It’s all about balance! As a dad and producer of cool bikes and biking accessories, I believe that getting kids active and having great adventures is a key to a happy and healthy life.

Learning and developing balance on a balance bike at an early age opens up the world to so many new experiences. The step from a balance bike to a bicycle is so easy and natural. Learning to ride is a rite of passage. We're just trying to make that journey easy as ABC.

The earlier children are riding bicycles, the earlier they can find a world of independence, freedom and mobility. They can get out for rides with their parents, siblings and friends. Not only does this expand their learning, it encourages physical activity and movement, which promotes a positive and healthy lifestyle.

Getting children onto bicycles at a very young age instils a habit of being active and all the adventures feeds their imaginations and hungry minds.

All of this learning, activity, and adventure build lifelong skills and habits, which are all positive for healthy bodies and minds later in life. It is proven that good levels and activity and healthy behaviour is good maintaining good mental health in adults.

Brands like Kiddimoto encourage children to get on bicycles early by helping them to develop their balance, core strength and motor skills by using balance bikes from as young as 18 months.

Together with beautifully designed, ergonomic and safe products, children pick it up by having fun. We also give parents confidence that their children are doing the right thing.

We're going all out to getting kids active, being creative and having fun. A happy life is one full of experiences and adventures.

Adventure Starts Here

Adventure Starts Here is the Kiddimoto moto and has been since we started the company in the early 2000's.  We love kids and love knowing that we've contributed to skills that they le3arned and will carry through their entire lives.

Kiddimoto understands that when learning to ride there has to be a balance of education and fun. Not only is learning to ride an absolute blast, there are some top health benefits of balance bikes.

Weight Control

It is no question that the weight of little ones is a hot topic in at the moment. Covid seems have not helped the matter here in the UK

14.4% of reception age children (age 4-5) are obese, with a further 13.3% overweight. At age 10-11 (year 6), 25.5% are obese and 15.4% overweight. This data is from 2020/21 and is gathered as part of the National Child Measurement Programme

Obesity and overweight are linked to a wide range of conditions including diabetes, asthma and heart disease. Just a small amount of exercise each day an help to combat this, and what better way to exercise than having fun on your balance bike.

Improved Posture

Good posture in children is important, not only does it carry health benefits it can also increase overall confidence. Balance bikes command the correct posture needed to progress onto a standard bicycle.

Heart Rate

They may already be running circles around you at the park, but cycling is a great way to keep hearts in check. Plus, it is fairly low intensity so if you're out on a ride  you will hardly know your exercising!

Joint Movement

Balance bikes improve core strength and the running element of the bikes can improve/maintain good mobility in joints.

Mental Wellbeing

Just as important as physical health, balance bikes improve confidence, independence and a positive mental attitude. 'Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.' John F Kennedy.

Most of us know, but let’s just go over what a balance bike actual is….

A balance bike is a bike without pedals designed to teach children how to cycle without having to use stabilisers.

It’s a question we hear often at Kiddimoto, and it’s an entirely understandable one. People are used to seeing bikes with pedals so the sight of a bike without them can be an unusual one.

But the lack of pedals on our balance bikes is entirely deliberate and designed to help prepare children for a lifetime of cycling.

The Origins of Balance Bikes

Balance bikes originated in Germany in the early 19th century with a bulky wooden adult version, but never gained popularity and quickly faded from use. They were reborn some time in the early 2000’s for children and are now commonly found all over the world. Kiddimoto was the 1^st British brand of balance bike to bring them to the masses.

Thanks to Kiddimoto and number of other specialists in the field, Early Rider, Isla, Frog, Strider and Wishbone to name a few, balance bikes are now becoming common place. Many of the major bicycle brands have jumped on the band wagon, but the special guys still have the best in show and continue to develop child focused solutions.

How Will A Balance Bike Benefit My Child

Balance bikes look almost identical to a normal bike but don’t have any pedals or drivetrain. Instead of pedalling like you would on a regular bike, children propel themselves along by pushing along the ground with the feet.

When they grow in confidence and have mastered balance, they will start to cruise along with their feet off the ground. It’s loads of fun!

Children who learn to ride bikes with stabilisers learn to pedal but not to balance – the extra wheels do all the balancing for them. So when mum and dad eventually take those stabilisers off, the child has to learn to ride a bike all over again because now they have to pedal and learn to balance all at the same time.

Starting out on a balance bike enables children to develop balance skills without having to pedal. Then, when they’re eventually ready to ride a pedal bike, all they have to do is pick up the relatively straightforward task of learning to pedal. No running alongside them, no holding their seat, no painful tumbles… it really is that easy.

Don't Listen To Us, Read What The Pros Say

As British cycling legend Chris Hoy says: “I’ve always been a big believer in the fact that stabilisers aren’t good for kids because they don’t learn how to balance. A balance bike teaches that important part of learning how to ride. Kids feel safe too because all they have to do is put their feet down if they start to wobble.”

Another top cyclist, Olympic gold medallist Craig Maclean, gives an emphatic answer when asked what parents should choose for their child’s first bike. “I’d say a balance bike without doubt,” he says. “You can learn to pedal at any age, that’s the easy bit, but the earlier they can develop their balance the better.”

Carl Burgwardt of the Pedalling History Bicycle Museum in New York derides the use of stabilisers as a “crutch.” “They don’t teach anything,” he says. “All they do is prolong the agony of learning to ride.”

For lots of children, their first experience of riding around on wheels will be on a trike. While lots of fun, these are often cumbersome, awkward to manoeuvre and can easily tip over.

On a balance bike, children are focused on balancing rather than pedalling and more prepared for sudden losses of balance and less likely to fall as a result.

Once they master balancing, kids can also completely skip stabilisers and head straight for a standard bike. In doing so, the countless falls and grazed knees from learning to balance on a pedal bike are greatly reduced.

Parents naturally consider the financial implications of teaching their children to cycle, and we’re confident that buying one balance bike replaces the need to buy a tricycle and a 12″ pedal bike. By the time a child has learnt to balance on their Kiddimoto balance bike, they can graduate straight onto a 16″ or 20″ pedal bike.

Another little bonus… the resale value of balance bikes is also generally higher compared to tricycles and cheap bikes with stabilisers, making a balance bike a great investment!

Conclusion - A Balance Bike Is An Investment In Your Childs Future That will Aid Them In Everything They Do

These little bikes and all the little accessories such as helmets, gloves, bells, horns, backpacks are not only great for the little people in our lives, but they are good for the bicycle industry. It opens up the market for customers to get into stores or online and start the customer buying cycle sooner. Surely that is only a good thing for the entire sector.

Let’s give our children the freedom, fun and adventures that come with riding a bike but get them doing it from the age of 2 years if not sooner.

Also read: Seven Reasons To Choose Kiddimoto Balance Bikes