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This last Saturday, HaveFunBiking.com covered one of the coolest races we have seen in a long time. Putting more kids on bikes the Strider Snow Cup, was a great way to see our future cyclists in action. With skis attached to the bike wheels, there were a lot of winners on the hill for this family-friendly event.
One of the coolest races that puts more kids on bikes. The Strider Snow Cup, with skis attached to the bike wheels, produces a lot of winners.
Putting more kids on bikes
Teaching kids to ride on two-wheels, Strider held the 2019 Strider Snow Cup, on Buck Hill in Burnsville, MN. Youngsters, ages two to five, took to the bunny hill slopes on their Strider 12 Bikes, outfitted with snow ski accessories. It was a perfect, fun-filled, true north, weather day for the kids.
Dubbed as the “Toddler Tour de France” by The Wall Street Journal and ESPN. Wave after wave of toddlers made their way down the course.
The Strider Snow Cup is an extension of the family-friendly events held in the summer months. This March 2nd event allowed young, two-wheeling tots a much different climate to ride in. This was the first Strider Snow Cup Race in the U.S.A., since 2013.
Using the Strider Snow Ski accessory, a Strider 12 Balance Bike can be converted for use in the snow. This makes riding year-round in any climate a reality.
Future Strider Cup Races
For 2019, the Strider Snow Cup, at Buck Hill was the first race of the season. And, once the snow melts, Strider will continue its warm-weather races, in the U.S., as follows:
Saturday, May 4, 2019: LA Live, Los Angeles Saturday, June 15, 2019: Boulder Civic Area (Central Park), Boulder, Colorado Saturday, July 6, 2019: The Commons, Minneapolis Friday and Saturday, October 4-5, 2019: NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte, North Carolina (Strider Cup World Championship)
No qualification is necessary to participate in a Strider Cup or Strider Cup World Championship event. Registration for the May – October 2019 races is available at www.StriderBikes.com.
The 2019 Strider Snow Cup event was held right off the “Magic Carpet” section of Buck Hill Ski Area. It’s a downhill slalom race; some running and striding on the balanced bike involved.
Balance bikes are sweeping the world as the best way to teach children to ride bikes. What is a balance bike and how does it work? Balance bikes look a lot like a normal bike with two wheels, frame, seat, and handlebars. What you won’t see on a balance bike a crank, chain or pedals. Balance bikes are designed to teach kids the most difficult portion of riding – Balance.
Balance bikes for fitness and fun
The best way to get kids excited about their balance bike is to make sure it fits them and it’s fun. To adjust the fit, start by loosening the seat and dropping it all the way down. Next, have your child stand over the bike and lift the saddle until it makes contact with their backside. Tighten the seat at that height. Once the seat height is set, adjust the handlebars to a comfortable position for your child. They should be able to reach out normally and hold the grips. If they look as if their arms are too high (this will fatigue them prematurely) lower the bars. Inversely, if the child is reaching too far down, raise them.
So once the bike is fit right, be sure to make it fun! In short, make sure the bike is what the child wants it to be. Stickers, colored tape, bags, bells or horns work great to customize your child’s balance bike for them.
Safety
A balance bike is a bike and should be treated as such. This means you want to practice in a flat safe area free of traffic, wear a helmet and be careful of obstacles.
Start out fun
Starting out on the balance bike can be intimidating for your kids. Try to keep it fun. Kids love motorcycle sounds and wheelies. In my 15 years working in a bike shop, I never once ran into a kid who didn’t like getting pushed around on a bike while making motorcycle noises. If you can add a wheelie to the mix, all the better. Even if the first rides aren’t very long, be sure to stop as soon as it’s not fun. 5 to 10-minute rides may seem short but are totally acceptable.
Support the child not the bike
While helping your child with their balance bike, remember that the goal is for your children to understand how to balance WITH the bike. This is different from balancing ON TOP of the bike. A great way to help this is to support the children by the shoulders rather than holding the seat and handlebars. If you support the child, they will learn to use the bike to help them balance. If you hold the bike stable, the kids have more trouble feeling what real bicycle balance is.
Pedals aren’t all bad
All our talk about balance makes it sound like pedals at the young age are a bad thing, That’s not the case. Bikes with training wheels or tricycles have a great place in teaching kids how to pedal. The action of pedaling forward is not as difficult to learn as balance, but the frustration of not being able to do it can hamper a child’s move from balance bike to pedal bike.
What age
Balance bikes come in many different sizes. The smallest sizes can accommodate kids as young as 18 months. Before picking a balance bike, have the child stand over it. You want some clearance between the child and the bike, and a comfortable distance from the seat to handlebars. Most Balance bikes will top out sizes for kids around 6.
Transitioning to a full-size bike
In a few stories, you will hear about the kid who got off his balance bike, mounted his new pedal bike, and pedaled away. It’s a great story, but not too common. Transitioning to a pedal bike takes a little effort. Start in a similar fashion to the balance bike – Fit and Fun. Adjust the pedal bike’s seat and handlebar. Next step is to explain how the bikes brakes work. With a balance bike kids can become accustomed to stopping by dragging their feet, so it’s important to show them how the pedal bike stops. Next step is to let them ride while supporting them by the shoulders and let them pedal around. Once they feel comfortable pedaling, you can let go. You will find they have almost no issues riding and the transition from balance to a pedal bike will happen within a day.
