Big balance bikes for taller children

Balance bikes are a great way to get children to learn to ride a bike. They provide a fun way to get used to moving around on two wheels, mastering balance, steering and braking, before introducing the complexity of pedaling.

If your child isn't yet ready to move onto a pedal bike but is too tall for the traditional 12" frames listed in our guide to the best balance bikes, don't worry!

In this article, we're taking a look at those bigger balance bikes suitable for older and taller children.

Sizing and age - is my child too old / tall for a balance bike?

The majority of balance bikes come with 12" wheels and are suitable for children about 3 - 4 years in age. However, there are some larger balance bikes now available which are designed for taller children. These are usually marketed at ages 4 and over, but of course, the individual measurements of your child will vary.

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Making your own balance bike

One option you have is to take a standard pedal bike and remove the pedals, cranks (and gearing if present) to make your own balance bike.

You can read how to turn a pedal bike into a balance bike here.

If you're confident with your bike maintenance skills this can be a good way to save a bit of money over buying a bespoke balance bike.

However, be aware that some kids bikes are really heavy, so make sure you're taking this into consideration if your child doesn't take to the bike.

A lightweight balance bike (such as those featured below) may be what's needed to get them confident on two wheels.

Before you start take a moment to grab your FREE kids bike buying checklist to help you record all the information you need to find the perfect bike for your child. 

Balance bikes for older kids

Here's our selection of the best balance bikes for children aged 5 and over. They vary in size and price, with some converting to pedal bikes when the time is right, and others being pure balance bikes with bigger wheels and higher standover height.

Woom 1 Plus balance bike with 14" wheels for taller children

Woom 1 Plus

Cycle Sprog reviewed and recommended brand!

Woom Bikes are an Austrian company renowned for the quality of their bikes.  They have a "big balance bike" available - called the Woom 1 Plus - which comes with 14" wheels.

It is sized for children aged between about three and a half to 5 years of age, with a height of between 95cm and 110cm.   The saddle height ranges from 37.5cm to 47cm.

The Woom 1 Plus is available in 5 different colours - including yellow (which isn't the easiest colour to find!). It comes with both front and rear brakes.

We've reviewed a few Woom Bikes (including their 14" wheel pedal bike, the Woom 2) and our reviewers have always been very impressed with the quality and longevity of these bikes.

Price: £245

Buy New Buy Used

Kidvelo Rookie 14 and 18

Cycle Sprog reviewed and recommended brand!

Kidvelo are a company determined to shake up the balance bike industry with their uniquely designed bikes that aim to get children pedalling more quickly.

They've just released two new bikes that start off as big balance bikes and convert to pedal bikes.

The Rookie 14 (for ages 3 to 6 years) and the Rookie 18 (ages 4-8 years) are great value ways to help your child transition from balance biking to pedalling.

Alternatively you can just use them in balance only, or pedal only mode, depending on the needs of your child.

We've reviewed the Kidvelo Rookie 12 (which is a smaller balance bike) and were really impressed with the design and quality of the bike.

Prices starting from £235

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Kidvelo Rookie 14 balance and pedal bike
Hornit AIRO 14 balance bike

Hornit AIRO 14

Cycle Sprog reviewed and recommended brand!

New for this year, the Hornit AIRO 14 is a balance bike designed for beginners that are a bit older or taller, but also for kids looking to move onto their next balance bike as they've outgrown the current one!

Built around a super lightweight frame, the AIRO 14 comes with a rear mounted drum brake that is easy to use due to the TEKTRO lever designed for small hands.

It's available in two colours, Hammer Yellow or Magma Red, and comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame and forks.

Priced at £189

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Frog Tadpole Plus

Cycle Sprog reviewed and recommended brand!

Frog Bikes are one of the most popular brands of quality kids bikes, and they have three balance bikes in their offering - including the large 14" wheel Tadpole Plus.

This is a balance bike designed for taller children, with a minimum inside leg of 38cm. It comes in four colour choices - red, pink, green and blue.

It has a rear brake, but not a front brake, which will help ease a child into learning to brake gently.

