YBIKE Balance Bike

by Flybar

• Award Winning Balance Bike
• High Impact Plastic for Durability
• Two Rear Wheels for Additional Stability
• High ground clearance allows for safer riding
• Bigger Wheels for safer riding

Product Description

Amazon.com

Start 'em learning to ride at an early age with the YBike balance bike. Perfect for toddlers, the YBike is designed and engineered to help your child build the skills, balance, and coordination necessary to ride a big-kid bicycle.

The YBike helps your child learn to balance and turn without risking injury.

The YBike is outfitted with a tough, long-lasting frame, with an injection-molded structure that eliminates weak points and offers more design freedom, hence the sleek curves and smooth, superior finish. At the same time, the bike's safety-oriented design will help your kid learn the basics of riding without risking injury. The front wheel is considerably farther forward than on most children's bikes, creating a bigger turning circle. This makes it less likely that kids will fall over the front when turning. The pair of back wheels, meanwhile, makes the bike easier to balance while still allowing the child to lean side to side when turning. Each time your child rides, he or she will come closer to understanding how a real bike works. In addition, the back wheels are partially covered by the seat, keeping kids from riding over their feet. Finally, the YBike's large wheels and high ground clearance let kids ride safely on almost any terrain, including pavement, grass, or even sand.

Kids who tested the YBike for 20 to 30 minutes twice a week showed substantial improvements in both static and dynamic balance and bilateral coordination. Children as young as 1.5 years also showed observable improvements in physical self-confidence. So sit back, relax, and watch your little ones develop their bike-riding skills with the YBike. The product measures 33 by 17.3 by 9.4 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 7 pounds.

Product Description

YBIKE Balance Bike

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 8.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B003NGGEO4
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,753 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
  • #8 in Sports & Outdoors > Bikes & Accessories > Kids' Bikes & Accessories > Kids' Bikes

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 97 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Okay, NOW I get it. September 18, 2010

By Jenna Glatzer TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Color Name:Orange|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I consider myself pretty in-the-know about new products for the preschool set, so of course, I did catch on to all the "balance bike" rage that erupted in 2009. I considered buying one for my daughter, but it was actually a couple of online videos that dissuaded me. I watched kids riding these balance bikes, and I just didn't get it. It just looked like kids walking around with a bike between their legs.

When given the opportunity to test this one out, however, I was eager to see for myself why people were talking so much about balance bikes-- and within minutes, I could see the appeal.

First, this is simple to assemble and looks cool. My 3 1/2-year-old couldn't wait to try it out as soon as it was together, so she rode it around the living room and kitchen. She didn't want to get off her bike for the rest of the night-- impressive, considering she owns two tricycles and one bike with training wheels and hasn't really taken to any of them. This one, she thought was fun. While she watched TV, she sat on her bike and picked up her legs and tried to balance as she leaned side to side.

Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to try it out for myself. Now, I am positive the manufacturer didn't intend for a 34-year-old woman to sit on this thing, but I did it anyway (rationalizing that I'm petite), and... I "got it." What looked to me like just plain walking on the videos might have been (maybe they were inexperienced riders), or it might have been more of what I wound up doing, which was sort of gliding. It was fun! Then, to really give the manufacturer a heart attack, my daughter decided she wanted to ride with me. I have no idea how we managed this, but we did, at least for 30 seconds.

The next day, we took our adventures outside, where she rode down the block to the playground and back, finally tiring out at the end and asking me to carry her (it's a lot of leg work!).

There's a flyer in the box explaining why the manufacturer decided not to invest in adjustable seats (it typically adds no more than 2 inches, and kids can adjust by just bending their knees), which I thought sounded like a lame excuse for not spending a few extra bucks, but I ended up appreciating it-- the molded seat is very comfortable and sturdy, and I like it better than typical bike seats. And considering I was able to ride it as an adult, I'm pretty clear proof that you can adjust by just bending your knees. My daughter is a very tall 3 1/2-year-old, and it's the perfect size for her.

I really like the design-- the double wheels in the back add sturdiness without taking away the need for the child to balance, and it feels like safety was the first consideration in the manufacturing of this product-- no wheel spokes, partially-covered back wheels, no place for fingers to get stuck. Our only problem in this regard is that when my daughter tries to go too quickly, her heels sometimes get caught momentarily in the back wheel base.

