Wooden Walking or Balance Bikes
What is a Walking or Balance Bike?
Welcome to my hub page about Wooden Balance Bikes, where you will find my story of how i first heard about balance bikes , information about the history of wooden balance bikes and what brand are available on the web.
Its all started a few weeks ago when I was visiting a friend. we were about to take her 3 year old son out for a walk when I noticed in a corner amongst all his other plastic and metal toys, this beautify made wooden bike. I went over to have a look and noticed it had no pedals. So I asked my friend, What is it?.
She said it was "walking bike" that he got for his birthday to help him learn how to ride by helping him develop coordination and balance.
I was curious so played with the bike for a while with her son. It was the coolest thing I have seen, with a great design and not many components in its construction. I had to find out more about them.
So this hub contains some of the interesting things i have discovered about the Wooden Balance Bikes.
You may also like my related hub Wooden Balance Bikes for Girls
History of Balance Bikes
The walking bike or better known as a "Balance bike" is one of the earliest versions of the bicycle. It was invented by German inventor Karl Drais in 1817 and was known as the "Laufmaschine" or running machine and later also called the "velocipede" or Dandy horse. This pre-bicycle was make entirely of wood characterized by two wheels and no pedals, A rider would push their feet against the ground to make the machine go forward. The dandy horse only became popular for a short period as a fad due to its impracticality as a means of transport outside of well maintained park and garden pathways.
However more recently, wooden balance bikes have undergone a renaissance which is mainly attributed to the success of the elegantly designed German built "Like a Bike" range and the Australian designed "Tike" which restricted the bike's steering movement thereby increasing stability.
This has led to an resurgence in the number of new balance bike designs appearing on the market but predominantly to assist toddlers in learning how to ride bicycles. Various other balance bike designs are constructed from metal alloys and plastics, However by far the wooden makes remain the most authentic and beauty in there simplistic construction.
Benefits & features:
- Solid & Strong Lightweight wooden construction
- Pedal free design that encourages mobility & rapid development of balance and fines motor skills.
- Allows your child to learn how to ride at their own pace.
- Ensure that your child knows how to brake and stop the bike by using their feet.
- The popularity of some of the brands are so high that there are a waiting lists or are make to order.
Tike Wooden Balance Bikes: Australia
Of all the brands the German built "Like A Bike" seems to be the most popular which also commands a premium price for it design and quality. Squidoo has a few lens which provides a large amount of information and reviews of the brand and products. However i have been unable to find much regarding Tike balance bikes.
The best site i have found so far is the official Tike Australia site. Purchase can also be made directly from there online store, which also contains a wide range of cute and fun accessories to match.
Note: Unfortunately Tika Bike has since close after the writing of this Hub Page
See the link in the Useful Resources section for details.
Cute Girl Riding Her Tike Wooden Balance Bike
Girls style wooden balance bikes
As I was researching this topic i have noticed that most of the balance bike's were designed for boys, what about the girls? So here is a few of the models I have found.
Useful Resources
- Stile Products
Exclusive distributor in U.S. for Tern bicycles, BioLogic gear, LikeABike balance bikes, and Carry Freedom trailers. - Balance Bikes | LIKEaBIKE - The original and best : LIKEaBIKE UK
Balance Bikes - A wide selection of lightweight, high quality children's balance bikes, first kids' pedal bikes available to order online and instore - Balance Bike Reviews | Balance Bike Information, Reviews, and More
Great site featuring product reviews and video demo's for a range of brands. The forum also contains helpful Q&A topic.
If you have a wooden balance bike or an experience you want to share with balance bike, please leave a comment.