We've reviewed a wide range of Frog Bikes over the years although not this specific model, and have always been impressed with their quality.  This is reflected in their second-hand values - these bikes are designed to be outgrown and passed on!

The Frog Tadpole Plus is currently the only larger balance bike available at the popular Bike Club - where you pay a monthly subscription and upgrade your bike when your child grows.

Prices from £220 (or £7.99 monthly hire)

Buy New Hire Buy Used

The Frog Tadpole Plus is a large balance bike for taller and older kids, aged about 4 years and over

Black Mountain bikes

Cycle Sprog reviewed and recommended bikes!

The really clever thing about Black Mountain Bikes is that they're a bike that can be configured to be either a balance bike OR a pedal bike.

Their larger wheels sizes come with gears so your child can continue to progress with their riding once they've mastered pedalling.

Plus, the frame size of their bikes is adjustable, so as your child grows you can extend the frame, meaning the bike will last longer.  Because these bikes will ultimately end up as pedal bikes, they come with both front and rear brakes (which you don't always get on other balance bikes). This means your child can get used to the braking action before progressing to pedalling.

A Black Mountain Bike will help give peace of mind that you've got a bike that will grow with your child.  It also saves you money as you're not buying multiple bikes and they will have a great resale value when you finally sell them on.

You can read a cost comparison here.

Prices starting from £399

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KAPĒL Black Mountain bikes bike that grows with your child
Black Mountain Skog, Hutto and Kapel3 bikes together

Black Mountain Bikes (who are based in the Black Mountains of Wales) currently have four different models - it's the 18" wheel KAPEL or the 20" wheel HUTTO that you need to be looking at if you've got an older child (shown here with the smaller 16" wheel SKOG)

Black Mountain Bikes suggest the KAPEL would be suitable for a child from 110cm, or approx 5 years old when in mode 1 and when the bike is fully extended they should be able to enjoy it until they're around the 128cm height or about 7.5 years.

The HUTTO is aimed at slightly taller children, from 118cm, around the 6 years old mark, until they reach 134cm or about 8.5 years.

You can read how our reviewer got on using the HUTTO in balance bike mode and then progressing to pedalling.

Obviously, all children grow at different rates, so the ages are a guide only and we'd recommend basing the bike you need on height.

These two larger models don't come with the balance bike option as standard, but you can specify when you order that you want it delivered in balance bike mode rather than pedal bike mode.

There's an extra cost for a balance bike conversion kit for these large bikes - they'll send the pedal/gear kit in a box for you to fit when your child is ready.

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Strider 14x

Strider are a well know American balance bike brand, who have a 14" wheel bike that is suitable for taller kids who have outgrown their standard 12" wheeler.

Again, the good thing about the Strider 14x is that you can buy a separate pedal conversion kit so your child can transition easily from balance bike to pedal bike.

It's a lightweight option (5.7 kg in balance bike mode and 6.1 kg in pedal bike mode) and is sized for children with an inside leg of between 40 and 58 cm which is up until about 6 years of age.

Price: £189.99

Buy Online
Strider 14X balance bike that becomes a pedal bike
Ridgeback Scoot XL kids balance bike

Ridgeback Scoot XL

The Ridgeback Scoot XL is a 14" wheel balance bike aimed at children who are too tall for their smaller 12" wheel offering.

Their website states that the Scoot XL is suitable for children between 100cm and 110cm in height, which is roughly up to age 5, depending on how tall your child is.

There are 6 different colour choices available, including black, lime green, purple and pink and the bike is fitted with a rear brake.

Price: £124.99

Buy New Buy Used

Islabikes: Rothan 14

Cycle Sprog reviewed and recommended brand

Islabikes are the leading children's bike brand with a comprehensive collection of bikes. The Rothan 14" is their larger balance bike which is aimed at children with an inside leg of 36cm upwards.

The new 14” wheeled balance bike fits children from approximately 3 years old and is perfect for mastering two-wheel balance ready for their first pedal bike.

It weighs in at 3.4kg, meaning it is effortless for young children to pick up and ride, and easy for parents to carry.

