As adult motorcycle riders, we owe it to the next generation to get them on two wheels. The balance bikes from Strider are a great way to introduce children as young as one year old to the fun of riding. My neighbor Ike is about to turn four years old, so it was time to enlist him as an Ultimate Motorcycling test rider and put him on the Strider 12 Sport balance bike.
Ike had experience scooting around on a three-wheeler, and, while those are fun, learning to balance is an essential skill as a child gets older. The Strider 12 Sport weighs less than seven pounds, has a seat height that’s adjustable between 11 and 17 inches for inseams 12 to 18 inches, and can handle 60 pounds. Ike weighs 36 pounds and has a 16.5-inch inseam, so his parents were able to set up the balance bike to fit him perfectly.
One of the great things about the Strider 12 Sport is its customizability. This allows the young rider to get involved right from the start. The basic bike is $140 and eight colors. Ike got started with a Black frame. From there, he added the purple, wire-spoke High-Traction wheels ($80; six colors available), purple Aluminum Riser handlebar ($25; six colors), and orange Mini Grips ($10; nine colors). With those accessories, Ike’s ride totaled $255.
To keep Ike safe when the inevitable falls happen during the learning process, we got him the Splash helmet ($45) and the Strider elbow and knee pads ($20/set). So, starting from scratch, it added up to $320, though you can easily drop that by $115 by taking a pass on the optional wheels, handlebar, and grips.
Ike’s dad was in charge of assembling the Strider 12 Sport. Between the pictogram-only instructions and a video on the Strider website, he was able to put it together. He says that if you can put together Ikea furniture, you can assemble the Strider 12 Sport.
Now, let’s hear directly from Ike’s mom:
Ike really enjoyed picking out the colors online, so we put a few different options together and then he chose his favorite. It was fun to see how awesome the colors he chose look together!
He also enjoyed helping us build it any time we needed to use the Allen key. The instructions didn’t have words, only photos, but we figured it out. The hardest part was getting the grips on. We found that using glass cleaner would help and still dry so that they stay on.Â
Ike enjoys riding the Strider through the park, trying to go faster and learning to pick up his feet and balance. He’s not there yet, but that will be a fun challenge to overcome.
We have watched Ike grow more confident on the Strider 12 Sport. While he’s still paddling most of the time, he is clearly motivated to start gliding along with his feet off the ground. However, there are no footrests on the 12.
Fortunately, Strider offers a clear upgrade path with the 14x, which is slightly larger and designed for riders 3 to 6 years old. It also allows for replacing the standard footrests with functional pedals. In the meantime, the Strider 12 Sport is getting Ike on the path to motorcycling fun. Oh, did we mention that Christmas is coming?
Photography by Don Williams
Balance Bike Review Photo Gallery: Strider 12 Sport
