Kokua LikeaBike Jumper

Well, my little girl was 2 about 3 months ago & I explored the idea of getting her a bike, her first bike.I stumbled across balance bikes, whilst researching & ultimately read 100s of web pages that enabled me to make an informed decision.Firstly I ordered one from somewhere, it was £50 but reduced from £70. It was pink, it was terrible, the paint was chipped out of the box, it was of a poor build quality & not good enough for my little princess.Research then took me to the quality bikes, the best bikes appear to be the Jumper & the Islabikes Rohan. The Rohan is available in pink, has a brake already & a slightly lower seat. I was tempted, very tempted & I have no doubt it is a very good bike.The Jumper marginally came out in front for me, for a few reasons.1 you can buy a mudguard, particularly good for girls in dresses or skirts as it'll stop the wheel fraying it & offer some protection against snagging etc.2 it's almost 1/2 a kilo lighter, that's nothing to you or I, but a significant difference to a little person.3 the tyres have puncture protection, if she rides over something sharp, we're less likely to have to cut short her fun to repair a flat.4 the removable steering limiter, maybe I'll never need to remove it, but at some point she'll need to learn that handlebars don't usually have resistance & better to do it on this.5 seemed gimmicky, I'm a dad, I like gizmos, gadgets & gimmicks: the suspension. At first I was dubious, but now to see it doing it's stuff is quite amazing. She rides over uneven pavements etc, & that little block of rubber just absorbs every little bump.Initially she didn't take to it, the seat seemed a tad high, I read 1 guy had shortened his child's by sawing a bit off the seat post. I cut about 1/2 inch off, it made a difference. She could sit on the bike & not need to be on tippy toes.She still wasn't that enthusiastic, she'd ride in straight lines in the house, & we'd take it to parks where she never rode it for more than 50m - for the price of this & the benefits of cycling I wasn't going to give in.Then last week, we was just about to go out & she suddenly wanted her bike, I thought here we go, 1 block & I'm carrying the bike, your Peppa bag & you'll insist I pick you up - still, I obliged. She rode it all the way, she loved it and I was the proudest dad ever, her little face, the concentration, the look of being free on her little bike was amazing.Since then she's clocked up a good few miles I'll constantly encourage her to do more. As the weather gets better, we can go further & also explore the local woods, which would make an excellent bike adventure for her & perhaps help her gain further skills & understanding of her little bike.This bike gets noticed a lot, from older kids standing next to it to show their dad how tiny it is, they'll push the seat to show their dad it has suspension & gather around it in amazement when we lean it up in the park. Everybody she rides past double takes, other dad's look at the suspension doing it's thing and ask where I got it, cyclists on expensive bikes look at her bike in appreciation; their beady eyes admiring the build quality & materials used to make this little mean machine.She's a become a little star on her bike, locally. She has wispy blonde hair & not much of it & a cute little baby face, she looks like a really tall baby. Other kids always say "wow, look at that baby 'driving' a bike." Their parents smile at sight and those in the know look at the bike for what it i; a high quality, well built, safe & reliable little bike, perhaps the ideal balance bike.I got her the metallic pink colour, although it's kind of metallic fuchsia. I as a parent would have preferred a totally pink bike for her, her as a kid simply doesn't care about colours, it's not important to her & why should it be?Her mum will undoubtedly get her a Peppa bike, with pedals & stabilisers. Just for the fact it has Peppa on it. A heavy, ill constructed, cheaply made, more dangerous bike. If you can afford £90 - £100 for a Peppa/Thomas type bike for your little ones, perhaps you could stretch that bit further to this or perhaps similar.This bike has a high resale value (£80 - £90), that'll go towards her first pedal bike with no stabilisers.I'd recommend this, a pricey bit of kit, but most kids would be on their 3rd bike by the time the stabilisers come off, she'll be on her second & it'll pay half towards it (if in good condition). Take the plunge, it's worth it.