Balance Bike – Maintenance and Care

If you have ever owned your own bike, you will no doubt appreciate the time and considerable effort required to properly maintain your trusty steed.

It’s not just a quick lick and polish we are talking about here, but the winning formula of a hose down, followed by the warm, soapy water bath, the cleaning of moving components if you have a pedal bike and then lubricating these with precision and suitable discretion. Then there is the checking of tires for punctures or damage, air pressure and of course the brakes and rims for any wear and tear.

This list may sound daunting to some and that’s why we are here to help.

Fortunately for us parents and carers, the balance bike has no chain or moving components to clean. However, they do require a little time and effort to ensure they are maintained to a safe and practical standard, and that’s what this article into balance bike maintenance and care is all about!

In this, our latest post we will be outlining the following practical information that we hope provides a brief, yet very useful resource for you to ensure a well-maintained balance bike keeps rolling along nicely and safely for your little rider. Our post will cover the following;

• the what and why of bike maintenance and care
• the how of bike maintenance and care in 4 easy steps, and
• a support guide and summary

So now as always, we invite you to kick your feet up and enjoy our practical article into balance bike maintenance and care.

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This commission helps keep ilovetoridemybike.com riding and writing. We thank you for your generous support. You are helping us continue doing what we love and that’s providing our customers with all the information they need to know about kids balance bikes.

First up, let’s look into exactly what bike maintenance is and why this is a good habit to get into.

What exactly is Bike Maintenance and Why is it Important?

Owning a balance bike, bike, or anything really that requires some continual TLC (tender loving cleaning) provides a small opportunity for us to nurture responsibilities that we may not have had previously.

If you are one of the lucky ducks who own a balance bike or bike, it is important that your get into some good habits to look after your bike so that it not only provides you with hours and hours of incident free fun but is a safe and trusted resource that you can feel rest-assured is in great condition for your little rider.

Balance Bike maintenance is, quite simply taking the time to correctly look after your balance bike with proper cleaning, visual and manual checks, repairs / replacements and storage. It’s the taking care of the small thing’s principle. By spending 10 minutes of your time, either directly after each ride or perhaps weekly depending on how much the balance bike is being used, you will save time and money in the long run.

The wonderful experiences and joy that a balance bike brings to your child and family does require a little care and attention that we refer to as balance bike maintenance and care. The good news is, this can be easily learnt and more importantly, taught.

Yes, that’s right. In this article, we will provide you with a very simple, 10-minute maintenance guide that will also ask you to teach your little rider to help with their own balance bike maintenance.

This will not only provide for you a great resource, but also encourage and teach your child some wonderful maintenance habits that will hopefully see them develop, along with their riding skills of course, into the future as a more complete, self-sufficient rider that understands the importance of looking after their resources.

Now that you know exactly what bike maintenance is and why it’s important, it’s time to check out how to actually do this.

How to Care For and Maintain Your Balance Bike

This simple guide should take approximately ten minutes of your time. Yes, just ten minutes.

One of the many great things about a balance bike is that they are tiny. In addition, they have no chain, no chain ring, not cranks, and no peddles, Essentially, they have no drive train that can get dirty and that requires timely maintenance.

Balance Bike – good things come in small packages!

This is a huge advantage when it comes to cleaning and maintenance.

The balance bike is quite simply super easy for anyone to clean and maintain. Below, we walk you through our 4-step, ten-minute maintenance and care guide for you to follow. But first, here is your wash-kit list.

• hose and bucket
• carwash of choice
• clean clothes of choice

Step 1 – Fresh Water Hose Down

This step will only be necessary if your balance bike had gotten wet or is covered in dirt/dust from the day’s adventures. We recommend that if the balance bike has experienced any of these elements and the frame is dirty, that a freshwater hose down is perfect to begin the cleaning process.

Simply hose down the bike to remove as much of the dirt, mud, sticky foods or whatever from the bike and tires. This is comparable to the pre-rinse that you would complete if you were washing your car!

