Balance bike, trike or 12 bike for my little 3 yo twins?

[danner]

We got a second hand Haro (metal) from our local bike shop. Best $50 spent ever. A different bike shop had a used Specialized balance bike that was gorgeous, but for $100 we passed.

[Dmpmercury]

If they are in the 10% at 3 they are similar to my kids and will not be able to use a 12 inch bike as a balance bike. My kids really like the balance bike but they got into them at different times. My dd wasn't into to it much at almost 3 but loved it the next summer and my ds took to it right away at 2.5. Don't give up if one of them isn't into it right away because some kids take time. After a summer ds was ready for a 2 wheel bike without training wheels at 2.75. I am glad I had the balance bike though. He needed it to learn. It also allowed us to take him on trails even after he learned his 2 wheel bike until he got better at it.

To find a 2 wheel bike that fit my ds I had to find a really small 12" bike and get the bike store to cut the seat so he could ride it. It was to tall to use as a balance bike. They do make a balance bike where it can be converted to a pedal bike later and that looks cool. My kids did not use trikes at all because they are harder to pedal and by the time they grew into them they were ready for something faster. Trikes definitely are not good for anything but flat pavement and trike pedals really limit what they can do.

[pumkinsmommy]

My daughter has had the red radio flyer tricycle for 3 years and rides it all the time. The seat and handle bars adjust for height. I don't understand what the point of the balance bike is. I'm not criticizing it I just don't get the point. My daughter will be 6 on her next birthday and we will get her a 2wheeler.

[z2akids]

Two of my 3 children learned to ride a 2 wheeled bike without training wheels within a couple of months of turning 3. I would skip the other gimmicky bikes and get them the smallest 2 wheeled bike with training wheels and go from there.

[luvsviola]

My 3 year old has all 3. He likes his 12" bike with training wheels best. The balance bike he never uses, and the trike only every once in awhile and even then, only because it is Lightning McQueen and has a basket on the back. 95% of the time, it is the regular bike like the big kids on our street ride.

[LnzsOut]

I'm sorry I don't have time to read all of the responses... We got ds1 a Strider balance bike for his 3rd birthday, and he LOVES it. It took him about 2 minutes to figure it out, and a week later he was zooming everywhere. We've added 2 neighborhood bike rides to our daily routine - lol.

[33andunder]

I didn't read all the responses, so forgive me if I have missed important details. My twins got balance bikes (norco) at 2 and were really, really good at them by 3. We boght 12 inch bikes for them at 3, but the twins were still to short for them. Now at 4, both boys made the switch from balance bikes to 2 wheelers without training wheels in one day (actually 1/2 an hour!).

[MunkyCrazy]

We got DS1 a Strider for his 3rd Birthday. He's 4.5 and still loves it. His brother started getting really interested shortly before he turned 2. It didn't take him long before he was coasting and he flies on it along with his brother. We found one at an overstock store a while ago so now they each have their own. We had a regular bike we got off Craigslist really cheap last summer. DS1 had no interest after 5 minutes but it took him a while to get pedaling. According to his pre-k report card he mastered pedaling their trike there, so I may try again with the regular bike now. His Strider will be able to be passed down/sold if he decides he's done.

[marleysmom1207]

I bought the MiniGlider for my son for his 3rd birthday. It took a little while to master it, but soon he was gliding with his feet up on the pegs. This summer, our neighbors handed down a cheapo Target 12" two-wheeler to us. Ds was able to hop on and ride after one time out on it. No training wheels, no holding the seat and running behind him. He's 4.5, and I'm thinking he could have probably learned even earlier, if he'd had the opportunity. I'm sold on balance bikes - totally worth it! Plus, we'll hand it down to my 2 yr old dd, then baby brother after that.

[Gitrecca]

No, we love ours. The seat did break in April, but a zip tie fixed it... I wouldn't expect these to last forever, but we got a lot of use out of ours. We also have lots and lots of older cousins who liked to ride this bike when they probably shouldn't have. I definitely recommend it! It's a great way to try out balance bikes for very little cost. My son still likes his and rides it around in the house since he can't ride his pedal bike in here. The walmart bikes are definitely not as sturdy looking as the really super nice bikes, but they are also a third of the cost. Definitely worth the price difference, IMO, especially times two, and especially for starting out. If I saw a great deal on a more expensive one, I might buy it for my daughter now that I know we like them... but I'll probably just let her use brother's for a while and then see where we stand.