Top 5 compared
The best balance bikes
No pedals and no training wheels, just a small child learning to balance, so riding a real bike comes sooner.
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The top 5 at a glance
A balance bike is a child’s first two-wheeler, pushed along with the feet. Children sit low, scoot, then lift their feet and glide, so they learn to balance before they ever learn to pedal. The ones here suit children from about 18 months to five; the four-wheel baby balance bikes sold for one-year-olds are a different thing, a ride-on for new walkers, and aren’t on this list.
The bicycle itself began this way: Karl Drais’s “running machine”, first ridden in Mannheim in 1817, was pushed along with the rider’s feet. Every bike here has a steel frame and a seat that moves up with a quick-release clamp, and most roll on foam tires that never need a pump.
What matters
- Light enough for the child to pick up on their own.
- A lowest seat height that lets both feet sit flat.
- Footrests, for gliding once they’ve found their balance.
- A maximum rider weight that leaves room to grow.
#1Strider 12 Sport Balance Bike (18 months to 5 years)
$100–$150
Its padded seat runs from 11 to 17 in, so the 12 Sport grows with a rider from about 18 months to five, and as Strider’s full-featured model it has a 6.7 lb steel frame, never-flat foam tires, footrests for gliding and quick-release clamps. Strider started in 2007 in Rapid City, South Dakota, when founder Ryan McFarland cut down a 12-inch bike for his two-year-old son.
What owners say: Owners say children pick up balance on it fast and that it shrugs off hard use, and the quick seat and handlebar adjustments get a lot of credit.
A closer look: Measure the child’s inseam in socks and set the seat about an inch below it, so they can sit and still push off with flat feet. The footrests come into their own once they’re gliding, and the extended seat post in the box takes a four-year-old without needing a bigger bike.
- Built-in footrests for gliding
- Padded seat
- Quick-release clamps
- Extended seat post included
- Steel frame, tools included
Best for: Toddlers right through preschool
- Wheels
- 2 × 12 in, foam, never flat
- Ages
- 18 months–5 years
- Adjustable seat
- 11–17 in
- Bike weight
- 6.7 lb
- Max rider weight
- 60 lb
#2Strider 12 Classic Balance Bike (ages 1–3)
$75–$100
The same patented steel frame, 12 in never-flat foam tires and built-in footrests as the Sport, for a good deal less money. What you give up is the padded seat, the mini-grips and the long seat post: the Classic’s seat runs 11 to 16 in, which covers most children to about three, and Strider sells the XL post separately if they outgrow it.
What owners say: A first bike that teaches balance quickly, owners say, and one that goes together without fuss. Its lightness comes up again and again, with the plastic wheels getting the credit, and more than one parent reports a child who refuses to get off it.
A closer look: Buy it for an 18-month-old and it fits from the first day: set the seat at the bottom of its range and they can waddle it along with both feet down. It’s light enough to carry back from the park under one arm. If you want it to last to five, the Sport’s longer seat post costs less than a second bike.
- Built-in footrests
- Handlebar 18–22 in
- Quick-release seat clamp
- XL seat post sold separately
- 2-year warranty
Best for: Riders from 18 months to three
- Wheels
- 2 × 12 in, foam, never flat
- Ages
- 1–3
- Adjustable seat
- 11–16 in
- Bike weight
- 6.5 lb
- Max rider weight
- 60 lb
#3SEREED Toddler Balance Bike (ages 2–5)
$30–$50
A 7.8 lb two-wheeler with a seat that starts at 12.6 in, low enough for most two-year-olds, and a frame rated to 110 lb that won’t be outgrown by five. Quick-release clamps raise the seat and handlebar without tools, and the plate on the front comes with stickers to decorate.
What owners say: Assembly is quick and the bike feels solid, owners say, and the adjustable seat and handlebars let it grow with the child. Several note it’s light enough for a two-year-old to pick up and get going again.
A closer look: Start with the seat at its lowest and raise it an inch at a time as their legs lengthen; the quick-release clamps mean that’s a ten-second job in the park. The airless tires are quiet on floors and never need a pump, which makes it an easy bike to keep in the car’s trunk.
