[nwa bike dad]

We have a 2 year old who has older brothers and sisters. We live mins from a pump track and skills park as well as jump lines and mountain biking. Older brother and sister are decent and we ride a lot. Our 2 year old (turns 3 in a couple of weeks) rides a balance bike but can ride a pedal bike. The smallest bike we have is a 16" Yoji.

Is it worth getting the youngest a 14" Yoji (or other bike) can she/should she stay on the balance bike? A small BMX bike for her is an option but they are heavier than the Yoji which is basically a BMX bike.

 

[eyeballs]

2 seems young for a pedal bike, though with the short wheelbase I doubt pedal strikes would be an issue on a pump track. I say go for it. You'll likely be able to sell it without much of a loss.

 

[slapheadmofo]

If she can ride a real bike, there's no reason to keep messing with the balance bike IMO - it's served it's purpose. You wouldn't keep a kid on training wheels if they didn't need them would you? Time to move on!

 

[nwa bike dad]

If she can ride a real bike, there's no reason to keep messing with the balance bike IMO - it's served it's purpose. You wouldn't keep a kid on training wheels if they didn't need them would you? Time to move on!

The Spawn is great. Wife is balking at another $400 bike for a 2/3 year old. Anything that's good that is out there that is less?

 

[TimTucker]

If you're looking at something for the pump track, Fit's Misfit 12 is ~$350 shipped and comes in gold:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/264294351970
or pink:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/312337348420

At 14.5lbs, it's not that much heavier than the Yoji.

Wait for the next 15% off eBay coupon and you'd be down to $300.

I'd say to keep a balance bike around, though.

My 4 year old is OK on paved trails with his pedal bike but prefers a balance bike for things like the skate park. I think the balance bike can be a good "safe" way to practice more advanced stuff even after learning to pedal.

 

[stevelim]

Cleary Hedgehog with Vee Tire Crown Gem tires worked great for us.

 

[nwa bike dad]

Seems down to the Misfit 12" Pink

https://www.ebay.com/itm/312337348420

Or the Spawn 14" Orange

https://spawncycles.com/yoji-14

She is almost 3. We have a 5 year old girl. Guessing she could even ride the Misfit some. Differences? Recommendations? The Spawn seems a little lighter and a little more versatile. We won't be doing too much trail riding with the 3 year old. The pink one looks pretty ba.

 

[svinyard]

How big is the kid? My youngest started at 3 and he is the little cute one, not the big beasty one.

We made some alterations to shrink it down. Shorter cranks arms, smaller chainring, smaller fly bars rolled back etc. It was slightly big and he was on his tippy toes at first but he pedaled that first hour.

 

[nwa bike dad]

How big is the kid? My youngest started at 3 and he is the little cute one, not the big beasty one.

We made some alterations to shrink it down. Shorter cranks arms, smaller chainring, smaller fly bars rolled back etc. It was slightly big and he was on his tippy toes at first but he pedaled that first hour.

37.5"

 

[svinyard]

37.5"

I think mine was like 36". I'd figure out the Yoji and save some cash perhaps. At most it's a few months and the kid will be ready to ride. I like a smaller bike for sure for skill development but when they are first riding, it's all about just sitting and pedaling. By the time he or she is rdy to stand, the bike will fit well enough. That's what we did at least. It worked well. Worth a shot at least.

 

[slapheadmofo]

The Spawn is great. Wife is balking at another $400 bike for a 2/3 year old. Anything that's good that is out there that is less?

We usually just ran Haros or Redlines, never really bothered with fancy brands or playing the weight/gear weenie game. Didn't seem to affect the kid's riding in any negative way.

 

[rabitoblanco]

Any kids bike that is 16 in with a freewheel will be about three to four hundred dollars new.
You're on the right track with the Spawn or something from any of the major BMX brands.

Thereafter, the real question is standover height. And weight, if your child is not particularly strong. This just depends from kid to kid.

As for whether or not to move to pedals--my son demonstrated that he could ride a pedal bike at an age just after 2, but he wasn't interested in doing so until just after 3. especially with the older siblings, your baby is probably just about right ready!

My son who is an average 7 to 8 year old height, rides his 16-inch bike regularly (playing around, doing tricks, riding inside the house etc). So not only your five-year-old but also your three-year-old can play with that size for a long time.

-Ridwan

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[nwa bike dad]

I couldn't find a Haro that small without coaster brakes. We have a Yoji. I think we are leaning towards the Fit because it is different and our 5 year old could ride some on it as well. We wouldn't take it on the trails but I am not sure how much trail riding our 3 year old will be doing! Anyone have a 3 year old with advice?

 

[rabitoblanco]

Rowan is 6 now, so still in my memory--
At about 3/3.5 he started pedaling, and we were on (dirt) BMX tracks /green trails within a month.
He's always hated riding smooth roads, since he was in the balance bike always looking for a root or some dirt/pebbles to ride over! Actually, we used to take the strider on hiking trails at the beginning.
But with you mentioning pump tracks and trails close by, I would not buy anything with super street tires.

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[RX93]

I got the Yoji 16 at the end of last season as my 4yo was transitioning out of her balance bike. We tried pedaling but it just didn't work, so I removed the pedals and she used the Yoji as a balance bike.

Beginning of Spring here in Canada I started her on the Yoji 16 as a balance bike, then last Friday I put the pedals on it and within half an hour she was pedaling around on the local cement sidewalk paths.. I had changed the rear gearing so it's easier for her to get started on grass and it spins a little too freely on cement, so I'm gonna change it back this weekend.

Yesterday she figured out how to get moving from a standstill. I'm not surprised that she figured it out I just didn't think it would happen so soon!

I also swapped the bmx-style bars over to a flat bar that I cut 10cm off each end and she much prefers it to the bmx-style bar it came with.

 

[BikePilot1]

At 2 my guy was still riding a strider a ton, including bmx and multi-mile mtb trail rides. Shortly before 3 we got him a commencal ramons 14 and he took right to that and in hind sight we could have given him that bike earlier. Around 3.5 we got more into bmx racing and added a micro mini to the fleet. He also got an oset 12.5 for his second bday and it got a ton of use. At 5 now he still rides it a lot.

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[nwa bike dad]

We went with the 12" Cult Juvenile. The seat angle on the fit didn't look ideal for a toddler. The Cult Juvenile got amazing reviews. The Fit came in pink (our 3 year is a girl) which was preferable, but the Cult came in yellow and we got a pink saddle, grips and pedals which will look great.

Thanks for the help!