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Hauck Balance N Ride Wooden Balance Bike Review

November 13, 2024

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We have just been sent the new hauck Balance Bike to review. You may know hauck for their pushchairs and innovative highchairs, but did you know that they do a whole range of wooden toys too? We were keen to get our hands on the new hauck Balance N Ride BIke to see whether this would make the perfect outdoor (or indoor) bike for your little one. We had high expectations – would the hauck wooden balance bike live up to these expectations? Read our review to find out more.

Please note that this review contains affiliate links.

The Basics*

Model

Balance N Ride

Brand

hauck

Available Colours / Designs

Turtle
Zebra

RRP

£79.00

Warranty

12 months (CHECK)

Suitability

From 2 years up up to 20kg

Materials

Made from FSC® Certified Wood
Rubber Tyres

Weight

2.96kg

What’s in the box?

Instructions
All the parts to build balance bike
Bell

hauck Balance N Ride Review

First Impressions

The designs of the hauck wooden balance bike are just gorgeous – appealing to both parents and toddlers alike. The turtle and zebra designs are unisex, contemporary and quite frankly beautiful. It is important that a toddler likes the look of their balance bike and ‘wants’ to ride it and we feel that little boys and girls alike will gravitate towards the design.

Building the hauck Balance Bike

The bike comes with everything you need to build it including the allen keys. We love that you haven’t got to go searching for the tools and that they are included. The instructions are super clear and we found them easy to follow. It took around 15 mins to build the bike so it can be up and running very quickly after you have unpacked the box. This is especially important if the bike is a Christmas or Birthday gift of course! No one wants to spend hours building a bike on Christmas Day (or Christmas Eve if you are organised!).

Wheels and tyres

The 12″ tyres are chunky, giving a wide surface area which is beneficial for stability. They have excellent tread on them, perfect for off terrain adventures through the park. The tyres need to be at 35 psi and we did need to pump them up slightly before using. A usual bike pump is required – it might have been a nice touch to include one in the box but of course this would in turn increase the cost! We would have liked to have seen dust caps on the valves too.

The wheels themselves are made of plastic and have three double spokes. This adds to the overall chunkiness of the look of the bike which we like.

Balance Bike Frame

The frame is made of wood – FSC® Certified. For those of you who don’t know what this means (and we suspect that most parents don’t), FSC® stands for Forest Stewardship Council. By using FSC® certified wood for their balance bikes, hauck demonstrates a commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainable practices. FSC® certification ensures that the wood used comes from responsibly managed forests, promoting biodiversity, protecting wildlife habitats, and supporting local communities. For many eco-conscious parents, this makes the hauck balance bike a responsible and ethical choice for their family.

We found the frame to be very solid and well made. It is a mixture of the natural colour and painted wood. The finish is very good for the cost of the balance bike. We love both the turtle and the zebra design – both designs are contemporary whilst maintaining a real feel for the animal they are representing. There is an integrated carry handle built into the frame which is a useful addition if your toddler decides they are fed up of using it and then you have to carry it home!

The seat on the hauck balance bike is adjustable to 4 different heights and this is a nice touch. Many bikes at this price point have a fixed sat height so this was great to see. The seat is also padded and has a leatherette look to it, making the ride for your toddler far more comfortable.

Performance

As with most wooden balance bikes, this is slightly heavier than it’s aluminium equivalent. However we did not find this to be excessive and there are certainly heavier on the market. The chunky tyres allow this bike to go anywhere and it is great both on pathways and also the garden grass. We have to mention however, that the turning circle on this bike is not very big. This is perfect for younger toddlers starting out on the biking journey – however as they get older this may become a frustration.

We love the addition of the little bell and we are sure that your toddler will too. This comes ready attached to the handle bars. The handle bars have rubber covers and the ends are reinforced which will help to protect them when your toddler throws their bike to the ground – which we warn you they are very likely to do on more than one occasion!

Conclusion

The hauck Balance N Ride offers parents terrific value for money and toddlers a really cool option to start their biking journey.

Star Rating

We gave the hauck Balance N Ride a fantastic 9 out of 10 stars. We think it is excellent value for money and well made. The smaller turning circle might well annoy toddlers as they become more confident but if you can overcome that factor, you really can’t go wrong with the hauck Balance N Ride wooden balance bike.