Today’s Big Wheel (the name was sold) is lightweight, and the wheels slip a ton. It was difficult for Kate’s young son to get started on the trike, and he soon lost interest. Kate lost interest even sooner, when it took a whopping 54 minutes to assemble, mostly due to the number of decals. Jenni’s 3-year-old son also screamed in frustration while using the Big Wheel and found it didn’t move well across pavement or dirt. Like its namesake, the Big Wheel is better for bigger kids. It accommodates kids up to 70 pounds and 8 years old, and we’ve known older children who did, in fact, love it.
The 14x Sport features smooth and shock-absorbing air-filled, semi-knobby rubber tires. It doesn’t have a braking system (in pedal mode kids just push back on the pedals to stop). Still, the kids in our testing pool who were on the taller side reached for this bike time and again. It’s sized well for little riders, with perfectly constructed geometry. If you’re confident that you can persuade your child to give balance biking a go, and you’re less concerned about cost, the aluminum and stainless steel Woom 1 is a work of industrial art.
As with our top pick, Jenni’s son appreciated the REV 12 for its mix of stability and agility—it could wind through cones, but it was also durable enough for him to ride off-road. The Guardian Balance Bike has a limited seat height range of 12.5 to 16 inches. For the first iteration of this guide, a panel schwinn bicycles of kids ranging from ages 2 to 8 tested 13 top balance bikes in a flat neighborhood over a period of a few weeks. In 2023, Jenni and her almost-4-year-old son, a balance bike enthusiast, spent two weeks testing this guide’s existing picks against five new contenders by riding them in their neighborhood.
The three-wheel design also provides added stability, making it suitable for seniors as well. The GRACEZ Adult Tricycles offer a versatile and practical option for adults of all ages. With three different wheel sizes (20, 24, and 26 inches) to choose from, riders can find the perfect fit for their height and preferences. The sturdy iron frame can support up to 350 pounds of weight, making it suitable for both recreation and transportation purposes. With a wide rear wheel position, the Meridian tricycle provides more stability than a bicycle so riders of all experience levels can get around easily.
We’ve got a wide selection of bike sizes and styles, including electric, to fit a wide variety of riders. In most respects Giant’s Pre is on a par with our runner-up pick, the REI REV 12, but it’s available only in bike shops, so it’s harder to find. After a new round of testing, the Guardian Balance Bike is our new top pick.
But this trike is the most fun when it’s used to barrel down steep hillsides; even older, stronger pedalers will find it difficult to use for sidewalk travel. Overall, if you’re seeking a truly fun ride for older kids, we think the Razor RipRider 360 is the better choice. Angeles tricycles are common at many daycares, schools, children’s museums, and community centers.
Many parents complain in reviews about losing pieces of the Joovy over time; the screws, the plastic basket, all tend to fall off. It’s also now significantly more expensive than our current top pick, and it’s not as stable; when Jenni’s kids played with the Joovy, it tipped over a number of times, causing small injuries. Air-filled tires and a low center of gravity make this trike easy to ride. The tires are air-filled, like a bicycle’s, so this three-wheeled baby can tear up some ground. It weighs 17½ pounds, and it has a low center of gravity, which prevents tips and allows the trike to take corners. The INFANS trike also has rear brakes; the Radio Flyer trike does not, and we didn’t find them on many other bikes.
Of all the bikes we tried, the Strider 14x Sport was the favorite of older and taller kids. Among the tiny segment of balance bikes that can convert into pedal bikes (you need a $70 add-on kit), it’s the best option. But unlike the rest of the balance bikes we tested, which have 12-inch wheels, this bike has 14-inch wheels, so it best fits kids from about 3½ to 7 years old, depending on their height. Featuring a stand-over height of 10 inches and a remarkable seat-height range of 15 to 22 inches, the 14x Sport weighs 12.5 pounds, relatively light compared with other pedal bikes of this size.