Online: www.REI.com
URL for this product:

From the U.S. and Canada — Call 1-800-426-4840
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
International — Call 1-253-891-2500
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.

$Skuut Balance Bike - Kids\'$

Skuut Balance Bike - Kids'

$79.99
$94.00^*

REDUCED PRICE You Save 14%

(27)

Item # 780754

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Gear and Advice You Can Trust

To view videos or use the zoom feature on REI's websites, please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

NOW PLAYING

Perfect for learning the balance, steering and coordination needed for bike riding, the award-winning Skuut Balance bike is designed for kids aged 2 - 5.

Without pedals and training wheels, kids intuitively learn to refine their handling skills by first ''walking'' the bike along
As their confidence and abilities improve, kids can lengthen their strides and increase the amount of time their feet are off the ground, resulting in more ''Wheee!'' time
Braking is accomplished by simply putting feet down on the ground
The simple 3-piece design is made from birchwood and coated with a nontoxic lacquer; assembly is easy and takes just minutes
Steering angles are limited so that children don't accidentally turn too hard and crash
Seat adjusts from 13.5 to 16.5 in. high to accommodate a range of heights and sizes; vinyl seat is easy to clean
Beefy 12 in. rubber tires inflate up to 40psi, though perform best between 20 and 25psi

Imported.

Item 780754

View all Skuut products

REI Membership

REI Membership $20.00

Skuut Balance Bike - Kids' Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Skuut Balance Bike - Kids'

3.7

(based on 27 reviews)

69%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Smooth ride (14)
Stable (12)
Easy to grow into (10)
Highly adjustable (8)
Built to last (3)

Cons

Wears quickly (8)
Quickly outgrown (3)

Best Uses

First learning (25)
Street riding (8)
Light riding (5)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (13), Avid cyclist (8)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (9), Yes (3)

Reviewed by 27 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-10

Previous | Next »

May

2013

4.0

Skip training wheels

By SuperMike

from Chicago

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Confidence Builder
Easy to Grow Into
Skill Builder

Cons

Wears Quickly

Best Uses

First Learning

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

We introduced this balance bike to my son when he was just turning 2. It was winter time, so he didn't show too much enthusiasm for it at first. Come spring, he would sit on it, sort of push himself around, but seemed ambivalent to it. Then he saw another kid really skooting on it (ie pushing, coasting and balancing as he rode), and he was soon hooked on learning to use the thing. After he proved himself fully confident in balancing on the thing (to the point where he was lifting his legs in the air and coasting for 25 - 50 feet, and taking turns at speed (without useing feet to balance) we transitioned him to a pedal bike. He spend a month figuring out those pedals, with training wheels, and then the training wheels were off. He fell one time, and then he was off to the races, while many kids his age and even a few years older were still learning to ride. Great investment.

Comment on this review

May

2013

4.0

Great Bike! Good Durability for Wood

By RockMad

from Hartford, CT

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Control
Smooth Ride

Cons

Quickly Outgrown

Best Uses

First Learning
Light Trails
Street Riding

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

I bought this bike for my son when he turned 2 in June, 2012. He didn't touch it until Thanksgiving and when he started on it he was essentially just walking awkwardly while straddling the bike and he wasn't even on the seat.

From Thanksgiving to Christmas he rode it quite a bit through the halls of our complex and he'd lift his feet occasionally.

After Christmas, he started to really improve. We decided we better buy him a helmet back in March because he was flying down a ramp and crashed (more details below).

The two best parts about it are that it's really light (maybe just a few pounds at the most) and you cannot steer the front tire to the left or right more than 30 degrees. These two things make it very easy to control and a great bike for learning.

The worst part about it is that it doesn't seem to wear very well. However, I must add that it wears pretty well relative to wood. Obviously, it's not as durable as a steel bike, but it's much easier to control. When my son rammed the wall as he strayed too far to the left racing down a ramp, he broke a piece off of the handlebars. It's a little wobbly now, but it still functions just fine.

I've read through all of the comments and nobody mentioned anything about the seat. There is not much padding and I feel like the edge of the wide seat is cutting off the circulation of my son's legs. Perhaps I'm just projecting myself onto him (I seem to do that a lot), but if you look at the seat from above it does not get skinnier toward the front like a normal bike seat does.

Additionally, I just measured my son last night; he's 34 lbs and 39 1/2 inches tall so he's pretty much outgrown this bike. We decided to go for the Novara Zipper Balance bike (I'll review that one soon too) since it is larger and much sturdier. We'll probably wait to get him to pedals until 2014.

Others have complained about the screws, but I found the screws to work just fine for this bike. Again, it's just wood so if you crank it too hard you'll strip it. Unless you want to carry around an oak tree, there will be some tradeoffs for having a light bike.

My wife would actually give this bike a 5-star rating because she thinks the bike is very sturdy for how light it is and she loves that it's so easy for her to carry since it's so light. I'm going to stick with my 4-star rating. The seat and general construction make it great for learning, but now that my son is a maniac, it's just too small and easy to break.

