The long cold winter here in Rapid City, South Dakota has us riding our bikes inside. We’ve set up a few obstacles in the warehouse here at Strider Sports and my sons and I are having some fun. Check out the versatility of the Strider… from Bode (nearly 6 years old) having fun doing tricks to Jesse (just over 2 years old) increasing his balance, coordination, and gross motor skills… or should I say motorCYCLE skills… Look out Pee Wee Motocross!

This is a fun little video of my son Bode playing on his Strider running bike. This really showcases the fact that our unique, LaunchPad(tm) frame-integrated footrests of the Strider allow a child to learn an entire new set of skills beyond just balancing on two wheels… to ride standing up, to pull wheelies, to fall in love with ALL the fun that two wheels can offer. We are realizing that the more obstacles and tricks that a child can ride on, the more their brains get engaged in the activity and the longer they’ll stay involved. If the activity gets boring, they’ll seek a different activity… video games, TV, etc. With the Strider being so capable of going off-road, riding obstacles, and doing tricks, it keeps kids engaged; learning, developing, exercising!

This video shows the range of rider size. Bode (5 years old) has the handlebars and saddle up near the top of the adjustment range while his little brother Jesse (almost two years old) has them set at their lowest setting. There are a few interesting points in this video. First, the opening scene shows Bode gliding while standing… this is an advanced skill that is really only possible on the Strider design with the integrated footpads located directly below the saddle. Second, you’ll notice that Jesse is standing up while walking the bike and is up close to the handlebars. I have seen this on nearly EVERY really little kid that starts on a balance bike. After they get comfortable walking the bike, they learn to relax and extend their arms… allowing them to settle into the seated position. The key is to not rush kids to sit down… they’ll figure it out on their own and at their own speed/comfort level. Simple encouragement and praise is what they really need when they are this young.

We talk about the Strider running bike being all-terrain but now we can add all-season! While I was busy plowing snow during our recent blizzard here in South Dakota, Bode decided to get his Strider out and play in the snow. Glide down the plowed sidewalk, turn into the heavy, wet snow and flip over the handlebars for the classic endo!

Bode and I had a few hours to play the other day so we built some wooden obstacles and set up a few different routes. Here’s a quick video that shows Bode using the footrests to ride over stuff while standing up. He also lays down a couple good skidmarks. I even get into the action and put Bode behind the camera for the first time!

Bode won his first trophy the other day riding his KTM 50 in the Black Hills Arena Racing (indoor motocross) event on November 8th in the Pee-Wee 4-6 year old class.

http://www.blackhillsarenaracing.com

It has been very fun watching Bode take skills he learned on his Strider and use them on his pedal bike and his dirtbike… all three share the same spirit, balance and bike handling skills on two wheels… the only difference is the means of propulsion… run, pedal, or throttle!

I spend a good bit of time each day answering questions about the Strider™ running bike as it compares to other models or about certain features that it has. I thought I’d try to hit some key points here that I seem to discuss regularly.

Better seat height adjustment… Strider offers 11″ to 16″ in any increment you want… you can even buy longer seatposts to raise the seat even higher since it is a standard BMX spec tubing. Wooden bikes that I’ve seen don’t allow the seat to go as low, adjust in only a few set increments, and don’t go as high. This limits the useable life of the bike.

Better saddle ergonomics… Strider offers a regular bicycle saddle with a molded plastic shell with a traditional saddle design of narrow nose with wider rear seating wings plus padding and vinyl cover all scaled to fit a small rider. Wooden bikes that I’ve seen have basically a piece of curved plywood that is not very ergonomically engineered. I don’t know of any adult that would want to ride on a similar plywood design on their bike. The bicycle industry has spent millions of dollars on saddle design and development. Our saddle design most closely resembles what has become the norm for a bicycle saddle.

Better handlebar fit… Strider offers 3″ of height adjustment in any increment you want. Wooden bikes that I’ve seen have a fixed height with no adjustment. Strider handlebars also have rearward ’sweep’ built into the bars for a better ergonomic fit… as do nearly ALL bicycle and motorcycle handlebars. Again, these industries have invested millions of dollars on handlebar design and ergonomics. Our design most closely resembles what has become the norm for mountain bikes, BMX bikes, and dirtbikes/motorcycles. The wooden bikes that I’ve seen are simply straight across, no sweep.

FOOTRESTS! This is huge. Only the U.S. Patent Pending Strider design has footrests positioned directly under the saddle, the natural location that allows for rider weight to be shifted to the rider’s legs and even allows the rider to ride standing up, to wheelie, and to bunny-hop. The wooden bikes are missing the footrest feature entirely, and therefore cannot even offer children the ability to learn these advanced riding skills. Why buy a bike that has only a fraction of the educational and performance possibilities for your child! Footrests also dramatically reduce the weight/pressure on the groin area when compared to trying to hold your legs up in the air while gliding. As a parent, try this experiment on your bike… coast along for a few minutes with your legs dangling off the pedals… I guarantee your tender parts will be screaming for you to put your feet back on the pedals and relieve the pressure felt from the saddle. When your feet rest on pedals or footrests, half the weight of your legs transfers from the saddle to the pedals or footrests relieving pressure in the groin area. Now take it to the next extreme… ride off a curb with your feet dangling… I didn’t think so! We wouldn’t want to do this so why make our kids. With the Strider running bike, my son can be coasting down the sidewalk, relaxed, feet up on the footrests… if he comes to a bump or a curb, he stands up on the footrests and rolls right over it and absorbs the bump with his knees, just like I do when I stand up on the pedals on my bike.

I hope this is helpful. I really believe we offer the most feature-rich bike on the market and offer the best value running bike on the market. If you have specific questions, I’ll gladly try to answer them. Email me directly at ryan@stridersports.com

Here’s a quick video shot at my garage showing Bode riding over a few of our obstacles… ramps, beams, teeter-totters. He is really getting good on the footrests… you’ll see him stand up while riding over some of the obstacles just like an adult would stand up on the pedals when riding over something like this on a mountain bike.