Birtech Balance Bike, 12 Inch, Ages 2-4

The Birtech Balance Bike takes third place in this guide at £32.99, with 4.6 out of 5 from 2,363 ratings. It is a 12-inch bike with no pedals and no training wheels, finished in blue, aimed at children of roughly 2 to 4 years. Birtech's bullets describe anti-rust carbon steel, puncture-proof EVA foam tyres that never need inflating, a 6.2 lb weight and a 30kg maximum. Both the seat and the handlebar adjust — seat height 36.5cm to 41cm, handlebar 54cm to 58cm within the safety line — and the listing states assembly is required.

The finding on this fiche is that it is the exception in this list: the catalogue fields and the written copy say the same thing. The drivetrain field reads "No drive", the brake field reads "No brake", Special Features reads "no-pedal", and Maximum Weight Recommendation is 30 Kilograms, exactly the figure the bullet gives. Set that against the Stream at the same £32.99 with its "Number of Speeds: 12" and trigger shifter, or the Umatoll with "Chain" in its drivetrain field on a bike with no pedals. Where the Birtech listing does come apart is the age band and the weight: the title says 2+, the Size field and the bullet say 2-4 years, and the model name describes 2 to 6 years, while the bullet quotes 6.2 lbs and the Item Weight field quotes 2.9 kg. There is also an odd field labelled Minimum User Height at 36 Centimetres, which matches the lowest seat height rather than any child's height. Everything on this page comes from the Amazon listing; we have not tested the bike.