The ZUM Balance Bike For Your Tot

Posted on Jul 20, 2011 by 4 Comments

We bought my almost-4-year-old son a bike a year ago. He has never shown much interest in it until recently. The bike is for pre-schoolers, and has training wheels on it. He quickly realized that training wheels were for “little kids”, and has pretty much refused to ride it with the training wheels on…problem is, he can’t ride it with the training wheels off. So it’s been a fight.

And now, my twin, almost-2-year-old girls want a bike like their brother. We’ve been looking around for small bikes and tricycles, and I ran across the  ZUM Balance Bike. This bike is incredibly cool looking and would be perfect for the girls!

zum balance bike pic

The ZUM Balance Bikes have no pedals and no training wheels. The bike uses a foot to floor motion as a means of propulsion…similar to pedaling a bike. It seems that it would be great for helping the kids develop coordination and balance.

The bike itself is made from 100% clear, top-grade birchwood (a sustainably harvested wood), with a non-toxic lacquered finish. The frame is actually reversible so that it can be ridden by small riders, which we’d probably have to do for the girls. It also has patented steering to prevent jackknife accidents.

So basically, the ZUM Balance Bike is an all-in-one bike that will teach your kid to ride a two-wheel bike without any training wheels! Pretty cool!

And I know you want to know about the price…it’s not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be. In fact, it’s actually seems to be pretty reasonably priced! The website lists the price as $89.99.

I am still thinking about making this purchase, do you think I should?

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natalie

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Comments

  • Julie C.

    I have heard that these style of bike is very popular and common in places like Sweden and the Netherlands. Makes perfect sense to me. They get to cruise, learn about balance, but put their feet down to stop; very natural way to learn.

    Also LOVE that the body is curved and thus reverseable to accommodate different kid heights as they grow!

  • Pinchus Rose

    You mean the child kicks his feet to propel forward? Like the Fischer price cozy coop? I would rather go with peddles, because otherwise just pushing feet on the ground doesn’t seem to help.

  • http://www.livingthescream.com Carly

    I have heard a lot of good things about these kind of bikes! My 5 yr old is in the same situation as your 4 year old! She wants the training wheels off but has not learned how to ride yet. These look like a great option.

  • Leslie

    Skip the training wheels! We bought our 3 year old twins standard 12” bikes and removed the pedals and chain mechanism – turning them into balance bikes. It took a few weeks for them to be comfortable enough to really scoot along, but soon they were cruising around and even coasting down hills. After 2 months we put the pedals back on and they are riding around like pros.