The Evolution of the Balance Bike

Have you recently stopped to notice your local parks and footpaths becoming increasingly crowded with smiling little faces gliding around on their flashy two-wheeled machines? You may have digressed further and thought to yourself what exactly are these popular toys and who thought to create such a fun bike for toddlers?

Well, for answers to these thought-provoking questions keep on reading and enjoy our article that will give you a fresh look into the evolution of the balance bike for toddlers.

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Full Circle

Some 200+ years have now passed since Karl Drais invented the dandy horse, in what was the earliest version of the two-wheeler without peddles in 1817. Additional names were given to Drais’ invention including the draisine (English), draisienne (French), Laufmaschine (running machine) or velocipede.

This was not only the first bike, but it was essentially an adult balance bike. Technically speaking, a balance bike is a two-wheeled bike with no pedals, no drivetrain no chain or gears.

The balance bike is simply propelled by the rider using the ground to produce forward movement. Drais’ invention incorporated the two-wheel principle that is represented in today’s modern bicycle and motorcycle. However, it took until 1997 for German designer Rolf Mertens to develop the first commercially produced running bike called LIKEaBIKE for children.

Today, we see Drais’ original concept for adults riding on with renewed popularity in the modern-day version, the balance bike for toddlers. The evolution of the balance bike for kids has its history in the first ever bike that was created to provide cost effective mobility, independence and freedom to literally millions of adult riders, and now provides the wonderful benefits to young children including physical, emotional and social health wrapped up in a little toy bike.

Modern-day Balance Bike – wonderful developmental benefits!

Find at Amazon AUS here or Amazon USA here

Education on a Bike: A Better Model For Learning

With the evolution of the modern-day balance bike for toddlers, training wheels and tricycles have become obsolete. But is this necessarily a good thing for children wanting to learn the essential skills of bike riding?

To get right to the point, yes, it is!

Historically, children would develop what we like to describe as the training wheel effect. This is simply a motor pattern children develop as they learn to depend on either training wheels, or tricycle wheels that stabilize and balance the movement created by the bike.

Our budding little rider’s were learning to lean and steer the wrong way. In addition, the training wheel effect prevented countersteering. These bad habits needed to be unlearnt at a later stage in their bicycle motor development. As our children learn to walk, run and glide their balance bikes they are acquiring the essential motor patterns necessary for balance and steering.

The fantastic benefit is that you little gem will transition to a pedal-powered bike much easier. They already have experience and hopefully, mastery of the key riding elements for safe riding, and will progress to providing their own power through peddles more readily. A wonderful result!
One final note here is worth mentioning regarding essential learning on a balance bike. Some balance bike models are made with a rear brake and footrests. These are brilliant additions and will only lead to fast-track you little rider’s bicycle prowess.

Footrests have been positioned perfectly on most designs, right where the pedals would be placed on a pedal bike. A perfect element that will naturally allow a smooth progression that will not surprise you child as they step up to the big bikes!
We shall discuss the addition of a brake further in our next section for you.

Best Balance Bike Designs

Today’s toddler friendly, and by no default of the manufacturers, parent friendly balance bike market can be a little overwhelming to the uninitiated. Luckily, we have made it our mission to ensure you get the low-down on what is best for your child to begin their balance bike journey.

No fancy footwork required. So, let’s cut to the chase and see which are the best designs to look for. But first, here’s a brief overview of the models, materials and features available to you.

Strider 12 Sport Balance Bike – highly recommended!

Find at Amazon USA here or Amazon AUS here

Balance Bike Materials
Balance bikes are made from either steel, light-weight aluminium, plastic/composite materials or wood. Each provide a unique style and feel for the rider and like most things today, advantages and disadvantages that are worth consideration.

Balance Bike Features

The contemporary balance bike market is packed with little bikes equipped with several toddler-friendly features. Materials aside, we will mention just two of the more noteworthy due to their role in rider safety. These include –

• Brakes, and
• Tyres

By purchasing a balance bike that is decked out with a rear brake, you are fast-tracking you child’s riding development.

