Author Topic: Balance bikes - brake or not?  (Read 3756 times)

Chris N

Balance bikes - brake or not?
« on: 23 October, 2014, 01:54:05 pm »
N minor is going to get a balance bike for Christmas*.  Current choice would be either an Islabike Rothan or Early Rider Alley Runner 12.  The Early Rider looks the nicest IMO, but doesn't come with brakes and I can't decide if his bike needs one or not.

*whether he likes it or not.  I suspect he will, judging by the volume with which he shouts 'BIKE!' when I go out on mine or one goes past. ;D

hellymedic

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Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #1 on: 23 October, 2014, 02:01:46 pm »
Kids' hands are small and often can't get effective grip on the reach of a brake lever.
Stopping a balance bike with feet is effective and intuitive.

They need a brake once their feet are on the pedals but may not use it much.

I don't think balance bikes need a brake.

Njunior needs sturdy shoes though!

Kim

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Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #2 on: 23 October, 2014, 02:07:18 pm »
Kids' hands are small and often can't get effective grip on the reach of a brake lever.

This is a very large part of the point in Islabikes.  Those little brake levers are properly-engineered as well as cute!


I'd argue that while brakes probably aren't necessary, having one won't hurt.  It'll mean that the brake reflex is well-developed when the time comes to learn how to use pedals.

hellymedic

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Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #3 on: 23 October, 2014, 02:22:35 pm »
Kids' hands are small and often can't get effective grip on the reach of a brake lever.

This is a very large part of the point in Islabikes.  Those little brake levers are properly-engineered as well as cute!


I'd argue that while brakes probably aren't necessary, having one won't hurt.  It'll mean that the brake reflex is well-developed when the time comes to learn how to use pedals.

How much grip is needed to work them?
I really doubt that tiny paws can grip hard enough to stop 15kg child + 5kg bike hurtling...

Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #4 on: 23 October, 2014, 02:29:02 pm »
From our experience, marginal.  Our kids have only started using the brake [much] after they were already capable of pedalling a 'proper' bike. 

On the other hand there has also been a year or more of overlap when they could use a pedal bike, but still had a lot of fun on a balance bike too.  In those years they were making much heavier use of the brake on the balance bike.

Once they were that bit older but still using it, the brake was pretty effective (Ridgeback Scoot in our case).  Not so much when younger.  Maybe the strength and coordination arrive at similar times?

[edit] To put ages on those:
Soon after 2: Enjoying the scoot, but definitely not using the brake.
After 3.5 ish: Pedalling, using brakes a little.
Nearly 8: Still enjoys balance bike when she can get to it before younger siblings.  Easily skids the rear wheel with brake.  ::-)

Kim

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Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #5 on: 23 October, 2014, 02:40:40 pm »
Kids' hands are small and often can't get effective grip on the reach of a brake lever.

This is a very large part of the point in Islabikes.  Those little brake levers are properly-engineered as well as cute!


I'd argue that while brakes probably aren't necessary, having one won't hurt.  It'll mean that the brake reflex is well-developed when the time comes to learn how to use pedals.

How much grip is needed to work them?
I really doubt that tiny paws can grip hard enough to stop 15kg child + 5kg bike hurtling...

I haven't measured it scientifically, but SmallestCub (who was a fair bit smaller at the time) did proudly demonstrate the features of his new bike to me at one point, and was certainly capable of operating the levers properly, even if he hadn't yet got the hang of when to use them.

Proper V-brakes and alloy rims on the smaller Islabikes work as well as you'd expect them to on an adult bike, easily locking the wheel with a single (adult) finger, so I'm sure there is useful braking if the child can make use of it.  I think it's a matter of development of coordination (which will vary from child to child, and in cycling terms the biggest factor is probably how quickly they grow for their age) more than biomechanics.

Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #6 on: 23 October, 2014, 02:58:17 pm »
Yep....he won't have the strength/wherewithal to use a brake for quite a while

hellymedic

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Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #7 on: 23 October, 2014, 04:45:11 pm »
I'd guess littlies aren't really up to using brakes till at least four years of age.

CrinklyLion

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Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #8 on: 23 October, 2014, 10:51:04 pm »
The EldestCub learnt to ride a 'wobbly bike' (i.e. one without stabilisers) when he was three, on the day one of the older kids in nursery got the pedal bike out of the shed and just about rode it so the very clued up nursery worker lined the rest of 'em up and got them all to give it a go.  By the end of the day 7 of the 3-5 year olds could pedal, and by the end of the week all 7 of them had put the toes through on their shoes by using Inappropriate Braking Strategies.

Apparently all the other middle class mummies and daddies went out and bought new start-rites.  This was a process repeated a few times, I believe.

I bought m'boy some sandals and went to visit Granny Annie and Grandad Bill, where his own wobbly bike was living at the time.  Suitably motivated, he learned to use the brakes within an hour.

(I'm not totally mean though.  At Granny's house small children were allowed to pedal indoors, so it was at least on carpet not concrete).

Wowbagger

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Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #9 on: 23 October, 2014, 11:05:38 pm »
The most important brake on a Rothan in my experience is grand-dad being in the right place to catch a grand-daughter who completely failed to understand what happened to a bicycle when you started riding it down a 1:10 hill.

That could have been very nasty.  :o
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Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #10 on: 24 October, 2014, 09:43:29 am »
I can only speak from the experience with my toddler, who's had a Decathlon balance bike for the last year or so (now 3.5 years old). That has a rear hub brake on it and he's seemed to get on fine with it. A bit unsure of where to use it and when at first, but has the hang of it, and even uses it to pull skids and stuff  ::-) Has never really had much of a problem supplying sufficient grip, and is a smaller lever that is suitable. It does come in handy when on more adventurous terrain I think.

I have seen some that have a front brake only, which I don't think would be such a good idea if they decided to pull too hard...

Kim

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Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #11 on: 24 October, 2014, 11:25:24 am »
I have seen some that have a front brake only, which I don't think would be such a good idea if they decided to pull too hard...

Those tend to be the ones with cheesier components, I think, so maybe less braking power available?  Never the less, what happens when you overcook the front braking is a lesson that every cyclist has to learn at some point, and it seems to be a good idea to get the hang of it while you're small, bouncy and unlikely to be going faster than jogging speed.

What worries me more is that many small children's bikes have a single rear brake lever in the right hand position, where their next bike is likely to have a front brake.

Re: Balance bikes - brake or not?
« Reply #12 on: 24 October, 2014, 11:38:18 am »
I think the brake is useful for teaching the concept of braking as much as the actual braking. My former charge had one mainly to reassure his parents, but he did get a bit of an idea before he moved on to the next bike, which was helpful.
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