Hornit AIRO balance bike: The perfect introduction to bike riding
The ultra-lightweight Hornit AIRO balance bike will level up your kid’s first ride, without stinging the wallet.
Promotional feature with Hornit
A kid’s first bike is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give, and it will probably go on to be one of your child’s earliest memories.
This magical experience, if done properly, will be the start of their cycling journey, one that will create a lifelong love of two wheels.
Best first bike
A balance bike is the perfect introduction to bike riding. It teaches your child the two most valuable bike riding skills of balance and steering, by allowing them to use momentum to keep the bike upright, as well as naturally moving the bike beneath them to control the direction of travel.
A bike that uses trainer wheels (also known as stabilisers) will prevent your child from experiencing real riding forces, hindering them from instinctively balancing and leaning the bike from side to side by keeping the bike rigidly upright.
With a balance bike, once your child is ready to transition to pedals, they only have to add the final piece of footwork to their skill set before they can set off on their own.
The lightest bike for kids
Weighing just 2.95kg, and suitable for children aged from just one and a half all the way up to five years old, the Hornit AIRO stands out as one of the lightest balance bikes on the market.
Children’s bikes are often weighed down by heavy frames and solid wheels, but the incredibly lightweight Hornit AIRO ultra hard-wearing magnesium alloy frame comes with 12.5 inch aluminium rim wheels and air filled 2.25 inch rubber tyres for effortless manoeuvrability and a super-smooth riding experience.
Griptaped footrests contour into the frame, allowing little legs to easily alternate between speedy scoots and freewheeling. When wobbles and accidents occur, riders are provided with added protection in the form of the neoprene padded stem, meaning they’ll be swiftly back on two wheels in no time.
All touch points on the Hornit AIRO have been child optimised, so little hands can fully grasp the grips, while a scooped saddle creates a comfortable seat, which, when combined with a tyre pressure of around 20-30PSI (1.5 - 2.0 BAR), ensures a secure and stable riding position.
Progression to pedals
With brazed-on mounts as standard, the Hornit AIRO allows for the fitting of a rear rim brake, enabling the addition of controlled stopping into your child’s riding proficiency, for even quicker progression to pedal power.
An adjustable saddle height means the bike is suitable for a child with an inside leg measurement of 30-48cm or approximately 18 months to five years old. It also has sealed wheel bearings, making it practically maintenance free, and a lifetime warranty means the Hornit AIRO is the only balance bike a child will need before upgrading to pedals, and handing down to another budding cyclist.
With four bright colours to choose from, the Hornit AIRO balance bike is ideal for developing confidence and coordination. Competitively priced, its remarkable value for money and perfect for starting a lifetime of cycling adventures.
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Hannah is Cycling Weekly’s longest-serving tech writer, having started with the magazine back in 2011. She has covered all things technical for both print and digital over multiple seasons representing CW at spring Classics, and Grand Tours and all races in between.
Hannah was a successful road and track racer herself, competing in UCI races all over Europe as well as in China, Pakistan and New Zealand.
For fun, she's ridden LEJOG unaided, a lap of Majorca in a day, won a 24-hour mountain bike race and tackled famous mountain passes in the French Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites and Himalayas.
She lives just outside the Peak District National Park near Manchester UK with her partner, daughter and a small but beautifully formed bike collection.
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