Y Velo Single Wheel Balance Bike
LM is really active and loves any opportunity to play outdoors.Good quality outside toys are all part of that experience so she was delighted to receive a new YVolution Velo Balance Bike to try out recently.
The Y Velo Balance Bike is a bright green bicycle aimed at children from age three upwards. At only just three LM is at the bottom end of this age range so I was interested to see what she made of it. The bike arrives in a cardboard box with convenient carry handle ready for home assembly. I managed this quite easily in about twenty minutes thanks to the clear visual instructions. The only tricky part was the screw which holds the handle bars in place.
Both handlebars and seat have four adjustable heights which make it easy to have it at the correct height for your child. As LM is small for her age I put the seat at the lowest height and the handlebars at the second lowest height and this seemed to be just right for her. She was delighted to see 'my green bicycle' assembled and couldn't wait to try it out.
Balance bikes are designed to get children cycling without stabilisers and LM knew instinctively how to propel the bike along. If you do a little research into balance bikes it will suggest that there are three main stages of balance bike riding:
1. Walk the bike whilst sitting on the saddle
2. Run or Scoot the bike whilst sitting on the saddle
3. Lift feet off the ground and cruise whilst balancing
As you can see from the photos, LM is at the first stage but will hopefully progress to the second stage with practice. It's important that children can place their feet on the floor to allow them to push away with their feet.
The Y Velo Balance Bike is a lovely bright colour, perfect for a boy or girl and one that will grow with your child. I think I could adjust it so it was big enough for Bud but he won't get a look in as LM is very proud of her bike and, at five and a half, he's past the balance bike stage now
The bike is quite heavy so I found LM dropped it quite often, this may be a combination of the weight of the bike and getting used to using it. She is at the very youngest, and smallest children for this bike though so I'm not worried about her getting used to it and more proficient with it going forwards. The bike is fitted with a steering limiter which aims to make it easier for little ones to steer and I did find that she picked up the steering quickly, even though she found the bike heavy. We have a little circuit outside our house and she was cornering well on it almost immediately, as you can see from the photo above.
The extensive adjustment on the bike means that it will grow with LM as she gets older and taller. She should still be able to use the bike at five and, hopefully, she will be scooting along with her feet off the ground by then and ready for a pedal bicycle.
We really think that this balance bike is an excellent introduction to bikes for an older toddler and would make a great Christmas gift for those who want a bike from Santa Claus.
For Stockist Information Check out www.yvolution.com. RRP £59.99.
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