Customer Reviews

Like A Bike Kids Jumper Balance Bike (Blue)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Day One: Moments of frustration because the bike does not stand up on its own (like a trike). By the afternoon, though, my two and half year old son is walking on the bike pretty well.

Day Two: My son is coasting for two to three foot stretches.

Day Seven: My son is coasting down short hills in the grass.

Day Fourteen: My son can ride for a few hundred feet downhill without touching his feet to the ground. He could prbably ride for more, but that's all the longer the hills are where we ride.

He's two and a half and he can ride a bike without training wheels after only two weeks. How could I be happier?

I expect that I should be able to get him on a pedal bike by his birthday. The only thing holding me back is that then he might try to ride off somewhere and he'd only be three.

The jumper is simply the best balance bike on the market.

I realize that there are cheaper options out there, and as long as you have the money to spend right now, here's why you should buy this one.

- Very adjustable seat - grows with your child. Trust me, they'll enjoy this even after they're riding a pedal bike
- Lightweight frame - makes moving it around easy\
- VERY high quality tires. Ok, so I'm a bike guy, but these two Schwalbe tires alone are worth more than many cheaper alternatives. This matters because they will roll better, provide more cushioning and hold up better than the cheaper alternatives.

Finally, and this is the big one....

RESALE VALUE

Used Jumpers sell for almost as much as a new one. You will easily get 80% of your money back when you're through with it.

Balance bikes are the easy way to get your kid riding, and the Jumper is the premium bike out there. I know my daughter loves hers.

I am by no means an expert on bicycles, but I have to say that this has got to be one of the (if not the) best bikes for kids learning to ride. It was relatively easy to assemble and it must weight about 7 pounds. My son (4.5) has never been on anything other than a tricycle and I felt that it was about time he started to learn how to balance. At the recommendation of a friend I looked into like-a-bikes and found this one. All the reviews are great and it is no exaggeration that my son was riding this bike and gliding around in no time at all. We started around the house, but slowly progressed to a tennis court and then a local park. The learning curve on this is beyond all expectations. I thought it would take him weeks, but it was really only a matter of days. SKIP THE TRAINING WHEELS and get this bike. Pedaling will come naturally after your child learns to glide and balance on this.

We bought this bike for our son about a month ago for his 3rd birthday. Our daughters had traditional bikes with training wheels and they did not learn how to ride without training wheels until they were 6 and 8 years old. They had come to rely on the training wheels so much that when the wheels bent, the girls would ride crooked to keep the bike on the training wheels, it was horrible.

My son has ridden a traditional bike with training wheels as well and was already starting to rely on them. When he got this bike he took off on it immediately (we've only used it in the house). He got comfortable with it very quickly and unlike his regular bike, when he dumped it over, he laughed. It's so incredibly lightweight. When he fell over on his regular bike he smacked his helmet into the pavement and cried for 10 minutes because he had scraped his leg up from the pedal. He lays this like a bike over regularly and has never once gotten hurt. It's so easy to handle too, I can toss it in the car with ease, how refreshing compared to his very heavy traditional bike.

I wish we would have started with this bike from the beginning. I'm selling my sons other two traditional bikes and we will NEVER again have training wheels be a part of our family.

One last thing. I know there are many options in the like a bikes and this one is relatively expensive, however, we have a one year old boy who will be riding this bike one day and another child on the way. It's hardy enough that I plan to have every additional child use it, so in that respect, it's well worth the money spent. I'd do it all over again and again.

This is an expensive item compared to most children's toys and products - and it is a 'strange' concept to many parents - a bicycle without pedals?!?!?!

First, let me address the price - I cannot give anyone a wheel to wheel comparison to the cheaper models out there - but I must say that this is a wonderful bicycle. It is solid, attractive, with real componets, built very well, engineered well. It rides and handles incredilby smoothly, it is very well-balanced, the wheels are wonderful, bearings are nice, shock absorbsion is not over the top as to through off Jr's balance. It fits well, the seat adjusts easily, kids can jump on and off easily. It is not too heavy to carry, it is sturdy and will age well - so generally speaking a very very very well designed bicycle. This is not a toy-like-bicycyle - it is a real bicycle that just so happens to be scaled down for kids. It acts and responds like a REAL bicycle.

