Look Mom, No Pedals!

Before I moved to Washington, I had NO idea what balance bikes were.  And then I moved into my current neighborhood & balance bikes were EVERYWHERE!  Everywhere I turned, I would see these little 2 & 3 year-olds scooting around on their balance bikes.  These kids looked so cute on them & boy, did they go fast.  And soon enough, I became intrigued.  I asked my other mommy friends why these bikes were so popular & why should Kennedy get this type of bike versus a tricycle or bike with training wheels.  And this is what I learned...

A balance bike, or run bike, is a training bicycle that helps children learn balance & steering.  It has no pedals, no crankset & chain, and no training wheels.  They are made of either metal or wood.  To function properly, a balance bike must be small enough that the rider can walk the bicycle while sitting comfortably in the saddle, putting both feet flat on the ground. The rider first walks the bicycle while standing over the saddle, then while sitting in the saddle. Eventually, the rider feels comfortable enough to run and "scoot" while riding the bicycle, then to lift both feet off the ground and cruise while balancing on the two wheels. *from wikipedia*

So after learning more about balance bikes, Marc & I decided maybe we should get Kennedy one.  We thought it would be great if she could learn how to ride a bike without having to first ride with training wheels!  So last Summer (2010) we bought Kennedy her very own balance bike.

Isn't she a cutie??!!  She loved her new bike, but oh my goodness, did she go slow!  Painstakingly slow!  And understandably so.  I'm sure it was hard to coordinate her feet, while trying to balance & steer at the same time.  But as the Summer went on, she got progressively faster & had better control on her balance bike.

And fast forward to this Summer, how my goodness is she fast!  She zooms around on this thing all over the neighborhood!  She is so comfortable on her balance bike, that as she is riding she will lift up her feet & balance all by herself!  It is pretty amazing the difference a year makes!  I bet by this time next year, she will be riding a two wheeler all by herself!

Here is some video I captured of her on her balance bike.  This video doesn't show how fast she can really go.  She was too distracted that I was video taping her, but you can at least see how a balance bike works (if you are unfamiliar with them) & watch my cutie patootie in action!

If you have a young child & were thinking about getting a tricycle or bike with training wheels...DON'T!  Run to your nearest bike shop & pick up one of these cool balance bikes!  You will not regret it!  And you can thank me later. :)

And hopefully next Summer I will be blogging about how my 5-year old (ack!) can ride a two wheeled bike all by herself!