You can find Miko Beautiful Child stores at 980 Main Rd Eltham and 2/139 Union Rd Surrey Hills Victoria or for a complete list of Official TIKE Resellers please visit our webpage www.tike.com.au

More recently wooden bikes have gained popularity in a number of formats from children’s balance bikes through to high end, and very expensive designs such as the stunning Revovo hardwood bikes.

Wooden Bike - Tike Wood Balance Bike by Live Play Create

Since that time countless companies have copied the original well built and popular Like a Bike wooden bike design, predominantly with poor quality knock offs with little innovation that often leave children owners heartbroken and their parents disappointed.

(Try Google “poor quality balance bikes” “poor quality wood bikes” and “like a bike copies”)

One company that has developed its own unique and innovative take on wooden balance bike design is the Australian company Live Play Create with their TIKE.

The New York times has conducted a review of some of the lower cost US Balance Bikes

YISHANE LEE from the New York Times has written a review of US models of Balance Bikes in the NYT Fashion and Style section here.

LEE says that Balance Bikes are “making big inroads into the US as a way to teach children to ride without training wheels”, which is a very similar experience to what is happening in the Australian market.

The article goes on to review some of the cheaper US models, some of which are currently sold in Australia.

We think the review is a little unfair on its description of the Scuut as flimsy as the new US versions is in our opinion more robust than the Smart Gear Training Bike and while it is smaller and uses a cheaper grade of thinner ply than the TIKE, it is in fact reasonably well built and certainly the better model of the cheaper Australian balance bikes.

Also, contrary to the review, our experience also shows that you do not want wheels with plastic or metal spokes for 2-3year olds as they are a recipe for disaster for little fingers and toes.

The buddy bag looks cool and is indispensable addition to the tike

There always seems to be so much to carry on every outing.  Water bottles, snacks… sunscreen, changes of clothes, nappies, wipes, hats, tissues…….  and then the plush  best friend absolutely has to come as well.  You end up looking like you are heading to the nearest airport for a lengthy sojourn rather then a ride through the local bushland or park.

Live Play Create now have a very cool and functional way to share some of the load.

Introducing the tike buddy bag ..perfect for carrying the best friend, water bottle, hat and snacks for the ride.  This balance bike carry bag will be an indispensable addition to the tike (a bonus for mum and dad as well)

The buddy bag is compatible with most popular children’s bikes and scooters.

Available for $24  or with the tike stand for $ 40

Balance bikes develop coordination and motor skills and give your child freedom beyond their years

Balance bikes are a great way to teach your child balance and coordination from an early age.  Eager to explore their new freedom from 18mths on, balance bikes provide a safe and effective method to provide this freedom and develop your child’s motor skills.

With recent explosion in the number of balance bikes on the market there is and expected amount of confusion for parents. Live Play Create, as Australia’s leading manufacturer of balance bikes,  see a plethora of new models enter the market every year – and this year is no exception.  These are almost always cheap imports with little or no quality control, made of inferior componentry and that are unsustainably resourced.  Most of the product, or importers, are not around even 12 months later once the enthusiastic importers realise that cheap and quality do not go hand in hand.

The following guide should assist you in identifying what to look for when comparing balance bikes.

Construction
This is where you will see the biggest different between makes and models.  Some will be immediately obvious and others perhaps not for a month or so.

The TIKE uses 14mm ply for its man frame and 20mm for the front forks – other top selling brands use only 12mm and many of the cheaper versions use 10mm or 8mm. This additional thickness adds to the cost, but our philosophy for the TIKE has always been that it should  an item to be passed on through your family, not discarded into landfill.

The ply we use is FSC certified (sustainable forestry) Grade 1 Beech. It is the highest quality available. Most other brands are made of birch or very cheap grades of ply – mainly from native forest timber.

The TIKE’s design incorporates bent ply on 2 parts of the main frame – this makes the TIKE much stronger than the use of straight sheets of ply. Yes, it is an expensive feature but the TIKE is strong and genuinely built to last (plus it makes the TIKE look really cool)

TIKE also has top level componentry, wheel bearings and bushes.  This ensures the TIKE will last. Some we have seen have plastic wheel components which will feel fine for a month or so but quickly wear.  Without spare or replacement parts these makes would be rendered useless very fast.

EN71 Certification

Australian design standards for toy products such as balance bikes are not overly stringent whereas the European Directive on toy design and safety, EN71, is the toughest safety standard for toy products today.  It is an expensive set of tests to pass. These tests amongst other things include; structural integrity, safety and toxicity testing.

