How Balance Bike Can Improve your Child Development?

Also known as balance bicycles and run bikes, balance bikes are a type of training bicycles designed for kids. If you want your child to learn balance and steering, then this type of bike is suitable for them. It has no pedals, no training wheels, no crankset and chain, and sometimes, no brakes. 

On the other hand, you could also customize the balance bike of your child. A balance bike is generally made out of wood and metal. You could turn it into a normal bike if you want. You could attach pedals, training wheels, hand-activated rim brakes and other parts that are not present in a balance bike. This is one of the features of a balance bike since normal bikes are not usually available for small kids. 

A Brief History 

Karl Drais invented the first balance bicycle which is the dandy horse. A dandy horse is a human-powered vehicle that consists of two wheels, and without a pedal. Other names of dandy horse are Laufmaschine, velocipede, draisine (English) and draisienne (French). This earliest form of transportation was tested on the streets of Mannheim to Rheinau which took place on June 12, 1987. This marked the beginning of the mechanized personal transport. 

How a Balance Bike Works 

So how does a balance bike work if it has several parts missing? This doesn't work like a normal bike unless you purposely build it as one. As mentioned before, a balance bike is only for balancing and steering. For better functionality, the balance bike should be small and light enough for your child to maneuver.

 To maneuver the bike, the rider would first walk the bike while standing over the saddle. Eventually, he could go biking while sitting. And remember, both of your child's feet should be flat on the ground. When your child already feels comfortable with his bike, he would be able to run or scoot while riding the bike. He could also lift both of his feet off the ground and go for a balancing cruise. 

Why a Balance Bike Has No Training Wheels 

According to the manufacturers of balance bikes, training wheels only slow down a child's learning because training wheels often make the child too dependent on them; hence, developing bad habits. With a balance bike, the children could learn how to bike faster since they are first trained to balance and countersteer, then pedaling. 

Even Sheldon Brown, a recognized technical expert and author on bicycles, supported that training wheels are only obstacles to the child's learning, especially if they are not properly adjusted. This improper adjustment would prevent the bike from leaning if it's too low, and this could hinder braking. Training wheels are adjusted every time the skill of your child increases. 

Balance bikes have no brakes since very young children may not be able to use the brakes effectively. They could use their feet for braking instead. Brown also suggests that if parents can't afford a balance bike, they could simply remove the pedals of a normal bike for their child to practice on. However, pediatricians have said that there is no evidence that a child could learn to bike faster if there are no training wheels.