Our review of June’s big-kid bike – the Priority Start 16″

I wasn’t planning to write a stand-alone post about June’s big-kid bike, but I had a deluge of questions after sharing a little clip of her riding it (the “whoop”!). It seems inquiring minds want to know, so let’s dive in!

How we prepared for her big kid bike:

We gave June a balance bike for her third birthday. While we’ve generally been happy with it, I think we will choose a different model for Shep, as the seat continually comes loose and twists.

She was a bit short for the bike when it first arrived, and sometimes resisted riding it after the initial rush of excitement wore off. We didn’t push it on her (she often preferred to ride her scooter), but we continually suggested it, and she took us up on it more and more until she was riding comfortably by the summer (age 3.5).

By the time this summer rolled around, she had more than got the hang of the balance bike – in fact, she was flying down hills so fast (without brakes!) that it no longer felt safe. While we considered waiting for Christmas or her birthday to graduate her to a new bike, we didn’t really want to wait until the thick of winter – so we went for it early.

How we chose a big-kid bike:

For these two Enneagram 5s, a big purchase meant diving into some good old internet research. We were guided at the start by a parent friend who had previously worked in a bike shop – he recommended a model with hand brakes instead of coasting brakes. Especially for kids who first ride on balance bikes, coasting brakes (where you pedal backwards to stop) can throw them off kilter since they’re used to a back-and-forth motion propelling them forward.

With that in mind, this article helped us land on the Priority Start 16″ bike. We also considered the Guardian Original 16, the Prevello Alpha 2, the Raleigh Rowdy 16, the Public Sprout C16, and the Co-Op Cycles Rev 16.

Why we chose the Priority Start 16″:

Priority bikes are not inexpensive, but so far we are REALLY happy with our choice. Here are a few of the things we love about it:

— It seems to be VERY good quality. At this price point, we expect to pass it down to siblings and/or cousins, and so we want it to last. For the price, it’s one of the lighter bikes on the market, it’s easily adjustable, and its chain is grease free. It was also easy for John to assemble. (The price is also less than many of the comparable bikes we considered.)
— I love the classic design. It leans neither feminine nor masculine to me (whereas some of the other bikes we looked at seemed much more gendered either in design or color options); this is important, since we already know the next recipient is a boy :) We chose the red color, and it is so fun and vibrant in person!
— It has hand brakes.
— It has a kickstand – surprisingly hard to find! June has not quite mastered engaging it on her own yet, but we parents are glad to have at least one bike that stands up on its own in the garage (our bikes do not have kickstands, and neither does the balance bike).
— 16″ bikes are generally recommended for kids age 4-7, and the experts recommend getting an accurately-sized bike instead of trying to cheat up so you have to replace it less often. The measurements of the 16″ matched up for June; we figure she should get about two years of riding in before passing it on to Shep at age 4 and graduating to a 20″ bike.

How we transitioned from a balance bike to a big-kid bike:

Many of you asked how the transition was from the balance bike to the 16″ bike. While I don’t have any other experience to compare it to, I would say it was pretty seamless. We did not use training wheels (that is the promise of the balance bike!), though you can buy an add-on pack through Priority.

The video you saw on Instagram was taken on her fourth outing. For the first try, we walked to a big parking lot in our neighborhood with plenty of space and fewer curious eyes :) The first day looked like a lot of John holding the bike while she peddled – and also a few tears, because the tread on the pedals scratched her leg a few times (we wore leggings for subsequent outings, which helped!).

On the second outing, she attempted starting from a standstill, and by the third, she could start from a stop independently. A month in, she is still learning to apply the brake to slow down (as opposed to a full stop), to rest her legs while going down a hill instead of continuing to pedal, and to get enough speed to go uphill (we haven’t introduced coming out of the saddle yet). She is loving it and chooses her bike over her scooter on almost every outing now! We are loving it, too, though we’ve had to begrudgingly lace up our running shoes to keep up with her – ha!

What’s next:

As she gains proficiency, speed, and stamina, next on the horizon is trying out a greenway ride with John and I on our bikes, Shep in the trailer, and June on her bike (!). Since she’s so far had plenty of intermittent rest waiting for Shep or her parents to catch up to her, I’m curious to see how far we’ll be able to go with everyone on wheels before she gets tired… once we find a nice quiet stretch of greenway, we’ll try a little experiment!

One final note: if you’re considering a bike as a Christmas gift, I’d pull the trigger sooner rather than later – bikes seem to be an in-demand pandemic item, with inventory going in and out of stock.

Whew – that’s a lot of info about a little bike! Happy to answer any more questions you might have about the big-kid bike, the balance bike, or our experience with either!

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