Strider Blog » first bike

Want to learn how to ride? Watch your little brother!

joelhagan — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:50:50 +0000

Most of the time we hear from parents who buy a Strider so that their little ones can be more like their bigger siblings! This review from Jese had the surprising bonus of inspiring the 9 year old brother to finally be “cruising down the road after years of stress and crying”!

“First off I was hesitant before buying this bike. Mostly because of the price. I feel $99 is too much for a toddler’s bike. I hemmed and hawed weighing my options. My wild 2 year old boy was turning the big 3 so I bit the bullet and bought it. He loves his bike, I mean LOVES it! Its small enough to easily toss in the trunk of our car and bring to his brothers little league games, family visits, anywhere. He rides it every day. Our driveway is a gradual hill, he likes to start at the top and cruise down. Imagine my surprise after only owning it 2 weeks he was picking his feet off the ground and balancing. I showed everyone who happened to walk by that day, yes I was a crazy mother but very proud. Is it worth $99, if I take how much he uses it, how much it has taught him and just his love for the bike, I’d say absolutely! Its fantastic.

On a side note, our 9 year old son had a lot of anxiety riding a bike and couldn’t figure out the balancing part. The strider bike gave me the idea to take the pedals off of his bike. I said watch how your little brother does it and no joke in a half an hour we had the pedals back on our 9 year old’s bike and he was cruising down the road after years of stress and crying. I’m sure the balance gave him the confidence to get on and go. Thanks Strider.”

Share your Strider success stories, photos, video and interact with other Strider enthusiasts at our newest centralized social media outlet www.StriderLife.com! Join the Strider conversation on our Facebook wall!

Parents Are Talking!

joelhagan — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:37:49 +0000

We announced www.StriderLife.com about a month ago and have been having a great time with it ever since. There is a lot of unique media being posted as well as interesting conversations between Strider parents from all over the world (Japan, UK, Canada, US)!

A lot of the forum threads have been sparking great conversations ranging from: tips/tricks on getting your child to ride, how old was your Strider rider when they got too fast for you to keep up, and how do you stay cool on a hot summer day.

Have you registered yet? We’d love it if you would join the conversation!

So Much More

joelhagan — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:25:11 +0000

This weekend, as I watched 15 Strider riders racing around a grassy track a man caught my eye and said, “Those are pretty neat little toys.” My first reaction was, “Yeah they are!”

While watching the kids (1.5 to 5 years old) rip around the track, balance on boards, and Stride over teeter-totters I thought to myself, “These are so much more than toys.”

I was still thinking about it while getting into Strider Sports World Headquarters on Monday and plugged into “Social Media land” to find this great video of Strider racers in Maine from our new friends over at Thorfinn Expeditions.

As most of you know from watching the Strider riders in your life, the sense of accomplishment, fun, balance and the beginning of a love for all things two wheeled make Striders so much more than a toy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Monster Jam Strider On The Jumbotron!

joelhagan — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:31:23 +0000

Ryan McFarland (Strider Founder and Chief Enthusiast) and Team Strider were in attendance at the Monster Jam® Party in the Pits in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium on July 9, 2011 for the debut of the new Monster Jam Striders!

The bike is mechanically the same as a standard Strider, but painted a bright, crisp silver. The seven different Officially Licensed Monster Jam frame sticker options in every box feature some of the most popular Monster Jam monster trucks including: Grave Digger, Maximum Destruction, Mohawk Warrior, Monster Mutt, U.S. Air Force Afterburner and Advance Auto Parts Grinder. As a Monster Jam fan, you can easily customize your Strider just the way you like it!

Which Monster Jam truck is your Strider rider's favorite?

With a roaring crowd of 30,000 the Monster Jam Strider video below was played on the Jumbotron! There will be more photos and videos to come with Strider riders with the different trucks…talk about perspective. Stride On!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Strider World Cup At Laguna Seca!

joelhagan — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:41:49 +0000

Strider World Cup will be holding a race at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the Red Bull US Moto Grand Prix July 24th!

If you haven’t already pre-registered your Strider rider you’ll want to do it soon! We are capping the number of racers at 120 and there are some AMAZING bonuses just for getting your registration in early:

For the $25 Registration Fee Each Racer Receives:

-Race Entry

-Strider T-Shirt

-Medal (for all participants) or Trophy (1st three place finishers in each age class

- Strider Cowbell (For cheering on your Strider World Cup racer)

Amazing Bonuses for Early Entry!

