In short: lightweight, with a brake, with pneumatic tires and with an adjustable seat height that must match your child. When choosing a balance bike, always measure your child’s inseam height and check whether it falls within the adjustment range of the seat. When sitting on the balance bike, the child should be able to reach the ground with the entire surface of their feet. As for the price, it is not possible to buy a high-quality balance bike for less than 130 €. Cheaper balance bikes often do not have a brake, are not well made and may also be too heavy.
Low weight is very important, especially for the smallest children. Even a small child weighing around 10 kg (22 lb) should be able to lift a fallen balance bike back onto its wheels. The weight of a balance bike for a beginner should not exceed 3.5 (7.7 lb) kg. The lightest balance bikes on the market in the category for children up to 4 years weigh approximately 3 kg (6.6 lb). Even lighter balance bikes can be found for the youngest children, however without a brake and with foam wheels. They can be used for early starts at a very young age, but children quickly outgrow them. When choosing a balance bike online, it is important to keep in mind that some manufacturers commonly state a lower weight than the actual one. If you are choosing in a physical store, we recommend weighing the balance bike with a hanging scale.
We recommend having a brake on a balance bike. It is an important safety feature. Even if small children cannot operate it yet, the time will soon come when they will need it and start using it. Being able to stop is just as important as being able to start riding. If the balance bike does not have a brake, the child brakes with the soles of their shoes and can wear them through relatively quickly.
An important property of the brake is its effectiveness and the smooth movement of the brake lever so that a small child can press it easily. In general, drum brakes or band brakes are best for balance bikes. Rim brakes originally designed for larger bicycles have several disadvantages. They often have a very stiff action because the cable routing at the fork has a sharp 90° bend. At this point the cable has increased resistance.
A disadvantage of rim brakes is often uneven braking. A rim is never manufactured completely precisely and it is also not always perfectly centered. In one place on the rim there is a joint that appears as a slight irregularity on the side of the rim. If the rider locks the wheel during strong braking, it often happens in the same place. The result is that the tire wears through in one spot while in other places it remains almost untouched. This significantly reduces the lifespan of the tire.
Another disadvantage of rim brakes is their width. In order to prevent the child’s legs from coming into contact with the rear fork while riding, the fork should be as narrow as possible. The brake prevents this because it often protrudes to the sides of the fork. In some cases the end of the brake cable also sticks out to the side, which, if frayed, can cause abrasions. From a safety perspective, rim brakes contain places where a small child’s hand or finger could get pinched when the wheel rotates. In contrast, drum and band brakes are usually well covered.
The SPLIM balance bike uses a band brake. The cable has no sharp bends and creates minimal resistance. The band brake has very high effectiveness, which is additionally increased on the SPLIM balance bike by a mechanical transmission. The brake is completely covered and does not protrude beyond the frame anywhere. When riding downhill, the speed limiter brakes the bike and thereby reduces brake wear. Therefore the brake has a long service life. If it wears out, the friction components can be easily replaced.
The ideal frame should be lightweight and slightly flexible. It should have no sharp edges. The rear stays should be as narrow as possible to allow the child’s legs to move naturally in the direction of travel. A practical feature is a pair of footrests where the child can rest their feet while riding downhill. In the resting position, the child’s feet should remain safely clear of the rear wheel.
Riding downhill without a place to rest the feet on the frame is uncomfortable for children and often encourages them to drag the toes of their shoes along the ground. This can wear out their shoes very quickly.
Balance bike frames are commonly made from wood, steel, aluminum, magnesium, or plastic. Steel and wooden frames are usually the least expensive, but they are also relatively heavy and therefore less suitable for children’s balance bikes.
A better choice is a metal frame made from aluminum or magnesium. These materials are generally lightweight but extremely stiff, especially when used by children on uneven terrain. One potential drawback of lightweight metal frames is their sensitivity to cyclic loading. Repeated mechanical stresses, such as those caused by riding over rough surfaces, can eventually lead to fatigue failure.
