effie can easily lift and move the bike all by herself, which is really great as it means it doesn’t take a lot for her to keep it upright. This will undoubtedly be a big help once she finally gets to grips with scooting along.

Now I just need to convince her to wear a helmet! Luckily she isnt moving fast at the moment, and is never more than a few feet away from me or Jon. But once she is riding more confidently she will be wearing a helmet to keep her safe from any tumbles.

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