Regarding the concept of balance first/pedal later - well, it was tense in my house the days leading up to my three year old's birthday. He has only used trikes (and not very well - which frustrated him becaues he barely moved while his sister zipped by on her bike). He enjoyed most success on those little ride-on toys that you push with your feet. So, we were wondering how this thing was going to fly. We also recalled the terrible time we had teaching our daughter how to balance on her bike when the training wheels came off - we also remembered our own experiences - the crashes, the near misses, the falls, anxiety....then finally some success and a lot of bruises!

BUT not only was our son DELIGHTED to see a 'real' looking bicycle, he hopped on it immediately without assistance and off he went! He was a little tenuous at first, moving slowly and basically walking with a bicycle under him - but after a day we could see him scooting around the driveway and up and down sloping paths with both feet up in the air! He was/is happy as a clam with his newfound mastery of this toy. He is SOOOO happy to be moving just like so many people he sees on bicycles. He controls is well, steers well, stops well and picks his speed. We were stunned - after two casual days with it - HE HAS MASTERED BALANCING! No fear, no anxiety, no falls, cuts, scrapes. He just sort of scoots around and goes.

If you want your child to love bicycle riding. This type of toy is a MUST. If you have the $$ to spend on a superb item for your child which he/she will love and use for YEARS - this is the bike to get.

Whoda thunk?

I looked at most every push bike on the market before settling on this one. It's fairly light weight, has a shock, sits lower than most and has a steering limiter that greatly increases rider stability. At 1 1/2 yrs old, our son took to it almost immediately and was shooting downhills and jumping it off of curbs, stairs and rocks before long. About the only knock I have is the quality of the paint - if the bike brushes against any hard object it'll scratch.

I bought this for my son for his 2nd birthday. The very first day he was coasting in circles in our driveway. At 3.5 we put him on a pedal bike with no training wheels, gave him a little push and off he went, riding a pedal bike at 3.5 without ever using training wheels. He is 4.5 now and still rides his Jumper a lot, probably more than his pedal bike, he loves the control I guess. His little brother who is 1.5 wants to ride the Jumper so bad but his legs aren't long enough yet, a couple more months and it will be his though. That is one of the many reasons the Jumper is such a good investment, i.e. 2.5 years later and it is still a quality bike in perfect functional condition that our next child will use for several more years. Then we will probably still be able to sell it for half what we paid, ($225) Our older son has three other little buddies who are very close to his age, after they saw him riding his Jumper they all got balance bikes too, different brands though. They all started riding 16" pedal bikes by 3.5 without ever using training wheels. However the difference between the bikes is pretty huge. Two of them bought the Strider model ($100) and the third bought the Specialized Hotwalk ($150). The Strider model has solid wheels sort of like a soft plastic. These wheels do not provide as much grip as real rubber inflatable tires; I have seen both boys wipe out as they turned corners because of the front wheel sliding out due to lack of grip. The Jumper's wheels have incredible grip and my son can turn very sharply without fear of wiping out. The overall quality of the Strider is much lower than that of the Jumper, as you would expect for the price difference. They still ride their Strider bikes after 2.5 years but the wear is marketable different, they will likely go in the dumpster when they move permanently to their pedal bikes. Whenever the boys are all together it seems they all want to ride the Jumper, they like the suspension and like bouncing up and down on it and I think they can tell that the wheels provide them better control than with the Strider model. They go faster on the Jumper than on their Strider. The quick release seat post clamp on the Jumper is also a nice feature as you can quickly adjust seat height for the different kids that want to ride it. The Specialized Hotwalk is a nice alternative to the Jumper. It has rubber inflatable wheels and the quality is good. It is a little heavier due to the steel frame and it doesn't have the cool suspension but it is otherwise a great little bike that will last and hold its value well. The weight difference might not seem like much but I can't tell you how many times I have had to carry the Jumper home after my son simply had enough and would not ride anymore while we were out for a walk. The jumper is so light you could carry that thing all day and it not be a problem. Light weight is important for the rider too, kids are so little at that age that a few pounds will make a difference to them, in their ability to control the bike and how quickly they tire from pushing it (and how fast they can go) Bottom line, get your child a balance bike as their first bike, any model, it is the best way to learn how to ride a bike. The jumper, if you don't mind spending the money, will provide your child with the very best (and safest) possible experience and will hold its resale value better than the rest. In the life cycle of the bikes it really is the cheapest option when you consider resale value. I Hope this helps

