I have twin daughters and for their 3rd birthday I decided to choose a balance bike over a regular bike. I think LikeaBike is the best brand but there are so many different models to choose from. Which do you think is best? I have seen a lot of good reviews on the Jumper, but it does not have their typical wood frame. Only biking experience my daughters have is the Bobby Car. Thanks ahead for helping an overwhelmed mom!

So glad you're thinking about one of these rather than a pedal bike with stabilisers.

The most difficult thing to learn when riding a real bike is balance. With a real bike you go around corners by leaning.
You cannot do this with a bike with stabilisers so after a couple of years with a bike with stabilisers, you're still basically on day 1 of learning to ride a bike.

Our son had a Puky with brakes.



We live in a hilly area and wanted him to get used to braking as well as balancing.
Because the bike had no pedals, falling off wasn't a problem as there were no sharp bits sticking out and so he used it off-road as well.

On his first day on a bike with pedals, when he was four, he cycled 12Km.

A child riding a bike without stabilisers for the first time would probably get to the end of the street.

Anyway, we chose the Puky for the brakes, and also because it had chunky tyres for off-road trails.

The Jumper is similar to the Puky but without the brakes - and without the foot rest which is good for hills as well as you can rest your feet on it.

So - on the flat, the Jumper would be great but I'd recommend the Puky for downhills.

Thanks Tom for the in-depth reply. I am really leaning towards the Puky now. I didn't even think about brakes! I just wish these bikes weren't so expensive because kids grow out of bikes in no time at this age. I wonder if there is a place right across the border in Germany to get one for cheaper. hmm....

They are German so you ought to be able to get one there.

Our's is with child no. 2 currently.

My son also had a Puky and it certainly is a tough bike. He used it for 3 years and would still use it if it fit. My 2 year old daughter has her eye on it! I definitely recommend both the idea of a balance bike as well as the Puky brand.

Pukys have good re-sale value. So you may well get 50% back after a couple of years' use - if well- kept.

Second the vote for a non wood bike with brakes. Our son took 10 minutes to master his big boy bike with pedals after having become a likeabike profi .. having brakes means they get to learn how to use one more thing before moving onto a proper bike, and if you live anywhere that is not very flat, they are pretty indispensable as they can get up to real speeds going downhill.

Does the Puky have adjustable handlebars as well as seat? Not all kids take to balance bikes as quickly as others, so its a good idea for it to be able to grow with the child. Plus my son loved using it even when he could ride a big boy bike ...

Get a Puky (still can't get over that name) definitely - we didn't and I regret it. We bought a classic wooden frame one, special Christmas present and all. My son took one look at it and said it was a baby toy and not a real bike - whereas he loved the Puky one at his daycare and was forever on it. He did eventually use the wooden one we bought but I wouldn't say he really liked it.

But having said that he is now (age 4 1/2) starting to ride a real bike - he's not totally there yet but is having a darn good go - and we've completely skipped the stabilizers.

We bought a genuine Likeabike for our son, he loved it (still does 4 years later) but it is destroyed, they are not really designed for the Red Bull challenges he throws at it. The biggest disapointment is the clear varnish finish, it has been wet a few times but never left outside and the varnish has peeled off letting water get into the frame and wheels (wooden). I do a bit of wood work and for the price they could use a decent outdoor 2 pack varnish. The concept is great and the changeover to pedals was ok but I would not get one without brakes again, way to dangerous and difficult for them to get out of the habit of using their feet for brakes on a pedal bike. The Puky above looks good for girls.

I have to say my son's balance bike has been the best toy he has had and he uses it most days - definitely worth the money.

From the age of two to three years old he has used a wooden like-a-bike which he loved. It is expensive but I'll be handing it on to our daughter and then I'd like to think it could be passed onto future cousins etc.

He is three now and in the past couple of months has started using the Hotrock metal Specialised bike. This is also a balance bike but the saddle higher than his like a bike and the wheels are bigger. In general the bike goes faster but he can steer it well as the handle bars seem to move more than the like a bike.

We would have continued with the like a bike for a bit longer but this Specialised one was a gift. My son loves it and calls it his racing bike.

Good luck with choosing and enjoy!

My daughter had a JD Bug balance bike with a brake, and this was great. The seat was easily adjusted and it was great for using on forest trails as well as footpaths. She later went straight to a bike with pedals with no problems at all.

If you are after a more expensive bike, I suggest trying Ricardo.ch first. We bought a really great bike for 50chf recently. If it's a good quality bike it won't matter if it's already been used and your kids will certainly not mind.

I know you probably want to buy two, but it's still worth looking.

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Puky!

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Islabikes have been great for us and they look like proper bikes.

Have you looked around? here in my town there is a shop which buys and resells childrens things, clothes, bikes, prams, toys, whatever. Does a good business and was a good source when our grandchildren were small.