This post is brought to you by ZumZum Bikes.
I loved riding my bike as a child. It was fun, got me from point a to point b, and represented a freedom of sorts. I don’t remember learning how to ride it at all. As a parent when my first born was a couple of years old he got his first bike. I remember trying to teach him how to balance the bike, pedal and steer – all at the same time. He did get the hand of it and finally got his balance, after we put training wheels on. A while down the road we decided to take the training wheels off. It was like watching him learn all over again for a couple of days, since now he really had to get everything right or he’d fall.
My youngest child has developmental delays. Some children with Down syndrome have big difficulties riding a bicycle. My younger son was a few years older then my first son had been when he got his bike. He had a little tiny toddler bike with training wheels. He picked it up pretty quickly. I don’t know who was prouder when he started riding, him or us. But, balance was (and is still) an issue. I want to take off the training wheels but am a bit nervous that he won’t be ready. It gets you to thinking that a different way of learning to bicycle could be useful.
I’d never heard of a balance bike until this week. I had seen photos of much older bikes that were similarĀ but didn’t realize they had a name. Recently the folks at ZumZum Bikes have redesigned the balance bike in an effort to create a bike that makes it easy for young children to learn how to balance themselves on a bicycle and ride. The folks at ZumZum have put a lot of time, thought and energy into this bicycle. Wanting it to be perfect they sought input from mountain biker Steve Peat, the world’s most successful downhill rider.
The ZumZum Bike is designed with children age 18 months to 4 years old. The bike is made of wood. I would have thought that that would cause the bike to be heavy, but the whole bike weights under 8 pounds, which is very lightweight. Besides the weight, another benefit of using birch grown in sustainable forests is that there’s no metal to rust. The bike is suitable for all surfaces, with its non-marking tires even lending themselves to indoor use.
The ZumZum Bike has no pedals. Children sit on the bike and learn to balance themselves, propelling themselves with their feet and then coating. (Remember when you learned how to ride a bike and went down a hill and picked your feet up? Same idea.) As your child grows the bike can be adjusted in size. The lightweight wooden frame and built in seat help create a natural suspension that is built to help protect your child’s spine, particularly when riding on uneven surfaces.
Here’s a brief video explaining the history behind the bike and a bit about how it works.
ZumZum is on Kickstarter right now. If you’re interested in purchasing a bicycle, supporting its production or just feel like making a donation, here’s the info. Bicycles ordered while the project is in the kickstarter phase will have Steve Peat’s signature laser-engraved on the front of the bike.
What tips or steps did you find useful in teaching your child to ride a bicycle?
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My son had a balance bike that was awesome! This one looks super cute and would be a nice holiday gift.
I think one of these bikes would be awesome for teaching my kids to ride! I love how it helps them learn balance a lot faster than the old method of training wheels.
I don’t have kids, but if I did, I’d get this for them. It just looks so cool!
We did the whole sink or swim thing when we taught my son to ride his bike. He didn’t have training wheels. It was just try until you don’t fall down. I think this is a much better idea…
That looks like a nice light bike. I need one of these for my son!
What a great way to introduce kids to riding a bike! I’ve got to get one of these for each of my kids. Thanks!
Let us not even talk about how much I just shared this post. I’m obsessed and we’re saving to get Addie one! They come smaller (perfect for her) and are due to be delivered in April (Addie’s birth month). This is total fate! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!!!
I bet these are awesome for learning balance – and that’s something that was hardest for my twins, They sure could have used this!
My grandson has a balance bike! he was born a pre-term and has some long lasting issues and can’t ride a regular bike. The balance bike gives him confidence but it also helps him exercise when he really doesn’t want to. It’s awesome!
This is soo neat! I just recently heard about balance bikes, and I’m pretty impressed!
Wow it weighs under 8 pounds? That is awesome! This looks like a great balance bike that preschoolers will love.
What a cool looking bike! I’ve never heard of a wooden bike – so much fun!
That’s great that he is doing so well riding his bike! This bike seems like a wonderful way to help kids learn balance better.
I remember my parents just removing the training wheels and I had to learn from there! How great for your son to be able to learn balance on a bike like this.
This is so thoughtfully designed. I’m really glad they’re helping kids get used to balance with these kinds of things now.
This is a great way to teach kids balance. I wish this had been around when my kids were learning how to ride a bike.
This is the coolest balance bike I have ever seen. I think the key to teaching my son was persistence and love.
This is such a cool bike! We started with training wheels. Then, after they came off, I just taught my son to pedal a little further each time until he didn’t fall off…lol
That sounds like a great way to learn to ride. I think the concept is really cool.
My firstborn was the challenge. She refused to have her training wheels removed until one day they broke and hubby refused to replace them. Eventually she learned. Then came her big bike with gears and hand brakesā„ After that it was a moped. Then came her first car–another story for another time.
What a great idea. I love that kickstarter gives companies a chance to get off the ground without being saddled by loan payments. Good luck with the bikes, we will be needing bikes for our littlest ones in a couple of years and will be looking for you.
I saw the tweet about this and was like “omg this is totally cool”, glad I found the post about it because this really IS neat. I love that you have shared this because I have never, ever heard of this brand nor bike style before. I bet my sons would ADORE me forever if I bought this!
What a cool bike! My son has balance issues, so this would be perfect for him.