Balance bikes are a safe way to get your kids up to speed with cycling. Learning how to ride on a balance bike is not only more fun than using stabilisers, but it’ll allow for a smooth transition when it comes time to pedal without support.
We’ve picked balance bikes here for a range of ages from 18 months up to six years and at a spread of prices. A more expensive balance bike might seem like a luxury, but don’t forget that a quality bike from a well-known name will retain its value, so you might recoup a lot of the initial cost if you decide to resell it.
Doing away with finicky pedals and cranks, a balance bike enables children as young as two the chance to get cycling. Kids start by scooting along using both feet on the floor, allowing them time to develop the ability to balance and steer. Once this is mastered, the hard part is done, and they’ll be ready to ride a traditional pedal bike with confidence.
A balance bike also offers all the benefits of cycling, including positive effects on health and confidence, plus it’ll give you a break as you won’t need to push or carry your young ones around.
12 of the best balance bikes for kids learning to ride
10-inch and smaller wheels
- B’Twin Runride 500: Buy now from Decathlon (£69.99)
- Puky LR M: Buy now from Amazon (£93.52)
12-inch wheels
- Invert Lil Flex: Buy now from From Halfords (£85)
- mwv One: Buy now from mwv (£99)
- Ridgeback Scoot: Buy now from Freewheel (£124.99)
- Hoozar Cruz 12: Buy now from Hoozar (£120)
- Hornit Airo: Buy now from Amazon (£139)
- Early Rider Big Foot: Buy now from Early Rider (£209)
- Kokua LikeaBike Jumper: Buy now from LikeaBike (£179.95)
14-inch wheels
- Frog Tadpole Plus: Buy now from Tredz (£224)
- Kidvelo Rookie 14: Buy now from Kidvelo (£235)
Keep reading for full details on these bikes plus in-depth buying advice.
Why trust our advice?
Here at Cyclist we’re all avid riders, so naturally when it comes to getting our kids riding we want them to have the best experience possible. That means that we know what to look for in a kid’s balance bike; it needs to be lightweight, robust and easy for the child to get along with. And it needs to be easy to carry when they get tired and want dad or mum to take it home for them.
The bikes in this guide are sorted by wheel size and then price, with the most affordable options first.
Balance bikes with 10-inch and smaller wheels
B’Twin Runride 500 balance bike
- Price: £69.99
- Wheel size: 10-inch
- Suggested age: 2-4 years
- Frame material: Steel
- Tyre type: Solid
- Weight: 3.6kg
- Additional features: Rear brake
Despite the budget price, this balance bike gets an easy-to-activate rear brake and solid tyres that don’t require any maintenance, ie pumping up.
Even with its cost-cutting steel frame, the bike is light enough to give your child full control and carrying should be equally comfortable. While there isn’t a deck per se, the low-slung frame acts as a foot rest for the rider.
- Buy now from Decathlon (£69.99)
Puky LR M
- Price: £93.52
- Wheel size: 8-inch
- Suggested age: 2 years+
- Frame material: Steel
- Tyre type: Foam
- Weight: 3.5kg
- Additional features: Handlebar pad
The cute and stylish Puky LR M features practical puncture-free foam wheels that are perfect for younger riders and won’t require maintenance.
Even though the frame is made of steel, the LR M is extremely portable and weighs only 3.5kg. Puky also offers a dedicated carry strap for an additional cost to make carrying the bike around even easier.
The LR M has a deck, which some kids may prefer, while the skinny grips have bumpers designed to protect small hands, as well as your furniture, in the event of a crash.
Balance bikes with 12-inch wheels
Invert Lil Flex Balance Bike
- Price: £80
- Wheel size: 12-inch
- Suggested age: 2-4 years
- Frame material: Steel
- Tyre type: Pneumatic
- Weight: 6.3kg
- Additional features: None
If you want your little tot to be the coolest kid on the playground then this balance bike designed to look like a BMX could be the one.
The Invert’s steel frame does make it a little heavier to manoeuvre – and for you to carry home after an afternoon of cycling. However, on the plus side it should be tough, it looks cool, and it probably helps keep the cost down.
- Buy now from Halfords (£85)
mwv One
- Price: £99
- Wheel size: 12-inch
- Suggested age: 3-5 years
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Tyre type: Pneumatic
- Weight: 3.6kg
- Additional features: Steering limiter, easy-grip seat tube
The mwv One 12in wheel balance bike is an inexpensive and lightweight option that’s recommended for kids from three years old, and comes in a choice of six colours. The alloy frame and fork include a progressive steering limiter to help avoid spills and other safety features include lock-on rubber grips on the alloy bars. Pneumatic tyres help soften the ride compared to solid alternatives.
The One features grooves on the saddle to make it easier to carry if little one gets tired of riding, while a quick-release seat clamp makes it quick to adjust as they grow. There are six colours available from the bold to the pastel, to suit any kid’s preference.
- Buy now from mwv (£99)
Ridgeback Scoot
- Price: £124.99
- Wheel size: 12-inch
- Suggested age: 2-4 years
- Frame material: 6061 heat treated aluminium
- Tyre type: Vee Tire Speedster 12×2.0-inch
- Weight:4.9kg
- Additional features: Rear V-brake
The Ridgeback Scoot is a balance bike for 3- to 5-year-olds. It’s not one of the lighter options on the market but it gets proper pneumatic tyres and a back brake.
It’s an appealingly simple design that comes in a choice of six colours.
