I’ve heard lots of positive things about balance bikes in the past few years. I wanted to get one for my granddaughter, Zoey, so I was thrilled at the opportunity to review a Strider balance bike.
Disclosure: I was given a Strider Sport Bike to facilitate my review. All ideas here are honest and my own. This post also contains Amazon affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Strider Sport Balance Bike Review
About the Strider Sport Balance Bike
The Strider 12 Sport model (also on Amazon) is designed for toddlers and preschoolers. It has custom grips, padded saddle, handlebar pad, and quick release clamps (no-tool adjustment). In addition, it comes with a second padded saddle and extra-long seat post to fit a taller, 3- 5 year old child. Available in 7 colors!
Our Experience with the Strider Sport Balance Bike
Strider balance bikes are generally for ages 18 months-5 years. Zoey is 15 months, but I was hopeful the bike would work at her age, too. If not, I figured we could wait to use it.
Zoey had been watching kids ride bikes at the park and wanted to ride a bike, too. When she saw the bike arrive at my house, she said, “Bike … yay!” My daughter-in-law, Chea, put the balance bike together that evening. She said it took only 5 minutes to assemble!
First Day on the Strider Bike
Zoey’s first experience with the Strider balance bike was on a Sunday. Both her dad (my son, Will) and Chea were able to be present. Will helped Zoey balance the bike to get started. After a short time, Zoey was able to take 3 steps on her own without help.
Success on her own with the Strider bike
Now Zoey can “ride” the bike without any help (except for occasional help steering the bike). She just walks the bike at her age, but it’s so much fun to see the happiness she has at being able to feel success at riding a bike.
I’m looking forward to watching Zoey learn to lift her feet off the ground and balance the bike as she glides along. What a great way for young children to develop balance and core strength! From everything I’ve heard, Zoey should be able to easily learn to ride a pedal bike without training wheels.
More About Strider
You can follow Strider Bikes on Facebook, YouTube (there are some very cool YouTube videos!), Twitter, and Instagram. If you enter the giveaway, you can get entries for following on social media, too!
Here’s the link to the Strider Bikes Products. Strider offers free shipping in the Continental U.S. on all orders over $50!
Strider balance bikes are also available in a variety of colors through Amazon:
There’s also a Strider Store on Amazon!
Now for the Giveaway: Note: The giveaway has ended. Check the bottom of the post right below the Rafflecopter form for the announcement of the winner!
What You Will Win: A lucky winner from the Continental U.S. will win a $119 green Strider 12 Sport Bike!
Who is Eligible:
This giveaway is open to anyone 18 and older in the Continental U.S. The first entry is mandatory. You must leave a blog post comment telling why you want to win (and be sure to click the green “ENTER” on the Rafflecopter form to let me know you left your blog post comment and to open up the optional entries)!
After you’ve completed your mandatory entry, there are lots of optional entries. You have many chances to win! (Note: For the extra entries, you may count ways of following that you already do. For example, if you previously followed @DebChitwood on Twitter, you may still count that for your follow @DebChitwood on Twitter entry!)
It’s easy to enter giveaways with Rafflecopter! Just follow the directions to enter. If you still have questions about the Rafflecopter form, here’s a 52-second video with quick directions for entering through Rafflecopter.
You must complete the Mandatory Entry to qualify for any additional entries. The giveaway closes 9:00pm PST on Friday, February 27. Best of luck! 
(Note: If you have any problems with the Rafflecopter form, you can sign up on the Rafflecopter form at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page. Just be sure to leave your blog comment here! Both Rafflecopter forms are the same, so it doesn’t matter which one you sign up on.)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
UPDATE:
It’s Friday morning, February 27. I really appreciated all your comments and the 1,350 entries. A winner has been selected using Random.org through Rafflecopter!
The winner of the green Strider balance bike is Shannon B!
I’m so happy for Shannon! (Note: Shannon, you have 48 hours to respond to my email, or a new winner will be chosen.)
The comment for Shannon’s mandatory entry (why she wanted to win) said:
“We’ve been looking into balance bikes for our daughter. Would love to win!”
CONGRATULATIONS, Shannon!!! A HUGE THANK YOU to Strider Bikes for sponsoring this great giveaway – and thank you to everyone who entered!
