Recreational & Family - Tricycle or Bicycle?

I've got a 19-month old who's..well, quite tall. He's about 34" right now.

I'm looking to get him a bike or tricycle. That's the thing. While I see that he hasn't learned the basics yet, I don't think he'd be able to handle a bicycle just yet. But he may not fit the tricycle because he's tall and his legs are long.

I suppose I won't know completely until I go to a LBS..

Any advice, suggestions?

I've never found a tricycle to be of much use. About the only time they are useful is when they have a push bar on them. The kids are not nearly strong enough to propel them, they don't have coordination to steer them, they can't slow them down on hills and they can walk faster than ride on flats.

Best thing we found were any of those little sit on scooters. Plastic or wooden, the plastic ones usually have buttons that make sounds and a little horn. They scoot pretty fast on them and they can easily steer them by just popping them over to where they want to go.

Along those lines, I'd recommend a run-bike, walk-bike, etc. for their first bike. Not a little thing with training wheels. They learn balance and steering without having to think about pedaling. My riding kids still play on ours sometimes.

I've never found a tricycle to be of much use. About the only time they are useful is when they have a push bar on them. The kids are not nearly strong enough to propel them, they don't have coordination to steer them, they can't slow them down on hills and they can walk faster than ride on flats.

Best thing we found were any of those little sit on scooters. Plastic or wooden, the plastic ones usually have buttons that make sounds and a little horn. They scoot pretty fast on them and they can easily steer them by just popping them over to where they want to go.

Along those lines, I'd recommend a run-bike, walk-bike, etc. for their first bike. Not a little thing with training wheels. They learn balance and steering without having to think about pedaling. My riding kids still play on ours sometimes.

+1 without any doubt.

Based on my own kids' experience, I don't think there's any chance a 19-month-old is going to ride a two-wheeled bike. My daughter is by far the best athlete in our family (eventually an all-league soccer and hoops player in high school), and she didn't pick it up until a few days before her fifth birthday. At 19 months, too, kids have short attention spans and no motivation to stick with anything that's difficult. They just don't CARE...
I'd never heard of a run bike or walk bike until I read the other post on it, but that or a scooter sounds like a good idea. My son had some health problems that prevented him from learning to ride until he was about 8, and the way I finally got him up was by taking the pedals off a BMX bike and lowering the seat until he could put his feet flat on the ground. That helped him feel secure. Then we went to the top of a very gentle hill, just enough to maintain momentum, and let him coast sort of like he was on a scooter (with the pedals off, he couldn't run over his own heels). His first "ride" was about three feet, but after a couple of hours he was making long, sweeping glides. We put the pedals back on as footrests, and by the end of the day, he had it.

19 month olds really have a mind of their own. My little guy is 33" and he fits my neighbor's Trek (?) trike easily & so does my 5 year old. The higher quality ones last a long time. Now, the thing is, of he can steer by himself, don't expect to safely or quickly go anywhere. If you're looking for slow sidewalk exploration (includes you carrying bike & him at points) or driveway/playroom play, then a trike or balance bike would be best.

These are BALANCE BIKES (http://www.diapers.com/Product/SearchResults.aspx?FreeText=balance%20bike&QueryFrom=Search) & they're AWESOME for teaching toddlers and preschoolers the basics of balance before they're big enough for a bike without training wheels. I LOVE them! Best bike thing for young children in my mind!

Now, if you want something that you can go for a little walk down the street with, I'd do a trike with a belt & a handle for YOU to push. Like these TRIKES WITH PUSHBARS (http://www.diapers.com/Product/SearchResults.aspx?FreeText=pushbar&QueryFrom=Search) The pushbars come off when the kid wants to ride by themselves. My 3 1/2 year old still fits the Kettler beautifully, but the cheaper models were long outgrown by her.

By all means, PLEASE support your LBS, they're great & the customer service is unbeatable. If they don't have anything I'm talking about then, I've bought from that company I linked you to before & have some coupons from them if you decide to order from them:
TENOFF49 - Saves you $10 off first purchase of $49+ and gets you free 2nd day shipping
and you can combine it with:
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I do find with tall kids, you almost HAVE to buy the higher quality stuff, because the cheaper cycles are made for the regular or tiny sized kids. The higher quality items seem to be designed to last for older ages (which isn't actually older for your tall boy!)... Now, next year good luck finding a potty chair that he doesn't dwarf.

So, my bottom line is, I'd probably buy balance bike & know that he'll play with it now but grow into it for many years. But, if I want something to on walks with, I'd buy a trike with a pushbar.