Balance bikes are an amazing toy that will naturally develop a multitude of essential physical, social and emotional skills for the children who ride them.
Here at ilovetoridemybike.com we don’t hesitate in promoting these ripping toys while highlighting the wonderful developmental qualities that lie underneath a shiny exterior. Hopefully, you too have an insight into the positive effects and not to mention, appreciate the sheer joy that riding a bike provides.
Similarly, if you are reading this article, you may be a balance bike fan with an environmentally conscious disposition. That is, you are aware that our behaviors, including our activities as a consumer affect the environment in which we live today and, the world in which our little ones will grow into.
Bamboo Bikes – an environmental winner!
Find at Amazon AUS here and Bamboo Cycles here
So, how can environmentally conscious parents and carers introduce their kids to environmentally friendly balance bikes? Well, if you are after answers to this question you have come to the right place.
In this article we wish to bring you some insightful information including,
- What does being environmentally friendly really mean to the balance bike consumer
- Some green statistics to highlight the advantages of being more environmentally savvy as a consumer, and
- Provide you with some fabulous environmentally friendly and sustainable balance bike options
Now we invite you to put your feet up, grab a cuppa and enjoy our post that rides deep into the world of environmentally friendly balance bikes for kids.
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What exactly does environmentally friendly mean?
Before we get started with the environmentally friendly balance bike world, it is worthwhile taking a few moments to consider the qualities that an environmentally friendly (aka eco-friendly, nature friendly, or green) product should possess.
We believe it’s important for you to be clear on exactly what environmentally friendly means so that you will be able to make informed decisions that clearly align with your goals to make wise, green choices when purchasing any product, including a balance bike for your child.
By definition, Wikipedia.org describe these environmentally friendly processes as sustainability and marketing terms that refer to goods and services (or even laws, guidelines and policies) that claim reduced, minimal or no harm to the environment or our ecosystems.
Let’s use the KISS principle here, as we like to keep things simple and practical for our readers.
In a word, environmentally friendly means that the product itself, the packaging and relatedly, the production process is not harmful to the environment. We have looked into this a little deeper for our green consumers of balance bikes and have found that environmental experts prefer the term sustainable, rather than environmentally friendly.
Why? Well, everything has some sort of negative impact on the environment. Consider energy, water and waste here. This, in reality, means no product is qualified as eco-friendly under a strict definition.
Sustainability, however, captures the idea that a single element is good for the environment, rather than everything about the product.
ANNADA Wooden Balance Bike – sustainable and eco-friendly!
Some green statistics
being an environmentally friendly or sustainable consumer, you will be contributing to helping the environment in some pretty radical ways. Here are just a few green statistics that will encourage you in becoming a more environmentally responsible consumer.
“by riding a bike or balance bike and in addition, purchasing an environmentally friendly / sustainable bike, you are making a wonderful difference contributing to making the world a healthier place”
According to NASA research, a reduction in Co2 emissions drastically benefits human health and helps prevent economic losses. Their research has revealed the following,
- by reaching the Paris Agreement goals by the end of the century, this would prevent about 4.5 million premature deaths
- 1.4 million hospitalizations and emergency visits
- 300 million lost workdays
- 1.7 million incidences of dementia
- and in the US alone, 440 million tons of crop losses
This is just a snippet of the somewhat mind-blowing statistics available.
The point being made is simple. By riding a bike or balance bike and in addition, purchasing an environmentally friendly/sustainable bike, you are making a wonderful difference contributing to making the world a healthier place.
Rybike Wooden 4 in 1 convertible Balance Bike and Tricycle
The sustainable balance bike
For parents and carers wanting to purchase an environmentally sustainable balance bike, we first need to consider the materials available and be looking for our most sustainable options.
Top picks for sustainable bike materials
- bamboo
- wood
- recycled materials
Bamboo and wood are both highly sustainable and are our go-to when looking for an environmentally friendly balance bike. Bamboo itself is incredibly strong and if the bamboo has been sustainably sourced, can amazingly provide a negative carbon footprint.
How? Well, quite simply it’s the nature of the material and the benefits work by some pretty impressive numbers. The most important statistic being that bamboo generates 30% more oxygen than trees, helping break down Co2 emissions generated by cars. Now that’s impressive!
In addition, it takes around 15 years for a regular pine tree to grow, yet it takes bamboo as little as 3 years to reach the same level, making it a renewable winner.
Wooden bikes are also extremely tough and durable. Competing easily with their metal counterparts. Keep in mind wood or timber grows far more slowly when compared to bamboo, but if managed diligently, can be both sustainable and renewable.
We should mention here that of the more traditional materials for balance bikes, steel is by far more environmentally friendly than aluminum. But why? For two very good reasons.
The manufacture of steel frames produces less than 67% Co2 emissions than aluminum, but more importantly, steel is fully recyclable.
A final note on materials. Some bike manufacturers are now sourcing almost all of their parts from the same country the bike is manufactured in. This drastically reduces the environmental impact of transportation.
In addition, be on the look-out for handmade bikes that come in plastic-free cardboard packaging.
