What Happened to LikeaBike Balance Bikes?

Check the logo on the sleeve.

LikeaBike was the first brand of balance bike ever to exist, and it was also the first brand we ever sold at our shop. We could barely keep them in stock back in 2007 when we first started selling. Boy have times changed! As much fondness as we have for LikeaBike, it's necessary to share some information that every seeker of LikeaBike products will appreciate knowing.
First of all, the distribution that was in place 10 years ago no longer exists. The supply chain is broken and current distribution channels are very scarce. What this means is that the new distributor has very little, if any, product to provide to the US market. Most of the availability is limited to the iconic Jumper- the very slick aluminum bike that has been such a hit in the past. Even so, you are lucky to find one. Hopefully this will change in the future.
Wooden bikes from LikeaBike are relatively extinct. If you do find one, grab it quick. However you look at them, yes they are all beautifully crafted in Germany, but they are over-priced relative to all of the new products that now sell in the US market for 1/3 (or less) of the cost.
The Rosalie and Hardy aluminum balance bikes are discontinued. Only a handful remain in the US market. This was LikeaBike's answer to all of the "knock-offs" that cost so much less than the Jumper. It was a nice design, lightweight, and shared genetics with the Jumper. With the correctly applied marketing effort, it had the potential to be a hit. Sad to see it go.
The wonderfully designed asymmetrical LiketoBike pedal bikes are readily available in Europe, but getting one here is not easy. It may be necessary to pre-order one and wait 4-6 weeks. These bikes are one-of-a-kind heirloom pieces, and may be worth waiting for, if you find a dealer willing to bring one in for you. Again, they are very cost prohibitive and really intended for the kid who has everything and the parent with deep pockets.
So what went wrong?
As an industry veteran relative to balance bikes, I believe that one cause of this decline is summed up with one word: Adaptation. (that is, failure to adapt to the changing balance bike marketplace) A product that is superior in every way became eclipsed by better products from innovative new brands, for about 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost. The Hardy and Rosalie were one attempt to grab market share at the $200 price point, but it was a day late and a dollar short. The bikes had great potential to grab market share, especially if the price were reduced to the balance bike "sweet spot" of $150-180. Part of the pricing problem is that LikeaBike insist on bringing all of their aluminum bikes to Germany, before they can be dispatched anywhere else. Apparently there is some prep work that is performed in Germany that Taiwan is not qualified to do (really?) This means that a potential distributor is paying to move the bikes two times (three times really, if they provide customers free shipping), and probably inadvertently paying the import duties in Germany, which are added to the landed cost of the bikes and passed on to dealers. If it was possible for dealers to receive shipments directly from the factory in Taiwan, costs would come down, but this is not allowed or possible.
Another reason: Marketing. (that is, a severe lack of it) LikeaBike used to sell so well without any advertising or marketing or social media attention, primarily because they did not have any opponents. As the competition revved it's engines with better, more functional, lower cost products, LikeaBike was stuck in 1st gear, without any marketing plan to execute. At the end of the day, the products that now sell really well, are the ones being marketed like crazy, and LikeaBike can no longer quietly move it's expensive albeit superior product based on it's own merits alone.
Elitism: The LikeaBike company owners are fiercely proud of their products, and consider themselves the pioneers of balance bikes, which is true. They also believe that every balance bike to exist after LikeaBike is a cheap knock-off of their products, without exception. There is some truth to this- a LOT of balance bikes priced in the $100-200 range are being sold to cost-sensitive families. (This is actually a wonderful thing imho) Take a look at what brands like FirstBike, Strider, Ridgeback and Yedoo have done in a very short period. But the problem is that opportunities to partner with reputable US distributors willing to put LikeaBike on the map [again] and aggressively market it, were always dismissed, because the only qualified candidates also imported other brands of balance bike. LikeaBike's position was that distributing LikeaBike alongside inferior, competing bikes, was out of the question, an insult. They say opportunity knocks once, but in this case I can assure readers from personal experience that opportunity knocked many many times and LikeaBike discriminated against potential investors who were unwilling to put all of their eggs in one basket, and not a very lucrative one at that, given the declining popularity.
Don't get me wrong, we consider ourselves LikeaBike's number one fan in the United States, having sold more of them than any other retailer over the past 10 years. We even put their logo on tens of thousands of dollars worth of cycling apparel of our racing team (see image) We continue to sell them at our shop, but the supply of bikes is very scarce and we often find ourselves over-sold when we discover that the warehouse is sold out indefinitely of this color or that model. Yet we persist. We will not give up on LikeaBike. It's the company with the longest history of teaching kids proper bike handling and giving them the wonderful sensation of balance, as young as age two, and nothing will take that away from them.
Interested in finding out if a particular LikeaBike model is available? Please feel free to reach out to us with your inquiry using this email address link.
Thanks for reading!

