Best balance bikes: teach your toddler or pre-schooler to ride with confidence

Balance bikes are small bicycles without pedals. They allow children as young as 18 months to learn to balance and steer by propelling the bike forward and lifting their feet up to glide when ready. Whether you’re looking for a garden toy, a nursery-run solution or something hard-wearing for off-road family trails, choosing the best balance bike for your toddler will hugely impact their first experience of cycling.

As parents, we know the importance of getting kids outdoors - it helps burn off energy, builds their social and developmental skills and it's brilliant for mental health too. With the cost of living putting a squeeze on many of our budgets right now, we all want to know that we're investing our money wisely. That's why we've spent hours writing and researching our round-ups of Mumsnetters' favourite outdoor play equipment. From the best trampolines and the best paddling pools for the kids, to the best hammocks for you to relax in, we're on hand to help you make the most of your garden this summer.

But which balance bike is best? There are lots of different options out there from cheap and cheerful to high-spec and built-to-last. Here's our pick of the best balance bikes available right now.

If you only have one child and know that you’ll only need a balance bike for a short time then a cheaper option might be best, but if you have more than one child it can be worth investing in something pricier that can be passed from child to child. A lot of balance bikes also have great resale value so that’s worth keeping in mind too.

Related: Trike vs balance bike: Which one is right for your toddler?

Here at Mumsnet we know only too well how important safety is to parents, as well as price, looks, and longevity when it comes to things like bikes, and who better to get genuine information from than the parents in our community. So we’ve scoured the Mumsnet forums for authentic reviews and honest opinions on the best balance bikes to buy for toddlers. Partnering with parent testers, we’ve put together our list of the best balance bikes to buy right now.

Best balance bikes, at a glance

• Best balance bike overall: Banana LT Balance Bike | Buy now, £50

• Best budget balance bike: BTWIN Runride 100 | Buy now, £50

• Best balance bike for toddlers: Micro 2in1 Balance Bike | Buy now, £100

• Best balance bike for building confidence: Frog Bikes Tadpole | Buy now, £195 £164

• Best convertible balance bike: Trybike Steel 2-in-1 Balance Trike | Buy now, From £126

• Best height-adjustable balance bike: Strider 12 Sport | Buy now, £124

• Best balance bike for easy carrying: Hornit AIRO 12" | Buy now, £139

• Best balance to pedal bike: smartrike Xtend 3-Stage Bicycle | Buy now, £299

• Best balance bike for learning to ride: Early Rider Charger 12" | Buy now, £180

What is a balance bike?

A balance bike is a kids' bike with no cranks or pedals. It allows a child to ride on two wheels without pedals so that they can learn to balance before moving on to full pedal cycling.

What age is best for a balance bike?

Children can start using balance bikes when they’re as young as 18 months old. They tend to last up to the age of three or four, sometimes even five.

Are balance bikes worth it?

While some people would argue that it’s better to dive straight into a standard bike with stabilizers, we think that balance bikes are absolutely worth it and a great place to start learning bike riding skills.

They can be used from as young as 18 months and teach toddlers how to balance and move on a bike without the added complication of using the pedals. They’ll also build their confidence and learn bike control which will make the transition to a full pedal bike almost seamless when they’re older.

What to consider when buying a balance bike

• Weight: Lightweight is key. Even a kilogram of difference between bikes could represent a significant proportion of your child’s body weight, which could make the bike difficult to ride and negatively impact their first impression of cycling.

  You want to make sure your bike doesn’t weigh more than 30 percent of your child’s bodyweight so that they're not forced to work too hard or forced to become frustrated. 3kg tends to be a good marker for most toddlers.

  Also bear in mind that you’ll probably have to lift your child’s bike in and out of the car boot or, at the very least, carry it should they get tired, so you’ll thank yourself later for going that little bit lighter.

• Size: Cycling UK advises that your child should be able to sit comfortably on the balance bike, knees slightly bent and feet flat on the floor.

  You’ll want to check the size of the tyres to ensure that the bike you’re getting your 18-month-old isn’t better suited to a four-year-old. Most start at 12 inches and stop at 16, although you can find bigger or smaller models if needed.

  We’d always advise that you take a close-up look at the bike you’re interested in at a local bicycle shop or high street retailer, if only to check that it fits your child.

  You may also want to go for a balance bike with decent adjustability so it can grow with your child, ideally spanning two to three years. Some bikes allow both the seat and the handlebars to be fitted to size so you’ll also want to check how easy it is to adjust them.

• Wheels: There are two common types: EVA foam or pneumatic rubber tyres with an inner tube.

  EVA polymer wheels are better suited to smaller riders who tend to stick to pavements and are less likely to need servicing, while pneumatic tyres are generally more comfortable and have better traction on bumpy ground.

• Steering: You want to be sure that the handlebar is responsive and unlikely to need a great shove to get turning. To help with this, look for ball bearings in the hubs of the balance bike’s wheels.

• Brake: A handbrake is an optional choice on a balance bike as a child will instinctively use their feet to stop, at least at first.

  However, many balance bikes do offer rear brakes, which could be helpful as kids develop into speedy riders much later on. This could also go a long way to aiding their confidence and also protecting their shoes.

• Quality of build: Make sure that the bike you end up with is sturdy and finished to a high standard. This could indicate how well it’s built, how durable it is and how much maintenance it needs.

  The saddle should also, ideally, be in a ‘scoop’ shape to deal with the amount of weight targeted towards the centre of the saddle and to aid positioning.

• Cost: Balance bikes start at around £20 and go into the hundreds which means that you'll find a fairly decent bike for most budgets.

  Consider how often your child is likely to use it, how long you'd want it to last and if it could be resold later or passed down to a younger sibling.

Related: The best ride-on toys for young children

What’s the best balance bike to buy?

Striking a balance between great quality, thoughtful details and affordable price, we've picked the Banana LT Balance Bike as our best balance bike for 2024.

How we chose and tested the best balance bikes

Parent testers

Mumsnet's army of parent testers and their kids tried out the balance bikes over a number of weeks.

We asked each tester to score each balance bike based on their own impressions of the bike’s performance and safety features. If the bike required assembly, our tester looked at how easy it was to put together, whether the instructions were clear and whether any additional tools were needed for set-up. Each balance bike was also scored on how easy it was to keep clean, transport, store and use, as well as the bike's kid-appeal.

We wanted to find products that were able to withstand the rigours of everyday family life while also providing a positive cycling experience for those just getting started.

Recommendations from real parents

Before recommending the best balance bikes for toddlers we spent time searching through our Mumsnet forums to find the balance bikes that come most highly recommended by the parents in our community.

Expert guidance

We always ensure our information represents the latest recommendations from experts so you can rely on it, and we research each product thoroughly to ensure it follows the latest expert advice and stands up to scrutiny.

Consumer feedback

We also scour the internet, leaving no stone unturned to check out real reviews from customers who have bought the products themselves and given both positive and negative feedback.

Finally, we cross-referenced all of the above information to find the best balance bikes for toddlers that had won the most accolades and recommendations across the board to bring you a selection of the best ones at various price points. We think there’s something here for everyone.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She's been researching and reviewing baby and child products for 2 years, with a particular focus on baby essentials, toys and books for toddlers and outdoor play equipment. From potties to paddling pools and bunk beds to bedtime stories, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the best products out there.

Poppy is also an award-winning, best-selling children's and parenting author of books such as Don't Worry, Be Happy, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy and Mother Power. She specialises in children's mental health and her books are used by therapists, teachers and SENCOs across the UK. She won a The Week Junior Book Award in 2023, her books have been translated into several languages and she's been featured in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Sun.

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