Balance Bikes

The Frog Tadpole balance bike features air tires, a responsive handbrake, and high-quality components on a stable, easy-to-balance frame. With 8 different colors and designs as well as an adjustable seat and handlebars, the Frog Tadpole is adaptable to fit a wide range of toddlers aged 2 to 4.

Looking specifically for a high-quality bike? With powerful Tektro brakes and Kenda tires on a lightweight aluminum frame, the Tadpole has you covered. Read the review below for all the details on the amazing features offered by the Tadpole!

The 12-inch balance bike will make riding as easy as walking. It is essentially a toddler bike without pedals and is designed to introduce toddlers ages 2 to 3 to the world of cycling, allowing them to develop the balance necessary to ride a bicycle. This premium toddler’s bike has a lightweight, sturdy aluminum frame, weighing just 4.17kg, making the bike easy to maneuver and easy for parents to carry.

The Tadpole balance bike is a great alternative to training wheels. It comes fully equipped with high-spec age-specific components, designed for comfort and longevity.

The toddler-sized saddle with quick-release seat post allows for easy height adjustment as they grow and become more confident, and the Tektro brakes with small, easy-to-reach brake levers, mean better control for mini riders. It also comes with chunky tires for maximum stability and grip, and for added security, the bike offers the added benefit of a steering lock, which acts as a safety mechanism to prevent oversteering and serious falls.

Frog Tadpole Components

Tektro Hand Brakes & Comfy Grips

The quality Tektro handbrake on the Frog is easy for small hands to reach and activate and also provides plenty of stopping power. As our little tester gets more adventurous, it’s comforting to know that that he has plenty of stopping power at his fingertips.

Unlike the Frog Tadpole used to facilitate this review, the current Frog Tadpole now comes with the brake mounted with the rear brake lever on the right hand (per US standards).

As a UK bike, the Frog previously came with the rear brake on the left (per UK standards), but Frog now switches the brake on the US bike to the right hand before they ship out.

The handlebar grips on the Frog Tadpole are also ridiculously amazing. Although grips are a strange thing to love, Frog’s customized grips are soft and pliable and very easy on the hands. The grips also lock into place to prevent them from slipping off.

Padded and Railed Saddle

One of the first features of the Frog we took notice of was the thickly padded saddle. To help customize the fit, the saddle also sits on rails that allow the seat to move forward or back about one inch to accommodate kids with longer or shorter torsos. 

Threadless Headset with Spacer

On most quality balance bikes with threadless headsets, the handlebars cannot be raised. Threadless headsets are designed to grip the handlebars very tightly to the bike’s steer tube (the part that extends from the fork to travel up through the frame of the bike) to prevent the handlebars from coming out of alignment.

The Frog Tadpole, woom, Prevelo, and Islabike balance bikes all have threadless headsets, but only the Frog allows for the handlebars to be raised or lowered. The handlebars can only be raised minimally, but it can still be helpful for taller kids.

The handlebars are raised by adjusting the position of the stem and spacers on the steer tube. The stem and headset can be loosened to allow the stem and spacers to slide off the steer tube. The stem can then be reattached to the steer tube with all three spacers below it. This process can be tricky if you are not familiar with bikes but any bike shop should be able to help you out.

Our little guy, however, was quite content with the standard setup with only one spacer at the top. As he gets taller though, being able to slightly raise his handlebars will help him remain comfortable on the bike for longer.