| | |  | Cycling & Wheel Sports | Home » » » Glide Bikes Mini Glider Balance Bike | | | | | | Colors: | | | | | Description: | | The Mini Glider from Glide Bikes allows children to gain confidence, improve motor skills, increase coordination, and learn balance at their own pace all while having fun! Balance Bikes do not have training wheels and pedals to get in the way, so children learn the important first step in riding a bike- BALANCE! Pushing off with alternating feet as if the child were running from a seated position, the child can learn balance and control. Once the child becomes more stable they begin to glide with their feet off the ground. As your child develops balance and begins gliding, they can place their feet on the foot pegs and get accustomed to the natural foot position present on a traditional bicycle. Another important aspect of learning to ride with a Glide Bikes balance bike is how they help build a child's confidence. The problem with bikes that depend on training wheels is the lack of control and stability and the higher probability of tip-overs. This makes the child more prone to injuries and takes the fun out of riding a bike. With the Mini Glider, riders have a lower center of gravity which increases stability similar to a sports car in comparison to a tall sport utility vehicle. We also design our bikes using downhill mountain bike geometry which also increases stability and allows for the lowest balance speed of 1.5 MPH. Unlike the heavy kid's bikes with training wheels, we use high quality, lightweight materials so that children can lift the bike by themselves and avoid getting trapped underneath the bike if they do fall. These are all very important features built into our bikes to make your child's experience a safe and fun one! | | | Features: | |
• Designed in the U.S. for kids ages 2-5
• Lowest and safest balancing speed due to mountain bike geometry and lower center of gravity
• High quality, lightweight aluminum alloy frame resists corrosion and has a weight limit of 100 pounds
• Easy to adjust quick-release seat clamp to allow for tool-free seat height adjustment
• Child sized handbrake for safe stopping power as children build confidence and speed
• Lifetime Warranty! Best on the market!
• Weighs only 8 pounds for better control and safety
| | | Product Details: | | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 64 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 64 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
125 of 126 found the following review helpful:
 A Preschooler's Dream Vehicle - Totally RecommendedJun 01, 2008
By TX mom of 2
"teacher mom"
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RSRZX0R36GYXA I researched available balance bikes and decided that the Mini Glider is the best for my son. He loves it and couldn't be happier. (He has the blue one, but the color doesn't make a difference.) Here's what sets the Mini Glider apart from the other choices:
- Super lightweight. Shipping weight is 6 pounds. Compare to the 14 pound Kettler Sprint. The lighter, the easier for a young child to manipulate. Watch my son mount, turn around, dismount, and even lift his Mini Glider with ease.
- Foot pegs for ease of riding and transition to a pedal bike. Most brands have no foot rest for training foot position. The Glider Rider Bike has a 10-inch footplate, but my son's shoes are already 9 inches long. His big feet fit on the Mini Glider's foot pegs with no trouble.
- Hand brake. Some others leave this out, saying that the child shouldn't go faster than his feet can stop him. My son figured out how to use the brake on his own. It is helpful to him when stopping at the bottom of a hill. At the end of the video, just before the last notes of the music, you can hear the "Shhh" of the brake as he brings the glider to a safe stop.
- Solid, no-pump tires. With a vehicle this lightweight, you don't need the hassle of airing up tiny tires. These tires are sturdy and give plenty of traction.
- Seat height easily adjusts with the turn of one bolt.
- Minimal assembly required. Simply insert the handle bars, tighten with the included tool, adjust the seat, and go.
- Excellent customer service from the manufacturer. I had a question about adjusting the brake, and when I called the # in the instruction manual I spoke to a real person immediately.
My son is a tall (44-inch) 4 1/2 year old. Not particularly athletic or graceful, it took him until the age of 4 to learn to pedal a tricycle. When he became interested in bicycles, I got him the Mini Glider. At first, he straddled the seat and waddled with the glider. He soon progressed to walking, running, one-foot-pumping, and coasting with his feet on the foot pegs. The video shows his amazing progress from his second day of riding the glider through 2 1/2 weeks of learning. He loves showing off his skills to everyone, and he wants to go riding every day.
Edit: The new model now offered for sale has a quick-release seat clamp. No tool is needed to adjust the seat. They have also made the handlebars adjustable, for an even more customizable fit. Excellent!