Everything You Need To Know About Balance Bike Steering Limiters

Once upon a time, there was an inventor who decided that children would learn how to balance on two wheels more successfully if bikes were smaller, lighter and less complicated. The LikeaBike was born in the 1990's in a woodworking shop somewhere in Germany. It was small, light weight and had no cranks, pedals or chain. Foot to floor propulsion and foot to floor braking was thusly born, and literally millions of children age 2-5 have benefitted from this original idea, all over the world, relegating training wheels to the same junk pile as rotary phones, dot matrix printers and 8-track tapes. What has any of this to do with steering limiters on balance bikes? Well, as they say if you cannot explain it very simply, then you do not completely understand it.

LikeaBike is an award-winning balance bike that has been imitated in one way or another by every brand which followed it. 

Look at this picture of a wooden LikeaBike balance bike. This original design has not changed in 20 years. As we can see, the integration of frame and fork is such that limitation of steering is not a choice, it is physically necessary. Some Many would contend that this is a deficiency of the bike, but thank goodness for clever [emotional] marketing. By presenting the horrible image of your child [potentially] turning the handlebars 90 degrees at high speed and flipping through the air (this never happens), LikeaBike's weakness was changed into a strength. The supposed "safety feature" called a steering limiter was then designed into many of the newer balance bike brands which now populate the market, because it sells.

We recommend that parents avoid getting too excited about whether a balance bike has a steering limiter or not. It is a design flaw that has been masquerading as a safety feature for the past 25 years, and if the adult bike that you rode every day had a steering limiter, you would fall down. A lot.

Where to buy LikeaBike Balance Bikes: WeeBikeShop: Balance Bike Professionals since 2007

SCOOT by Ridgeback Launching Two New Colors and MORE

The Scoot balance bike by Ridgeback has exploded in popularity since it's launch in September, and it's little wonder. At just a smidgen over 11 pounds, with it's slick aluminum frame, it's 200 lb weight limit, and best in class seat range of 13-20", it leaves opponents looking pretty weak. Also, SCOOT is not a toy! It's a real bike built by a leading UK bike manufacturer that has been producing bikes for UK and Europe for 30 years! Another thing that Ridgeback is not: a one-trick pony! If you have time to peruse their immense selection of family, commuter, mountain, and leisure bicycles, it's plain to see that they have been in the business of bike building for a very long time. Other brands? Who knows? Many claim to have invented the balance bike but all they are doing is masquerading their band-wagoning as inventiveness. Not cool. Ridgeback makes no such claims, and instead they simply offer what we like to call "The Rock Star of Balance Bikes".
So long story short, the WeeBikeShop company has been appointed as exclusive US distributor for Ridgeback cycling products and they are about to launch two amazing new colors for the SCOOT balance bike: Gloss turquoise and Gloss yellow. Additionally, the new SCOOT XL is due for US launch in spring 2014. It has the 14" wheels and the extended seat height range to make balance bike experience possible for kids up to age 8. WeeBikeShop has also launched a Scoot PREMIUM customization program where parents and children can easily upgrade the Scoot with a selection of multi-color handlebars, hand grips, aluminum seat posts, and superior Schwalbe tires which reduce the Scoot's weight to about 9.5 pounds!

Scoot PREMIUM shown with upgraded alloy cockpit, Schwalbe Black Jack tires, and  ODI BMX grips.

Balance Bike Packaging: How much is too much?

Some bikes are wrapped in so much bubble wrap, foam, masking tape, zip ties, plastic, and cardboard to choke a hungry goat! We're not sure what this says about the durability of the finish of these bikes, or of the hardness of the components. That is to say, if all the parts that make up a bike are hard enough and sharp enough to damage each other and need protection, how much damage will they potentially give your child? So- a defect-prone fragile finish needs to be protected from itself during shipping. What about the kids? Should we protect them with bubble wrap every time they ride one of these bikes?

The FUJI Rookie was a good quality balance bike, now discontinued. Packaging was adequate.

 What we have found over the years is that the higher quality bikes by LikeaBIKE and FirstBIKE use minimal packaging for their bikes. There is nary a piece of plastic to be found- just a cupped piece of cardboard separating the front wheel from the frame. Models like the LikeaBIKE Mountain and the LikeaBIKE Forest come out of the box with both wheels attached and the handlebar loose- wrapped in tissue paper!. The FirstBIKE comes out of the box with only a piece of cardboard. You simply attach the frame to the fork and install the wheel. The only plastic packaging is the pouch that holds the instructions/tools in it. We like the minimalist packaging because it proves that the quality of the materials is at least as durable to withstand some gentle rubbing against the inside of a cardboard box, as it should be!

FirstBIKE vs Strider Comparison Chart

For an enhanced buying experience with an industry leading company specializing in balance bikes, visit this secure website and browse the premium selection of balance bikes, helmets and accessories: https://WeeBikeShop.com

Balance bikes with foot rests: hot or not?

