Recreational & Family - "Strider" little kid bikes?

Hey everyone-

My daughter is asking for a bicycle for her 2nd birthday on July 3rd. You can imagine my pride.

What do you guys recommend? I was initially thinking of the typical tricycle, but a friend at the LBS recommended the Strider running bikes.

http://stridersports.com/

Opinions?

That looks pretty cool actually. Get her one of those and then tell her once she is at race weight and endurance she can have a cannondale. Start her young and with 9 years of training (with lots of hills) she will make the boys cry.
What are kids for if you cant live what you wanted to do through them?

Post this question on the Rec & Family forum. There's a lot of proponents of this type of bike for the little ones. Trek also has a line called "Flow" or something but it's the same concept. If you want to do it on the cheap - find a $20 bike on Craigslist and removed the crank and lower the seat.

Post this question on the Rec & Family forum. There's a lot of proponents of this type of bike for the little ones. Trek also has a line called "Flow" or something but it's the same concept. If you want to do it on the cheap - find a $20 bike on Craigslist and removed the crank and lower the seat.

Hahaha... Right on. I forget there are other forums on here!

Thanks-

The video of the kids on their site look like they are having a blast, and I bet once 'two wheeler' time comes along.. it's a piece of cake.

Post this question on the Rec & Family forum. There's a lot of proponents of this type of bike for the little ones. Trek also has a line called "Flow" or something but it's the same concept. If you want to do it on the cheap - find a $20 bike on Craigslist and removed the crank and lower the seat.

I like that idea. Also, when they're ready for pedals you can easily attach them.

I have friends who have used other balance bikes with their kids with great success. I don't know anything about Strider specifically (but those videos are pretty cool) but the whole theory of balance bikes is intriguing. Seems to me that the kids transition very quickly to regular bike after using one of these. Sweet birthday gift!

Hey, I just went through this with my daughter.

She had a trike and then a 12" wheeled bicycle with training wheels. The problem with training wheels is that kids tend to lean to the outside of a corner to turn with training wheels. Of course, this is opposite to riding without. It's really confusing to them, and that's why they fall so much.

Anyway, I took the training wheels off her little bike, but I also took the cranks, pedals and chain off. The bottom bracket was just a hole. I lowered the seat a little and just let her use it like one of those striders. I went out with her several times so she could get the hang of it. I always kept it real low-key...just going out and playing at the park or something. We did this for a couple weeks.

Last Saturday I put the cranks, chain and pedals back on the bike, but no training wheels. Then I told her to coast down our driveway like she had been before. Which she did. Then I asked her to do it again. This time, on the way down, she put her feet on the pedals and rode right by me. Damnedest thing you've ever seen. We've gone out twice since then, and she is riding like a champ. She never had to go through the hours of falling over. She's definitely got a proud papa.

I'm going to move this to Recreation & Family....

It's probably the fastest way for kids to learn how to ride - the pedalling comes pretty easy after that.

I took the pedals off my daughter's bike to teach her after a year or so of not getting it with training wheels and it only took a couple days. It was a coaster brake though so she didn't have any brake at all with no pedals... not a huge issue on flat ground. Doesn't look like the Stryder thing has a brake either but some brands do:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41sAB5Sr9pL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

+1, They are the way to go imo.

Wow what a great idea. I think I will get this for my son!