Look Mom! No Brakes!!

A review from the woot-parent site (not a favorable one):
http://www.amazon.com/Treehaus-16413240042-Wood-Balance-Bike/product-reviews/B005Q9BCLG/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

It's been shown that balance bikes are a much better way to learn to ride than training wheels. The hard part of riding a bike is the balance...training wheels teach how to pedal without learning balance. Balance bikes teach how to balance without pedaling.

You'll find that your youngster will have a much easier time graduating to a real bike (and fall a lot less!).

Supporting article here: http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/30/bye-bye-training-wheels-hello-balance-bikes-learning-to-ride-a-bike-has-never-been-so-easy/


Anyway...great deal!

mkentosh wrote:Look Mom! No Brakes!!

got one of these for my 5 year old daughter and while its pretty cheaply made it did teach her to ride a bike in about 2 weeks of casual light playing with it. actually went outside and rode it only a hand full of times. Took her to the school playground on her real bike w no training wheels and she was off riding like a champ in NO time. This is the only way to teach a kid to ride. So intuitive. I have heard you could do the same thing by removing the crank from current bike but this is so cheap doing that is almost a waste.

Negative is the wheel bearing are really cheap and one completely blew out after 2 times ridding it in the kitchen. I found a replacement bearing on Ebay and bought 2, 1 for a back up and it was about 5 or 10 bucks shipped. All in all happy with it for the price.

My daughter got a similar bike for my grandchildren. They both love it.

This is quite timely! Still searching for a great ”big” gift for my soon-to-be birthday boy, who is turning 4. A bike is top contender (but thrilled to hear others' suggestions if you have any), but I keep hearing from ba friend about how awesome balance bikes are & how we simply must have one. My question is, must we? Her little guy loves his but his only 2. My guy knows how to pedal trikes & has pedaled others' bikes with training wheels. Is there some extra advantage to a balance bike for us? Or should we skip it & just get the bike with training wheels?

But...it just looks so...so...stupid! And with that horrible, cheesy name...MerchSource...ugh. My kid'd be the laughingstock of the neighborhood. He's already dorky enough. Why add to it?

Truth is, I don't give a rat's a** about whether or not my kid looks dorky. ME. I care about ME. And I just can't be seen as the mother of the kid with the MerchSource TreeHaus Balance Bike.

So that's it, people. That's the whole truth about it. The authorities should probably just come and get the kid right now, because clearly, I'm an unfit parent.

do not buy! I bought the one from Woot last time, it was great for about 2 month... it's broken now, and there are no information on the box for the manufacture, no phone number or email nothing!!! I am still trying to return it right now!!!

I purchased this from a previous woot and mostly satisfied. As already stated, this is a barebones product, but it does the job. I wish the "adjustable" seat was more easily adjustable, instead of having to re-screw it in.

It's garbage. The rear wheel bearings have a tendency to come apart while being ridden by your child.

Woot was good enough to refund my money, but I'm really surprised to see it listed again...

I bought one of these bikes from Woot a few months ago, the bearings failed twice in the rear wheel. Woot however replaced them no problem. There is no way to contact Treehaus period. They are simply an importer. My three-year-old grandson loves it and almost immediately began balancing and gliding around the block! He rides it almost every day.

I have an extra wheel which I am going to take to a local hardware store that carries absolutely every bearing there is and see if I can find extras made in the USA that will last. Yet after replacing them for the last time, the old ones seem to be doing fine...

I can't speak to this product specifically, but I can clearly tell it is a cheap knock-off of the skuut balance bike. We bought two different kinds of skuuts, a wooden one a full retail, and the metal one with a hand brake from woot for $45. They are awesome, easy for kids to learn, and really do make the transition to pedal bikes seamless. But, you do get what you pay for and this does not appear to be well made. Believe me, when your kid is bombing down a hill you don't want that thing coming apart.

Ah, C'mon. Either you are gonna learn to ride a bike or you are not. Training Wheels are another joke. A kid needs to be thrown out there into the world and be on his own a little bit. Learning to ride a bike is a step a kid will remember for the rest of their life. I was 4 when I learned how to ride a bike and never used training wheels.

You definitely get what you pay for.

Some background: when we moved to Germany, these things were everywhere. In the pedestrian zones, every kid under 5 rides them constantly. Our kids wanted one, and these came up on woot within a week. They came quickly, and the kids loved them.

That's the good part. The bad part is the materials and design. The frame is plywood and the wheels are held on by threaded rods with one, smooth nut on each side. The nuts are only held on by friction, but if you tighten them too much, the sides of the fork get shoved against the wheel so it can barely turn - there are no washers or spacers separating the fork from the wheel body. The result is that the nuts fall off, leaving the wheel free to just roll away!

Also, we let an older kid try it (over the weight limit by less than 10 pounds) and the first time she fell over, the rod attaching the front fork pulled right through the plywood. We're using that one for spare parts now.

