Customer Reviews

Balance Buddy (Adjustable)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We got this to help our reluctant son prepare to ditch the training wheels. We made a deal that he would try riding with the balance buddy for one week, and if he didn't feel more confident, we would reinstall his training wheels. Much to our surprise, after two, 15-minute sessions on consecutive days, he was riding completely independently. We loved seeing our son's confidence level soar to the point that, after 3 sessions, he demanded we remove the balance buddy. Therefore, despite the fact that the balance buddy is a well made, sturdy backsaver, we got very little use out of it.

Instead of abandoning it in the storage shed, we decided to attach it to our 3 1/2 year old daughter's bike, assuming that it would remain there for quite some time. We expected it to take much longer, but after about 8 sessions, she is riding on her own with only an occasional need for assistance. I feel that the Balance Buddy is infinately better than training wheels in helping children learn to balance, as it allows them to sense when they are leaning and self-correct. I highly recommend this for any child who is ready to kick the training wheel habit!!

I bought the Bike Buddy 3 yrs ago with hopes of using it to teach my daughter who was 5 at the time. Well I tossed it in the basement and forgot about it until this summer. Within 1 hr my daughter was riding on her own. It took her a little longer than most of the reviewers because she had a spill on concrete and was TERRIFIED of falling. I feel the trick is to try find a large dirt patch about the size of a baseball infield, where they can learn with no cars around and without fear of falling on concrete. The same day my daughter was on her own, I taught her friend within 15 minutes!! Two weeks later, I taught my 3 yr old son to ride on his own within 45 mins!!

Before using the Bike Buddy, I spent countless hours tring to teach my daughter to ride and all I got was a frustrated little girl and a LOT of back pain.

The Bike Buddy is an incredible confidence booster for kids and the best $20 bucks that a parent will spend!!

Mack (NY, NY)

I loved the idea of this and the positive reviews sold me. The problem we ran into is that it did not fit on the bike properly. Our 5 year old son is very tall for his age and has a bigger inexpensive "dirt" bike from Toys R Us. When I wen to attach the Balance buddy. It was clear that the bend in the metal on the Balance Buddy, which is meant to keep it from moving lower while attached, had to be straightened to allow for clearance of the bike's frame. So I bent the metal and got it attached; however, the Balance Buddy does not stay in one position and requires constant tightening. That said, It is still better than hunching over.

I picked this up several years ago for my daughter when she was 4. After just two 15-20 min sessions she could do short 30 yard straight runs by herself. Another week and I didn't really have to use it anymore (although she insisted on leaving it mounted for a month or so because she liked having it there).

I have since loaned it to a neighbor (whose daughter needed it for about 2 months) and now my nephew is using it to learn to ride *his* bike.

I believe this handle is superior to the more expensive fixed training handles because of the hinged attachment point. The hinge makes it awkward to push the bike along, forcing you to do what you are supposed to be doing: providing only a bit of lateral stability and allowing the child to control speed. Fixed handle types make it too easy to push the bike along which hampers learning.

Mounting is simple. If you have them, take the training wheels off and slip the lower holes over the wheel hub bolts. I did need to add an extra washer to properly clear the frame (this will vary by bike model). Note that it is important that you do not add too many washers as you need the horizontal tab at the end of the arm to strike the horizontal strut. This is what prevents the handle bar, which pivots around the rear hub, from dropping all the way down and striking the ground.

The handle height is adjustable to several positions and ours has been used by parents ranging from 5' 4" to 6' without undue strain.

Durability is also good (not surprising given the simplicity of the design) and after use by 3 different kids there is only some cosmetic damage to the finish.

Worked as promised. Unable to get son to transition to a 2 wheeler using training wheels.
Able to go to 2 wheeler by himself after 3 days with balance buddy.
Recommended.

It's really just a big bolt-on sissy bar like some older 70s bikes had. But it works really well for bike training. Our 6 year-old is fairly coordinated but a little nervous about getting hurt after a few spills. The nice thing about the bar is that you can hold it to keep them steady, and then lower it to give them a push if they're not big on pedaling. It will hold its place wherever you put it, but can be pulled up and down while in use. He went from being scared of riding to doing 2-3 minutes by himself in a few hours. We still have to give him a push to get started every once in a while but overall this thing has helped out tremendously.

I was getting anxious to get my 7 yr old daughter on two wheels. The Balance buddy was much more effective than training wheels. I tell everyone about it!
[...]. Edited to add- If my kids had been younger, I would have loved to have a balance bike! [...]

We'd given up hope of ever getting our 7 year old daughter out of training wheels. Then we saw this on another child's bike, and it seemed worth a try. In less than an hour she was riding unassisted. We removed it the next day. Fortunately it doesn't cost much.

Purchased this training handle for our 6 y/o daughter and found it to be perfect. She had been learning to ride with traditional training wheels for several months with slow progress. The training handle had her riding confidently on her own in a few hours. Could not recommend it more highly.

our 4 year old daughter learnt to cycle without training wheels in a week! The balance buddy really works would recomend it highly!