Does your balance bike need to have a footrest? You will probably find that most balance bikes out there these days don’t have a footrest, and it is not really an essential feature to consider when you are looking for the best balance bike.
However, footrests on balance bikes can be useful, especially if the rider is coasting along or going down a long hill. It gives them somewhere to tuck their feet out of the way and stops them getting tangled up in the rest of the bike! If your child is using the footrest for a reasonable period of time, then they must be well on their well to learning to balance!
One important factor to consider about balance bike footrests is that they are positioned correctly on the bike.
If the footrest is poorly designed, it can get in the way and cause the child to hit the back of their leg on it, causing more harm than good.
Some Strider bikes (pictured) feature a footrest, which is towards the back wheel of the bike. This is a great design as it doesn’t get in the way when the rider is walking or running with their bike to push it along.
Other bikes feature a low platform, and you will find this on models such as the Puky LRM Learner Bike and the Bike Star Classic. The low platform or footboard often comes combined with a step through frame – so this feature makes the bikes easy to mount and the footboard gives the rider somewhere to rest their feet as they scoot along.
These bikes are particularly good options for younger riders and we have recommended them in our feature on best balance bikes for 2 year olds.
Going back to footrests, although they can be useful we think there are more important things to consider when you are choosing the best balance bike for you. The make, model, type of tyres, frame composition (wooden, steel or aluminium), saddle height and many other factors are probably all much more important!