- Buy now from Freewheel (£124.99)
Hoozar Cruz 12
- Price: £120
- Wheel size: 12-inch
- Suggested age: 18 months+
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Tyre type: Pneumatic
- Weight: 3.2kg
- Additional features: Stem pad
Hoozar’s 12-inch balance bikes pack in a serious set of features while keeping their overall weight and cost low. Despite including both a rear brake and footrest, the entire bike weighs a claimed 3.2kg; easy for its rider to handle and easy for you to carry should they get tired.
Based around an aluminium frame, the Hoozar features a steering limiter to help keep things on an even keel. Also guarding against accidents are padding on the stem and bumpers on the ends of the handlebar.
This balance bike rolls on conventional pneumatic tyres so you’ll need to keep them topped up, but the benefit is an experience closer to that of a proper bike. The Hoozar is suited to riders with an inside leg measurement of 30-46cm, with a quick-release seatpost clamp to make adjusting the saddle easy.
- Buy now from Hoozar (£135)
Hornit Airo
- Price: £129
- Wheel size: 12.5-inch
- Suggested age: 1.5-5 years
- Frame material: Magnesium alloy
- Tyre type: Pneumatic
- Weight: 2.95kg
- Additional features: Grip taped footrests, padded stem, adjustable saddle height
The Hornit Airo was designed with a light weight in mind, to give your kids the easiest ride possible while keeping it comfortable and durable. The only lighter bikes in this size range are likely to have plastic wheels and foam tyres.
The Hornit has grippy footrests contoured into the frame and its curves give it the look of a premium adult’s bike.
- Buy now from Amazon (£139)
Early Rider Big Foot
- Price: £209
- Wheel size: 12-inch
- Suggested age: 2-4 years
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Tyre type: Pneumatic
- Weight: 4kg
- Additional features: Steering limiter
Thanks to its mammoth tyres and stout aluminium frame, this balance bike is completely ready for an off-road adventure.
The Early Rider would be a good choice for aspiring mountain bikers and, as it’s designed for rocky trails, it’s good to see a rear brake included.
- Buy now from Early Rider (£209)
Kokua LikeaBike Jumper
- Price: £179.95
- Wheel size: 12-inch
- Suggested age: 2-4 years
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Tyres type: Pneumatic
- Weight: 3.4kg
- Additional features: Suspension, steering limiter
Crafted by folding bike specialist Tern, the well thought-out design of the Kokua is what really stands out. The integrated elastomer bumper and steering limiter are both nice touches, but it’s the basic rear suspension that really sets this balance bike apart.
When you remove the pedals from a bike all the weight of the rider is naturally going to sit on the saddle, so the inclusion of suspension should make the Kokua more comfortable to ride.
Other included features range from puncture-resistant tyres, a threadless headset and an aluminium frame that keeps the bike light – plus the supplied two seatposts make this a bike that your child will be able to continue to use even as they grow.
- Buy now from LikeaBike (£179.95)
Balance bikes with 14-inch wheels
Frog Tadpole Plus
- Price: £265
- Wheel size: 14-inch
- Suggested age: 3-4 years
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Tyre type: Pneumatic
- Weight: 4.18kg
- Additional features: Steering lock
One of the more sizeable balance bikes on the market, the Tadpole Plus boasts 14in-diameter wheels making it ideal for bigger kids.
Large wheels make this a bike that can really move quickly, but back brake and a wobble-preventing steering limiter should help keep things under control.
The aluminium frame keeps the total weight reasonably low, making this an easy bike to carry even with its bigger size. The voluminous tyres are a nice touch as well.
Kidvelo Rookie 14
- Price: £235
- Wheel size: 14-inch
- Suggested age: 3-6
- Frame material: 6061 heat treated aluminium
- Tyre type: Innova Compass Lite BMX Lite 14×2.0-inch
- Weight: 4.7kg
- Additional features: Front and rear V-brakes, pedal kit
The Kidvelo Rookie 14 is designed to help older/taller kids transition from a balance bike to a pedal-powered bike. They can start off using it as a balance bike, complete with a footrest.
Once they’ve mastered their balancing and steering, you can bolt on the included drivetrain components and convert the bike to pedal power. It comes with front and rear V-brakes, so stopping is taken care of.
Kidvelo says that the pedal kit can be installed quickly, just using a couple of Allen keys, which are provided.
Adding the pedals ups the weight to 6.2kg – still light for a pedal powered bike – and since the geometry doesn’t change there’s no getting used to a new bike, making the transition that much easier.
- Buy now from Kidvelo (£235)
How to buy the best balance bike for your child
What size bike should I buy?
As with adult bikes, the ideal size of balance bike you’ll want will depend on the size of your child – there’s no one-size-fits-all.
Small 10-inch wheels are designed for very young children, starting at around 18 months, while 12-inch and 14-inch sizes will cover kids aged between two and six years.
Should I buy a balance bike with a brake?
Balance bikes are designed to be stopped by simply putting one’s feet onto the ground, but some models do still come with traditional bicycle brakes.
These are mainly useful for preparing a child for their first pedal bike, but aren’t strictly necessary unless you live on a steep slope (and really, you shouldn’t be letting your progeny careen down hills at this point anyway). In any case, the choice and the responsibility lies with the parent.
Do I need a bike with a deck?
Some balance bikes come with an integrated deck that is perfect for your child to rest their feet on once they’re fully comfortable balancing.
While a footrest is certainly a useful feature, it’s by no means a required one, and for many kids once they’re advanced enough to make use of the deck they’ll be ready to move onto a traditional bike anyway.
Kids too big for a balance bike? Read our guide to the best kids’ bikes for bikes for a wider spread of ages