littlebig bike vs strider 14x convertible balance bike

LittleBig Bike vs Strider Bike With Pedals

We’ve been asked a few times recently about the difference between the Strider 14x and the LittleBig bike. At first glance they seem similar since they can both convert from a balance bike to a pedal bike, but in reality they have a number of differences.

Frame and Fork

Designed and hand assembled in Ireland the LittleBig has a unique sleek frame design with a high quality finish. LittleBig has 3 modes: little balance bike, big balance bike and big pedal bike. It’s available in 5 colours, all with a brushed alloy downtube: Brushed Edition, Flame Red, Electric Blue, Apple Green and Sparkle Pink.
Made by balance bike giant Strider, the 14x is the larger version of their popular balance bike, but pedals can be fitted too. It comes in two colours: Awesome Blue and Fantastic Green.

Brakes

Front and rear hand operated alloy V brakes with kids specific short reach alloy levers. Using hand brakes allows kids to stop more easily and safely than using their feet. This is particularly important for bigger more confident riders or while going downhill. It’s useful for kids to get comfortable using hand brakes before progressing to a bigger bike, which will certainly have both brakes.
USA versions of the Strider come with a rear coaster (back pedal brake) only. This means it’s not possible to brake while in balance bike mode (since there are no pedals fitted to operate the brake) In pedal mode only the rear wheel is slowed which can lead to skidding. The UK version has a front and rear sidepull brakes with plastic brake levers, these brakes are not as powerful as V brakes and require more hand power to slow the bike.

Steering

500mm wide, 80mm rise alloy handlebar. Alloy aheadset (threadless) stem with sealed ball bearing headset for smooth, rattle free steering and longevity. Velo soft rubber grips with flanged ends.
68mm rise with alloy/ steel stem and plastic bushing headset. Strider grips with flanged ends.

Cranks

89mm alloy cranks to provide sufficient leverage while not requiring too much bend at the knee at the top of the pedal stroke. 28 tooth chainring with 14 tooth rear sprocket.
75mm which will not provide much leverage to start from a standstill. Okay for smaller, powerful riders but not for those with longer legs. 28 tooth front chainring with 16 tooth rear sprocket.

Pedals

Full width resin body for plenty of support for the riders foot for comfort and grip.
Strider “Easy Stride” pedals. Designed to help riders to push off the ground while starting off but will not provide as much grip while pedalling.

Wheels

Cartridge bearing alloy hubs laced to 14″ alloy rims with 20 spokes. 1.95″ wide pneumatic (air) tyres to provide cushioning and grip on varied terrain.
14″ alloy rims laced to alloy hubs with chrome spokes. 1.75″ wide pneumatic tyres.

Weight

  • Brushed Edition Balance Bike: 4.5kg
  • Brushed Edition Pedal Bike: 6kg
  • Classic Balance bike (no pedals): 5.1kg (11.2lbs).
  • Classic Pedal bike: 6.6kg (14.5lbs)
  • Balance bike: 5.5kg (12lbs).
  • Pedal bike: 7.0kg (15.5lbs)
littlebig bike vs strider 14x convertible balance bike with pedals

Servicing

The LittleBig is built like a real bike, not a toy and many of the parts can be serviced or repaired at your local bike shop. Alternatively, we stock all parts of the bike so can send replacements if ever needed (like if you reverse over the bike after your little one left it in the driveway!).
The 14x uses many of Strider’s own parts cranks, saddle, headset etc) which would need to be sourced from Strider directly.

Customer Support

The LittleBig is built like a real bike, not a toy and many of the parts can be serviced or repaired at your local bike shop. Alternatively, we stock all parts of the bike so can send replacements if ever needed (like if you reverse over the bike after your little one left it in the driveway!).
Strider has a network of bike retailers and resellers so it may be difficult and take time to find the correct place to direct your questions.

Warranty

5 year warranty on frame and fork, 2 years on all other parts. No registration required. Full info here.
Strider has a network of bike retailers and resellers so it may be difficult and take time to find the correct place to direct your questions.

Saddle Height

37cm-55cm (14″-22″).
View full sizing here.

38cm-55cm (15″-22″)

Price

$310 USD ex tax.

€325 including VAT.

From LittleBig Bikes Shop

$254 for bike and pedals (ex tax).

Price from StriderBikes.com

Okay, hands up, I’m biased but we wanted to be as objective as possible in this comparison and read a number of other reviews including twowheelingtots.com, thewirecutter.com & striderbikes.com among others.

You can read independent press reviews of the LittleBig bike, or see our 5* customer reviews and if you like what you see, head over to our shop, you won’t be disappointed!

LittleBig bikes founder Simon Evans
Simon Evans

Round the world cyclist, mountain bike racer, engineer and all round bike geek, Simon Evans clearly loves all things BIKE.

Simon worked as a Structural Engineer in Cambridge for a number of years before setting off on an 18 month, 30,000km cycle around the world, testing his bike, body and mind to the limit and giving a wealth of wonderful experiences.

Coming home in 2010, he wanted to combine his engineering with his love of bikes to create a better and more sustainable bike for kids. In 2015 he launched LittleBig bikes which have now been sold to 77 countries around the world giving thousands of kids the best start on two wheels.

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Shipping

Ireland and EU

We offer free bike shipping in Ireland which takes 1-2 days with DPD couriers.

We ship within the EU with DPD for €20 which takes between 3-6 days depending on your country. View Delivery Page.

United Kingdom

Customers in England, Scotland and Wales We offer free bike shipping which takes 2-3 working days.  

You do not pay tax on our website, instead you make one payment of 20% UK VAT (and a £5 admin fee) via DPD’s simple online system. This equates to approximately £40GBP for the convertible balance bike.

Northern Ireland Customers pay 23% Irish VAT on our website, but nothing further.

United States and Canada

Your bike will be set up in the North America style with the front brake on the left and the rear brake on the right. 

We ship your order with our national post service AnPost who works with USPS in the USA and CanadaPost in Canada. This delivery is fully tracked door to door and takes approximately one week. 

At only US$35 per bike it’s the best value possible to get a pretty big bike box to you! 

Your order excludes tax, but you may need to pay your local sales tax on arrival to your country, which the delivery company arranges.