Skuut Balance Bike - Kids'

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

Two years ago we bought a Skuut bike for our three-year-old boy. He figured it out fairly quickly, and riding the Skuut became one of his favorite activities. After a year or so he outgrew it, and moved on to a kids' bicycle with a similar feature (removable pedals) which he also loves. We had a bit of trail-a-biking as well, to practice the pedaling separately from the balancing, and then recently, at his request, we put the pedals on and he just took off, riding three miles on his first day! As advertised, the foundation of balance and confidence provided by the Skuut allowed him to bypass training wheels altogether, and become a proficient bicycle rider at age five.

I hope production has improved since we got ours (from another source, one of the first imported I believe), because ours was not well made. The tires had a couple bulges, and were not cured properly--they stank!--so we had to keep the bike on the back porch until they off-gassed enough to bring it inside. The handlebar is attached with wooden dowels. Ours broke at that point, and was replaced. There are definitely other bikes of this type (with both wooden and metal frames) that are better made, but the quality of this item is commensurate with the price, and it did its job well.

We've now passed the Skuut along to a younger neighbor.

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

We've had our skuut for just over 1 1/2 years. Our son used it from his 2nd to his 3rd birthday, and now our daughter is riding it - she began before she turned 2! This is an amazing bike for teaching a young child to balance, coast, & turn on a two wheeler, IF the child is inclined towards using it. Our son went right to a pedal bicycle without training wheels on his third birthday, and our daughter is destined to do the same. (Our nephew, same age as our son, is not at all interested in riding his skuut or any other bicycle - so it in part depends on the child.) It's a very stable bike with a very limited turning radius which prevents your child from oversteering as they're learning to ride and balance. We've loved this bike.

However, there are some problems. The seat doesn't go low enough for the really little riders. We just pushed our son around until his legs got long enough, and then for our daughter my husband built a new little seat that sits a bit lower.

No brakes is definitely a problem, especially if your child hasn't learned to drag their feet to slow down (when they do, you'll go through shoes very quickly). High speeds are quickly reached when going downhill, at which point the bike's steering is no longer stable, and your child will start to wobble the steering and will crash, unless you're a really fast sprinter.

The other major drawback is that our skuut is already starting to fall apart. The top "handlebar" piece of wood has weak points where it attaches, and it began to split first, after less than a year. After numerous repairs, a large splinter of wood has now broken off completely. The handlebar piece is screwed into a piece of laminated wood in the same direction as the laminated strips, and that laminated piece of wood recently split apart at the screws. Given that we try not to purchase objects that are just going to end up in a landfill, this is quite disappointing.

So, in all, while we've enjoyed our skuut, I would recommend looking for a similar product that has a very low seat adjustment, limited steering radius, some kind of a brake system or leash for controlling speed going down hills, and that is durable enough (perhaps metal) to pass on through the generations.

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

I got this for my 3 year old and he was not interested at first. Several months later he decided he liked it. About that time a tire ruptured. I thought I had overinflated it so I got another one. Months later a tire has ruptured again. I have been very careful with inflating it so I know it was not user error.

This should not be a big deal but there is no way to get a replacement tire or tube. So if you get need a new tube or tire you are out of luck. That is just unacceptable for any kind of bike.

My son LOVES it though. I just wish I could replace the tire/tube.

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

We got this for our daughter's 2nd birthday 2 years ago. She was a little short for it at the time so it went unused for about 6 months. As soon as she grew tall enough to have her feet flat on the ground at the lowest setting, she tried again, and literally within a few hours she was zooming around our apartment and speeding along the sidewalk. She could lift her feet up and balance within a couple of days and it has been amazing for her confidence. We used it a lot to get to the subway and to school and we had to run to keep up with her. Much better than walking with her and trying to coax her along....She rides a lot on our bikes and loves feeling like a "real" cyclist on her own bike. She's now 4 and ready for a pedal bike with no training wheels!The only criticism is the top layer of the plywood peeled off in places. Just cosmetic. We never left it out in the rain or anything, so it must just be the glue that was used. Also, the side felt pads on the front fell off, but skuut sent us some new ones. [...]Other bikes of this type may be more expensive, but if what you're looking for is a way for your kid to learn how to ride a bike on their own and gain a ton of confidence, this is the ride.

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

My three year old has been using this bike for about a year and a half. He absolutely loves this bike! He now has a "bigger" bike, but still goes back to his Skuut and loves to glide. The bike has held up well, he's gone through one back tire in after about a year of heavy use. I would absolutely recommend this bike to anyone with a young child (2+). My 1 year old already has his eye on it.

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

I want to like this push bike. The wood looks great. Unfortunately the product is not ideal for young kids. Screws could not be adequately tightened and wheel axels came apart multiple times. Seat doesn't attach well and wobbles even when tightened with screws. Plastic washers break easily on wheels. The wood cracks with repeated light impacts which are inevitable with young riders learning to balance. The handle bars are not durable and have become abraded to the underlying wood with multiple kid wipe outs. I had hoped that the bike would last for my younger son, but it barely made it for one season with my older son and now needs major repairs before it functions again. Metal push bikes are better for kids.

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

I bought this for my 3 year old nephew for Christmas and he cruised around the house all winter on it, and then outside for a bit in the spring. His balance improved drastically with each ride and then he jumped on a real bike, no training wheels, and took off.

My whole family is now sold on the skuut idea. His bike has been passed around to neighbors and friends and everyone has positive things to say. It's an awesome, unique gift for kids who already have too many movies and flashy-light toys.

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

I bought this for my 2 year old for Christmas. With the snow lately, he has only ridden this inside. He loved it from the first day he rode it though. His older brothers fight to ride on it (4 and 6). My 2 year old loves to ride his Razor scooter, so he has some experience on 2 wheels. Being that he is not tall enough to ride a 12 inch bike, he was left out with riding around with his older brothers. This Skuut will help him transition so he can ride with his brothers. My only gripe is with the bolts that are used to connect the pieces on the bike. The type of metal that is used to contruct these bolts are not very strong and one of the bolts that secure the handle bars has been stripped just by tightening them to secure the handle bars. The good news is that it is about 85% secure (or threaded). The bad news is that the bolt will never come out unless you drill it out. I was a bit dissapointed in that. Otherwise my kids have an absolute blast riding this.

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

Received Scuut bike as gift for my three year old son. After a few months of use the wood started to crack on the main body from repeated slow speed wipe outs. The wheel axels came unscrewed a number of times even with aggressive tightening of the bolts. After one occasion a bolt was lost when the wheel came off so I reluctantly had to purchase a new model as the manufacturer did not carry replacement parts. Upon tightening the new bolts as a preventative measure, one of the plastic washers broke before my son had even tried it. I think that metal push bikes may be more durable for young kids.

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

Best money I have ever spent. My son loves this thing (he got it when he was 2). His older sister rides it as well (she is 5). He was up and running on the bike in no time and having a blast. The stuff he does on this thing are amazing. His balance and ability to handle a bike are way beyond where he would have been riding a "normal" bike. Only drawback that I can see is that it may not hold up if you expect to pass it from kid to kid. My son is pretty hard on the bike, and it is holding up, but, it is showing more wear than I would like.

Go to the Skuut site for some cool vids of the bike in action.