Sustainable balance bike options
So far, we have attempted to guide and provide you with clarity as to what environmentally friendly actually means to the discerning consumer and more importantly, the materials to look out for if you are seeking to purchase a balance bike that is eco-friendly, sustainable and biodegradable.
These are all key elements for any environmentally friendly purchase and luckily for us, the world of balance bikes once again meets our needs by providing us with several options that fit the bill,
This list isn’t extensive; however, we have done our research to ensure we mention several of the top rated and sustainable balance bikes on the market.
Kinderfeets Balance Bikes provide some wonderful environmentally friendly options!
Keep in mind we are just going to focus on the wooden and bamboo options, rather than recycled materials as we believe these are quite simply the best environmentally friendly choices for customers.
That’s right, these are not just a great green option, that is, they are renowned for their environmentally friendliness and sustainability, but they rate highly due to their designs practical features including seat-height adjustment, durability, tyres, bike weight and certainly not least, safety considerations.
Our Choice Sustainable Wooden Balance Bikes
Kinderfeets Wooden Balance Bike
Best overall
Size: Seat adjustment 12 to 15 inches (30 to 38cms)
Fits Kids: Suitable for children up to 65lbs (30kg)
Features: Environmentally friendly. Hand-made with wood from birch trees, EVA airless tyres
As mentioned, these little gems are hand-made from fast growing birch trees. They also feature non-toxic handlebar grips made with harmless adhesives and paints. Sourced from an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified supplier, purchases contribute to planting trees via Trees for the Future.
Even better still, these bikes are minimally packaged with recycled paper and water-based inks.
Overall, this is an award-winning design with patented low step-through frame, sustainable manufacturing methods that consider childhood development and safety. We like it!
ANNADA Wooden Balance Bike
Best bang for your buck
Size: seat adjustment 12.6 to 14 inches (32 to 36cm)
Fits kids: recommended for ages 3+ years, maximum load of 66lbs (30kgs)
Features: environmentally friendly and sustainable design. Made by hand with basswood splints, EVA foam wheels.
These balance bikes, like the Kinderfeets are made with environmentally materials. Features include adjustable soft-seats, safety handles and water-based environmentally friendly paints.
A huge bonus is the amazing lightweight design. This little gem is both super-light and durable. In fact, this is the lightest wooden bike we could find on the market weighing in at just a mere 5.56 lbs!
Now this provides two very notable balance bike wins. Your child will more readily be able to maneuver this bike while learning how to ride, and parents will be carrying a very light toy when your little rider is taking a break!
Kiddimoto Suzuki Grand Prix Wooden Balance bike
Best custom luxury
Weight: 5 kgs
Fits kids: recommended for kids 18 months to 5 years
Features: Pneumatic tires, birch timber design
This is definitely a head-turner with official Suzuki colors and branding. A little on the heavier side, but still light enough to ensure suitable development of the right motor skills and coordination for your little rider.
Built with birch from managed forests and painted with child-safe water-based paints, this bike ticks the environmentally friendly boxes nicely.
This flashy looking bike also comes complete with pneumatic tires for soft, smooth riding. While this bike won’t suit every child, it is certainly worth a mention due to its sustainability and for its unique bike-bling factor!
Our choice Sustainable Bamboo Balance Bikes
Kinderfeets Bamboo Tiny Tot 2-in-1 Trike / Balance Bike
Best variety of options
Size: seat adjustment 9″ to 11.5″ (23 to 29 cm)
Fits kids: recommended for 2 years or older
Features: hand-made from non-timber bamboo, low step-through frame, non-toxic grips
These are perhaps the best bamboo, and therefore environmentally friendly little balance bikes on the market.
Dutch inspired, these little gems are crafted with non-timber bamboo and/or birch wood, low step-through frames, stained with non-toxic water-based paint, biodegradable tires and capped with non-toxic padded grips.
In sum, these are a fresh, simple yet purposefully built balance bike that are tops when it comes to design and environmental sustainability. A real winner!
Bamboo Cycles Bicinino (Balance Bike)
Best environmentally friendly / sustainable bike
Fits kids: universal size for 1 to 5 years
Materials: bamboo + Carbon Fiber
Wheel size: 12″
Features: hand-made to perfection, pneumatic tires
This is an award-winning design. This bike comes complete with soft, durable seat and handlebar grips, air tires for a smooth ride and a blend of 50k unidirectional carbon fibre + epoxy resin make all joins extremely strong but light.
The biggest winner in our eyes is by far the bamboo used. Remember, bamboo takes as little as 3 years to reach the same level as a pine tree growth at 15 years!
In our eyes, this is the most sustainable balance bike option on the market.
Conclusion
In this article we have certainly covered some ground! Here is a summary of our main points,
- Think sustainability, that is when purchasing a balance bike, we are seeking not to contribute towards depleting our natural resources while helping to maintain a prospering economy
- Timber and bamboo are the go-to balance bike materials when it comes to sustainability
- in addition, look for hand-made, recycled materials being used that include water-based environmentally friendly stains, paints and/or resins, and
- do your own research into the company’s production processes
Before wrapping up, we want to emphasize this last point. An environmentally conscious consumer takes the time to do their own research into what they are buying.
