Strider 12 Pro Is The Only All Aluminum Lightweight Balance Bike

Balance bikes are a great way for a toddler to learn to ride a bike without scraping their ankles on pedals or suffering the noisy wheel wobbles of training stabilizer wheels.

Kids can feel confident as they build up speed on a no-pedal bike, lift their feet off the ground at speed and place them on the footrests.

I have found that kids learning to ride a balance bike experience none of the balance fears that a regular bike creates because they can put their feet down immediately and do not have to contend with the pedals that always get in the way.

So on to the review of this sturdy little item

which in our opinion is the best balance bike for toddlers from 18 months to 5 years old for a whole variety of reasons especially it's very light-weight.

The Strider 12 Pro is unique because it claims to be the lightest balance bike in the World. However since I first wrote this review a lighter Balance Bike has come out called The Cruzee. The Cruzee Balance Bike is only 4.2lbs which is over 2.5lbs lighted than the Strider 12 Pro and the Cruzee Ultralight is available for around $159.

and that really is some claim but I can assure you that a toddler can pick this no-pedal bike up and lift it above their heads like an Olympic weight-lifter.

It is so light that I can pick it up with one hand and carry the kid in the other hand, which has been useful in temper-tantrum situations!

Firstly, and important to me as a dad

- this Strider 12 pro will not rust if left out in the yard. Because it's made of all aluminum it will not suffer the perils of damp weather like a bike made of steel.

So as well as being much lighter than steel, aluminum will look great for much longer without that awful rust which gets to all bikes eventually.

Assembly is a breeze as we describe below and I noticed that the handlebars are not as wide as usual.

Strider say that these smaller handlebars are good for smaller kids to steer easily and control the bike better.

I'm sure that this is true as there is less handlebar to lever around for the little ones.

Strider have a nice range of accessories which help their balance bikes make a good investment in your child's development. For example a pedal converter kit for the 14x size bikes saves having to buy a separate pedal bike when they are ready for it, although the pedal kit will not fit onto the 12 Pro model (it might, I haven't tried!). At the other end of the scale and one that will fit on all Strider bikes is the Rocking Base. If they are a bit too young to be scooting around then a Strider Rocking Base converter is available to turn the bike into a rocking horse, which is really neat.

Here are the features of the Strider 12 Pro as provided by the manufacturer:

Features

• One-piece ultra light wheels
• Mini-seat on 220mm seat post
• No-tool seat & handlebar adjustment or assembly
• Standard grip to mini-grip upgrade
• Handlebar safety pad
• XL seat post with padded seat for adjustment up to 19 inches
• Handlebar number plate with decal
• Steel to aluminum frame material upgrade
• Dimensions: 33 x 15 x 22 inches
• Weight including box: 8.4 pounds
• Weight of bike only: 6.7 pounds

And the Pro's and Con's of the Strider 12 Pro for thos who like to see the postive and negative points:

Pro's

• great for kids from 18 months to 5 years old
• the lightest balance bike on the market
• 2 saddle sizes included so the bike can grow with the child
• Polymer tires are lightweight and solid so never need pumping up and will never go flat
• Integrated foot rests that are on the back of the frame with grip tape to stop feet slipping
• Easy to build with quick-release no-tools fixings for seat post and handlebars
• takes less than 5 minutes to construct out of the box

Con's

• More expensive than most steel balance bikes but the pro's above explain why!

Assembly

The Strider 12 Pro is very easy to assemble and should take less than 10 minutes. Importantly, the wheels are already attached when it comes out the box.

The front wheel is attached to the front fork and the rear wheel is attached to the frame. These are usually the most difficult parts to assemble on a bike and here that's already done for you.

All that remains is to insert the forks into the stem and use the spanner that's included to tighten the washer nuts. Some parents have mentioned that the steering is a little tight for their toddler but the steering stiffness can easily be adjusted by you at this point.

Next the seat post needs to be inserted into the frame. choose either the smaller seat or larger one depending on your child's age and height. The seat post, like the handlebar has a quick-release catch so

it can be assembled and adjusted without tools. Easy!

Next the handlebar is inserted just like the seat post and voila! The finishing touches require putting on the handlebar protector and front number plate detail and you are good to go with years of balance bike fun for the kids who will learn to ride a proper bike in a safe and fun way!

Although the Strider 12 Pro is one of the top models on the market, you still may want to browse other products from our best balance bikes reviews if you are not quites ready to buy.

Remember, if it's the absolutely lightest Balance Bike that you need, the Cruzee Balance Bike is newer and lighter than this Strider. At only 4.2lbs, it's over 2.5lbs lighted than the Strider 12 Pro and the Cruzee Ultralight is available for around $159 here.

Strider 12 Pro Test Of Strength [Video]