A Review of the Strider Running Bike

Learning to ride a bike is one of the biggest accomplishments and most proud moments of any child. Something about riding by yourself, feeling in control, and being able to get around fast and smoothly is desired by everyone. Can you imagine a 3 year old getting on a real bike for the first time, with no training wheels, and taking off the first time he tries? This is very possible if this 3 year old started out with a Strider Running Bike!

The Strider Running Bike, which can be seen here www.stridersports.com, is a small 2 wheeled bike with no pedals. The seat and handlebars are adjustable to accommodate a child from 18 months old all the way to about 5 years old. The idea is to set the seat height so that the child can comfortably put his feet flat on the ground, with his knees bent slightly, while seated. Then, he can push himself along with his feet, instead of pedaling. Children naturally begin to balance when they get the bike going, and are not afraid because all they have to do if they feel like they are tipping is put their feet down to catch themselves. This makes this bike very safe.

Balance before Pedals
It was just a great idea to create a bike that a very young child can easily use that promotes balance from the start! If a child has been riding a tricycle or a bike with training wheels for awhile, they are dependent on that stabilized feeling and are less likely to feel comfortable on a real bike. Once balance is learned, adding pedals into the equation is a super easy transition! In fact, a child can easily learn to pedal in about 30 seconds.

Tricycles aren't the best choice!
Most parents get their toddler or preschooler some kind of a tricycle to start out with. I understand why they would do this, thinking that tricycles are safe and easy to use. However, I find tricycles to be rather "tippy" and sometimes dangerous if the child is going down a driveway and tries to turn. Also, pedaling may be easy to learn on a tricycle, but typically a child can't get a tricycle going at a good speed for them to have fun, and it can be rather frustrating for the child and the parent! Furthermore, a tricycle is not helping the child learn how to balance at all, which is a skill they will absolutely need when riding a real bike.

I decided to get my 3 year old son and 20 month old daughter their first bikes recently. I got my son an orange Strider bike, and a green one for my daughter. The bikes also come in pink, yellow, blue, and red. My son took to it absolutely immediately, and was able to push himself along and coast with his feet up within minutes. I was so proud to see him getting around so easily and having so much fun. My daughter is slowly getting the hang of it too. She is very short, 30 inches, which is the minimum height recommendation for this bike. She can stand and push herself along a little ways too, and she is so proud of herself when she does. I know it won't be long before she is taking off just like her brother!

The Strider Running Bikes really look nice, and are constructed very well. One of the best features is how light they are. These bike are less than seven pounds, which makes it very easy for toddlers to maneuver them, pick them up by themselves, and turn them around with ease. When researching these bikes, I did a search on www.youtube.com and found LOTS of videos of very young children getting around quickly, easily, and safely on these bikes and having a blast while doing it. Just go to the You Tube website and type in "strider bike" in the search area. You will see so many videos posted by proud parents of their little ones cruising around.

I think my son will enjoy riding his Strider for at least a couple more years before we move up to real bike. On www.stridersports.com, they offer an extra large seat bar that can accommodate older and taller kids as well if they are still enjoying their bikes. We will have to see if we think we need one of those in the future. I'm glad that the option is there. A foot brake is also offered, along with a few other accessories and replacement parts, like a bike stand and new tires or, handlebars.

The best part about these bikes is this: when my son is ready to transition to real bike with pedals, he won't need training wheels! He already has the balance, and I now switching to a bike with pedals will be a piece of cake. He will just be able to get around even faster. I know that's what he really wants anyway!