Kettler Sprint balance bike

I bought this for my son at two and a half years age, and even with the seat all the way down, his feet barely make the ground and he looks intimidated. He's too young. His big brother, age seven, thought it was a hoot, and wheeled around confidently, but he's too big. Quality and construction are excellent, assembly was easy. The orange wheelcovers come off so you can get at the valve stems to put air in the tires. We also have a Kettler trike and they're terrific, too. Get the trike at age 2-3. Get this at age 3-4. Spoil them rotten.

I, too, researched this training method in depth. First, I determined I wanted metal vs wood. The wood versions seemed too impractical. Fortunately, there are several good companies that produce metal versions (I too went with the KinderBike). I ruled out the Kettler version almost immediately, but not because of its cost. Rather, I wanted a bike with an unrestricted turning radius. The reason seemed obvious at the time and is even more so in hindsight. My son, now a three-year old, whizzes around on his bike at significant speeds. If he were training on a version with limited turning radius, what would happen when he was ready to ride a real bicycle that moves at speeds many times greater? It would be a recipe for disaster. The fact is, if you?re going to teach a child to ride (presumably at significant speeds), you had better make sure they understand the full impact of turning. What better time to do that then when their feet are at their sides and they can prevent themselves from falling? In my opinion, the limited turning radius is a far greater safety concern than teaching a child to properly ride (and turn) in the first place. Another drawback to the Kettler was that it does not have a quick release collar for seat adjustment. Several other models (including the one I purchased) have it. It?s a nice feature when you have other little kids in your neighborhood that will want their turn on the bike. Having to adjust with a wrench each time is not only archaic?it?s a huge pain. The Kettler version does have mud flaps though, in case you plan on doing some mountain biking with your two-year old. My son started on his bike at roughly 2 ½ years. Within two weeks, he was able to ride a pedal bike without training wheels. He?s now three and rides a 16? as if he were 5 or 6. In reality, almost any version of these bikes will accomplish that.

Comments from The Staff:

Hey there - thanks for your review. Kettler's limited turning radius is intended to be a safety measure, to protect children from making sharp turns when they aren't coordinated enough yet to know how to prevent themselves from falling. I do see your point, in that it would be nice to prepare them by teaching them how to handle the turns. Perhaps they will compromise in the future, and create a model with an adjustable turning radius, so that it would be limited for younger children, but the limitation could be removed for older toddlers. Thanks for the feedback!

Christina
Call Center Manager
Certified CPS Tech