Are you comparing Balance Bikes?
Look for the answers to these questions and read more about the Skuut on our Info page.
Foam tyres will mark and dent, and do not give your child the smooth ride that they will get with a Skuut. Plastic tyres have awful traction and EVA rubber tyres are decent, but do not absorb the bumps quite like the Skuut’s pneumatic tyres.
Is the steering limited and the front fork space protected for little fingers?
When learning to ride a balance bike, it’s really very important to have a limited “turning circle”. this avoid jack-knifing and crashing. And make sure that whichever balance bike you choose, that there is no space for little fingers to get caught between the body of the bike and front forks. Spokes are not a great idea for a little kid bike either, even more so if your rider has younger brothers or sisters.
What about the convertible Playskool Glide-2-Ride version available at the big stores?
I, personally, have many concerns about this bike. First, try lifting the thing - there is NO WAY a child of the right age could lift it barely an inch. The chain housing means the rider has to have their legs wide apart when they ride, which reduces control. The front fork/handlebars have an unlimited turning cirlce, setting your kid up to spin out (jack-knife) and flip over. And really, the little kid bicycles are only $40 or so at K-mart/Target, so when your kid is ready to ride a bicycle, it’s not a huge stretch for most to buy one. I have found that my kids, even though they can now both ride a regular bicycle, still often choose to ride the Skuut. At their age, I feel safer with them on a Skuut if I’m walking along suburban streets with driveways etc - they really do have much more control with their feet. The Skuuts can also be thrown in the boot (or even in your kids footwell in the car) without putting on the bike rack or worrying about room for all the rest of the junk we tend to cart everywhere. And if you need to carry the Skuut under your arm, it’s no biggie - my kids actually carry their own when the cross roads with me etc. Going camping with the Skuut is a blast - my kids can go anywhere on a Skuut - places that are far too tricky to navigate with a regular bicycle at their age.
(the Skuut body can be attached up-side down and then be ridden by toddlers from the age of 18 months or so). The Skuut will fit almost all 2-5 year olds, and most six year olds. My eight year old still rides his, but he looks too big for it.
Are the tyres non-marking?
Skuut tyres won’t mark your floors – they’re safe indoors!
What about hand-brakes?
I’m biased, of course, but I don’t like hand brakes for little kid balance bikes. Little kids can’t use them anyway, and they’re not as reliable and secure as feet. They get in the way and clutter up what should be an elegant design. A kid who is trying to get their tiny hands around a brake lever is one who isn’t concentrating on where they’re going and is having trouble balancing with only one hand working at the handlebars.
You should never need spare parts for a Skuut, but if you break something and it’s your fault, we will provide them for actual cost and shipping cost only (no profit involved).
I can be reached on 0410-513-013, or by mail at
