I was intrigued when I first saw the design of the wooden balance bikes a few years ago. Unlike their American counterparts, the European balance bikes lack pedals, and instead of focusing on the locomotion skills associated with turning the cranks of a bicycle drive train, the balance bikes focus on developing equilibrium. Their design is simple, and focuses on teaching children how to balance on two wheels. Last year I purchased one for my son, and I've found it to be excellent for teaching Alex the fundementals of riding a bike.
I bought the bike at a specialty toy store in Amsterdam while on vacation with my wife. I knew that the vacation would be a bit of a bike fest for us (me!), as Amsterdam is so bike friendly. I took more photos of the dutch bikes than anything else, and we even rented a tandem bicycle to ride around town for an afternoon. While walking around town, we noticed one of the wooden balance bikes in a toy store, and we inquired the price, availability, etc. I liked the model that they had available, and it seemed to be a quality bike from what I could tell of the parts and construction. We were quoted 65 euro, and since we hadn't really shopped around for these bikes, we decided to do some comparison shopping. While continuing our tour around Amsterdam for a bit we came upon a bike shop, and I noticed some of these wooden balance bikes inside. We walked in and found that the bikes were very similar to the ones we saw at the toy store a few minutes before, and we inquired about the price. The shop employee quoted us a price, which I misheard as 75 euro. I turned to my wife and said, "that's 10 more than the toy store". She quickly corrected me, stating "they just said it was 175 euro, not 75!" thanks for the clarificaiton! Quickly realizing that the wooden balance bike at the toy store was a particularly good deal, we ran back and purchased one. The salesman at the toy store told us that the wooden balance bikes they carry usually quickly sell out after they receive them. Considering what the bike shops were selling these bikes for, we understood why! So, with our bike in hand, we headed back to the hotel to drop it off, so we weren't (or more precisely, I wasn't) carrying it around all day.
Fast forward a bit... when we brought it home, Alex was happy to have a gift from our trip (he stayed with Grandma and Grandpa). I assembled the bike, with Alex watching the whole time, and he got to check it out that day. Initially, he was unsure about the bike, with the size/fit an immediate problem. At the time Alex was quite a bit shorter than he is now, and he was barely able to straddle the bike with the bike's seat at it's lowest setting. Regardless, he was excited to have it, and instead of riding it he would push it around without straddling it, both in the house and outside. Initially I was concerned about him not straddling the bike, but he eventually got comfortable enough (and big enough) with the bike to straddle it and walk around with it.
Since these training bikes lack pedals, the kids can walk or run with the bike, developing their sense of balance as they run and glide. After watching him develop on this european training bike, I see now that the typical American kid's bike is probably too overwhelming for new riders. Specifically, I think the pedals/drivetrain and the act of balancing are probably too much for kids to take on at one time. The act of balance is probably the most difficult aspect of learning to ride a bike, when compared to the skill of pedaling. So it's a lot easier for the child to just focus on balancing the bike as they run and walk, a method of locomotion they are already well aquainted with prior to starting on these bikes. I think this makes it easier for a kid to learn how to ride a bike. I've witnessed this watching Alex on his wooden balance bike.
As Alex became more comfortable and confident with the bike he was gradually able to go from walking to running with it. It was at this point that Alex started to develop balance. He quickly learned that he could lift his feet and coast after running with the bike, experiencing the sensation of balancing on two wheels.
A couple of things may have helped him learn balance. First, I would ride my mountain bike along side him. I dropped my seat post height as low as it could go, and along with the relatively small frame size associated with my off road bike, I was able to imitate the fit of his bike. I could be seated while having my feet planted firmly on the ground. These minor adjustments to my bike allowed me to shuffle around on my bike in a way that was similar to his balance bike, allowing me to demonstrate walking and running with the bike, as well as the ability to pick up the feet and balance the bike while moving. Second, our parco has garden area with a couple of small, gradual descents that were also very helpful. These descents allowed him to coast for longer periods of time as he became more comfortable going fast on the bike. Coasting on these gradual descents allowed him to experience the sensation of balancing for a longer period of time.
The video above was recorded a few months after he began riding the wooden balance bike, and there are a few moments where you can see he is quite comfortable and capable of balancing on two wheels.
Alex's bike has held up well under his use and abuse. He has ridden quite a bit since we brought it home last summer. He really enjoys taking it outside, but he also has fun riding it (well, walking pretty slowly) in the house. All the parts and components of the bike have held up well. The bike is made primarily of laminated wood and held together by a series of bolts and fasteners. The simple construction makes for a durable product. His particular bike is painted in police colors, well, Dutch Politie colors actually. Some of the design features that I like include the integrated carry handle in the frame, the adjustable seat, and the wall-saving bumper equipped handle grips. The frame's integrated handle makes it easy to pick up the bike and carry it, which has been necessary a few times when walking a fussy rider back to the house for his daily nap. The handle is situated near the bike's center of gravity, making it very easy to carry (particularly helpful while dealing with a wild child). The adjustable seat has been great, extending the life of the bike. Granted, with the speed at which Alex is growing, this bike may not last much longer. It is designed for age 3-6. Alex just turned three, and we had to raise the seat to the top and final position!
The final feature that's proved useful was a bit of a surprise to me: the handle grips. I typically don't notice handle grips much, not even on my own bike, as they are typically just a soft grippy bit of rubber on the handlebar. There's not much to like about them, they just do their job, right? Well, the grips that came with his wooden balance bike have large rubber bumpers on the end to protect the bike and his hands and the things that it may (will!) rest on and crash into. The bumpers have no doubt saved the walls at our house, as well as protecting the wooden handlebar and Alex's hands from being hurt when scraping or crashing into walls.
This bike has been a wonderful way for Alex and I to enjoy the outdoors, and an excellent way for him to learn to ride a bike.