Make your bike a balance bike
After all this, you’re probably asking yourself “Why can’t I just pull the pedals of my child’s bike and use that as the balance bike?” The truth is, you can do that.
Pulling the pedals off a bike will give you a lot of the same benefits as a balance bike. The shortcomings of doing that are pedal bikes are wider than balance bikes and make it more difficult for the child to push off. Pedal bikes are also heavier than balance bikes. Pushing around the extra weight of a pedal bike can be difficult for smaller riders.
However, you choose to teach your kids to balance, keep it fun.
We’ve talked a lot about balance bikes in the past, and with good reason. Balance bikes teach children the most difficult aspect of riding in a fun and easy way. By doing away with the pedals, a balance bike allows kids to scoot along sidewalks and paths with relative ease while learning how to balance a two-wheeled machine. In the world of balance bikes, there is no bigger name brand than Strider. Strider has been at the forefront of creating affordable, lightweight, and adjustable balance bikes since its inception in 2007. What is new to the Strider world is the 14X, a really cool new balance bike that incorporates an install-able drivetrain for when the kids have learned balance. Read on to learn more
The 14x is out of the box
Our 14X arrived in a large brown cardboard box (common for all forms of bicycles). The frame of the bicycle and the fork were separate, but both were protected and stabilized well. I took all the components out of the box and removed the packaging in a few minutes. Once I had everything out, I saw that building the bike was as simple as installing the fork, handlebar, and seat. Happily, Strider included easy to read instructions as well as all the tools necessary for assembly. Now before you run for the hills at the word “assembly”, realize that to put the bike together you only needed to tighten two bolts. It was so easy in fact, I had my 5-year-old son do it. As the recipient of the new bike, he was happy to pitch in.
What is different about the 14X
So what makes the 14x different? To start, this bike incorporates the features that Striders are known for. It is lightweight, has foot platforms for coasting, and a great fit and finish. Additionally, it has a massive amount of adjustability In the bars and seat so your child can really grow with the bike. Where the 14X really sets itself apart is its ability to transition your child onto a pedal bike. As an example, in the story of Strider, Ryan McFarland taught his son to balance on a prototype Strider, then transitioned him onto another bike with pedals. For some kids, that change in bikes is difficult. For the 14X, one simply needs to install the pedals once their child is ready for them. That way the child’s position on the bike stays the same, his comfort is high, and he can focus only on the new propulsion system. Brilliant!
Who does it fit
The 14X is designed for kids from about 3 years to 7 years old. Overall, reviewing the number of adjustments tells me that this range is totally achievable. Although if you are a 3-year-old on the small side or a large 6-year old, you may not quite fit.
Pedal installation
Like building the bike itself, installing the pedal system is really simple. A few bolts secure the cranks in place, the chain goes on easily, and the included chainguard is easy to place. Once everything is installed, this bike looks like a normal bike with a few great features. First, the cranks are narrower than most other bikes, so they match the narrow width of kids hips. Also, the low overall stance of the bike is really confidence inspiring for riders just starting out.
Moving on
I plan to really try this whole system with my younger son. As of now, he isn’t riding on two wheels, and I would love to get him started. We will progress from the balance features, into the pedal features and really test this concept. Stay tuned for more on his progress and how well the Strider worked for him.
Among the many bicycle designs we have looked at here at, I see a fair number of balance bikes, including the multifunctionalLittleBig Bikeat Gizmag. We’ve even seen awooden one or two, but we’ve never seen a balance bike quite like the ZumZum, which is built around a curved wooden frame that serves as its own suspension system.
ZumZum design features and specs
New York-basedZumZumwanted to design a balance bike that could do more than just give kids something to putter around on on a Saturday afternoon. It wanted a design that would get kids excited about biking from an early age while giving them balance skills to take with them onto pedal bikes. To meet this goal, they reached out to a multitude of designers and manufacturers and put together a team centered around pro mountain biker Steve Peat.
ZumZum claims frame can even support an adult without cracking. Here MTN biker Steve Peat is pictured.
The ZumZum’s mountain biking roots shine through the minute you realize what you’re looking at. In place of the single down tube of other balance bike designs, the bike’s signature birch frame is curved, resembling a stretched bobby pin. The upper prong of the frame has a curvature at the end to accommodate the seat. The design gives the bike a unique look, and it provides natural suspension. You won’t want to send your child barreling into the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, but the give of the birch plywood adds some cushion to make him or her more comfortable on uneven ground. ZumZum claims that it’s so flexible, even adults can sit on it without breaking it in two.
The ZumZum bike is on Kickstarter now, see below.
Via its multi-position fork and dropout mounts, the ZumZum can increase 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in height and stretch out in wheelbase, growing with the child. ZumZum estimates that it can accommodate children from 18 months to four years of age. It weighs 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) and has non-marking pneumatic rubber tires for friendly indoor/outdoor use. Buyers can choose between 10- and 12-in wheels.
ZumZum’s birch frame offers natural flex and suspension
The ZumZum also includes a sort of digital ID tag. An NFC chip inside the headset delivers owner and warranty information to a compatible smartphone app. ZumZum is also considering programming a biking game for use with the chip.
ZumZum is currently working to raise money on Kickstarter. It’s offering the ZumZum balance bike at pledge levels of US$149, estimating that the retail price will eventually be set around $249. If all goes swimmingly, the first backers will receive their bikes in March.
