It doesn’t feel like five minutes since Lily was born and now here she is, old enough to be learning to ride a Kidvelo Balance Bike. Though from the look on Lily’s face she is also struggling to believe she is old enough to be learning too!
We were thrilled when Kidvelo got in touch to ask if we would like to try out the bike because learning to ride a bike feels like such an important milestone and being able to witness it, as her Nanny, is a bit of an honour. I remember my three all learning to ride their bikes when they were little and it is something very special to see the next generation of our family doing the same thing. When my three were learning to ride a bike it was all about the stabilisers and then having to learn to ride without them, which seems a really odd way of doing it now you think about it. Balance Bikes teach children to ride a bike with two wheels right from the outset.
The Kidvelo balance bike came in one big box and was very simply assembled (using Alan Keys provided, so no special tools necessary) in just a few minutes. All of which meant it wasn’t long before Lily was in the garden and wanting to climb on.
As you can see from the picture above the front wheel is designed to spin 360 degrees, if you look at the handlebars you can see the covered part is on the outside, over the wheel. On the photo below it is nearer Lily’s body and over the frame of the bike.
Karen from KidVelo explained it to me like this:
It is a better position and helps stretch the bike out a little as there is a bend in the forks where the wheels are attached. This helps us lower the centre of gravity and makes it easier to ride.
We designed the 360 spin on the front, if she has a fall, the handlebars fold flat in parallel to the frame, so they don’t stick out. Too many bikes have something called a steering limiter, that prevents the wheel doing this and these are dangerous for little ones, as it means the handlebars remain sticking out and also they don’t allow the child to “feel” how to corner as they limit the turning circle. Steering limiters are required on bikes with brake cables, as they prevent the wheel turning 360 and pulling the attached cables.
Lowering the centre of gravity definitely made it easier for Lily to use and it wasn’t long before she was telling mummy to let go of the back wheel so she could put it through its paces on her own.
We love this little bike. Some serious thought has gone into the design of it. This particular model is the Rookie 12 and it comes in four different colours (neon red, pink, green and blue) and the seat height can be adjusted from 30 to 44cm meaning it is suitable for one to four year olds. Its also only 2.89kg making it the lightest of comparable balance bikes This means it’s light enough for children to use but not so light that it wobbles at speed. Once children have learned to use this bike, and grown slightly they can then move onto the Rookie 14 which is a balance bike but it does come with a pedal kit, then finally there is the Rookie 18 for children who are competent and have outgrown the 12 and 14. Prices start from £110 (there is currently an introductory offer in place that gives you 15% off the Rookie 12) and go up to £280 for the Rookie 18.
Lily gives this balance bike a 10/10!
Thank you for sending it to us KidVelo.