We went from a 12" balance to 16" pedal and that transition worked out well with one caveat - we used both simultaneously. I'd 100% agree with your concern with quickly outgrowing a 14" as the seatpost is already maxed out for our 6+yr old on our Trek Precaliber 16. I'd suggest checking out some available options at local shops, if possible... not to sway you from ordering a Woom but even with picking out a balance bike I found it helpful seeing them up close in store, even if just to help eliminate some options and better inform your choices. One local shop had a couple balance bikes and one (Giant Pre, I think?) had a nice option to allow conversion to a pedal bike with a foot rest insert for a standard threaded bottom bracket shell in balance mode, which could then be swapped out for cranks and a rear hub threaded for a single freewheel. I was initially drawn to this option as a bike tinkerer but the frame design had a higher top tube than some other 12" purpose built balance options and made it difficult for our then 2-3yr old to even straddle the frame. We ended up with an REI balance bike that had a better fit range for the earlier years but that lacked any of those pedal add on options. It continued to work with maxed out seatpost and stem until nearly 6yr!
Our progression was interesting in that our kiddo kind of lost interest in the balance bike early on then later took a strong interest in it again AFTER we got the bigger 16" pedal bike and right before we were thinking it might be time to hand it down to a younger cousin. So we ended up alternating between the balance bike and pedal bike with training wheels and quickly progressed to learning to ride this past spring with both options available at once. I think after feeling the limitations of steering the training wheeled pedal bike vs. the more nimble balance bike and wanting to ride on our local gravel paths it sparked more of desire to learn. The Trek is also on the heavier side for such a small bike but haven't actually weighed it compared to other options in the size range. We chose the Trek more or less based on local availability, fit with the step through sloping tubes, and of course COLOR to accommodate a specific favorite color request! The Trek comes with widely spaced 2" knobbies which I knew would work well on our local trails. I do like how Woom offers the hand brakes with kid sized levers to get them learning that early on but with our flat trails and paths the coaster brake has been fine. We were also fortunate to acquire a used tag-along tandem attachment to use with one of my own bikes at the same time as we still had the balance bike and 16" pedal bike and I think that combination of revisiting the balance bike while learning to pedal on both the 20" wheeled tandem attachment and 16" pedal bike all played a factor in building the confidence to lead up to ditching the training wheels altogether on the 16" bike. It may have been overkill to have all 3 available at once but ultimately it gave our child options and to Awentzell's point, it allowed the whole experience to remain fun and fluid and to build confidence at their own pace. It also helped mix things up for all of us between longer family rides with the tandem attachment vs. short loops with us walking along vs. just striding along inside or outside on the balance bike. Oh, one other benefit of some local shops is they sometimes have a guaranteed trade in program for sizing up. I actually think that is an option for our Trek if we wanted to trade in for a bigger size with a credit applied. I still need to look into that as I forget if it was something with the shop and the Trek we actually bought or another dealer/brand. We have some younger cousins so have been handing down much of our outgrown stuff rather than reselling but will need to see what our trade in options are for the 16" bike before making any final decisions since it may end up making more sense to trade up vs. swapping components and keeping it but will see how the fit is come spring and how much adjusting is needed. On Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 9:01:52 AM UTC-5 pbsm...@gmail.com wrote: > I have a giant 3yo that has been crushing it on their balance bike. I > opted for a 14" Guardian bike based on the reviews from TwoWheelingTots. I > can't believe how heavy it is. Even using it as a balance bike my 3yo is > unable to control it and has lost interest. Wish I would have sprang for > the Woom... > > Smitty in DC > > On Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 9:01:06 PM UTC-5 pi...@gmail.com wrote: > >> I will second the Woom series of bikes for kids. The owner has been been >> very responsive over the years to my complaints about the early wooms and >> now there's very little to fault about them. The joy a kid has on a nice >> bike coming down an MTB trail cannot be beat: >> https://photos.app.goo.gl/wfaaXekGtGojqDoe8, >> https://photos.app.goo.gl/KzNpJ69adZiCrgxDA >> >> We bought Woom 2, 3, and then when the off versions came out the off >> versions of the 4 and 5. Rather than get a 6, I found a used Salsa >> Journeyman 50cm which worked out well for less money than a new Woom 6. >> >> >> On Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 1:39:32 PM UTC-8 Michael Ullmer wrote: >> >>> Hi Nick, >>> >>> We've been using both the Woom 2 and Woom 3 as first pedal bikes for our >>> two kids (now 3.5 and 6.5). My kids are pretty rough on the bikes and I've >>> never had any mechanical issues with them aside from adjusting the brakes >>> every now and then. We do always keep them in the garage when not in use. >>> >>> My younger just moved from a Woom 2 to a Woom 3 and it seems to fit her >>> just fine. She probably could have used the Woom 2 for a few more months, >>> but with the slightly lower gearing, she was spinning out on it quite a bit >>> and we had the seat almost all the way up. I think you're right that if you >>> went with the 14" Woom 2 that your kid would outgrow it pretty quickly. >>> >>> On Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 2:55:09 PM UTC-6 fiddl...@gmail.com >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Since RBW regrettably doesn't make kids hillibikes, I'm going to have >>>> to go a bit outside of my comfort zone to pick out a first pedal bike for >>>> my son. He's ~3.5yo, and more than ready to move up from his 12" balance >>>> bike. >>>> >>>> Any tips from other parents who have recently gone through the switch >>>> from balance to pedals? I'm leaning toward something like a Woom 3 (16"), >>>> since they seem to be very well regarded, and I'm afraid he would outgrow >>>> a >>>> 14" bike too soon at this point to justify the expense. (am I wrong?) >>>> Probably also worth noting that a lot of his riding is currently on >>>> trails, >>>> so I'm definitely looking for something that will work well off-pavement, >>>> too. Anyhow, I'll take any advice the group is willing to throw at me - >>>> thanks in advance for your help! >>>> >>>> Nick >>>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/d228e82d-6699-49d1-a070-8a0451cf8380n%40googlegroups.com.