Step Two – Warm Water Soapy Hand Wash

This is where you will need the following items;

• bucket
• warm water
• carwash of choice, and
• 2 x wash cloths or clean rag (see our suggestions below)

Start by placing just a tiny amount of car wash, we are talking 5-10 ml. here (you will be amazed at how little you really need) into a bucket. Add warm-hot water and fill so that you have between a quarter to half full. This is plenty.

The car wash or car wash & wax products work brilliantly on your balance bike just like your cars!

** Pro Tip 1 – place your balance bike onto a stand, shelf, retaining wall or anything that can get a little wet that is approximately at waist height. This will save your back and make cleaning super easy.

Now simply dip one of your washcloths into the water and run over the frame, handlebar grips, seat, wheels and brakes if your balance bike has them. Be sure to get off all scum, sand and dirt. We recommend either microfiber cloths (see image) or Sabco Antibacterial Wipes (AUS) as they are great for cleaning bikes.

** Pro Tip 2 – this is the perfect time to inspect your bike as you clean. Look for any cracks, nicks in the tires or broken, bent or damaged spokes, and general wear and tear to the plastic composite, aluminium, steel, timber or bamboo frame.

Also, be on the look-out for loose components (bolts and screws) or worn seat / handlebar quick-release clamps. These do tend to wear over time and are a key component to keeping your little rider safe.

Step Three – Final Wipe Down, Dry and Lubricate

Now using your second wash cloth, simply go over the balance bike wiping up any access water and moister. Be sure to get into all the little nooks and crannies that a balance bike features.

This step also provides another opportune time for a final inspection.
The most important aspect of this third step, however, lies in the drying of your balance bike.

By making sure there are no wet components on the bike, you are essentially protecting these from developing any surface rust that can, over time, compromise the integrity of the bike’s components.

This same principle applies for plastic composite, wooden and bamboo bikes as all materials will degrade over time particularly if stored when wet.

Once dry, at times it may be necessary to lubricate any moving parts with a very light spray of a silicone-based lubricant.
Any brand will do the trick here. Just be sure to apply a very small amount and wipe off any access immediately before storing your balance bike away.

Step Four – Dry Indoor Storage = Balance Bike Bed

This step is relatively simple. We highly recommend to only store your balance bike indoors, in a dry area away from natures damaging elements.

That is, namely anywhere indoors that will not expose your trusty steed to freezing, wet, or really hot conditions. Your balance bike will not only sleep better, but ride like new for longer.

Maintenance Support and Summary

Luckily for us, balance bike maintenance is relatively quick, simple and easy to implement. However, if your not feeling confident that your balance bike is being maintained as it should be, or you question the integrity of some bike components that you feel unable to fix yourself, there is help readily available.
We recommend to firstly take your trusted steed to your local bike shop. Yes, there are several online videos, tutorials and YouTube clips available for you to explore which may do the trick, but we here at ilovetoridemybike.com advocate face-face relationships whenever possible. We love to promote the social aspects of bike riding and this is just another small opportunity as a bike community to get together and share bike knowledge, bike experience and bike fun.

Don’t be hesitant, even if your purchased the balance bike somewhere else or online. Bike shops are used to this and rely on all varieties of bikes (and customers) coming into their shops for maintenance, repairs and servicing.

This is also a great opportunity to develop a friendly relationship with your local bike shop owner that will not only benefit your families bike riding adventures into the future, but also help support your local community.

Overall, here is a quick summary of what we have covered in this article on Balance Bike Maintenance and Care;

• we have provided you with insight into exactly what balance bike maintenance and care is and why this is important
• we have given you a 4-step process to follow, and
• we encourage you to reach-out and seek support from your local bike community to help you maintain your balance bike

Final thoughts: We also encourage you to share this bike maintenance time with your child. At first this will simply be watching and helping where they can. But over time, they will be able to do more and more until eventually being self-sufficient to follow this 10-minute guide beautifully all by themselves.

Balance bike maintenance wonderfully provides another great opportunity to share time together with your family encouraging them in wonderful habits and skills that are developed through riding a balance bike yet are amazingly practical as they influence many aspects in our lives.

If you have any questions or comments about our article, or anything to do with balance bikes more broadly please feel free to leave your comments below as we truly love to hear from you.

Until next time, happy and safe riding 🙂