I am really glad I spent the money on this bike for my son. It is really well made and he loves to ride it. He quickly learned how to balance on it after 4 short riding sessions. Assembly wasn't too hard and it did come with a tool to put it together. However, I did have to change the seat post for my son which requires a regular set of tools. The bike comes with 2 sizes of seat posts and 2 orange rubber shock absorbers. Any kind of further adjustment beyond initial assembly requires a regular set of tools, so have all of that handy along with the tire pump.

My son loves this bike and his little brother will too. Being a former bike mechanic and racer, I am somewhat finicky on bikes. This bike has quick release seatpost beautiful welds on the frame threadless headset and quality wheel set. There is even a rubber attachment on the front fork that prevents wheel twist so the little guy can keep it going straight. This bike is light as a feather so he has no problem moving it himself. The bike will last him, his brother, and whomever else might be coming in the future.

Fantastic bike, most certainly one of the best purchase we made for our son but please read at the end a warning for security. First, unlike most of the toys available on the market, this one is made to last and is very well manufactured with high quality material and superior engineering and it is true of every aspect of this bike design from the quality of the seat to its very very light weight. It cost more, but you get a lot more as well in terms of quality and durability. We live in an urban area and we walk considerably. At now 3yo, our son never ever is in a stroller but always is going places with us on his little bike. We ordered the bike when our son was 24 months - At 24 months, he was "walking his bike" more than he was "riding". But two more months of growth was all he needed to get the level of comfort needed for sitting down on the seat and balance his leg in a proper motion enabling him to propel himself on balance on his bike. From there it went really fast and within a week he learned to lift his feet and place them on top of the rear bar of the bike frame. We are being stopped all the time by people asking how hold he his and being very surprised that such a young children can be biking so easily.

Update after one year - We have invested in biking gloves for toddler (nakamura) and a new Nutcase Helmet and a Littlelife Runabout Toddler Daypack. Tonight we were glad we did. Our son is now exactly 3 years old and is relatively fast on this bike. When there is a path going slightly very slightly downhill, like we often find in urban area, children really do gain speed. There are no brakes on this bike and children learn to control speed with their feet, ruining a pair of shoes in a few weeks! But a little more speed than usual and a curve ahead can be tricky if in addition they need to correct direction for avoiding let say a pigeon who decide not to trade his position for an incoming toddler on a bike. For these little fall, the children biking glove are an absolute must. The get up without a scratch on their hand and resume biking in an instant. As for the helmet, do not even think about not buying one. Especially at 3 yo since it is when they go from a straight line path at low speed to a much faster speed moving left and right having fun ridding between obstacles. Fall do happen, and every-time, the helmet gets one more scratch. Tested several helmet brand and at 2yo the Specialized Small Fry was ok, but now prefer the Nutcase for the added protection.

Finally, the Littlelife Runabout Toddler Daypack is a must for urban area. This daypack has a "handle" on the top of the bag. At an intersection waiting for the green light or while crossing the street YOU WANT to hold your children until safely on the other side of the street. The children hand are on the handle bar, so the best way to old your children safely in the handle at the top of the daypack. With this it enables you to easily hold your children will walking next to him *** the daypack come with a safety strap that can be hooked to the daypack, we never used it.