What type of vehicle is best for a child?

There are many fans of biking out there and no wonder parents who themselves love this form of staying active, want to introduce their child to it as soon as possible. The question is, which option is better: a tricycle or balance bike? When buying a tricycle or a balance bike for your toddler, you are about to give him or her lots of joy as well as a chance to get ready for a “real” bike. But the choice is not as simple as it may seem at first glance. What type of bike is best for my child? Let us be the guide.

A tricycle vs a balance bike: similarities and differences

The similarities between these two are quite obvious: they are both vehicles meant to teach your kiddo how to ride a bike. Let’s keep our focus on the basic differences between them:

The Pedals

A tricycle features pedals and a balance bike does not. A child using a balance bike sets the vehicle in motion by pushing off the ground with his or her feet - just like in the case of a ride- on. It is easy and nothing about this requires mastering any skills: your kid is basically a little Flinstone. It is completely different in the case of pedaling. Before your kid learns to move a tricycle, he or she may become discouraged from riding it, and the inability to actually have fun on the bike may be frustrating. But once your kiddo masters this fine (ehm) art, he or she will no longer have to learn from scratch when switching to an “adult” bike.

How many wheels, again?

A tricycle, as the name suggests, features three wheels: two at the rear and one at the front. The rear pair provides the child with safety and stability, and also eliminates the need to balance the bike with the use of one’s own body. Now, a balance bike is a classic two- wheeler. A child, in order to maintain the correct track- one the legs are off the ground), needs to master the art of balance.

Speed

In theory, a balance bike is slower than a tricycle since when one pushes off the ground with their feet, it is hard to achieve the same speed as when pedaling. In practice however, the maximum speed at which a child can ride a bike, depends on slightly different factors than the bike itself. Other elements play a role as well: the weight of the child and the vehicle, the child’s age and level of advancement (both when it comes to pedaling and pushing off the ground) or energy, and even the terrain.

Parental control

Multifunctional tricycles are equipped with a push handle that the parent can use to control the track. Thanks to the parental assistance push handle, such bike can basically be treated as a stroller and pushed even when the child does not want to pedal. There is no such possibility when it comes to a balance bike: if the toddler does not want to push off the ground with its feet, the parent cannot move the bike.

A tricycle or a balance bike?

In recent years, kid balance bikes have  become extremely popular - to the extent that they are slowly displacing tricycles. Why is that? Well, those parents who chose three-wheeled bikes instead of balance bikes, primarily cared for their children to learn how to pedal.

Meanwhile, a balance bike (although it does not make it easier to learn to pedal) teaches a child to maintain balance with its own body, which is crucial in order to learn to ride a “regular” bike with pedals. Having your child accustomed to a balance bike, will allow you to skip the stage of riding a bike with side wheels attached.

The balance bike on the other hand- although it does not teach the child to pedal and does not allow the parent to control the situation- it does support the learning of maintaining balance. The tricycle is stable and requires learning to pedal later on. Regardless of which type of equipment you end up choosing- whether a tricycle or a balance bike- we are hoping it will be a purchase made at cariboo.eu. Have a look at our offer and you decide for yourself which option is best for your family.