Is the Retrospec Cricket Balance Bike Worth It?
Worth it, for the right window of months
around $50price at time of review — check Amazon for current
- Worth it ifYour toddler is newly standing and cruising furniture, roughly 12 to 20 months old
- Skip it ifYour child is closer to two years old or tall for their age
Amazon shoppers rate it 4.7 out of 5 across 5,894 ratings. That is their number, not ours.
By Aisha Bello, toys & games · updated 2026-07-29
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You know the stage: your one-year-old is cruising along the couch, one hand glued to the cushion, testing what happens when they let go. They can't do it yet. You want to hand them something that helps, without handing them a bike with pedals they're nowhere near ready for. That's the exact gap a balance bike like the Retrospec Cricket is built to fill.
The whole idea behind a balance bike is subtraction, not addition. Take away the pedals and the training wheels, and what's left is a low seat, a steering limit, and four wheels instead of two. That fourth and third wheel matter more than they sound: with two extra contact points on the ground, the bike stays upright on its own, so a toddler can focus on one skill at a time, pushing off with their feet, instead of also fighting to keep the thing from tipping. Because the seat sits low enough for feet-to-floor contact, your toddler is never actually off balance, they're walking with a seat under them, which is what lets a one-year-old ride something a two-wheeler would terrify them on. The soft, no-scratch wheels mean this works the same on your kitchen floor as it does on the sidewalk, so the bike doesn't get relegated to one room. And because the whole thing weighs about four pounds, it's you carrying it to the car, not wrestling it, which is the part that actually decides whether it comes on outings at all.
So you're not really buying a bike, you're buying an early, low-stakes rehearsal for balance, the skill a two-wheeler will eventually demand outright. The four wheels aren't a training-wheel cop-out, they're what makes it safe to practice that skill months before a real bike would let them.
Worth it if
- Your toddler is newly standing and cruising furniture, roughly 12 to 20 months old
- You want something that works indoors on bad weather days and outdoors on good ones
- You'd rather buy one honest first bike than a ride-on toy with buttons and lights
Skip it if
- Your child is closer to two years old or tall for their age
- You're looking for a bike that will last through the toddler years, not just the first one
- You want pedals from day one rather than a balance-first stage
Not for toddlers already near the top of the age range or tall for their age, they'll outgrow the low seat and short frame quickly.
If your toddler is somewhere in the 12 to 20 month range and just starting to stand confidently, this is a quiet yes, it'll get used indoors on rainy days and outdoors on good ones. If your child is already closer to two and taller than the 9 to 13 inch inseam range fits, look at a two-wheel balance bike instead, they'll outgrow this one fast.
Check price on Amazon · around $50 or Add it to your Amazon cart to sit on it
Before you go
What age is the Retrospec balance bike for?
It's built for roughly 12 to 24 months, with a seat height and 9 to 13 inch inseam range suited to early walkers rather than older toddlers.
Is Retrospec a good brand for bikes?
Retrospec focuses on simple, stripped-down designs rather than flashy extras, which fits a first balance bike well since the goal is teaching balance, not adding features.
Full spec sheet
| Brand Name | Retrospec |
|---|---|
| Sub Brand | Cricket |
| Manufacturer Minimum Age (MONTHS) | 12 |
| Manufacturer Maximum Age (MONTHS) | 24 |
| Age Range Description | Toddler |
| Included Components | Balance Bike |
| Item Type Name | Balance Bike |
| Model Number | 5350 |
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