Any other parents out there have a kid who’s highly motivated to ride a bike, but cautious and risk-averse? 🙋🏻♀️
My husband and I couldn’t visualize how to approach teaching this inherently risky new skill to our daughter. Now we know: the right way to go about it is with a Guardian bike. Both the system and the bike itself provide a gentle, intuitive on-ramp to riding on two wheels.
We were amazed at how quickly our six-year-old picked up on it. Let’s get into the details.
First of all, the bike actually fits her
You can’t blame parents for hesitating to invest in a nice kids bike when they’re likely to grow out of it soon. We had an entire tiny bike collection that was a revolving door of rusty hand-me-downs and curb finds.
Guardian’s RideSizer played a large part in convincing us to go for a new, quality, safe bicycle for our kid. The online tool both suggests a bike size with 95% accuracy and projects how long it will fit. Ours suggested 2.6 years. That was longer than we expected!
The bike is engineered with kid-appropriate geometry, instead of being a shrunken adult bike, so that her handlebar reach, stride, and overall comfort make sense. As our child grows, we’ll adjust the quick-release seat to suit her height. This bike should work for the foreseeable future.
The braking system is the safest out there
My bike-enthusiast husband is really impressed with Guardian’s proprietary braking system. In his words, there’s only one brake lever, and when she pulls it, it actuates both brakes—but the front one only if there is weight on the bike. That means there’s less of a chance of going over the bars (aka our kid’s greatest fear).
Seeing how impressed her dad was with these brakes made our daughter feel really confident, and she’s mentioned the hand brakes are her favorite part of the bike. She loves having that control at her fingertips, and she loves the cool sound it makes when she comes to a quick, safe stop.
The balance-to-pedals system is genius
All Guardian bikes start out as a balance bike. This means your kid has the opportunity to get the feel for what it’s like to be on two wheels, and to gain their balance while their feet are free and able to push off the ground. In very little time, our daughter was kicking her feet up and coasting, and we knew it was time to put the pedals on.
The pedaling motion came really naturally to her at that point, and we were ALL surprised by how quickly she launched off with confidence.
We’d heard from so many parents that starting with a balance bike is a better approach than training wheels, but couldn’t justify buying a separate balance bike simply as a short-term learning tool. To have a bike that’s two-in-one is the best possible solution…we wish we’d come up with it!
The yearlong guarantee is a comfort
All the skepticism that comes along with ordering a new bike online, receiving it in the mail, and concern about growing out of it too quickly? Guardian has thought it through.
They have a one-year guarantee covering not only defects on the frame and components but also growth spurts. You can return or exchange any bike if it no longer works for your kid within 1 year of purchasing. Guardian will also cover the cost of parts, shipping, and repair work if necessary.
I love a company that believes in their product. Oh, and bonus, they’re all made right here in the USA.
Our budding cyclist loves her Guardian Bike
We couldn’t have imagined how well Guardian Bikes would work for our cautious daughter. The intuitive transition from balance bike to pedals made the process so smooth. The safe and responsive hand brake is reassuring for us all, including our little rider. And the 365-day guarantee just makes sense.
Our whole family is pumped about our daughter’s new ride, and I have a feeling you’ll love this system too.