Price: £199.99

Buy New
Islabikes Rothan 14 kids bike 2021
Strider 16 Sport

Strider 16 Sport

If your child is aged over 6 years of age, then the next sized bike, the Strider 16 Sport is a good choice. It's designed for an inside leg of 52.1cm to 67.3cm and comes in a choice of two colours - blue and red. The frame is made from steel and the bike weighs in at 8.0kg

Buy Online

Strider 20 Sport - best balance bike for teenagers

Frustratingly larger balance bikes for teenagers and adults aren't very common.

Strider in the USA make the Strider 20 Sport which is designed for teenagers and adults, with an inside leg measurement of between 69.9cm and 84.6cm.

Sadly their UK franchisee does not stock this bike.  We contacted the USA HQ in March 2023 to ask them if someone in the UK could order the bike from them and pay for shipping and the reply was sadly:

Hello Karen, Thank you for your interest in our Strider 20x model. Unfortunately, we are unable to sell or ship outside the United States. Have a wonderful day! 🙂

Not quite the smiley faced answer I was hoping for!

The bike does occasionally come up for sale secondhand in the UK.

Buy Online

Other balance bikes for teenagers and adults 

If your teen isn't too tall (118cm to 134cm), then the Black Mountain HUTTO on the larger frame size could work for them (remember to buy the balance bike conversion kit).

For a balance bike that is more likely to fit a teenager or adult, there's the SUYUDD 18" wheel balance bike.  

It says it is suited for people 135-170cm tall, with a saddle range of 65cm - 80cm.

We can't vouch for this bike, as we don't know anyone who's used it, so do please let us know how you get on if you do buy it.  Thanks!

 

Strider 20 balance bike for adults and teenagers. This large balance bike is particularly good for those with special needs or a disability, but is also useful for those who haven't yet learnt to ride a bike and need a big balance bike

WeeRide Delux Balance Bike

WeeRide are another brand making balance bikes aimed at the 3 to 5-year-old age range. The WeeRide Delux has 14" wheels, but this bike differs from others shown as it has a rear band brake.

This type of brake is not usually found in Europe, but is a more popular option in the Asian market.

Worth considering if you're either a bike nerd who would love this type of brake, or the complete opposite and who may struggle to find a mechanic who could fix if anything went wrong.

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Wee Ride Delux 12" Balance Bike

Comments

Carrie

Hi! I have a Strider 14x and my son loves it but we are in the US so it has coaster brakes (meaning no brakes at all in balance mode). I’m trying to find out more about the rear hand brake on the UK version to see if I can rig something up on his. The only kids bikes here without coaster brakes are really expensive (I got the strider used for pretty cheap). Do you know what kind of brake set up is used for the rear wheel?

Karen

Hi Carrie,
Thanks for getting in touch. I recall having an online discussion with Strider Bikes about this over a year ago, and they told me the UK version has a hand operated rear brake which uses something called a “band brake” – these aren’t very common, but work by pulling on a lever rather than backpedalling (as with a coaster brake). Hope this helps! Regards Karen

Nikolaos Vourderis

My daughter is 2 years and 9 months old. She is one metre tall. Shall I buy woom 1 plus, Ridgeback Scoot or Ridgeback Scoot xl?

Penny Millar

Hi Nikolaos. Many thanks for your comment. All three are great little bikes, we’d recommend any of them. Unfortunately, at the moment there is a shortage of kid’s bikes (you’re probably aware!), so we’d go with whichever you find available. Good luck and happy cycling to your daughter! Kind regards, Penny

Adam

Hi mate I live in Perth Australia
I’m after a balance bike 14” but one that looks like a BMX ? Do u have somthing I saw a 12” green awesome one but my son is way to tall 3.5yrs for this

Penny Millar

Hi Adam
Sound like you have a budding little cyclist there! Unfortunately, Cycle Sprog doesn’t sell bikes directly, but the Black Mountain range is worth a look if your son is taller. They are balance bikes that convert into pedal bikes when your child is ready. Their 14″ is the Pinto (currently out of stock but they are taking reservations). Click here to have a read them. They also look very cool! We hope this helps. Penny

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