- Handlebar 19.6–22.5 in
- Quick-release, no tools
- Plate and stickers to decorate
- Tires quiet on floors
- Footrest pad, rubber grips
Best for: Two-year-olds moving to two wheels
- Wheels
- 2 × 11 in, EVA airless
- Ages
- 2–5
- Adjustable seat
- 12.6–17.1 in
- Bike weight
- 7.8 lb
- Max rider weight
- 110 lb
#4Retrospec Cub Balance Bike (18 months–4 years)
$50–$75
A low step-through steel frame that a toddler can get on and off without help, and a seat that drops to 11 in, as low as the Strider’s, at a lower price. Retrospec started in Los Angeles in 2009 selling fixed-gear commuter bikes; the Cub is its first bike for the smallest riders, with foam-filled tires that never go flat and rounded edges everywhere a knee might land.
What owners say: Light to handle and planted on its solid wheels, by most accounts, and quick to adjust as a child grows: one parent had theirs gliding within a couple of weeks. Owners like that it sits low enough for both feet to stay on the ground.
A closer look: The low frame is the point: an 18-month-old can step over it rather than being lifted on, which makes them readier to try. Keep the seat right down until they’re walking it confidently, then raise it so their knees unbend a little when gliding. The 50 lb limit means it’s a bike for the toddler years, not the kindergarten ones.
- Low step-through steel frame
- Rounded edges where knees land
- Quick-release clamps
- Handlebar 19.5–22.5 in
- Non-slip grips
Best for: Climbing aboard without being lifted
- Wheels
- 2 × 12 in, foam-filled, puncture-proof
- Ages
- 18 months–4 years
- Adjustable seat
- 11–15 in
- Bike weight
- –
- Max rider weight
- 50 lb
#5KRIDDO 12 in Toddler Balance Bike (ages 2–5)
$30–$50
Extra-thick, puncture-resistant tires for grass and bumpy sidewalks as much as the driveway. A steel frame rated to 110 lb, quick-release seat and handlebar, and a license plate the child decorates with the three sticker sets in the box.
What owners say: Assembly takes minutes with clear instructions, owners say, and it teaches balance better than training wheels did; the personalized plate is a hit. Views on how planted it feels are mixed.
A closer look: Raise the seat every few months with the quick-release clamps; no tools needed. Thicker tires cope with grass and park paths better than thin foam ones, and the rubber grips give small hands something to hold on to when it gets wet.
- Extra-thick tires
- Plate with 3 sticker sets
- Quick-release, no tools needed
- Rubber grips for wet days
- Carbon steel frame
Best for: Bumpy sidewalks and grassy parks
- Wheels
- 2 × 12 in, puncture-resistant
- Ages
- 2–5
- Adjustable seat
- Seat and handlebar
- Bike weight
- 6.6 lb
- Max rider weight
- 110 lb
How they compare
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| Feature | #1Strider 12 Sport | #2Strider 12 Classic | #3SEREED Toddler | #4Retrospec Cub | #5KRIDDO 12 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best budget | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.7 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.2 |
| Price | $100–$150 | $75–$100 | $30–$50 | $50–$75 | $30–$50 |
| Wheels | 2 × 12 in, foam, never flat | 2 × 12 in, foam, never flat | 2 × 11 in, EVA airless | 2 × 12 in, foam-filled, puncture-proof | 2 × 12 in, puncture-resistant |
| Ages | 18 months–5 years | 1–3 | 2–5 | 18 months–4 years | 2–5 |
| Adjustable seat | 11–17 in | 11–16 in | 12.6–17.1 in | 11–15 in | Seat and handlebar |
| Bike weight | 6.7 lb | 6.5 lb | 7.8 lb | – | 6.6 lb |
| Max rider weight | 60 lb | 60 lb | 110 lb | 50 lb | 110 lb |
| Best for | Toddlers right through preschool | Riders from 18 months to three | Two-year-olds moving to two wheels | Climbing aboard without being lifted | Bumpy sidewalks and grassy parks |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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