22 of 25 found the following review helpful:
BEST BALANCE BIKE HIGH QUALITYOct 08, 2008
By Legal Eagle
I purchased the mini glider for both my son and daughter. Both loved the bike, my son at age 17 months was gliding in a matter of days. My daughter at 4 took a little longer. The bike took a beaten and would not break even after every kid in the neiborhood cruised around with it. I also purchased a go glider for a friends 7 year old, who loved the mini glider and who was already riding a two wheeler but was hooked on the graceful gliding. This was the best gift I could have purchased. I called the manufacturer with a question, I got a live person without being placed on hold! The picture on this website doesn't due the product justice! The colors are metalic and bright, and bike is extremly light weight and easy for the kids to handle. I wish I had this bike as a kid.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Lightweight is key! Balance learned super quickly!Sep 17, 2009
By sportykids2
Pros:
1. So Lightweight it is easily controlled by an average 2 year old.
2. Hand brake is essential to me to teach that skill early.
3. Solid construction is perfect.
Cons:
1. expensive if you're buying this to teach balance in preparation for a pedal bike. Your child may learn so fast they don't use it very long! Probably has great resale value, though, as it is so well made.
2. On level ground, once balance is mastered, it is hard to get any speed to coast for very long without using your feet to push again. This is why my daughter wanted a pedal bike, because it is not designed for much speed on level ground. And obviously, it does not go uphill at all.
Our experience:
We bought this for our daughter's 3rd birthday. She was 41 inches tall barefoot. Within 15 minutes she was starting to balance by putting her feet out, just for a couple seconds. The second time we took her out, we found a very small incline that flattened out, and that's where she very quickly learned to balance and glide, even while turning. After that she enjoyed the bumpy little dirt hills and pretty steep (for biking) concrete trails, where we taught her to "drag" her feet to control speed, as well as use the hand brake to stop. It wasn't long before she was asking for a bike with pedals, so at age 3 and 3 months, we bought her a 16" bmx style bike with no training wheels. That very day, with just a couple pushes from mom, she took off pedaling, and already knew how to use the hand brake. With a little more practice and coaching on how to start off from a stationary position, she has learned to start on her own, without a push (that's the hardest part when you're learning). Now little 2 year old brother has inherited the balance bike, and is beginning to balance. He is shorter (35" now), so seat post is all the way down for his feet to be flat on the ground, and since the post sticks out the bottom with only about 1" of clearance, it will hit on a rock or some bumpy ground, but we mostly avoid obstacles like that for now, and he just loves it.
I would highly recommend this bike, if you can afford it, for kids age 2+ between about 35" and 43" tall. Taller than that, I would recommend the larger version. It is best to have a slight incline that flattens out to learn balance fastest. My daughter really had a blast on the small dirt hills and valleys behind our house, and impressed the heck out of bystanders everywhere who hadn't yet heard of balance bikes or teaching kids this young to ride. I think many to most kids can learn to ride a bike pretty easily using the balance method.
16 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 Seat is low but handlebars are highMay 12, 2010
By Ms. Red Hibiscus
"Fabulous Lady"
We bought two of these, one for our 3.5 year old and one for our 2 year old. Our 3.5 year old has been fine and has enjoyed it. But the handlebars are too high for our 2 year old. The handlebars do not adjust. In the photo, the seat is raised up very high. In reality for a 2 or 3 year old, the seat is much lower and the handlebars end up too high. We would have been better off with a Strider because the handlebars are low and also flat instead of curved.
So far, our 3.5 year old hasn't used the foot rest at all. I think it's easier for him to balance with his knees bent and feet dangling vs. putting his feet on the foot rest. The hand brake is also hard to operate without good grip strength. When I picked this bike over the Strider I thought the footrest and the handbrake would be added value but in reality they have not been used.
If your child is small and has short arms I wouldn't get this bike due to the high handlebars!
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Mini Glider/PV GliderOct 13, 2008
By R. Mellis
We have a three year that had strokes in all lobes of his brain. We were given a glider as a gift. He was scared of trying a pony walker so when he was ready, this has become a godsend for our son. He has hemiplegia, so this has been great to re-learn balance. He is tiny so this is a great size for him to balance on. He can only take assisted steps for now but it's been a great asset for us.
See all 64 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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