I convert many 12" and some 16" bikes to striders or "balance bikes". Some kids learn to ride a regular 2 wheeler much sooner if they start out on a balance bike vs training wheels. The biggest obstacle to kids learning is parents hung up on the training wheel concept.
The usual pattern is the parents buy a bike with training wheels. Once the kid learns to ride, the training wheels are removed and most of the time tossed or lost. I get the training wheels with less than 5% of these little bikes. 12" is the best size for striders. 8", 10" and 14" work too but those sizes are rare. 16" is pushing the size limit, usually only works for 5 year olds. There are so many different sizes and styles of kids bikes, it just isn't practicable or financially feasible to buy training wheels for them all. You have 8, 10,12, 14, 16, 18 and 20" bikes with various chain stay designs. Most new bikes come with 'factory' training wheels made for that exact bike that just don't fit other bikes. "Universal Fit" training wheels won't fit all bikes. The worst of them all are the Huffy EZ Build bikes (since 2019) that have plug in training wheels. "No tools needed for assembly" means maximum wobblyness.
This 16" Hot Wheels bike was covered with a light coat of crud, dirt and sand. The green is very faded except where the pad was. Full dismantle, wash, scrub and wax. Some bikes have sharp edge chain guard mounts near where the little legs will be swinging by so those get cut off and the paint touched up. The Hot Wheels logo shape is molded in to the tires for a really rough ride. I remove the clutch, brake arm, brake shoes and cog from the rear hub. Repack the rear hub, front hub and headset. Remove the pedals, chain, crank & chain guard if that's still around. Clean and wax as needed. I'll be doing a dozen of these this fall in prep for donations to Toys 4 Tots.
Historical tidbit, the first ever bike was a strider. Built by Baron Von Drais in 1817, over 200 years ago. Also called a Draisine, a Running Machine or a Dandy Horse. Some were styled to look like horses. Many were custom built to fit a particular buyer as they hadn't figured out adjustable seat heights then. All were expensive so they were a plaything for the rich. It was all the rage for a couple years. So much so some cities banned them from roadways.
Before:
After:
Gnarly tires:
The usual pattern is the parents buy a bike with training wheels. Once the kid learns to ride, the training wheels are removed and most of the time tossed or lost. I get the training wheels with less than 5% of these little bikes. 12" is the best size for striders. 8", 10" and 14" work too but those sizes are rare. 16" is pushing the size limit, usually only works for 5 year olds. There are so many different sizes and styles of kids bikes, it just isn't practicable or financially feasible to buy training wheels for them all. You have 8, 10,12, 14, 16, 18 and 20" bikes with various chain stay designs. Most new bikes come with 'factory' training wheels made for that exact bike that just don't fit other bikes. "Universal Fit" training wheels won't fit all bikes. The worst of them all are the Huffy EZ Build bikes (since 2019) that have plug in training wheels. "No tools needed for assembly" means maximum wobblyness.
This 16" Hot Wheels bike was covered with a light coat of crud, dirt and sand. The green is very faded except where the pad was. Full dismantle, wash, scrub and wax. Some bikes have sharp edge chain guard mounts near where the little legs will be swinging by so those get cut off and the paint touched up. The Hot Wheels logo shape is molded in to the tires for a really rough ride. I remove the clutch, brake arm, brake shoes and cog from the rear hub. Repack the rear hub, front hub and headset. Remove the pedals, chain, crank & chain guard if that's still around. Clean and wax as needed. I'll be doing a dozen of these this fall in prep for donations to Toys 4 Tots.
Historical tidbit, the first ever bike was a strider. Built by Baron Von Drais in 1817, over 200 years ago. Also called a Draisine, a Running Machine or a Dandy Horse. Some were styled to look like horses. Many were custom built to fit a particular buyer as they hadn't figured out adjustable seat heights then. All were expensive so they were a plaything for the rich. It was all the rage for a couple years. So much so some cities banned them from roadways.
Before:
After:
Gnarly tires:
