Tidlo My First Motorbike review

When the opportunity came up through Blog Match to review something from John Crane, I immediately knew what would be the absolutely perfect toy for Pierre - a balance bike. Now aged almost three (where did my baby go ?!), he's happy to be pushed around on his trike or scoot around by himself on his Scramblebug but, more and more often, he wants to try to master the grown-up bikes and scooters used by his big sisters. A balance bike is the perfect next stage, giving him the grown-up feel of a real bike but without having to worry about complicated pedals while gaining a sense of balance and control.

The bike needs to be put together but only has five pieces and there's a handy Allen key included in the box. Sophie and the visiting Madhouse Grandad had the job of screwing on the wheels and handlebars and it only took them a couple of minutes.

 Pierre jumped straight on and proudly walked/wheeled it around the house, squealing "Look !" and pointing at the painted flames coming out of the back of his bike. I explained that it is a motorbike, just like his godfather's, and he looked very chuffed and rode off into the sunset (or - ahem - the living room wall !).

You can see from his face how proud and grown-up he feels ! The bike is quite heavy but this makes it very sturdy and the real pneumatic tyres make it a really smooth ride, even when on quite bumpy ground. They also absorb some of the shock if (or when !) your little learner biker goes careening into the wall before they can stop (or - in Pierre's case - on purpose because it makes him laugh when the wheels make him bounce back) !

If you're wondering what Pierre has got on his head, it's a Raskulls helmet and I'll tell you all about in a separate review very soon. Pierre went out on to the patio to have a bit more space and within minutes, was gaining in confidence. Juliette also couldn't wait to get her hands on it and have a go and the bike actually seems capable of withstanding the weight of both of them at the same time, which is pretty impressive.

We headed off to the park and Pierre and Juliette both had a good ride around the playground. It will take a while for Pierre to get really confident and finetune his sense of balance but he loved the fact that he had a "big boy's bike".

He fell off a few times but got straight back up again and starting riding round on it again. The bike is very sturdily built out of wood and will resist a lot of wear and tear, although I did already notice a few chips on the paintwork after our trip to the park from where Pierre had fallen off. Oops !

The bike is 54cm high, which is the perfect size for Pierre (almost 3) but even big sister Juliette (7) quite successfully rode it around. The handlebars are easy to hold on to and steer and the seat is slightly padded for extra comfort.

The bright colours and little details like the painted flames give it real wow-factor for kids of both sexes. I can see Pierre spending many hours this summer practising on his new motorbike and it will be really interesting to see if he manages to go straight from this on to a bike without stabilisers, which is something the girls needed then couldn't do without for a very long time.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £74.99

for more information : http://www.john-crane.co.uk/tidlo-my-first-motorbike/

You can also follow John Crane on twitter @johncraneblog and Facebook at www.facebook.com/johncranefanpage 

They’re also running a Search for a Star competition over on www.john-crane.co.uk too.

Disclosure : I received a Balance Bike in order to write a non-biased review.

Other reviews you may be interested in : 

 John Crane Little Cottage

 John Crane 100 piece Wooden Train Set

 John Crane Lion Castle