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Your first steps on a balance bike: balancing

Riding a balance bike is the perfect launchpad for learning to ride. Here are three steps you can take to support your child with their new balance bike.

Daniela Rodriguez Bonelli
Balance bikes introduce children to cycling in a playful way.

The first challenge in cycling is balance. Your child will now be busy learning to stay upright on their bike. 

Expose your child to other children having fun on their balance and pedal bikes as soon as you can – this will do wonders to wake up their curiosity! Once they've observed for a while, they'll be eager to have a go and imitate. 

Tune into their mood and take a no-pressure approach. Your child will let you know when they're ready to get on their balance bike. 

It's for exactly this reason that we've developed our balance bike in two sizes to extend the age range by making sure both models are specifically tailored to a child's exact needs and development stage.

  • Our smallest balance bike – the woom ORIGINAL 1 – is designed for 18 months and up.
  • The woom ORIGINAL 1 PLUS is aimed at older kids, aged approximately three and up. This model is particularly suitable for kids who come later to cycling, or are simply having so much fun on their balance bike that they prefer to scoot around.
A smiling toddler rides along the pavement on a red woom bike with a red helmet from the brand woom
A low center of gravity (achieved through its low ride height) and an upright position help children to develop their balance.

Pairing a low ride height with an upright position creates a familiar movement for your child. Did you know that riding a balance bike is a lot like walking? This will be a comforting thought and kids will be able to follow their natural intuition when they're on the bike for the first time. Slowly but surely, their steps will become longer and walking will become gliding.

Tip:

A good place to learn is on a gentle downhill slope, far away from traffic and other things likely to cause stress. Here, you'll be able to support your child's budding balance biking.

Remember: While children will intuitively want to use their feet to brake, now is the right time to teach them how to use the hand-operated brake on their balance bike safely and effectively. Knowing how brakes work will make it a lot easier when they transition to a pedal bike as they will already have internalized this skill.

As always, children need to be wear a perfectly fitting helmet and correctly sized gloves. 

In our online shop, you'll find a wide assortment of child-specific riding equipment that will support your child to balance bike safely. Watch our How To videos to determine exactly which size is best for your child.

Step 1: Walking

With their legs on either side of the balance bike and hands on the handlebars, your child can take their first steps into the world of cycling. 

Two children in black woom helmets are riding their balance bikes across some grass.
Children learn best by copying others, so grab the new balance bike and head to a park or similar safe, traffic-free space where other children are likely to be whizzing around.
Tip:

#1: Set the saddle to the right height

New riders should be able to place both feet flat on the ground and still have around 3-5 cm of space between their bottom and the saddle.

Tip:

#2: Give them a helping hand

At the start it is a good idea to hold their shoulders until they have learned to walk with the balance bike between their legs.

Step 2: Rolling on a balancing bike

Now it is time for the steps to become longer – after learning to walk, it is finally time to learn to ride! After a little practice, children will even be able to proudly stretch their legs into the air as they roll by.

A child in red helmet rides along the tarmac on a red balance bike from the brand woom.
It won't take long until they're able to ride further as the improvements to their balance become significant.
Tip:

As soon as your child spends more time running than walking on their bike, you can gradually increase the saddle height.

Step 3: Braking on a balance bike

Ideally, children should learn how to brake using their hands while riding a balance bike instead of waiting until they're on a pedal bike. Why so? Having already mastered this building block, children will be free to concentrate on their next milestone: the brand-new skill of pedalling.

The brake on the woom balance bike paves the way to safe, correct braking behavior. It is designed in an impossible-to-miss green color and comes with practical reach adjustability so small children's fingers can get a good hold. It's also especially easy to operate with nominal force.

A detailed image of the handlebars and the green brake lever for the rear brake on a red woom balance bike.
Your child will be safer from the very start with a good, child-friendly hand-operated brake.

Curious? >>To find out exactly why hand brakes are an asset to balance bikes and discover what makes a good hand brake on a balance bike, check out this article.

Tip:

As soon as children are able to run with a balance bike between their legs, it is the right time to demonstrate how the brake works. To do so, pick up the bike and encourage your child to observe how the back wheel can be blocked by spinning the wheel and pulling the green brake lever.

You'll recognize the child-friendliness of the brake lever on our woom balance bikes immediately!


Looking for more adventure and insider tips?

Here you'll find ideas and inspiration to make your next ride even more fun!

Learn to ride in 15 minutes

Skills school

Give your child a head start with a brake on their balance bike