If you check the nuts before each ride, you can probably get away with using this until your kid learns to ride a pedal bike, then throw it away. If you plan to keep it for more than one kid or use it for more than a month, spend the extra money to get one that's built properly.

Bought this last time Woot offered... piece of junk! Thought it was great at first, my 4 year old LOVED it. But after only 4 days, the wheel fell off on the back and no way to fix it. The metal holding the wheel on broke and no way to fix. VERY disappointing.

QUESTION 1:
To those of you attesting to the low quality of this bike, and that it doesn't last - would you expect it to hold up long enough for a kid to learn how to balance?

My daughter is 7, doesn't know how to ride without training wheels yet, and if this will just get her over that hurdle I wouldn't care if it self-destructs after.

QUESTION 2: As I said, my daughter is 7. SHe is a small 7, but still 7. Will this bike be too small for her to use?

You can accomplish the same goal by lowering the seat and taking the pedals off of a regular bike. We did that and my daughter learned to balance it in one day. Put the pedals back on and she was riding it the next day.

noahsmybro wrote:QUESTION 1:
To those of you attesting to the low quality of this bike, and that it doesn't last - would you expect it to hold up long enough for a kid to learn how to balance?

My daughter is 7, doesn't know how to ride without training wheels yet, and if this will just get her over that hurdle I wouldn't care if it self-destructs after.

QUESTION 2: As I said, my daughter is 7. SHe is a small 7, but still 7. Will this bike be too small for her to use?

See my previous post about lowering the seat and taking the pedals off. My daughter was 7 last summer when she did this and she learned to ride after numerous frustrating attempts the summer before. :-)

prestonbunch wrote:See my previous post about lowering the seat and taking the pedals off. My daughter was 7 last summer when she did this and she learned to ride after numerous frustrating attempts the summer before. :-)

I've been wanting to teach my daughter how to ride a bike and been torn between this idea and getting a balance bike. I personally never learned how to ride and I'm adamant that she learn how [saves on teasing in school]. I'm going to add this point to the bike-sans-pedals idea [which makes more sense to me] over getting something that is more temporary. Thanks!

One really important thing for the parents with younger/shorter kids to note: this balance bike has much bigger wheels than some of the more popular models. So, even with an adjustable seat, the minimum seat height is taller than most every other balance bike. We bought this for a nearly-3-year-old and his feet don't reach the floor.

His two older brothers (7 & 9 who already know how to ride a bike) think it is hilarious to scoot around the house on it. The buyers complaining about the wheel bearings/axle assembly do so with good reason. We need to reassemble the bike about once per day. No broken parts yet, thankfully, but it's looking like we'll be lucky if the thing remains ride-able long enough for the little guy's feet to reach the floor.

leehemen wrote:I bought one of these bikes from Woot a few months ago, the bearings failed twice in the rear wheel. Woot however replaced them no problem. There is no way to contact Treehaus period. They are simply an importer. My three-year-old grandson loves it and almost immediately began balancing and gliding around the block! He rides it almost every day.

I have an extra wheel which I am going to take to a local hardware store that carries absolutely every bearing there is and see if I can find extras made in the USA that will last. Yet after replacing them for the last time, the old ones seem to be doing fine...

I got one of these last time they were on Woot just before easter. My 4 year old loves riding his "motorcycle" However the back bearing have broken. Leehemen, what size bearings did you end up getting.

I got most of a Smart Balance bike in a Bucket of Coral a few months back. It is missing the piece that connects the handlebars to the body of the bike. Can someone post a picture or describe how it is suppose to connect? It looks like this bike uses the same method.

I told my son I'd buy him a bike when he could show me he could ride one. He borrowed and learned from his friends. One day he showed me he could ride. The next day he had his own bike as promised. I didn't have to watch him fall even once. Years later I taught my wife how to ride a motorcycle AFTER buying her one (cheap, old but serviceable). It was torture! Dropped it and couldn't pick it up, almost rode straight into a wall, spilled on gravel going around a corner. And I had to watch it all happen! Of course I couldn't tell her she'd have to learn before I would buy her one becasue she would have wanted to learn on my bike. That would have been far worse. For my son, if this item had been available I would have bought it for him.

We got a balance bike for my son when he was ~ 2 1/2 and we just got him a "real" bike for his 4th birthday. He was off and riding the bike without training wheels in no time. I think these are great for younger kids, once they're 4 or 5 you can do the real bike with pedals off trick, but there's no way my son would have been able to reach the ground when he was younger (barely can now with the seat all the way down on a 12" bike...yeah, he's short).

A nice throwback to the Velocipedes and "boneshakers" of the 1800's where people would get the occasional "header"! Now for kids!

I bought this last time it was up for my son. My only compaint is the seat is WAY too wide. My son likes it, but the seat digs into the inside of his legs beacuse it's too wide. He can only ride it for a few minutes before having to get off.

Don't waste money on this (I'm sure it's a solid product); simply remove the pedals from your child's current bike and lower the seat... BAM.. I taught my 4 yr old son how to ride a bike using that method w/in 1 hour. My 5 year old daughter learned the next day.

Under "Features," we learn that the balance bike is a "Perfect, fun peddle-free way for your child to learn the basics of riding a bike." I guess children don't have to try to sell anything? I'm glad to know my child won't become a peddler...

I bought one of these a few months ago. One thing I wanted to point out that isn't mentioned is that the age minimum of 3, is VERY conservative. This bike is too big for a 3 year old. My son is 3 and in the 54th percentile for height and he can only ride it on his tip-toes. His cousin whom is 6 months older is in the 30th percentile, and she cannot reach the ground at all.

It'll be a few months, probably until this winter before my average sized 3 year old will be able to ride it and he'll be pushing 4 by then.

boomn4x4 wrote:I bought one of these a few months ago. One thing I wanted to point out that isn't mentioned is that the age minimum of 3, is VERY conservative. This bike is too big for a 3 year old. My son is 3 and in the 54th percentile for height and he can only ride it on his tip-toes. His cousin whom is 6 months older is in the 30th percentile, and she cannot reach the ground at all.

It'll be a few months, probably until this winter before my average sized 3 year old will be able to ride it and he'll be pushing 4 by then.

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Thank you for this post, My baby is in the 24th percentile ..your post helped me make a decision. Will hold off till next time .
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We got one of these the last time Woot had them for our 4 year old. He's big for his age, about the height and weight of a 6 year old. He's technically too tall for it (he is just at the 50 pound weight limit), but he loves scooting around on it.

It's a pain to put together; I had to take the stupid thing apart to adjust the seat after I figured out that he was too tall for the setting I had it on.

However, we've had it this entire time, he uses it daily, and it is still holding up quite nicely. He seems to be doing well with learning how to balance.

I purchased one of these balance bikes in a previous woot offering. I wish I had seen this review prior to purchase. I completely echo the review on Amazon.

I can tell you that the failures that occurred with my bike were not quality control issues, but fundamental manufacturing issues. The bearings were CLEARLY not made for this type of application. Additionally, loctite should be included to keep the other fasteners together.

It is a great idea, but a huge disappointment for my kid. I have since purchased a regular bike and have not looked back since.

cmcdannold wrote:A review from the woot-parent site (not a favorable one):
http://www.amazon.com/Treehaus-16413240042-Wood-Balance-Bike/product-reviews/B005Q9BCLG/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

noahsmybro wrote:QUESTION 1:
To those of you attesting to the low quality of this bike, and that it doesn't last - would you expect it to hold up long enough for a kid to learn how to balance?

My daughter is 7, doesn't know how to ride without training wheels yet, and if this will just get her over that hurdle I wouldn't care if it self-destructs after.

QUESTION 2: As I said, my daughter is 7. SHe is a small 7, but still 7. Will this bike be too small for her to use?

Hi, just a thought here. My 5 yr old son was resistant to learning to ride his bike w/out training wheels. A friend gave us a razor scooter. He tried that, got his balance on it and was zipping around in about 10 minutes. A couple of days later he was riding his bike w/out the training wheels.

It looks like a bike for kids who's parents don't love them.

Steering is part of learning to balance, so the fixed handlebars are a negative. No one really needs this, anyway. Buy a decent bike (with hand brakes) that fits (knees should be only slightly bent when on the saddle and pedal is at the bottom). When first learning to ride, drop the seat down so they can touch ground with both feet while on the bike. Remove the pedals. Remember that the left pedal is reverse-threaded. You now have a "balance bike" that they can also steer. Teach them how to use the brakes, then let them push and coast until they get the balance and steering down. Put the pedals back on. Let them pedal while you hold rear wheel off the ground. They now have all the fundamentals. I've seen kids start from zero, and learn to ride a bike in a single afternoon using this method.

Once they have their confidence, raise the saddle back to where it should be.

Thought about this last time a similar product was on woot! Did a lot of research and ultimately went with a Kazaam Glide Bike.

Link

The Kazaam has real rubber wheels adjustable handle bars etc. My 3 year old LOVES it. Construction is great. He's the hit of every park we go to. The price is higher, we got it for 75, but we know he has younger brother who will use it to which made paying for quality a little easier.

This is the way to learn to ride a bike, no question. He had it mastered a few days after Xmas and he was 3 yrs 4 months at the time.

We got our kids a balance by Glide Bikes the Mini Glider. http://www.glidebikes.com It was amazing how the kids took to it right away and wanted to ride all the time. My daughter slept with hers for a while. We got her the Metallic Hot Pink to match her pink collection. We also notices that our kids were able to play soccer better and are now the best kids on the team years later. Learning to balance and developing gross motor skills at such a young age helps with all kinds of sports as well as learning. I highly recommend getting your kids started early 2 or 3 at most. Now we all can got for family bike rides too.

has anyone found replacement bearings for this thing? if so, where?!?