The TIKE has been certified EN71 compliant and complies with Australian and New Zealand toy safety standards. Sadly in Australia there is no formal requirement for balance bikes to undergo safety testing and the result is that there are many models on the market that we know would fail the EN71 guidelines miserably. Ironically, many models even carry a CE mark fraudulently and have never undergone any testing to warrant the carrying of this mark.

Tyres

There are three main types of tyres found on balance bikes (though the quality of each type does vary greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer)
Hard     Plastic Tyres are terrible – They are fine for heading in a straight line but in our experience children don’t tend to ride balance bikes in a straight line – they tend to waddle a bit from side to side and hard plastic or rubber tyres slip on sand, in the wet or on loose ground.

Pneumatic Tyres are great however when you decide to go for a ride, you get your child dressed, helmet on, sunscreen applied and then realise that you have a flat tyre, you will understand why we have fitted the TIKE with the latest EVA rubber tyres.

EVA Rubber Tyres are better for kids.  The EVA rubber tyres we use on the TIKE are the latest European innovation. They do not dent or mark, have a harder rubber outer layer with tread pattern and a softer rubber inner core to mimic the feel of pneumatic tyre, They wear at a similar rate to pneumatic tyres and best of all they never go flat. We also find they do not mark your floors (or internal walls) as pneumatic tyres do.

Wheels

Balance bike wheels should be solid. Your child will love their balance bike so much that even when they are not riding it they will play with it, spinning the wheels, ringing the bell, pretending they are racing in the motor cycle grand prix.

Metal or plastic spokes, or holes and recesses cut into the wheel are a hazard for young children who can get everything from fingers to shoelaces caught and sticks which can flick up.   The TIKE has a solid wheel hub  to avoid these issues.

Seat Height Adjustment

The TIKE has 6 height adjustment settings and will fit most 2-6 year olds. While the seat can go as low as all major balance bike brands the TIKE is also the largest of the balance bikes which means that children get a significantly longer life out of it.

Critically, the TIKE handlebars are moulded and ergonically designed to be comfortable at any seat height.

Steering

The TIKES steering is restricted which is an innovation to aid stability and prevent your child from jack-knifing. By design, it is not possible to capture small fingers between any moving parts of the TIKE, including the forks and the main frame.

Brakes

Balance Bikes will generally have no brakes. Young children cannot manipulate a brake and the way that balance bikes are designed, your child’s feet should be in close contact with the ground – for more information on balance bike safety refer to our safety guide.

Spare Parts
Live Play Create, the manufacturers of the TIKE, have been market leaders in balance bikes since 2006 and all of our products are fully supported with a complete range of spare parts just a phone call away.

Ease of Assembly

To save costs many balance bikes require substantial assembly including the front and rear wheels which can be a little tricky. TIKE owners need only do three screws to assemble the TIKE with the tools provided.

Finishes

All lacquers used on the TIKE are water based, non toxic and  environmentally friendly (they are also more expensive than chemical lacquers). We do three coats on all surfaces which are sanded back between coats. This means the TIKE not only looks great but it will also last longer than cheaper brands.

Customisation

Seats on the TIKE are easily interchangeable (and washable) with the coolest colours including our new denim (urban) TIKE.  Most other balance bike seats are physically stapled onto the  bike and once the bike gets knocked around a bit  the seats cannot be easily replaced.

Accessories

The TIKE stand will make your TIKE a beautiful feature in your child’s bedroom and the Buddy bad is a funky, indispensable item for carrying drink bottles or snacks on long rides.  The buddy bag is interchangeable with most other bikes and scooters and can be used for many years to come.

Chosen by leading retailers

But don’t just let us tell you…. our list of retailers includes some of  Australia’s leading toy and gift retailers including  Early Learning Centre/Kids Central. They are very tough in their screening process of new products, this is to all of our benefit and further stands as testament to our product..

The Tike balance bike encourages outdoor activity, friendships and confidence

The first balance bike was invented by German inventor Karl Drais in 1817 and was known as the velocipede which is the earliest known form of a two-wheeler without pedals.

More recently, wooden balance bikes have undergone somewhat of a renaissance which many attribute to the success of the German built Like a Bike (Europe) and the Australian designed TIKE.

Fundamental to explosion in popularity of balance bikes is, apart from their design beauty, the innovation of Like a Bike and TIKE in restricting the steering movement of the bike which results in a significant increase in their stability.

Of course this success has led to an explosion in new balance bike designs appearing almost daily which has led to a significant amount of confusions for parents in reconciling the differences between different makes and models.

The good news is that once you know what to look for, the differences are easy to spot and make it easy to compare balance bikes and choose the best balance bike for your child.