What is the best balance bike for a five-year old?
We’ve talked about balance bikes, what age your child can start balance biking, and even the reasons why cycling is good for your child, but what about balance biking for a child that’s a little older?
Some children don’t take to cycling when they are young, it might be fear, confidence, not being able to get the right bike – there can be any number of reasons. When your child is a little older they may develop an interest in cycling, but what about getting them to ride? Stabilisers aren’t used all that often anymore and there are good reasons for that. Here’s a little look at getting a balance bike for a five-year-old.
Why get a balance bike?
Getting your child cycling can be a fun and easy process, but for some it can be daunting. A balance bike is a good option for those who have come to cycling a little later, and you are now able to get balance bikes to fit children when they are a little older. For us here at Black Mountain your little one can get on our SKØG at 104cm in balance mode up until they are about 112cm, once they get past that height you’re able to go to the largest pedal mode. Our SKØG is essentially three bikes in one, replacing a separate balance bike, a conventional 14” and a conventional 16” bike. By all means, leave them in balance mode until they are ready for pedals if it’s taking a little longer, but we’re confident they’ll take to it and transition to pedals quite quickly once they are confident and able to balance.
For a five-year-old you’d be looking to get a 14-16” bicycle, and a 16” will fit them up until they are around 118cm tall. In terms of inside leg, which can sometimes be the best way to size a bike, you’d be looking at an 18-22” (45-55cm) inside leg. In terms of knowing if a balance bike is the right size, if they aren’t confident you’ll want them to have both feet flat on the ground, but if they are more confident they can get away with being on their tiptoes.
Sizing isn’t an exact science, if you sit your child on a bike you’ll be able to tell if they are going to be able to use it. You have to take into account things like weight too, if a bike is too heavy they aren’t going to be able to manoeuvre it or get around with ease. If you’re able to, a great option is to get your child to do a test ride to make sure it fits, they are able to use it and it’s not too heavy.
The right bike
As we’ve previously said, what it all really comes down to is height rather than age. One five-year-old can be a lot taller than the next. If your little one is on the taller side you can do things like put a bigger stem (which we can supply) on the bike while they are learning if they are too small for the next size up. It’s important not to put them on a bike that’s too big or too small for them.
Of course, we’re a little biassed and would recommend our SKØG – it’s a balance bike, small pedal bike and large pedal bike meaning that once your child is ready for pedals they won’t have to learn on a new bike, it will already be on a bike they are used to. For us it’s so important that you get the most of the growth and each mode, so choosing the right size to start with is vital. We’d urge you to consider a balance bike and most importantly, choose the right bike for your child.