Strider – The No Pedal PREbike

About a year ago, I saw toddlers gliding around the local races on a Strider bikes. Shortly after I reached out to Strider and they sent me one to test for my son Jake. At the time, he was approximately 1.5 years old. I was exited to get him on a bike…

Out of the box the Strider needed just minor installation – the tires, handlebars and the saddle. Within five minutes, it was ready to roll. At almost 2yrs old, Jake was excited with his new toy – a bike. Intrigued, he was quick to sit on it. I lowered the saddle to the lowest position so he can easily touch the ground with his feet flat.

When Jake first received the Strider bike

For the first few months Jake just walked with the bike while straddling it. At times he would walk next to it while holding the handlebars. It’s all about the comfort level. Sometimes I’ll have him put his feet up on the chainstay/swingarm and give him a push him. This gave him an idea of how balancing and acceleration would feel.

Jake’s first Kid’s Race… I was running with him

One thing for sure is he was attached to the Strider!

As Jake was getting comfortable with the Strider I gradually raised his seat. This gave him leverage to run while feeling secure with the saddle under his bottoms. We took frequent trips around our neighborhood to build his comfort level. It was eventually working. The key is patience…

Jake’s second race. Fontana Nat’ls. He was off and running on his own (see video below)

Note that kids will learn at different times/stages. Some will learn much quicker than others. Again, I stress for patience. While we want to see our younglings zoom with a bike, we want to make this FUN for them 🙂

One of the key factors that help Jake acclimate to the Strider was as soon as he was comfortable with running and balancing, we would go on a family group rides. Because we were all on bikes, he was a lot more comfortable. Comfort builds confidence and at times he’d want to race us.

Boost of confidence – little jumping session. Not quite perfected, but he certainly gives it a shot!

In my opinion, this is the best way to teach kids at an early age to ride a bike. They learn to balance and steer at their own pace while in full control to stop the bike if needed. I highly recommend the Strider bike – it’s well worth it for your little ones!

Specs:

Light weight steel frame
12” wheels
EVA Polymer tires (puncture proof)
Simple set-up – NO chains, pedals, gears

The Strider bike retails for $99.00. More information can be found on their website www.stridersports.com.

Below is a compilation of Jake’s progress on the Strider bike.

Next step – pedals!