Kettler Balance Bike Review

When Tiny Toy Reviewer #1 was a toddler, balance bikes were pricey and hard to find. But they have become a lot more wide spread and more competitively priced in the last couple of years, so we purchased the Kettler balance bike for Tiny Toy Reviewer #2's third birthday.

Kettler Speedy balance bike - the positives?

The Kettler Speedy balance bike feels and look like a good quality, "proper" bike. The steel frame makes it light, and the bike is covered with a polyester coating to make it scratch resistant. I was impressed with how comfortable the seat feels in comparison to other children's bikes I've looked at. It also has the positive of being one of the few balance bikes in this price bracket which has a brake.

The primary selling point of a balance bike is that they promote the balance and coordination necessary to ride a 'proper' bike, so when your child ready to progress to a pedal bike you can skip the hassle of stabilisers. Tiny Toy Reviewer #2 has certainly got the hang of whizzing up and down on the Kettler Speedy without so much as a wobble, so I definitely think he'll be riding a push bike, stabiliser free, at a much younger age than his big brother could. He favours stopping himself by putting his feet flat on the ground, rather than using the brake, so that's something we have to work on though!

Please note, this product does not come assembled. However, it did not take Mr Toy Reviewer very long to put it together and the finished item feels reassuringly safe and sturdy.

Are there any criticisms of this balance bike?

It's not a problem with the product as such, but it is worth mentioning that some children may need to be a little older than the manufacturer's recommended age to use this product. At just turned 3, Tiny toy Reviewer #2 is only just tall enough for his feet to touch the ground on the Kettler Speedy. The manufacturer's recommended age is 2. Unless your toddler is very tall, you may want to take them to a toy shop and sit them on a normal 12.5 inch bike to see if they are big enough for this product yet.

Verdict

I really wish that we had had the Kettler balance bike for Tiny Toy Reviewer #1. The quality means it would almost certainly have lasted for both our boys, and it is definitely good value for money and better than the pedal bike (with stabilisers) that our eldest started out on.