Review: Learn to ride using a Cruzee balance bike

There are three life skills that I would love to teach Aiden - riding a bike, swimming and chasing girls (hopefully in that order).

Well, he still prefers playing with boys in school compared to girls, and he loves his float too much to even think about jumping into the pool without it. So that leaves me with the easiest task of teaching him how to ride a bike.

Frankly, I had no idea how to teach him. I learned how to ride a bike in about 15 minutes when I was about seven or eight years old, and I struggle to recall the exact steps.  It seemed to involve only two steps though - one, being pushed down a steep slope on a two-wheel bike, and two, holding on for dear life.

Something like that.

So when The Little Bike Shop offered the Cruzee balance bike to us, the most difficult decision to make was the choice of colours. It comes in seven (!!) beautiful colours - black, silver, purple, blue, green, red and pink. I eventually chose black to match with my own mountain bike heheh.

Lovely anodized aluminium finish

What is the balance bike?

Many of us would start off our kids with a bicycle with training wheels. Afterall, it looks very safe, extremely stable and less daunting than a two-wheeler. However, exposing your kid to it would actually make it harder for them to graduate to the two-wheeler in the future. That is because the training wheels allow them to lean against the opposite way when making a turn. As a result, they won't be used to leaning into the same direction when making a turn (which is how you ride a two-wheeler). More importantly, all this time that they are on the training wheels, they don't actually learn the most difficult aspect of riding a bike, which is to find their balance!

Leave the training wheels behind and convert to the balance bike!

The balance bike forces your kid to try to balance, but in a safe way as the seat is low enough for both feet to reach the ground. It has no pedals to make the task more complicated, so kids tend to get the hang of balancing pretty quickly.

We had a bit of time last week (with us getting some respite from the haze and scorching sun) to try it out in the open. It helped that Aiden was already an expert on his YBike which he started riding before he turned two. It teaches the same concept of balancing and control, but in a much more forgiving way (through thicker wheels). And so it didn't take Aiden long before he got the hang of it. Looking forward to a longer practice session at the park again!

Why is the Cruzee so special?

Other than the premium looks with its sparkling 'Saphire' finish, the very obvious feature you would notice is how light it is. With the frame made of aircraft grade aluminium, this is the lightest running bike in the world at 1.9kg. I might get Stomped for this because last weekend, I had ordered Aiden to get off his bike and bring it out of a restaurant. Imagine the shock on people's faces when they saw our three year old carry the bike out by himself! In my defence, it was very inappropriate for him to ride the bike there. :D

Anyway, the Cruzee is also super safe (rust-free, padded seats, no protruding bolts) and easy to maintain (tool-free adjustments, sealed bearings, flat-free tyres).

Personally, I think the Cruzee is so special because Aiden looks super cool on it!

How does it compare to others?

I must admit that we had shortlisted a few balance bikes before the Cruzee glided (permanently) into our car boot. Here's how they compare.

Frame:
Cruzee - aircraft grade aluminium
Valo - steel
FirstBike - injection molded composite frame

Adjustment:
Cruzee - tool-free
Valo - wrench required
FirstBike - almost tool-free

Weight:
Cruzee - 1.9kg
Valo - 2.6kg
FirstBike - 3.9kg

Seat height:
Cruzee - 25.5cm to 48cm
Valo - 28cm to 40cm
FirstBike - 30.5cm (with separate lowering kit) to 44.5cm

Braking mechanism:
Cruzee - no (use both legs instead!)
Valo - no
FirstBike - yes

Footrests:
Cruzee - yes, integrated near back wheel
Valo - unknown
FirstBike - no

Steering limiter:
Cruzee - no
Valo - no
FirstBike - yes

Colours:
Cruzee - 7
Valo - 5
FirstBike - 4 (street model)


Interested in the Cruzee? Find out more by visiting the Facebook Page of The Little Bike Shop. You can also buy them from our online store (Yes, that's how much we love the bike!). What's more, you can get a 10% discount on accessories. Details are in the picture below (click to enlarge) and our PriviKids Facebook Page.

Happy Cruzee-ing!