The Hornit AIRO’s handlebar is one of the most narrow on the market. At 14.25″ wide (not including the wide grip bumpers that cannot be used to actually grip), they about 1.5″ more narrow than the Yeedoo TooToo and 1.75″ more narrow than the woom 1. However, they’ve got their shortcomings. When we caught up with Isla Rowntree, founder of Islabikes, she summed it up pretty nicely: “[Training wheels] are not actually a great way to learn to ride. A bicycle steers by leaning, you lean it to the right and the handlebars fall to the right, you lean it to the left and they fall to the left. Steering: You want to be sure that the handlebar is responsive and unlikely to need a great shove to get turning. To help with this, look for ball bearings in the hubs of the balance bike’s wheels. You may snigger that we're talking about weight on a children's product, but when it comes to bikes for little ones, the number that the scales record is incredibly important. Heavier models might come in at around 11lbs/5kg, whilst those designed with an eye on the scales sit closer to 6.8lbs/3kg. Though that might not sound like a huge difference to an adult, it’s a huge percentage of a child’s weight. There's plenty of cheaper balance bikes out there, but if you're planning to invest in Islabikes, then the Rothan will be the start of your journey. Be prepared to become addicted to the range - we've reviewed loads of Islabikes over the years, and love them!

With a nice light steering motion the bike was easy to steer, putting the tester in control, rather than her having to fight it. Another boost to her confidence, something that was clear from the way she was happy to throw the bike around and play about on it. The importance of this was highlighted when she was trying out a friends pedal bike, on which the steering wasn't anywhere near as light. On that bike she wanted me to steer for her. Whilst there's now a large number of other options available on the market, Islabikes are still renowned as the premier kid's bike brand in cycling circles.We had an Islabikes Rothan for our two, and the youngest had a Toddlebike to start with too. The balance bike made it easy to transition to a pedal bike, eldest three and a bit, youngest getting on for four." - Dominic The Strider has 2.25″, which still isn’t a lot, but much better. Other balance bikes with shorter seat posts have considerably more ground clearance, like the Banana Bike GT which has 3.25″. The Hornit AIRO is the lightest balance bike with pneumatic tyres we’ve seen. If you’ve yet to enter this stage of your child’s development, it’s easy to underestimate how difficult it is to try and carry a balance bike along with everything else you’ve got with you when you’re out and about. For me, this really is a selling feature of this bike. Weighing just 2.95kg starting your little one out on their cycling journey is easier for them than ever before! Thanks to the AIRO’s incredibly lightweight, ultra-hard-wearing magnesium alloy frame they can effortlessly propel themselves along.

I was even more pleased when they asked if they could send one over to Cycle Sprog HQ for us to do a first impressions review, and to help them spread the word about this new bike (and yes, full disclaimer, Hornit are paying me for my time in writing this. Thank you Hornit – the Sprogs can eat this week!) Sleek and incredibly lightweight, the Hornit AIRO is super portable and easy to carry when your child wants to take a break from riding. With air-filled tyres for a smoother ride and contoured foot rests for comfy freewheeling your toddler will be away in no time with this balance bike. Vitus Nippy weighs just under a Strider and is a third of the price. We had a heavy balance bike and made no progress, swapped it for a Vitus Nippy and my son was doing huge ramps in the skate park the same day, and road a bike with pedals without needing any practice once he'd outgrown the Nippy. He absolutely loved that thing, even more than his pedal bike tbh." (Recommended by Mumsnetter user33323) Our verdict Children can start using balance bikes when they’re as young as 18 months old. They tend to last up to the age of three or four, sometimes even five. Are balance bikes worth it? That light weight came from the material. It's made of magnesium alloy, which is 33 per cent lighter than aluminium and extremely strong to boot.Given all this, you can probably tell I was really looking forward to getting my hands on this particular balance bike. Impressively, the AIRO has been designed with bearings in the steer tube, which all full-sized bikes come with, but many balance bikes do not. This makes the steering smoother and easier to control. The wide grab rail allows adults to easily hold on if they want to guide a toddler just getting to grips with balance bike life. It’s also a useful feature when you inevitably end up carrying the thing. Speaking of, it’s relatively lightweight so not too difficult to carry round the park but still incredibly sturdy which is reassuring for parents of fearless toddlers. There are no brakes on this balance bike but there is a stopper in the handlebars so the bike can’t be oversteered which is really useful for new riders.

A balance bike doesn’t have to have a brake – little feet will suffice. However, having one (usually at the rear) can add confidence. Not only that, it also gives your child one more skill which they can apply when they start to pedal. A quality balance bike will have a brake lever that’s easy for a small hand to operate. I'm sure many of our readers would be surprised if an article about the best balance bikes didn't feature an Islabike. However, opinion is split on the Rothan. Children can start riding balance bikes when they’re around 18-months to two years old, and little ones up to around the age of five enjoy them. In most cases, children will move on to a bike with pedals at around the age of four. There isn’t a top-end restriction on age, though, and you can even get balance bikes for adults.The grippy footrests on the AIRO are well designed and thought out. Small enough to be unobtrusive, but large enough for a child to rest a portion of their foot, these footrests are highly effective. When cruising and gliding around the house, our 3-year-old thought they were pretty much the coolest thing ever. Age range: 18 months (with an inside leg of 30.5cm) to five years (with an inside leg of 50.8cm) | Weight: 2.9kg | Wheel size: 12 inch | Tyres: EVA polymer What we love Like the very similar Vitus Smoothy, the Hornit AIRO’s frame also has an opening in the center of the frame that acts as a carrying handle. This is an incredibly cool feature. Or second, 39″ tall 3-year-old tester in 3T clothes also had a great experience on the AIRO. Already confident on a balance bike, he hopped on the AIRO and began zipping down the driveway and around the sidewalk. With a smile on his face, he ran faster and glided longer than he previously could on his own balance bike. The AIRO was well-loved and performed like a champ for him! To be fair, the handlebar on the AIRO is 3/4″ wider than the Strider, but to prevent their narrower bar from becoming a problem, Strider actually sells a wider 16″ wide handlebar for older riders to help them better fit on their bike.