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I think my four year old would love a bike like this and I don’t like training wheels they seem so dangerous!
I have five new grandchildren, so this would be great to have at my house when the families come to visit
Wow! They even have competitions. Cool.
I LOVE riding bikes and want it to be a family activity. I’ve waited nearly 4 yrs for my son to learn to ride his, but he is still having a hard time. Now my daughter is 18 months and loves to sit on his bike and have someone push her. I know she would do awesome and be able to keep up with her brother with this bike.
I really think my 18 month old would enjoy this bike, it would be cool to win.
My 2.5yr old would love this it be a good learning tool for him
I want to win because my two girls would LOVE a Strider Bike! Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
Erin
I would love this amazing bike for my 2 and 3 year old. I would love to get them out and learning how to balance so they can learn to ride bikes. I know they would love it!
I’ve had my eye on one of these for my daughter’s second birthday this summer! She’s quite an active girl, I’m sure she’ll love it!
I am a special education teacher with young children ages 3-6.
The Strider bike would be offered to children for the experience and joy.
To assist with learning how to ride, Strider has built a turn-key curriculum that is being used by special needs organizations throughout the world. The Strider Camp™ Curriculum is built around five 1-hour sessions of learning, fun, socialization, and instruction sure to ignite a passion for riding. This curriculum, in conjunction with the Rider Fund, provides both the tools and methods to teach kids of all ages and abilities how to ride on two wheels.
If you are part of an organization that would like to participate in Strider Camp, please contact [email protected] for more information on availability or on how to become a camp instructor.
Spreading the word about our bikes and getting more kids on two wheels is our ultimate goal here at Strider. In the past year alone, we have participated in more than 20 events with the special needs community, supporting organizations like the Special Olympics State Summer Games, National Down Syndrome Congress, Little People of America, Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action, NDSS Buddy Walk, The Autism Society, and more.
For more information on the Rider Fund, and to join the cause, please visit the Strider JOIN THE CAUSE webpage
Strider has always had a soft spot for helping kids (see Benevolence page). For 2014, Strider has created the new Strider® Rider Fund to facilitate getting bikes to organizations that serve children. Our mission statement talks about why we exist, but the new Rider Fund shows how we “walk the talk.” Our Founder and CEO, Ryan McFarland, has committed one percent of Strider Sports’ gross revenue from all sales worldwide each month toward the Rider Fund. Plus, for every Strider bike registered at http://www.StriderBikes.com/Register, the company will commit another $1 to the Rider Fund.
To further the reach of this program, Strider will convert every $100 in the Rider Fund to $300 worth of Strider bikes and products! The bikes and products will be donated through a grant application process. Based on prior year’s sales data, Strider is expecting to donate well over a quarter million dollars worth of Strider bikes and products to charities this year alone! http://www.striderbikes.com/media/downloads/2015GrantApplication.pdf
Ann Hovdenes
Service and Education Specialist
Strider Sports Int’l, Inc.
http://www.StriderBikes.com
2221 N Plaza Dr.,
Rapid City, SD 57702
I so wish these were around when my son was little! I would love to have one for use in my at home child care. I know it would get used non-stop. I’d probably need to get 4 or more to prevent fighting… 😀
It’s nice to learn that the inventor of the bike is also the CEO of the company. We need more entrepreneurs like this who create out of observation and following the child! It’s really quite Montessori of Ryan McFarland 😉
This will be perfect for my son who’s turning 3 next month! His grandparents are visiting in the summer and this will give them a chance to teach him how to balance a bike and create some wonderful memories together. I’m so excited. Thanks for this giveaway!
My child would love this!
I went to their site and I learned that they also make bikes for special needs children.
I want to win for the kids in the family.
After visiting the Strider site, I learned that there are “Adventure Zone” events where families can see the bikes and kids can try them. There aren’t any in my state, but I’d there were, we’d be attending!
Our two year old loves watching older kids ride bikes when we go on walks. This would be perfect for her!
My two-year-old would love being able to “ride a bike like the big kids” (the neighbor’s older kids). I’d love her to learn on a balance bike rather than a bike with training wheels.
I would love to win a Strider Sport Balance Bike for my grandchild. I have see many children learning to ride these that so smoothly transitions into a larger bike. It also provide excellent Core body strength for the developing young child.
Thank you!