As a mountain biker, one of the things I was most excited about was making a plan for teaching my son to share in my love of bicycles. I even wrote an article laying out a road map for his progression. The Strider 2-in-1 Rocking bike was the first step in my plan of building a lifelong love of bicycles for our son.
TLDR;
Available separately or as a package, the Strider Sport 2-in-1 Rocking Bike retails for $299.98. The package kit includes a Strider 12 Sport Balance Bike and a Rocking Base.
The Rocking Base holds the balance bike securely but can be easily removed when the baby is ready to roll.
- Attaches to Each Bike Axle
- Rocking Base designed for Strider 12 Balance Bike Only
- Assembled Base Length: 80 cm. (31.5 in.)
- Assembled Base Width: 30.5 cm. (12 in.)
- Assembled Base Height: 20.3 cm. (8 in.)
- Assembled Base Weight: 2.7 kg. (6 lbs.)
- Maximum Rider Weight: 18 kg. (40 lbs.)
Size and Fit
- For Ages 6 Months – 4 Years Old
- Fits Inseam Lengths 26 – 46 cm (10 – 18 in.)
- Handlebar Height: 46 – 56 cm (18 – 22 in.)
- Seat Height: 23 – 43 cm (9 – 17 in.)
- Maximum Rider Weight: 18 kg. (40 lbs.)
Features
- Assembled Weight: 3.0 kg. (6.7 lbs.)
- Fully Adjustable with Easy-Adjust Clamps
- Padded Seat
- Flat-Free Foam Rubber 12″ Tires
- Steel Frame
- Built-In Footrests
- Handlebar with Mini-Grips and Safety Pad
The Strider 2-in-1 Rocking Bike has a starting age range of 6 months, so you better believe I was already on the hunt for one for our son. With budgets being tight as new parents, I was on the hunt to find one secondhand. I was able to find a Strider 12 second-hand that was in great shape, and brought it home.
The Rocking Base sells separately for about $100-120 online, and while they’re available second-hand, there aren’t as many, as it’s a newer item. However, the folks at Strider ended up discovering the article I wrote about our son’s road map, and liked it so much that they wanted to support us and shipped us a brand-new 2-in-1 Rocking Bike.
Heck yeah, our kid’s barely 6 months old, and he’s already started his first quiver of bikes!
Unboxing the Strider 2-in-1 Rocking Bike
Most of the Strider 12 Sport Balance bike ships assembled. Aside from the wheels, tools aren’t required, and the package includes the tools you need to tighten the axles to the fork and frame.
The rocking base took a little longer than the bike itself, but it’s mostly intuitive. Nothing about it had me digging around for a second opinion or a YouTube tutorial. Once I laid out all the parts and referenced the diagram it was just a matter of snapping the pieces together.
Once you have your assembled rocker, attaching the bike is easy.
The rocker features slots for the wheel axles to slide in, and once the bike is in place, you simply slide the covers down and snap them into place.
And that’s it. We store the bike and the rocker assembled in the corner of the room, and bring it out when we want our son to practice balancing on it.
The rocker is lightweight, and I carry the bike and rocker around by the handlebars or the handlebar and seat.
Our first month with the Baby Balance Bike and Rocker
Our early sessions on the rocker have been almost entirely about two things — getting him used to gripping the handlebar grips, and teaching him to balance himself upright while sitting on the seat.
Off the bike, he’s progressed to his first efforts to crawl. He can also stay sitting up for a while, but it’s not automatic yet. He’s also become a big fan of standing on his own two feet, though he still can’t stand unsupported.
Realistically, it’s going to be a while before he’s crawling over to his rocker bike on his own initiative and climbing on, but I have a feeling that will happen a bit too fast. Our little baby is becoming a … well, bigger baby!
We practice a little bit every day, and he’s starting to figure out the grips. I’m fully spotting him. One thing I’ve started doing is holding his hands on the grips and lightly rocking him to see how his face lights up.
Price and Value
At $279 for the combo on Amazon (or $120 for the Rocking Base Add-on separately), it’s an investment. However, the bike and rocker are solid. Kids outgrow this stage quickly, and parents sell; you can often find a Strider for a fraction of retail if you’re patient.
You’ll want to make sure it’s the model that is compatible with the rocker base, but any of the Strider 12 Sport or Classic models should fit.
If you’d rather buy new, the flip side is just as true: Strider holds its resale value well. You can always hand it down or sell it down the road and recoup much of your investment. (so you can buy them MOAR more bikes!) Everything is well made, and if you’re having a second child, you’ll more than get your money’s worth. Buy it new, get a full stage or two of use out of it, and you can expect to recoup a chunk of the purchase price when you sell it on to the next family. Either direction, it’s hard to lose money on this one.
Up Next
Once he’s off the rocker base and gliding on the balance bike itself, we’ll, of course, have an update on that transition. For now, this is a bike that’s doing exactly what my plan for Stage 2 was supposed to do — building his grip, building balance, building the idea that this is a normal part of his day.
This article is a follow-up to A Family that Rides: A Mountain Biker’s Plan for a Kid on Two Wheels. More updates as he grows into it.