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Your 5yo will most likely be ready for the 18" - at least size-wise. Yes, it might be a bit more intimidating, but it is also more stable. Bigger wheels have a stronger gyroscopic effect and are more stable/stand themselves upright - once you get them rolling.
I am a big convert to balance bikes and I dislike training wheels: I personally don't think of them as "training anything", rather a cheat & bad habit that you will be hard-pressed to break free from, because what they teach your kiddo to do is not to trust their own balance or to put their feet down etc, rather lazily lean on one or the other side as if they were riding a quad...if you want your kiddos to enjoy pedaling around like this, get them a trike =)
Now, the 18" has a couple of gimmicky things (like the front disc brake or the pseudo sus fork) but otherwise it is a OK bike. I don't think you will be able to find something better for $99, unless you are super-into used deal hunting in CL or offerup.
That said, if you can find a deal on the Guardian Ethos 20, I'd think of it as a better deal, because their braking system is working fabulously for kiddos that are beginner riders and shouldn't be troubled with separate front/rear braking.
Kids often pickup sports and they love them "hard" for a few months then they lose interest, especially if there is no sibling or friend(s) to "compete against. If they are the "worst" in their circle, they might get dissapointed fast, if they are the best or "close" to that, their peers don't care to compete / conseed so again, they lose interest because their Ego says "king of the world, nothing more to see here".
I got semi lucky by being a used bike market nerd + being favored by the pandemic situation and got to buy & flip his bikes as often as I wanted w/o it being the money sink it could be. And even if we wouldn't change bikes every 12mo, we would @ 24...
So play it safe, settle for "good enough". If indeed he outgrows the 18", so be it, money well spent. Most likely you can re-sell it for a good % of what you've paid for it "new" or re-newed. Don't over-think it.
Some people advocate in favor of buying a pedal bike and removing the cranks/chainring/chain to have your kids work it as a balance bike for a brief period and gain confidence this way. YMMV, especially if you are not into wrenching and/or have the tools for removing the cranks or figure out the chain-guards etc.
What is important is to spend time with them and be patient. They will figure it out, but they often need lots of positive reignforcement.
No experience with the Scooters, but my 3yo boy got the 14" ninebot bike on his 3rd birthday and really enjoyed it.
It is a well-thought and well build bike. I'd rather it had F/R hand brakes (has coaster rear, hand operated front), but otherwise it is of really high quality, and slick deal for $90 with even short warranty.
Received an email from Woot then saw the Segway scooters. Was looking at them this morning. I bought the refurb Segway ES3 Plus from Newegg last December for $229 plus tax free shipping. The first one stopped charging within 2-3 weeks. Bought the exact same one then returned the first one. Been happy with it. It's still on sale for the same price. It's a better buy if ur thinking of getting the F25 for $299 max speed 15.5mph 12.4mi range compared to the refurb ES3 Plus 18.6 max speed 28mi range front rear brakes. Both 220lbs max load.
They are OK deals. I'm on Segway's mailing list and they have sales frequently. I personally would rather spend just a little more and get a new one from Segway.
Even the new model is on sale at Costco often. It goes between $499 to $549 in the warehouse.
I tried my luck with the Newegg refurbs. All three had 500+ miles and the tires were totally bald. These were Costco returns and I understand and have taken advantage of their liberal return policy a handful of times over the years. But, honestly...who uses something for a year or two, to the point of being completely worn out and then returns it for a full refund? It's this sort of scummy return policy abuse that prompted REI to clamp down on returns.
No experience with the Scooters, but my 3yo boy got the 14" ninebot bike on his 3rd birthday and really enjoyed it.
It is a well-thought and well build bike. I'd rather it had F/R hand brakes (has coaster rear, hand operated front), but otherwise it is of really high quality, and slick deal for $90 with even short warranty.
I've sold ours for more than $90 on Offerup...
Appreciate the review. It really looks like a decent looking bike with much better styling and build quality than a Huffy or Murray of the same price. However, which it had an electric option even if they had to charge $300+.
I got my daughter a Jetson Bolt - it looks pretty cheesy and not great components. The bike is near impossible to pedal if you're not using electric assist. Reminds me of bikes with those crappy light generators from the 80's, friction is incredible. Short pedal arms and the wheel motor friction make it really inefficient.
Last edited by jl2672a February 13, 2023 at 03:52 PM.
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I am a big convert to balance bikes and I dislike training wheels: I personally don't think of them as "training anything", rather a cheat & bad habit that you will be hard-pressed to break free from, because what they teach your kiddo to do is not to trust their own balance or to put their feet down etc, rather lazily lean on one or the other side as if they were riding a quad...if you want your kiddos to enjoy pedaling around like this, get them a trike =)
Now, the 18" has a couple of gimmicky things (like the front disc brake or the pseudo sus fork) but otherwise it is a OK bike. I don't think you will be able to find something better for $99, unless you are super-into used deal hunting in CL or offerup.
That said, if you can find a deal on the Guardian Ethos 20, I'd think of it as a better deal, because their braking system is working fabulously for kiddos that are beginner riders and shouldn't be troubled with separate front/rear braking.
Kids often pickup sports and they love them "hard" for a few months then they lose interest, especially if there is no sibling or friend(s) to "compete against. If they are the "worst" in their circle, they might get dissapointed fast, if they are the best or "close" to that, their peers don't care to compete / conseed so again, they lose interest because their Ego says "king of the world, nothing more to see here".
I got semi lucky by being a used bike market nerd + being favored by the pandemic situation and got to buy & flip his bikes as often as I wanted w/o it being the money sink it could be. And even if we wouldn't change bikes every 12mo, we would @ 24...
So play it safe, settle for "good enough". If indeed he outgrows the 18", so be it, money well spent. Most likely you can re-sell it for a good % of what you've paid for it "new" or re-newed. Don't over-think it.
Some people advocate in favor of buying a pedal bike and removing the cranks/chainring/chain to have your kids work it as a balance bike for a brief period and gain confidence this way. YMMV, especially if you are not into wrenching and/or have the tools for removing the cranks or figure out the chain-guards etc.
What is important is to spend time with them and be patient. They will figure it out, but they often need lots of positive reignforcement.
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What about the bikes is Segway?
It is a well-thought and well build bike. I'd rather it had F/R hand brakes (has coaster rear, hand operated front), but otherwise it is of really high quality, and slick deal for $90 with even short warranty.
I've sold ours for more than $90 on Offerup...
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank
Even the new model is on sale at Costco often. It goes between $499 to $549 in the warehouse.
What about the bikes is Segway?
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
It is a well-thought and well build bike. I'd rather it had F/R hand brakes (has coaster rear, hand operated front), but otherwise it is of really high quality, and slick deal for $90 with even short warranty.
I've sold ours for more than $90 on Offerup...
Appreciate the review. It really looks like a decent looking bike with much better styling and build quality than a Huffy or Murray of the same price. However, which it had an electric option even if they had to charge $300+.
I got my daughter a Jetson Bolt - it looks pretty cheesy and not great components. The bike is near impossible to pedal if you're not using electric assist. Reminds me of bikes with those crappy light generators from the 80's, friction is incredible. Short pedal arms and the wheel motor friction make it really inefficient.
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!