We have done the hard work for you here. But we encourage you to always take some extra time and check out the production processes involved before purchasing to ensure you are happy with your environmentally friendly balance bike.
As always, we invite you to reach out if you have any questions or comments for us about this topic or anything related to the wonderful world of balance bikes.
Happy riding!
Thank you for writing this article. My cousin is pregnant at the moment and this could be great if the kid is a little bit older. I am really in love with the Bamboo Cycles Bicinino (Balance Bike). I am not sure if a balance bike is good for the process to walk through? I read somewhere that the kid becomes ‘lazy’ because of it. Although I think it is a lot of fun for the kid.
Thank you for your comment. There is so much misinformation available, which can be misleading. I can assure you that the balance bike ‘is the process’ that enables little riders to learn bike skills the right way. The tricycle, which has been around for a long time was, and still does teach the incorrect motor patterns for riding. A child who has learnt to ride on a tricycle, would then have to re-learn the correct skills when introduced to a peddle bike, therefore making this transition more difficult. The balance bike teaches exactly that, balance. Which is perfect for the transition up to a peddle bike when they are ready. Thank you for following and your comments. I hope you found the article helpful!
These environmentally friendly balance bikes look great! I work in a school where we currently use balance bikes for our reception children and at the moment we have metal bikes. It’s interesting to read that wooden bikes are just as sturdy and they do make a better choice for our environment. I also like the look of them more because they have more character and patterns on them and young children will enjoy the visual aspect.
I’m interested to know if the environmentally friendly material bikes are safe to leave out in bad weather if they’ve accidentally been left in the rain etc?
Some of our metal bikes get left out because they are too big to fit in our school shed and can withstand the weather changes so I’d love to know if they are just as durable as I’m sure our school would be interested in helping the environment with these balance bikes.
Hi Louise, thank you for your comments and questions. To respond to your questions, if possible, it is always best to keep bikes stored inside and away from the elements. Wooden bikes, will, over time definitely break down and their integrity will be compromised if left outside over long periods. Steel bikes will rust, and eventually erode also. So again, if possible, keep these inside.
Overall, the wooden bikes, if looked after (like any material) will certainly maintain their strength and the natural properties of the material just as well as other materials. But, due to being a natural product, once they have passed their bike-service years, at least they provide a natural eco-friendly option that can be broken down and recycled, which is a real win for helping our environment. And yes, these also look visually appealing with their natural timber/bamboo features! I hope this helps you! happy riding
Hey thanks a bunch for this post!
I’ve recently been on the look out for various environmentally friendly products but bikes weren’t one of them as I thought they never existed, glad they do.
These look simple yet amazing, I think I’ll look into these options more, being environmentally conscious is certainly important. Bamboo is a great alternative since it doesn’t consume much water either.
Have a great day!
Hi Sariyah, so glad you enjoyed our post. Yes, we are so fortunate to have great sustainable options for bikes and balance bikes in particular that are also excellent for the environment. We hope that this has helped you to make informed decisions about balance bike purchases in future and our role as environmental advocates as a consumer. Happy riding!
When shopping for children’s bikes, environmental concerns are never discussed; as is always taught, anything to do with the environment means exhaust or other things that pollute the air. I’m glad to learn the difference between the two while shopping for new kids’ bikes for Christmas this year. Your post was very helpful and shared on social media sites.
Hi Jannette, thank you for your comments. We are glad you enjoyed the article and have found this useful. Yes, every purchase and decision we make as consumers does have a ripple effect on our environment and therefore the world in which we live. We wanted our readers to be aware that the balance bike has wonderful environmentally friendly options available for parents wanting to help buy a balance bike and ensure a positive result for our environment and future generations. Thank you for sharing our post too! Happy riding
I loved your post. To be honest, I’ve never heard of a balance bike before. I had to look it up online to see what the definition was. Are Balance Bikes made with the environment first and foremost in their mind or are they made for another purpose I can see many additional benefits other than the environment; though the environment is important.
I am surprised that I’ve not seen any in my area. Perhaps the biggest reason is that I live in the mountains. Going downhill would be great, uphill would be a challenge. My area also has a large Amish population. I can see the Balance Bike being very popular with that community.
As a former school administrator, I am surprised my pre-k teachers never brought these to my attention.
Thank you for your article and thank you for your concern about the environment.
Hi Mike, Thanks for your comments and taking an interest in our article. That’s not surprising that you haven’t heard about balance bikes, there are certainly communities that would not have seen these before, yet their availability is vastly expanding to many countries, and you can almost purchase these online worldwide.
These are designed first, to teach kids the foundational skills of balance and coordination for bike riding. The environmental benefits of riding a bike are now becoming very well known. To add to this, bike manufacturers are creating more environmentally friendly bikes to purchase, which is amazing for consumers.
I’m so glad you have learnt about the balance bike for kids and the environmental benefits gained by buying environmentally friendly options too. Please share our post and website and continue to follow as we have so much more to teach, share and inspire others about the wonderful world of balance bikes. Dale