“the brake will fast-track the development of essential skills required when they make the step-up to a pedal-powered bicycle”

When learning to use a brake, regardless of age, you’re developing fine motor skills that complement your coordination of smooth movements, visual acuity, and of course balance. All key elements regardless of rider age and ability as they have a profound impact on rider safety.
Yes, there’s a lot going on when you ride a bike, especially when your first learning. These skills are then super easy to transfer when they are finally ready to step-up to the big bikes.

Therefore, we highly recommend purchasing a balance bike with the addition of a rear brake if this is within you budget.

Firstbike balance bike – provides rear brake options!

Find at Amazon USA here or Amazon AUS here

Next up, let’s consider tyre choice. There are two options here. Foam or air tyres. Hand’s down, air tyres deliver a more comfortable ride due to their suspension qualities. Essentially the more suspension, the more comfort, and we believe more fun for your child.

For an in-depth review of our recommendations, check out our article,

What Are The Best Balance Bikes For Kids 2022? We Review The Top 5 – ilovetoridemybike.com

The list provides our Top 5 recommended balance bikes and provides you with loads of information as to why we hold these bikes in high esteem throughout the balance bike industry.

One important note needs to be made here. Balance bike designs are unique, just like you little rider. What may be best for one child might not necessarily be best for another. Each child has different abilities, body dimensions, temperaments, and personalities that can and should influence your choice of balance bike for your child.

So, be sure to complete your own research. Take your time and match one of the top recommendations in the balance bike world with your little one. They will not only have an even better time learning to ride their two-wheeled machines, but your wise choice has considered the best available information, and the intimate knowledge you have of you child.

Now that’s a winning combination to balance bike fun!

In sum, our top picks include;

Strider 12 Sport Balance Bike (Amazon USA find here) or (Amazon AUS find here)

Woom 1 Balance Bike

Banana Bike GT Balance Bike (Amazon USA find here) or (Amazon AUS find here)

Cruzee Ultralight Air Balance Bike (Amazon AUS find here), and

FirstBIKE Cross Balance Bike (Amazon USA find here) or (Amazon AUS find here)

New Era

We have so far provided for you a brief history and evolution of balance bikes, touched upon the powerful, and importantly, better method of learning to ride that a balance bike creates and have given you a snippet of our recommended models to look out for in 2022.

Before we conclude this article, we want to stimulate you senses just as much as if you were riding a balance bike to the ice-cream shop on a hot summer’s day. Yippeeeee!

It’s one thing to have some useful knowledge and understanding of the evolution of the balance bike, but practically, how can this help our children flourish today, and into the future?

History and evolution are important. To understand where we have come from, to consider our heritage, provides us with a point of reference and sense of belonging.

It also allows us to reflect and learn from our past, so that we can make today, and tomorrow simply better.

Our learning helps to point us in the right direction. Therefore, we believe it’s important to bring you the story of the balance bike’s evolution, and to give this information purpose and meaning for you.

Conclusion

For us at ilovetoridemybike.com, the balance bike represents a microcosm of the world in which we live. It too, has been created and developed over time to bring greater happiness, health and mobility to future generations.

If such a simple toy, developed over 200 years ago can provide our future generations with amazing physical, social, psychological and emotional benefits at the crucial stage in their development, it is therefore vitally important that we as parents (yes I hope you don’t mind me putting on my parenting helmet once again), are well-informed to make the right choice when purchasing a balance bike that will not only supercharge their fun and learning, but match their individuality.

Our goal in this article, is to empower you with just a little more knowledge and understanding in making that choice!

If you have any questions or comments about this article, or about balance bikes more broadly, please feel free to reach out, and send these through to us. We just love to help you in any way we can to learn more about the wonderful world of balance bikes.