Pair all of that with a handlebar stem that you can raise nearly 4 inches, and you have an especially versatile bike that’s fun to ride and capable of growing with your child. The Guardian Balance Bike was a surprise hit during our 2023 testing round, as the preschoolers in the group fought over riding it. That gets kids one step closer to riding a pedal bike on their own because they can learn to stop without dragging their feet on the ground. The quality, air-filled tires also contribute to a smooth ride. And this model is easy to assemble, with clear instructional videos provided. If our top pick is sold out or if you have a taller child, the REI Co-op Cycles REV 12 Kids’ Balance Bike is an excellent choice.
The MyRider Midi doesn’t have storage or come with a bell or tassels. Many people are looking for a versatile trike that can be used with the same child over a number of developmental stages. We sought a trike with a parent push bar, to propel a toddler who is still learning to pedal, as well as one with the ability to convert to an independent trike for older kids. This combination of brakes is ideal for adult riders who may have limited mobility or strength in their hands, making it easier for them to brake when needed.
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Ensure the stem is inserted past the minimum insertion markings on the stem quill. Loosen the stem faceplate bolts, just enough to allow the handlebar to rotate. Rotate the handlebar into a suitable position, then tighten the stem faceplate bolts evenly.
It has an aluminum frame which makes it lightweight yet durable, making it easy to navigate through different terrains. Jenni Gritters spent 20 hours researching balance bikes, as well as assembling and testing nine of them, for the late-2023 update to this guide. She also hosted a “bike party” with 10 kid testers, ages 2 to 6. Kids as young as 18 months may be able to ride a balance bike, and many bikes can keep kids happily gliding along until they’re kindergarten age or older. Kids can ride them outdoors or indoors (if your home has the room) and can use them on family jaunts through the neighborhood. Quality balance bikes also have good resale value, and you can search for a lightly used one if you’re shopping on a budget.
Its air-filled rubber tires work fine on paved, dirt, and carpeted surfaces, though. As a child grows, these little-kid extras are stripped away, leaving a trike they can ride independently. Make memories that will last a lifetime with the Schwinn 12 in. This retro-styled children’s trike is designed with a low center of gravity, making climbing on and off during play easy and safe. The seat features five different adjustment options and the handlebar adjusts as well, allowing you to find the perfect fit for your little rider. Like all Schwinn bikes, the Roadster Trike comes with a limited lifetime warranty for as long as you own it.
We had issues with the width of its rear tubes, which rubbed our tester’s legs, and the foam tires were quite slippery. The balance bike arrives nearly constructed, and Strider offers top-notch customer service. With Strider’s excellent step-by-step instructions (also available in a video), the initial buildout was a simple 10-minute process. A kid will size out of this bike fairly early, but Woom offers a trade-in program.
This adult cruiser bike offers a comfortable and stable riding experience for riders between 5’4″ to 6’2″ in height, and under 300 lbs in weight. Nearly identical to the XJD trike, the Besrey 5-in-1 is a trike turned balance bike that takes 10 minutes to build. It’s also easy to adjust into a balance bike (by sliding the back wheels together and removing the pedals), and it has a two-year warranty. But as with the XJD trike, kids didn’t like the Besrey in trike or bike form during testing, because it was uncomfortable to ride. In trying to be a trike and a bike, it succeeds at neither.
That means this trike has more plastic features, but it also means it’s lightweight—a solid bonus for kids who want to take corners with speed. The XJD 5-in-1 Kids Tricycle is a trike that turns into a balance bike. It takes 10 minutes to build, and it’s easy to adapt from trike to bike by adjusting the two back wheels into one schwinn tricycle (they slide together) and removing the pedals. It’s sturdier than many of the trikes we tried, with hard rubber wheels instead of plastic. But it doesn’t have a warranty, and the kids in our test group avoided this bike like the plague, probably because the stand-over height for the balance bike configuration wasn’t low enough.