Tag Archives: Riding a bike

The Frog 62 is special because it is at the spear tip of a new movement in children’s bicycle development that fits better and weighs less.

The Frog 62 shows off a new approach in kid’s bike design

by John Brown, HaveFunbiking.com

It almost feels like Christmas here at HaveFunBiking.com. Why such a great day?…..Because we have a new bike to review! The Frog 62, our review bike, is special because for the first time this writer won’t be the one reviewing it (more about that in a bit). Frog Bicycles is at the spear tip of a new movement in children’s bikes. They develop bicycles exclusively for children that fit better and weigh less than anything else. Considering I am not a child, I won’t be riding this bike. Instead, that duty of reviewing the Frog 62 is being passed along to my nine year old son.

The Frog 62 Bike

The Frog 62 uses an aluminum frame and fork designed to accept 24” wheels, and is very light weight for a kid’s bike (sub 20lbs). On paper, the Frog 62 could look like almost any other kids bike, but looks can be deceiving as Frog has hidden a few amazing fit-features in plain sight. To start, the handlebar and stem combination on this bike is custom for Frog. It is shorter, lighter and perfectly sized for small riders. On that subject, Frog also produces a custom crank that has arms that are both shorter and narrower to accommodate children’s shorter legs and narrower stance. To accept a narrower crank, Frog needs to build their frames specifically to accept those custom cranks. Out of the box, the Frog 62 comes standard with two sets of tires (knobby and smooth) as well as a complete fender set.

Frog 62

Frog 62 in all its green splendor.

Durability

I know what you are going to say. “My little Billy destroys every bike we get him, why do I want to buy a bike with custom parts I can’t replace when Billy does what Billy does?” I knew what you were going to say and so did Frog, that’s why Frog designed their bike around that very issue. In my experience, kids find new ways to destroy bikes every year, but almost never break the crank or stem. So with the Frog 62, that is where they stop with proprietary parts. The rest of the bike is put together with readily available components. While most are readily available, Frog did use the best combination of parts to fit children better than ever before.

Frog 62

Frog’s custom crank in action.

The Fit

The biggest selling feature of a Frog bicycle is the fit. Many mid-sized children’s bikes are just scaled up, tiny, kid’s bikes. By this I mean there is little allotment for size, the bars are typically too high, top tubes are short and they are designed as if the child doesn’t know how to ride a bike. Frog bikes on the other hand uses ongoing scientific testing at Brunel University to drive their bicycle fit dimensions. Due to the results of their testing, the bikes are built to fit children better, handle more accurately, and weigh substantially less than the competition.

Frog 62

Next steps

With Minnesota locked in winter, my son and I won’t be heading out onto the bike paths any time soon. Instead, I plan to use this bike first as a teaching opportunity while the ground is covered with snow. Meaning, that my son and I will build the bike together. Then, I plan to complete a full bicycle fit for him. Paying careful attention to see just how well the engineers at Frog designed this bike for children’s proportions. Also. the knobby tires and fenders will be great for when the weather finally breaks. Stay tuned to learn how the bike fit and build go.

Riding a Bike, You Are Never Too Old in Minneapolis

Katie Harris, Rails to Trails Conservancy Blog
You’re a grown adult, but you’ve never learned how to ride a bike. Where do you even start?

SPOKES_Minneapolis, MN

From ages 16 to 80, some of the smiling faces SPOKES bike program has helped

If live in or near the twin Cities you will find with SPOKES Bike Walk Connect riding a bike, you are never to old in Minneapolis, Minn.

Born from the Non-motorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP), SPOKES is a community nonprofit of the Seward Neighborhood Group, in Minneapolis with a mission of “creating a more informed and diverse biking and walking community.” To achieve this mission, SPOKES aims to remove barriers that make it difficult for people to travel on bike or foot.

SPOKES, Minneapolis, Minn

Guidance on how to ride a bike on a bike friendly street in Minneapolis

“The participation has been unbelievable,” says SPOKES director Sheldon Mains. “We had over 700 visits to the shop last year. And it wouldn’t have been possible without NTPP.”

One of the many programs that SPOKES offers is Learn-to-Ride, a series of classes that aims to teach adults bicycle riding and safety skills. So far, 90 adults have participated in the program and for some, this was an eye-opening lesson on what they were truly capable of.

“Before I was involved with SPOKES, I would see bicycle commuters or people just riding for fun, and I was really impressed by them,” says SPOKES student-turned-bike advocate Hayat Ahmed. “Once I got my own bike, I thought, ‘Oh! That could be me!’”
But it wasn’t just learning to ride that brought Ahmed confidence, it was also learning the mechanics of a bike. “Now, if I’m out on a ride, I know what to do when something goes wrong. It is very powerful to know how to fix something,” Ahmed states.

SPOKES, Minneapolis, Minn

Participants and instructors gathered to celebrate SPOKES successs

Creating a safe community space is a priority of the program, and participants value the inclusiveness of SPOKES. “It had always been a goal of mine to ride a bike,” recounts Maria Padilla, who joined the Learn-to-Ride class on a friend’s recommendation. “I was kind of embarrassed when I signed up for the Learn-to-Ride class, because I was an adult, but everyone else in the program was an adult too, so that made me feel much more comfortable,” she said.

According to Mains, NTPP funds amounted to 60 percent of SPOKES’ funding in the first three years of its existence. These funds helped support the hiring of a community organizer, Abdi Hirsi, who Mains credits with making incredible connections—critical to the program’s success—in Minneapolis’ East African Community (more than half of SPOKES’ participants come from this community).

SPOKES, Minneapollis, Minn.

SPOKES Bike Shop and gathering place for those who want to ride a bike, as part of their lifestyle.

“It is the one-on-one communication and connections that he [established] that made all the difference for us when we were getting started. It’s that personal invitation that gets people there,” affirms Mains as he states that in an effort to make the community center more welcoming to program participants, the walls of the center were painted with incredibly bright colors. “We would propose a shade of paint, but [people kept saying] ‘No, brighter! No, brighter!’ We now have a very bright center, and everyone loves it,” he adds.

For Padilla it’s the welcoming community and safe space that inspires. “There is always someone there to help you and anyone is welcome at SPOKES. The staff is so involved and respectful, and you feel secure,” she says.

The community program is also changing perceptions about cycling. For some participants, riding in traditional and religious dress is often a perceived barrier, but SPOKES creates a community where riding a bike is a normal activity, regardless of your culture, religion or ethnicity.

SPOKES, Minneapolis, Minn.

SPOKES student-turned-bike advocate Hayat Ahmed, learning how to repair her bike.

“Like me, most Muslim women cover their hair and dress modestly by covering our body except for our face and hands. So we stand out when riding a bike because of what we’re wearing; the community is learning to get used to seeing women on bikes who are dressed similar to me, but it’s just not that common yet,” explains Ahmed.
She continues, “Those of us who started biking through SPOKES are starting a new trend. The more you see it, the more normal it becomes! If I can show that I can wear what I wear and ride a bike, it normalizes it for others.”

SPOKES’ focus is bicycles, but its reach into the community is much deeper than may appear on the surface. For participants like Maria Padilla, it has brought a new confidence and freedom into their lives.

Padilla affirms, “This program has helped me, has guided me and has given me confidence in how to learn.”

Dinkus_Katie-Harris

Katie Harris, Rails to Trails

Photos above courtesy SPOKES

Katie Harris is a member of RTC’s communications team. She is a frequent user and advocate of active transportation and recently completed a bike trip across the United States.