Comment on this review

Feb

2013

1.0

great idea but very poorly executed

By Yakov

from Brooklyn, NY

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Grow Into
Smooth Ride
Stable

Cons

Skrews Got Loose Fast
Wears Quickly

Best Uses

First Learning
Street Riding

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

Great idea but poorly assembled. I got two bikes and on both skrews on the back wheel got loose whithinh ten days and as a result the wooden parts started to wear quickly. It was factory assembled skrews.

Comment on this review

Jan

2013

2.0

Better product out there

By DaddyofThree

from Los angeles

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Smooth Ride
Stable

Cons

Wears Quickly

Best Uses

First Learning

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

I got the skuut for my first child when there weren't any other product like it. He was riding a two wheeler at age 4. But this product is not very durable. The handle bar quickly fell off. I was able to put it together for my second child, but now it won't hold for my third. The product was a great learning tool, but because its made out of wood it does not last very long. Now there are other similar product that are much more durable;; therefore I can not recommend this product.

Comment on this review

Jun

2012

4.0

Great first bike

By Jensha

from Seattle

About Me Getting Started

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Grow Into
Smooth Ride

Cons

Best Uses

First Learning

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

Even though my 4yo is ready for a 16" bike with training wheels, we decided to start her off with a balance bike to improve her sense of balance. It's a reasonably priced option for the amount of time that a child will ride it. She's of average height, so she'll be able to use it only until she's five. It's light enough for my daughter to carry it up the porch, which means I can lug it with one hand while still carrying my son in the other arm.

Comment on this review

Apr

2012

5.0

GREAT BIKE!!!

By Fergy

from Central Texas

See all my reviews

Pros

Great for paved trails
Son LOVES it
Teaches balance
Teaches coordination

Cons

Best Uses

First Learning
Light Trails

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

My 4 year old adventurous son LOVES this bike!!!!! It is great to teach him coordination and balance, and he quickly figured out how to balance the bike after peddling fast and lifting up his feet. He will no doubt be good at balancing a real bike after this practice. We let him ride his bike in the parking lot behind our home, on the paved trails near our home, and on the sidewalks. It is a good bike for all three situations. Also, he likes to jump on it and give it a ride through the house sometimes! He can't help it because it's just so much fun!

Comment on this review

Apr

2012

4.0

Our daughter loves this

By littlebitt

from Bogota Colombia

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Grow Into
Highly Adjustable
Smooth Ride

Cons

Quickly Outgrown

Best Uses

First Learning

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

After extensive looking we chose this bike because unlike other metal balance bikes, the handlebars have a stopping point when the child falls off balance. On some nice metal balance bikes the handles would practically turn all the way around when our daughter fell to one side, thereby throwing her off balance even more.

We gave this to our daughter when she was 2. She wouldn't have anything to do with it. Little by little we kept introducing it to her and she loves it! Between ages 3-4 she was racing around on it so fast we would have to run to keep up with her!

Now at 4.5 the problem we have is that our daughter has very long legs and the seat can no longer be adjusted to fit her. She still rides it, but now has to have her legs way out, which throws off her balance. I wish that it had just a couple more holes for the seat for those long-legged kiddos.

Comment on this review

Apr

2011

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

not bad for being made in China

By krikidingo

from Reno, NV

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Grow Into
Highly Adjustable
Light weight

Cons

Adding air to tires

Best Uses

First Learning
Light Trails
Street Riding

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

I went through 3 bikes before finding one where the wheels actually didnt wobble. After I found the right one I was very impressed. My daughter is vertically challenged so I flipped the main frame and then assembeled the bike. Essentially it turned the bike into a chopper, but it works and she loves to ride it.

Comment on this review

Apr

2011

(6 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

My son loves this bike!

By SpokaneDad

from Spokane, WA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Built to Last
Smooth Ride
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

First Learning
Light Trails
Street Riding

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.

Comment on this review

Mar

2011

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

We Love this Bike!

By ZKS

from Los Angeles

See all my reviews

Pros

Built to Last
Easy Handling
Easy to Grow Into

Cons

Best Uses

First Learning
Light Trails
Street Riding

Comments about Skuut Balance Bike - Kids':

We did a lot of research a year ago just before our son turned 3. We liked the Skuut for several reasons, it's made of wood, my son got on it and could handle it with no fears as opposed to the metal bikes that were heavier and he had less control. If he dropped this one, he could pick it up. He could turn on a dime. We purchansed it and still love it even though he has clearly out grown it now at the age of 4 yrs.

The one thing that we did do was drill an extra hold to raise the seat for him a few months ago. I got this idea from another review which was very helpful.

We teach our child to be very careful and to respect his toys, etc. so it has held up fantastically compared to some other reviews. He is not allow to throw it down or drop it out of control. The vinyl seat is cracking a little, but not sure if it is due to wear and tear or the hot sun here in LA,CA. We don't leave it outside except in the park.

There is also a little wear and tear around the bolts because of the natural wood, but nothing that we are concerned about.

Having taken such good care of it, we know that we can pass this on to the next.