Strider Bike: The Solution for Entry-Level Riders

Strider Bike: The Solution for Entry-Level Riders,

Learning how to ride a bike is a big milestone for any child. Balancing on a bike is a skill that will follow them throughout their childhood and into adulthood, because, as the saying goes, “It’s just like riding a bike; once you learn, you never forget!”

This is why it’s so important to make sure your child feels comfortable, happy, and safe on their bike as they learn to ride, and a Strider balance bike  is perfect for that. Made specifically for younger ones who are wanting to learn (with durability to match), the Strider balance bike is the perfect tool to help your child figure out how to ride on their own. 

What is a Balance Bike?

A balance bike is exactly what it sounds like: a bike that you learn to balance on. It’s typically used by children as a learning tool. Like the name implies, a balance bike does not have any pedals on its frame and is used to start teaching kids how to best balance on a bike. 

It follows the same kind of principle as a tricycle or a bike with training wheels. A balance bike is a different kind of bike that teaches children to be better riders on a full-sized bike. However, unlike tricycles or training wheels, a balance bike has the same form as a traditional bike (minus the pedals). Because kids aren’t focused on getting their feet into the pedals and instead move themselves solely with their feet, they’re forced to learn the basic mechanics of bike riding without all of the fluff that goes with it–at least not until they’re more comfortable with the process. 

Balance Bikes Are Light But Durable Enough for Kids to Move

One reason that a Strider Bike—or a balance bike in general—is so great for children is that they aren’t heavy at all. This is important because it’s easier to balance something lighter as opposed to something heavier. Even as adults, we would struggle to keep balance with something that weighed about as much as we do!

A typical balance bike weighs about six or seven pounds, which is approximately a third of the body weight of the average toddler. Because the bike is so lightweight, it makes the bike easy for children to manage, including toddlers. 

The Strider 12 Classic Balance Bikeis made of lightweight steel that was specially designed for child-level durability. Its no-flat tires mean that your child is free to fly over gravel, puddles, and more without having to worry about the bike becoming damaged. These bikes were made to take out the toughest punishment your child can dole out onto it while learning to ride.

Teaching the Right Bike Skills Is Easier

Even though tricycles and training wheels are useful for children as they begin their bike riding journeys, these tools aren’t helpful in the long run for good biking habits. The problem with tricycles and training wheels is that kids will quickly learn to depend on these crutches when biking so that when the time comes to remove the training wheels or bump up from a tricycle to a bicycle, their poor biking habits will carry over from them.

With balance bikes, though, kids are forced to learn the basics of riding on two wheels–and only two wheels. To stay upright, they’re quickly required to learn how to balance on two wheels, steer, brake, and more. Of course, these mechanics will change depending on what kind of bike you will eventually get for your child, but the basics will remain the same.

This is not true for training wheels or a tricycle. Learning to balance on two wheels is vastly different than balancing on three or four, and using these items instead of a balance bike may be detrimental in the long run to your child’s overall biking prowess. 

Learning How to Stop Isn’t As Difficult

When you’re learning to ride a bike, one of the most vital things that you need to know is how to stop. Each bike is different; some have you stop by squeezing the handlebars, some have you stop by moving the pedals in a certain way, or there can be any number of other ways that a bike can stop.

With a balance bike, stopping is easy: you simply put your feet on the ground. There are no handlebar levers to pull, there is no trick to move your feet on the pedals in a certain way. It’s a simple process that kids are easily able to grasp and understand and it teaches them how to slow down and stop on a bike.

Some other balance bike models have hand brakes on the handles, but the classic Strider Bike does not have this feature. This makes learning to steer, balance, and stop with their feet the focus of learning to ride a bike. 

Strider Balance Bikes Help Younger Children Learn to Ride

Learning to ride a bike is one of those skills that you can keep in your back pocket forever once you learn to master it, but getting to that point takes some work. Just like learning how to cook, learning a new language, or learning any other skill, riding a bike isn’t something that can be done overnight. It takes practice and many, many baby steps to get to a level of proficiency. 

However, if you start learning these skills when you’re young, you can incorporate them into your day-to-day life. They become a part of your routine and come to you like second nature. This is why it’s so much easier to learn new skills when you’re younger than when you’re older. 

The Strider Balance Bike is the perfect first bike for any child wanting to learn to ride and for any parent wanting to help them. Getting them started early can make the process smoother and easier than ever before. 

Plus, when they’re ready to start learning to pedal, the Strider 14X balance bike has the option of adding on pedals. It starts as a balance bike to help kids get the hang of being on two wheels, and then the pedal addition is a great way to help them transition into actually pedaling. It’s the perfect blend of two worlds!

Strider Bikes are Comfortable

One of the biggest hurdles in teaching a child to ride on a traditional bike is that they tend to be so much bigger and heavier than the children learning to ride them. That’s not the case with the Strider balance bike. Because the classic Strider bike is lightweight and made specifically for teaching kids how to ride, they’re much easier and more comfortable to handle than the typical bike. It allows them to comfortably ride a bike with the right seat size, handlebar width, and more to make the ride comfortable for them.

We believe that if they’re happy with the way everything feels, children will be more apt to figure out how to ride instead of paying attention to how everything “doesn’t feel right.” 

MXPN and the Strider Bike

At MXPN, we’re happy to bring you the best Strider balance bikes. The Strider Classic 12 is perfect for children aged 18 months to 5 years to help them prepare for riding a “big kid” bike. With no pedals and no hand brakes, this Strider bike makes it easy to get the basics down. 

If your child is a little older and may soon be using pedals, then the Strider 14X balance bike may be your best bet. With the option to add on pedals, this bike is a great option for your child if they’re planning to transition to pedaling on their own soon. 

No matter what bike you choose, you’re guaranteed to have a great experience with MXPN and our massive selection of Strider bikes. Give it a try!