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(More customer reviews)I bought this bike 6 months ago for my girlfriend's son. He was just over two at the time (27 months). He didn't like trikes or toy-training-wheel bikes. His legs were too short for the pedals on his trike or bike in reality anyhow.
I bought this based on reviews on a bike forum site. A lot of people take 10-12" wheeled metal pedal bikes, remove the cranks, and cover the bike with padding to recreate this idea. The bike is simply two wheels, a saddle, frame, fork, and bars. The idea of modifying a pedal bike is good, this thing is great.
The problem with stripping down a metal pedal bike is the weight and the potential danger in a crash. The Skuut bike is feather-light and it won't cause bruises and bumps after a fall like a metal bike. There are no spokes to bruise or break little hands or feet. The bars wont turn sharply (they will only sweep about 40-50 degrees), so a wipeout is pretty difficult. Even the ends of the bars are brilliantly designed to prevent harm to tender little bodies.
Another plus is how adjustable it is. When lowered all the way down, it is still a little big for a young two year old. If you flip the frame (just move the fork and saddle to the other side of the frame) it changes the "head tube" angle and saddle height so that it is low-slung enough for even the shortest legs. There is a ton of adjustability, so I imagine it could fit a tall 20-month old up to a 4-5 year old.
The build quality is just OK. It is a Chinese item, which is why it doesn't cost as much as the German Like-A-Bikes made with non-slave wage labor. It isn't as strong as the $250 Like-A-Bike, but it costs 1/3 as much. It does what it was designed to do well, and is a good value for the $$$. The weak spot is the pin that connects the fork to the frame. The pin is supported by 1/2" plywood. I think a rough, heavy older kid could easily break it, but a kid like that is ready for a real bike anyhow. Just keep the older siblings off of it. The wheels wobble a bit, but they are fine for what they are designed for, you can't really expect a wooden wheel to be perfectly true anyhow. The fat pneumatic tires are great for smoothing out the road once the little guy or gal gets the hang of it and gains speed, or likes to crawl over obstacles. The saddle is wood covered by thin padding and fabric, but the little guy never complained of a sore bottom, and he spends hours on it (I imagine diapers help to smooth the bumps too, how cool is it that there is a bike where kids can balance on two wheels before they can remember to use the toilet regularly).
I can only speak to the learning curve of one kid, but it was incredible to watch him learn to ride it. Again, he was 27 months, a bigger kid would probably pick it up a little quicker. He was instantly drawn to it. I had him help me put it together and he was all smiles. I cycle a lot and he goes along at times, so he knew very well what it was for.
First thing, I took him out to the sidewalk, and he walked along with his feet. He took it as his own pace to get a feel for it. I had to show him a few times how to steer, at first he would come to a bend in the sidewalk and wait for me to aim him in a different direction, or he would just lift the front wheel to maneuver it (it is very very light so it's easy for him to move it around). Steering took him about an hour to figure out, a couple days to get good at it. It doesn't steer very sharply, which helps him learn to lean and turn, plus helps prevent falls. He loved it from day one.
Within a week of daily play on it, he began to add a bit more speed and the balance idea began to grow in his mind. His steering was expert and he was good at stopping. He also liked to try to crawl over low curbs and stones. I'm more of a roadie, but I think he's going to be a mountain biker. I could just see in his eyes that he was imagining himself on rough technical singletrack.
By the end of two weeks, he had mastered balance. Yes. I said mastered balance at 27 months. He could build speed by skuuting and lift his legs to coast til he slowed enough that he needed to kick his legs to get back to speed. His mom isn't terribly athletic and she needed a scooter or her bike to keep up with us (she hates to run/jog). He Skuuts at about 5 MPH (so get a helmet and pads). He learned to stop himself with his feet as he learned balance, so he was pretty good at stopping himself, even at full speed. He instinctually keeps his speed reasonable on hills, but he loves those hills too. Just make sure you are nearby once this confidence kicks in, kids have no fear. He's two so he's easily distracted by flowers, birds and butterflies, so he stops quite a bit; but when he's going he's really going strong. There is no question that when he is big enough for a pedal bike that he won't need training wheels at all. He easily can keep up with the 4 year old neighbor girl on her pedal-bike with training wheels.
When we take it to the park everyone stares in amazement and wants to know where we bought it.
There is good video on the manufacturer web site if you want to see it in action.
I highly recommend it. I wrote this review because I returned to this page to buy another one for my nephew for Christmas. You won't regret buying this thing.
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