High-quality engineering plastics, such as glass fiber-reinforced polyamides, offer many advantages over metals. They generally have higher impact toughness, meaning they can absorb more energy during an impact without cracking. Because plastics are processed at much lower temperatures than metals, they also have a lower carbon footprint—approximately half that of aluminum.
A plastic frame is lightweight and flexible. It improves riding comfort by absorbing vibrations and impacts on uneven surfaces. However, solid plastic frames can be too flexible, causing the frame to twist and making the ride less comfortable for the child. Hollow plastic frames manufactured using advanced GAIM (Gas-Assisted Injection Molding) technology achieve an optimal balance of stiffness and low weight. This is exactly the type of frame used on the SPLIM balance bike.
The saddle should be height-adjustable over a sufficient range. Ideally, it can be adjusted without tools, for example by using a quick-release seat clamp. However, if a child could disassemble the clamp into small parts, the balance bike would not comply with the European Toy Safety Standard (EN 71). For this reason, many balance bikes use a bolt-type seat clamp that requires a tool for adjustment. The SPLIM balance bike uses a quick-release clamp that cannot be disassembled into small parts.
The saddle on a balance bike should be designed differently from the saddle on a pedal bike because a child’s body moves differently. The rear of the saddle should not be too wide, so it does not restrict the backward movement of the child’s legs. On the other hand, the front can be wider than that of a pedal bike saddle. The saddle should also be long enough and slightly curved along its length to help prevent the child from sliding off while riding.
Handlebars have a major influence on riding stability and proper body position. The handlebars should have a stem that ensures they are positioned in front of the axis of the headset, which increases riding stability. They should be sufficiently high and sufficiently close to the seat so that the child can maintain a more upright body position, which is more natural and better for learning. Adjustable handlebars are an advantage, however if they extend in the same direction as the seat, it does not have much significance because the distance between the seat and handlebars, which has a major influence on body position, remains the same. If the balance bike has a replaceable stem, the seat-to-handlebar distance can be adjusted. The handlebars should not be narrower than the child’s shoulder width. Wider handlebars improve riding stability.
A handlebar steering limiter is a practical feature on a balance bike, but it has almost no safety significance, although some manufacturers claim otherwise. The steering limiter does not prevent falls. When a child cannot yet fully control the handlebars, the fall occurs before the handlebars reach the limiter. A slightly incorrect handlebar position for a brief moment is enough for the balance bike to move to the side while the child continues straight due to inertia. The handlebars turn fully only afterward. The handlebars must move freely through a sufficient range. If the limiter allows only a small steering angle, it makes it harder for the child to turn on the spot and maneuver in tight spaces.
The main benefit of the steering limiter is that after a fall the handlebars are not twisted and the child can easily get back on and continue riding. Twisted handlebars can be an unsolvable problem for a small child, especially if they get stuck against the seat. Another advantage of the limiter is protection of the brake cable, which, if damaged by excessive bending, causes the brake to operate stiffly.
Pneumatic tires provide the highest riding comfort and safety. They allow the pressure to be adjusted according to the child’s weight and the terrain. They should have a car-type valve so that the pressure can be adjusted at any gas station. The valve should point to the side so that it is easily accessible for all compressor and pump adapters.
Foam wheels are often too hard, too narrow and compared to rubber tires they have less friction. On smooth surfaces such as paving they can be very slippery, which increases the risk of falls. The only disadvantage of pneumatic tires therefore remains the possibility of a puncture. However, this rarely happens on balance bikes because the load from the child is very small. A puncture can be easily solved by replacing the inner tube or repairing it with a patch.
The wheels should have high-quality ball bearings that ensure smooth rotation.
There are many requirements for an optimal balance bike and when buying it is not easy to check every detail. Therefore I recommend focusing mainly on the features that are most important for you and your child. For us, safety comes first. If you feel the same way, we believe you will appreciate the SPLIM balance bike, the only balance bike on the market with a speed limiter, created with an emphasis on safety, ergonomics and practicality.