-1st 50 to pre-register get 2 FREE Sunday, July 24th General Admission Tickets ($100 Value)

-2nd 50 to pre-register get 1 FREE Sunday, July 24th General Admission Ticket ($50 Value)

Check out the full details by clicking the “largish” Register Now button directly above or visit the Race Details page.

We’d love to hear if you’re coming to Laguna Seca! Join the Strider conversation on our Strider Life forums!

Growing Up.

joelhagan — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 21:15:48 +0000

My daughter (Talia) is two. She is a precocious little thing and is already very opinionated. I have to raise the seat on her Strider at least once a week. Last night she realized that she could outStride her Mother and I while cruising on her Strider! Is any of this sounding familiar?

A couple things occurred to me as we were chasing her down the sidewalk, my wife with the dog and me pushing the stroller with our son: 1. I hope anybody backing out sees her (or us) coming. 2. Wow…she is really moving! 3. We’re going to have to start riding our bikes just to keep up.

Upon further reflection I am reminded of how important it is to begin teaching basic bicycle safety to children. When they are old enough to ride on their own the lessons that were taught to them while riding their Striders will be invaluable.

With that in mind, here is a list of 5 important Strider safety habits that should be started now!

1. ALWAYS wear a properly fitted helmet.

2. Look in ALL directions before crossing a road. (Turn this into a fun rule making sure they look up and down before checking the street)

3. Be Seen. Wear bright clothing, especially when riding earlier or later in the day when the light is not as good.

4. Listen to your Parents! (this might be the toughest one!)

5. Ride under CONTROL. It’s always fun to go fast, but when you aren’t in control it is unsafe and usually scary for everyone involved.

Head over to Strider Life and add your voice to the Strider safety discussion. What basic rules do you enforce?

George: Week 5

joelhagan — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:41:52 +0000

Progress on a Strider is different with every individual; Some kids jump right on and never look back, Others are very slow at getting the feel for it, while others may get right on and take off only to leave it alone for what seems like forever.

We get countless emails, facebook updates, Tweets, phone calls and Strider Life threads regarding Strider successes. This YouTube video is a great example of the middle ground between a beginning rider and a more experienced rider.

George Strides around an old mini-golf course, Striding though narrow gaps, up and down small curbs and does it all with an adorable Scottish accent.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Happy Canada Day, Eh!

joelhagan — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:50:24 +0000

Our friends in the Great White North are celebrating Canada Day which commemorates: 1. The formation of Canada by the joining of three provinces in 1867 and 2. Canada’s full independence from the United Kingdom in 1982! It looks like the snow has melted and Strider riding without mukluks and toques can commence.

From the country that brought us Rick Moranis, Gordon Lightfoot, Geddy Lee, and the pager (aka beeper) comes some great footage of 2 Strider riding brothers (4 1/2 and 2 years old, although I’m not sure how old that makes them with the exchange rate). Have Fun, eh!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Strider Life Is Growing!

joelhagan — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:28:01 +0000

The Strider chatter has begun over at www.StriderLife.com! Have you joined in on the conversation yet? The forums are heating up, Strider TV is filling up with fun media, and the Events calendar is growing with Strider events for July and August!

For all of our faithful blog readers who aren’t signed up for our newsletter yet (send an email to ssblog@stridersports.com to get on the newsletter list) there is also a contest for contributors to win a free Strider handlebar pad to snazz up your child’s bike! Read here to find out more…Stride On!

Strider Twins!

joelhagan — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:59:38 +0000

Q: What is cuter than a child on a Strider? A: Twins riding their Striders!

We found this great review from a Mother of twins. Have you had similar experiences to Dolly?

“I bought two strider balance bikes for my boy/girl twins for their birthday. They loved them and it was great that they were able to hop right on and use them right away. It was nice that there was no frustration on getting them to work like they have had in the past with their tricycle. We had their birthday party at a park and the twins were able to ride their bikes all over the playground and park. They have progressed just like the toddlers in the online videos and within a week were balancing. I got the pink and green bikes and both are adorable. I decided to go with the Strider balance bike because it has one of the lowest seat settings.” ~Dolly