Training wheels have one job and they do it backward. They hold a kid upright so they can practice pedaling, which means your kid never learns to balance at all. Then the training wheels come off, and they’re starting from zero, usually while falling over in a driveway and deciding bikes are terrible.
Balance bikes teach it the other way around. No pedals, no chain, nothing to push. Your kid runs along with both feet, figures out how a bike wants to lean, and starts coasting on their own. Pedaling gets added later, and that takes about an afternoon.
The Strider 12 Sport is the one most parents end up with. It fits ages 1 to 4, weighs 6.7 pounds, and sells for $169.99. That price almost never goes down.
From November 16 through November 30, though, Strider is taking 20% off its Bike Builder, which is where you go to customize that same bike in whatever colors and features your kid picks. Every Bike Builder order also ships with a free Strider ornament during the sale.
Your Kid Picks Every Color
Bike Builder is a configurator, so you start with a 12 Sport and choose the parts. Six frame colors, nine grip colors, and up to nine wheel colors for the front and the back separately, which is how you end up with one orange wheel and one blue one because a four-year-old made an executive decision.
Handlebar and wheel choices are where it gets serious. You can stay with the standard black handlebar or move up to aluminum flat or riser bars in six colors. Carbon handlebars are on the list too. Different handlebar styles have different skill-building advantages. A riser bar gives your kiddo a wider and more comfortable grip for added control. A flat bar, on the other hand, puts your little ripper in prime racing position.
Wheels can be their own serious performance upgrade. Ultralight wheels are super easy and zero-maintenance. They’re foam tires, so they never go flat, never need air and are always ready to go. Of course, if you don’t mind a little maintenance for added performance, Strider has high traction pneumatic tires or super premium carbon fiber wheels. Knee and elbow pads can go in the same order in seven color combinations, so the whole kit shows up together. You can even get a rocking base to put the bike in, if you’ve got a baby in the family who wants to start ripping before they can walk.
A base build starts at $170.94, so 20% off puts it at $136.76, and the number climbs with the parts you pick. The builder covers the 12 Pro as well if you want a lighter frame (and it comes with different frame color options).
One Bike, Three Birthdays
Toddlers grow in bursts, so the 12 Sport was built to accommodate that. The seat climbs from 11 to 17 inches and the handlebars go from 18 to 22, covering inseams from 12 to 18 inches, and you won’t need a single tool. You can adjust the clamps by hand, so raising the seat in the driveway happens on the spot instead of sending you off to find a wrench while your kid gets impatient.
Six inches of seat travel is what lets one bike cover ages 1 through 4. Max rider weight is 60 pounds, which most kids won’t hit until well past the point they’ve moved on to pedals, so the steel frame means the bike is still worth handing to a younger sibling when they do.
A padded safety bar covers the middle and the seat is molded foam instead of hard plastic. Built-in footrests give your kid somewhere to put their feet once they start gliding, which is the moment you’ll want your phone out. The footrests are actually the true skill-building feature of the bike. They help your kiddo learn how to glide while standing – a truly valuable skill that’s the foundation of every advanced riding discipline, like BMX and mountain biking. No other major balance bike even has footrests, which makes Strider a serious game changer.
More than 10,000 five-star reviews say the thing survives what a toddler will do to it, and Strider backs it with a 2-year limited warranty. Assembly takes ten minutes and one Allen key, so nothing about it wrecks a Christmas Eve.
20% Off Through November 30
The 12 Sport is $169.99 nearly everywhere it’s sold, including Strider’s own site and most bike shops, so a real discount on a custom one is rare. The Bike Builder deal runs November 16 through November 30, and the ornament comes with every order.
Accessories bought on their own are 15% off over the same two weeks, though anything you add inside a Bike Builder order rides along at 20%.
Strider ships orders over $100 free and backs them with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if your kid takes one look and walks away, you have a month to change your mind.