The only other negative I can find is that the literature about the YBike Extreme said the wheels were solid rubber, but on this version, they're not-- they're hard plastic just like the rest of the bike. That can make for a noisy and less smooth ride, which is why Step 2 recently came out with a Whisper Ride Buggy version of their bestselling Push Around Buggy. But in all honesty, the plastic wheels on this don't seem to make as much noise as the Push Around Buggy's did... maybe because there's less surface area of the wheels actually touching the ground.

My daughter is enjoying showing off her newfound bike-riding abilities to everyone who comes to our house.

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, but has some flaws October 20, 2010

By APF VINE™ VOICE

Color Name:Green|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Length: 0:51 Mins

My son is two and a half and I wanted him to start learning to ride a bike. I was considering the one with the training wheels, but during my research I learned about balance bikes and benefits of learning balancing on a two wheel bike first rather than learning first how to pedal. I was initially leaning towards one of the two wooden balance bikes - Diggin Active Skuut Wooden Balance Bike or Prince Lionheart Balance Bike - mostly due to the novelty factor, but then I had a chance to try a YBIKE balance bike, so I took that chance.

The YBIKE is well built and was very easy to put together according to the instructions using included wrenches. My wife thought that the color scheme - solid color for the frame and black handlebars, front fork and wheels - was classy, but I thought a red reflector in the back and a white in the front would have added some color and helped with the safety. My son had no problem riding YBIKE from the first time he sat on it. I took this video during his first time using YBIKE about 10 minutes after he got on it. You can see that he already is trying to scoot a little.

Like some other reviewers, I did not like that the seat height is fixed. The manufacturer included a leaflet with an explanation (though the leaflet referenced a different model - YBIKE Extreme) explaining why they decided to make the seat not adjustable, but to me it sounded like an excuse. I would like an adjustable seat, because I think the life of this toy is severely shortened by the lack of it. I believe that as my child grows it will soon become uncomfortable for him to ride this toy as it is pretty low.

I also wanted to address the balance of YBIKE. The bike has double wheels in the back, which makes it very easy to balance. In fact, it is so well balanced that I can stand YBIKE on the ground and it won't fall; kind of like a tricycle. When my son tried a Skuut balance bike at a local bike shop, he tipped right over, he tried again and fell again, so he laid Skuut on the floor and walked away. It was hard for him to balance on Skuut whereas on the YBIKE he started scooting during his first try. The good thing about YBIKE's good balance is that a child does not get discouraged and enjoys it from the beginning. The negative is that he is probably learning less of the balance skill since YBIKE intrinsic balance is helping him so much. At this point, I think the stability of YBIKE is a good thing because it is hard to reason a two-year-old into doing something after he becomes discouraged, but with the YBIKE he is looking forward to using it.

Overall, this is a great toy. If I could, I would get it earlier when my son was two so the toy would be usable longer because of the nonadjustable seat.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic idea October 21, 2010

By Jen TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Color Name:Pink|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

First things first, extremely easy to assemble. I didn't even need to look at the manual as it's very simple how the pieces fit together. The bike is all made of hard plastic, but it is a quality, durable plastic, not a hollow cheap plastic like you find with a lot of riding toys for this age group. Yes, the wheels are hard plastic and not rubber, but as we are just using it around the house right now, I really don't mind. I decided to try it out myself before giving it to my 2-year-old, and it felt very sturdy, even though it is not quite made for 30-year-old women. ;)

My 2-year-old absolutely loves this bike. I hadn't even considered the idea of getting her a bike yet, but when I received this I knew we had to give it a try. I hadn't heard of balance bikes prior to the YBIKE, but I could instantly see what the hype was all about. My 2-year-old is just the right size to scoot along on her bike and I don't fear at all for her safety as the bike is very low to the ground and quite sturdy. The rear wheel is wide enough to provide stability and the handlebars can't turn sharp enough for her to turn too hard and fall off. As I watch her ride around, I can see the balance practice the whole time. A slight tip to the side reminds her to regain her balance but doesn't frighten her like my 5-year-old still experiences with his training wheels. Every time my son tips a tiny bit with the training wheels, he (and I!) become worried and he usually won't put up with that for very long before deciding to quit. Hence, he rarely rides his bike. This bike, however, has both children fighting over who gets to play. Now, my 5-year-old is too tall for the bike but he can still scoot around just fine and seems quite comfortable. I am fairly sure a bigger YBIKE will be waiting for him under the tree this Christmas and hopefully by spring he will have the confidence to ride his other bike. I only wish I had discovered it sooner! Highly recommended!