Growing up, I was the last in my friend group to learn how to ride a bike. It’s actually a bit of an embarrassing childhood memory and I was not keen on having my almost 5-year-old suffering the same fate. She’s eager to ride a “real” bike but we were both nervous about her riding with training wheels.
But luckily, one of my mom friends told me about a safe and easier alternative to traditional bicycles, called Guardian Bikes. A kid-specific bike company, featured on Shark Tank that assembles 100% of their bikes in the USA. With its 365-day money-back guarantee, I decided to give it a try and to my surprise, my daughter was able to learn to ride in just 1 day.
Here’s how Guardian Bikes made it happen:
Balancing before pedaling
The problem with training wheels is that kids learn to pedal before learning to balance, which is WAY more important than pedaling. With Guardian Bikes, you leave the pedals off at first and your kid can focus on the more crucial task of balancing.
It only took a few tries for my daughter to start confidently gliding on the balance bike. Once she got the hang of gliding, we easily installed the pedals and slowly but surely, she was biking without training wheels. I was so surprised, my kid literally mastered riding a bike in just one day.
Kid-sized and kid-proportioned
If you have little ones, you know how having the right child-sized items can really boost their confidence. Whether it’s kid-sized scissors, cutlery, or garden tools, kids like to be in control and that’s even more important when it comes to their bike.
Many new riders are on a bike that is either too small or too large for them. But we used Guardian Bike’s RideSizer Tool, which helps determine the perfect size bike for a child based on their height, riding experience, and confidence level. I was thrilled with our 16-inch bike which fit my daughter (42” tall) perfectly.
Guardian Bikes are kid-sized and kid-proportioned, which means smaller hand grips, less distance between the pedals, shorter crank arms, and a low center of gravity. Guardian Bikes are also lightweight compared to most mass-market bikes, which weigh up to 75% of your child’s weight, making them difficult to ride.
Innovative braking system
Guardian has created a patented braking system called SureStop that lets your child stop more quickly and with more control. The single-level hand brake stops both wheels and takes into consideration both the riding surface and weight positioning on the bike so that there is no risk of head-over-handlebar accidents.
This system has given me more peace of mind while also giving my daughter more confidence as she only has one lever to worry about.
Guardian Bikes also never have coaster brakes, meaning they don’t brake from the pedals moving backward. New riders often backpedal to keep their balance. If a bike has coaster brakes, this stops the bike, just when they were getting the hang of it.
Easy to assemble
We ordered the Guardian bike online and it was so easy. The bike costs $289 but I scored one on sale for $249. It was delivered 99% assembled, so putting together the bike only took me 5 minutes (with my daughter “helping”).
They also offer a 365-Day Money back guarantee in case you need a different size or your child isn’t enjoying their bike. This also covers any bike shop repairs or spare parts needed within that first year.
The Verdict
Given the difficulties I had in learning how to ride, it truly seemed like a miracle to witness my child learn to ride in only a day. I was so happy and proud to see her finally pedaling around without training wheels, it was an incredible day for both of us.
In short, I would recommend Guardian Bikes to any parent who wants to give their child the best chance to achieve that bike riding milestone.
