First Bike for 3 year old

Seve OB

Looking to buy a bike for the young one, she is 3 today, and we were looking at a bike in Smyths.

Have opted for the 14inch one as she is a bit taller than most at that age, but also going on the shop assistants help and guidance. She only had a mini trike with the parents handle before so this will be her first proper bike.

Before I pick it up, I was just wondering is this the best place to buy a bike for a girl so young, or does it really make a difference?

Also what are my other options?

Don't want to spend the earth either.

Lumen

http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/cnoc14.html

My daughter was riding this without stabilisers on her third birthday, and two years later she hasn't outgrown it.

Not cheap, but an amazing little bike with good resale value.

Alternatively, a balance bike is a cheaper and more fun.

Don't ever let them ride with stabilisers, they're awful.

Seve OB

will be happy if we only get 2 years out of it as there is another little one coming up behind her so it can be passed down.

what is a balance bike?

why no stabilisers? she can't even pedal a full circle on her own yet (was trying her out on a few)

i_am_joey

have you considered the option of getting a used bike? i just mentioned that because its cheaper in case she outgrows it fast.

Seve OB

i_am_joey wrote: »

have you considered the option of getting a used bike? i just mentioned that because its cheaper in case she outgrows it fast.

no, happy to buy a new one

ck101

The Isla bike is great but if you dont want to stump up €200 or so Imaginarium have a great little bike reduced from 129 to 99, it is an aluminium frame with smooth tyres (as opposed to 99% of bikes in this category) so easier to push. Their stuff is generally good quality. It looks smart too:

http://www.imaginarium.ie/red-bicycle/ecommerce_12/46747/330

Seve OB

ck101 wrote: »

The Isla bike is great but if you dont want to stump up €200 or so Imaginarium have a great little bike reduced from 129 to 99, it is an aluminium frame with smooth tyres (as opposed to 99% of bikes in this category) so easier to push. Their stuff is generally good quality. It looks smart too:

http://www.imaginarium.ie/red-bicycle/ecommerce_12/46747/330

nice one, local aswell, so will take a peek at ehat one later on. thanks

Lumen

stevieob wrote: »

what is a balance bike?

A bike with no pedals, propelled by the feet. It sound ridiculous but small kids absolutely love them. Even after she was well able to ride the Islabike, mine kept going back to the balance bike until I sold it (to much bleating).

You can achieve a similar thing by taking the pedals off a normal bike, but it's not as fun to ride.

http://vimeo.com/29762115

Lumen

stevieob wrote: »

why no stabilisers? she can't even pedal a full circle on her own yet (was trying her out on a few)

The first thing for them to learn is balance and steering. Stabilisers completely screw this up. Once they can balance and steer without pedals, riding a bike with pedals is easy.

Hungrycol

+1 Islabikes.

I got the Rothan for my 2.5 year old and the Cnoc 16 for my 4.5 y.o. Also got the 4.5 y.o one of them wooden balance bikes on belle & rollo site until he could touch the ground on the cnoc 16 (I took the pedals off this). He's now flying around on the cnoc with the pedals on but still lots to learn about breaking!

midonogh

+1 on the Islabikes.
All the kids in the street want to ride it. We had Rohan and Cnoc
Our Rothan has been farmed out to other Boardsie as littleman would not get off it.

fenris

If I were starting my kids off again from scratch I would go for a balance bike all the way, then there is no unlearning of bad stabiliser habits, which can take a while.

The Isla bikes are great as they are actually bikes built for kids instead of heavy bike shaped lumps of pig iron with unusual geometry.

crumliniano

Is this what ye mean by balance bikes?

http://www.canyon.com/_en/shop/?category=P03&item=7693

Is that price typical?

Lumen

crumliniano wrote: »

Is this what ye mean by balance bikes?

http://www.canyon.com/_en/shop/?category=P03&item=7693

Is that price typical?

It's expensive. I think various balance bike options have been discussed in previous threads.

I bought one second hand for about €40 and sold it on again a year later for the same. I think it was around €100 new from CRC.

Lumen

This might help:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055873535

quenching

Lumen wrote: »

http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/cnoc14.html

My daughter was riding this without stabilisers on her third birthday, and two years later she hasn't outgrown it.

Not cheap, but an amazing little bike with good resale value.

Alternatively, a balance bike is a cheaper and more fun.

Don't ever let them ride with stabilisers, they're awful.

+1, it may cost €200 but you'll sell it for more than half that in a couple of years, and they are MUCH MUCH better to ride than the "bikes" from Smyths etc.

Qualitymark

Lumen wrote: »

A bike with no pedals, propelled by the feet. It sound ridiculous but small kids absolutely love them. Even after she was well able to ride the Islabike, mine kept going back to the balance bike until I sold it (to much bleating).

You can achieve a similar thing by taking the pedals off a normal bike, but it's not as fun to ride.

http://vimeo.com/29762115

Here's Buster Keaton riding one of these velocipedes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vYF9-s4voQ

(at around 7:30)

Iwannahurl

Agreed re strider/balance bikes.

Much better than stabilisers, which seem like a good idea but actually hold up progress on learning the important skills and may even teach bad habits.

I paid €50 or thereabouts recently for a Balance Buddy with a single v-brake and pumped tyres. Well worth the money, and my 4.5-year-old is now zooming around effortlessly.

Independent and confident mobility is what it's all about, IMO, and a strider bike teaches the important skills -- balance, steering, braking -- better than stabilisers do. Turning the pedals is the easy part.

One important aspect, from my perspective, is that a child can cover large distances once they get the hang of a balance bike (and eventually a normal bike without stabilisers). They will travel distances with you that they could not or would not attempt on foot.

Ziboo

stevieob wrote: »

nice one, local aswell, so will take a peek at ehat one later on. thanks

ck101 wrote: »

The Isla bike is great but if you dont want to stump up €200 or so Imaginarium have a great little bike reduced from 129 to 99, it is an aluminium frame with smooth tyres (as opposed to 99% of bikes in this category) so easier to push. Their stuff is generally good quality. It looks smart too:

http://www.imaginarium.ie/red-bicycle/ecommerce_12/46747/330

If you are checking the above bike in imaginarium, I would recommend this one: http://www.imaginarium.ie/rose-bicycle/ecommerce_12/49438/332
It is designed to start as a balance bike which you add the pedals once they have mastered the balance. We bought it for a 3rd birthday and six months later added the pedals. It works well as a balance bike for a 3 year old (not suitable for younger due to the height), and converts to a good quality bike.