Check out the New Strider 14x Balance Bike

Thank you to Strider for sponsoring this post. 

Strider is well-known for their fantastic balance bikes for kids, but they’ve taken things to the next level with the release of the Strider 14x balance bike. This balance bike has all the features you know and love about Strider but now takes kids beyond the balance bike stage and helps them to transition to pedaling with easy to install pedals once kids master riding a balance bike.

Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage that every child goes through.

Some pick it up right away while others struggle a bit more and scrape a few knees in the process. I still have scars.

Over 7 years ago, I came across Strider Balance Bikes at the International Toy Fair in New York. I remember that conversation well, as it completely opened my eyes to a whole new way of teaching kids to ride a bike. From that day forward, we got rid of our training wheels and started all my younger kids on balance bikes.

I’ve been amazed at how quickly they have been able to learn how to ride a bike, simply by starting off on a balance bike as new riders.

Now I have three more kids that are learning and Strider has released the Strider 14x just in time for them to learn how to ride a bike.

The Strider 14x is still a balance bike, but it also has the option to easily attach pedals when the child is ready for them.

I have a 5 yr old little girl, with a 20″ inseam who has has ridden balance bikes for years but has outgrown smaller balance bikes as she is now 46″ tall.

Strider recommends the 14x for kids 37″-49″ tall with a 16″-23″ inseam but as all kids are different, it may work for kids outside that range as well.

My daughter really wants to pedal and keep up with mom and dad on bike rides, but she just hasn’t been quite ready. After a few mins of riding around on the 14x without pedals, we quickly wondered if she was already prepared to add the pedals.

It only took a few minutes to put the pedals on the bike and after a few tries we were shocked to see her take off on her own and ride the bike with pedals.

We’d tried her on a bike with pedals before but it was a heavier bike (28lbs) that wasn’t quite as maneuverable as the Strider 14x and she struggled a bit. The lighter weight of the Strider 14x (12.5lbs), coupled with the position of the pedals and its low center of gravity made it easy for her to take off and ride on her own. I’m excited because it seems like this should help keep the falls down to minimum.

Strider states  that the 4 steps and activities that will help develop skills to ensure a successful transition from balance to pedal are:

• Balance is key
• Ignore the pedals
• Encourage pedaling
• Learn to stop safely

With my daughter’s new found biking skills, she’s hoping that we have lots of family bike rides in our future.

You can buy the Strider 14x on Amazon in two colors, blue and green.

Thank you to Strider for providing a pre-production model for this post. All opinions are my own.