Review on JOYSTAR 14/16 Inch Balance Bike For Toddlers And Kids Ages 3-8 Years Old Boys And Girls - Sport Kids Balance Bike With Handbrake - No Pedal Training Bicycle by Tom Childress

So we don’t have the space for our daughter to learn how to ride. She’s turning 8 and was a little embarrassed that she doesn’t know how to ride yet, so she asked me to teach her this summer. I researched a lot of balance bikes for older kids, and this is one of the few that actually comes with a brake. This is important for us, as we have a trail a mile up the road for bikes and hiking. This trail has a downhill section though, so a brake was REALLY important in determining which bike to purchase. Unfortunately, it was far from easy to assemble. The brake "pads” would not touch the tire or the rim. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t fix it. The directions were for different bike completely. I also couldn’t get the seat properly installed. I had directions for it, but not the proper tool. I got so frustrated, I ended up taking it to a bike shop to have the rest of it assembled properly. This was an additional cost. Not much, but nonetheless, one I wasn’t expecting. Even the professional had a difficult time getting the brake to work and come in close contact with the rim. So it works, but not very well. This was very disappointing. Also, the brake handle is far away from the handle. When I say this, I mean the distance between the handle bar and the actual brake handle. My daughter is pretty small (7yo, about 4ft tall and 45lbs). It is pretty hard for her hands to reach around the brake handle and squeeze bc there is so much space between the brake and handle. I’ll add a picture of this. So that’s even more frustrating bc when you’re learning how to ride a bike, it shouldn’t be difficult squeezing the brake. It should be easy since they are already thinking about how to balance and aren’t focusing on opening their hand super wide and trying to brake. I have some concerns about this, but we’ll see. With all that said, it’s a beautiful bike and my daughter loves attempting to glide down our hallway. If you’re looking for a bike with a brake, I’d recommend something else. If it’s not a deal breaker and you’re nifty with instructions, then go for it.