Urban Planet Balance Buddy Bike Handle - Black Silver, 94x17x2.5cm

This is such a clever product! My 3 year old has been on a balance bike for over a year and wanted to move on to pedals like her big brother. We didn't want to go back to stabilisers but she isn't quite ready to balance, pedal and steer on her own and she's quite a nervous child. This handle has been a saviour. The first trip out she was a bit scared that it was wobbly and struggled with the steering but literally since then she's been totally fine and I'm finding I'm holding less and less tightly. We go down and back to school with it now almost every day which means the bike gets so much more use than it otherwise would.So much better than when my son learnt and we had many trips holding onto the back of his T-shirt or destroying our backs trying to hold the bike.My husband attached it to the bike which seemed to be pretty easy and I gather there is space to put stabilisers on as well if you want to use both.

After teaching all of my five older children to ride a bike, I know how exhilarating it is to see them ride under their own steam - That’s after we have watched them wobble aimlessly along the pavement, checking you’re still holding onto the saddle, at the same time feeling your back is going to break any minute.Not anymore! I’ve grown older and wiser.It’s now the time of my youngest to get his first set of wheels, but no way could I go through the back-breaking, lung deflating run up and down the street again. Thank goodness for the ‘Balance Buddy’!I received the package in perfect condition, the bars were attached securely to the ‘information board’ with cable-ties, the extender bolts, locking nuts and washers secured to the bars.Note: Although not stated on the advertisement, the ‘Balance Buddy’ will fit 3/8” axle bikes, which to be honest covers most children’s bicycles on the market. If you’re unsure measure beforehand to save any disappointment. (See Photo – Measure the hole of existing REAR bolt on the bicycle).Cut the cable-ties from the board and you will find there are full and easy to follow instructions on how to fit the ‘Balance Buddy’ to the bicycle. Believe me it takes literally 5 minutes to complete.Remove the existing bolts replace with the 2 extender bolts followed by the arms of the ‘Balance Buddy’ then the washers finally secure with provided locking nuts. If using with stabilisers, as I am, use the provided Velcro strap to secure the ‘Balance Buddy’ around the stabiliser. (Ensure you keep the existing bolts in a safe place, ready for when your young one is riding freely.)I stand 5’ 11” and am delighted to say the ‘Balance Buddy’ is perfect for my height, with no stooping and arms at a comfortable bend. There are three height adjustments so in my opinion would accommodate those taller as well as those much shorter than I.Out on the road was fantastic! We must have travelled about 2 miles, around the park, in and out of streets up and down curbs, not once did I feel out of control of the bicycle. Any hills we encountered or tiredness from my young one, then I just helped him along and I felt no backache from doing so. In fact, it was a very enjoyable walk for me and an adventurous ride for my son.The bonus of using the ‘Balance Buddy’ will come later in the teaching; Normally you would be holding the saddle bent at an awkward position, back aching, running along trying to keep up with the little wonderer, steadying as he is ready to fly, to only find just as you let go he feels your presence no longer securing his confidence, he looks back and falls off.This will in my opinion be averted. No longer will he feel me leave go and just in case he starts to lose his balance I could easily grab hold of the bar again and start again, all pain free!The ‘Balance Buddy’ is a must for parent teaching their child to ride a bicycle. I certainly recommend it and can say it is one of the best purchases I have made.I will try and answer any query you may have about the product so please don’t hesitate in messaging me.If you Found my review helpful please give me a thumbs up i.e. click the yes!

A simple but great gadget for my 3 year old son's bike. He can ride the bike himself but often doesn't look where he is going and ends up in a bush or down the kerb. This handle give me the control. I also use it to slow him down as he hasn't got to grips with using the brakes!!

I don't regret buying the handle, but it's far from perfect. For one thing, the nuts from the handle don't fit on my daughter's bike (the early rider belter) because they are too thick, so I had to improvise and use the nuts from the bike itself without the extender bolts. Some of the issues we are now experiencing with it might be linked to that... For one thing, I have to retighten the nuts every 20 mins or so to stop them from falling off. The handle itself does not really stay in place and moves forward and backwards quite a bit. It's not a huge issue, but makes the whole thing a bit more unstable. The handle is also unstable in itself where it can be extended. Again, not a huge issue, but it makes the handle a bit wobbly. I am 6ft tall and the highest position is just about comfortable for me. If you are taller, you might struggle a bit. That said, all that is much better than bending down and holding the seat!!! And that's really the major selling point of the handle - it makes teaching your child to ride the bike so much more bearable! The added advantage is that when they are fed up with riding, you can push the bike with the handle rather than having to carry it. So even though I'm retightening the nuts every 20 mins or so, I am pretty happy with the handle. Not sure if there are better handles out there or handles that come with a range of nut sizes, but I think this one will do until my daughter can cycle...

You have to buy this if your kid is struggling to ride the bike. My 5 year old girl had been struggling for months until I bought this, and literally in 2 hours she was ridding alone. No more back pains trying to hold the back from the seat! I used it for only 2 days and now it's packed in the garage. But it's one of my best purchases of the year! You won't regret it!

Does what it says in the description but arrived without the extender bolts, washers, nuts etc. Did worry after reading the reviews re: fixings being poor quality, not working etc. but attempted to fit to my daughters bike in lieu of the stabilisers. Fits fine using the existing stabiliser extender nuts and bolts. The handle is tight and in the air. Works extended to the highest limit for me and doesn't seem to affect the bike balance and does not fall down.Would have scored higher (maybe a 3 star) if everything had arrived - can't seem to find a way to contact seller so have let them know via this review, assuming of course that they read it!