We're not crazy about foot rests on balance bikes. Children learn to balance more successfully when they put their feet down as stabilizers whenever they need to. This instills confidence and puts them in control of [not] falling down. This is also partly why [for tots] a bike with pedals needs to have training wheels- because the pedals are in the way of using their feet for stability. So it stands to reason that giving kids a platform to rest their feet is counter-productive, though we recognize it as a feature that pays dividends when kids are rolling down looooong gradual hills (which hopefully aren't steep and which do not cross other streets!) Even so, foot pegs welded to a balance bike's frame defeat the purpose of removing the pedals in the first place- which is to get them out of the way and uncomplicate the learning process!

We have also observed that certain brands of balance bike which feature a foot rest can potentially injure a child because as children push off the ground to gain speed, sometimes their feet hit and get tangled with the foot rests. This is not so much a problem with the wildly popular KaZaM as it is with others on the market which have a welded tube added underneath the frame.

Bottom line: Foot rests are not a deal maker or breaker when it comes to balance bikes. Top of the line LikeaBIKEs do not even offer them here in the US. Neither do the all-new FirstBIKE or the FUJI Rookie. It's just a gimmicky feature that doesn't add any real value to the learning process and which could potentially cause a lot of painful bruises on a child's ankles.

The Lightest LikeaBike: The Spoky

WHERE TO BUY: WeeBikeShop- Quality bicycles and equipment for growing families, since 2007.
All wooden LikeaBike models share many features in common, and there are some features which distinguish them and make each unique. The thing that sets the LikeaBike Spoky apart is basically one thing: the wheels. Of all of the wooden LikeaBikes, this is the only model with the "real" bike look of spoked wheels. Otherwise, it has the same frame, fork, handlebars, and saddle as all of the other wooden models. This enhancement seems to save some weight- the LikeaBike Spoky is only 7.5 pounds, making it the lightest. Here's a listing of all the features offered by Spoky, with it's one distinguishing feature high lighted:

• Frame built from two CNC shaped pieces of 10mm thick baltic birch veneer core plywood (9 plies)
• Fork built from a solid piece of CNC shaped 19mm baltic birch veneer core plywood (15 plies)
• Inflatable 12" rubber tires with Schrader valved inner tubes
• Wheels built from epoxy coated steel with welded maintenance free spokes.
• Removable and washable padded cloth seat cover (red or blue standard, other colors, including leather are offered separately)
• Seat height adjustable to four different positions (12" to 16") for fast growing toddlers
• Limited steering range for extra safety (what happens when front wheel turns too far? Bad things! Ouch.)
• Impact proof rubber hand grips (is Junior dropping the bike onto it's side? No worries!)
• Suitable for use indoors and outdoors (tires will not mark your floors)
• Handcrafted in Germany using wood grown in sustainable forests (FTSE certified?)
• Shipped fully assembled except for handlebar, which is applied with two simple screws
• Compatible with the optional LikeaBike Hopper handlebar basket and the LikeaBike trailer wagon
• Overall dimensions: 14" wide x 21" high x 33" long
  As with all wooden LikeaBike models, the frame is constructed of two durable layers of 9 ply birch plywood, shaped a lot like a skateboard. The felt which lines the joint between frame and fork is color coordinated with the saddle (unless of course, you change the seat cover to another optional color.. even leather)

The cotton saddle cover has a foam insert which can be removed [before] machine washing. It's held in place using four points of hook/loop Velcro.
One thing about the spoked wheels which is a real advantage is that it's much easier to inflate the tires. On wooden models, there is a cut-out in the wood for inflation, but we have found that not every bicycle pump will fit in the opening. No such worries with the Spoky.
An aggressive tread pattern lends itself to puncture resistance.
There is a steel pin driven through the top of the fork (concealed by the handlebars) and through the frame and back into the fork. Not only invisible, but maintenance free as well.

The tool required to remove a wheel is always included with your LikeaBike.
Sixteen spokes per wheel, all welded tight and maintenance free.
Nice close-ups pictures of the wheel hubs and spokes.
The wheel 's hub is a maintenance free sealed bearing system.
The handsome grips of our demo bike is adorned with hippos! We're not sure if they vary the grips which are included with the different models, but the Spoky seems to have the toughest, thickest grips of them all.
Some safety recommendations which serve to inform you of the best ways to protect your child from injury.

The Shiniest LikeaBike: The Jumper!

WHERE TO BUY: WeeBikeShop- Quality bicycles and equipment for growing families, since 2007.
The LikeaBike Jumper is so eye catching, so sleekly designed, so light weight, so "I gotta have it" beautiful.. that I was sold on it before even knowing who made it or how much it costs. Love at first sight! As a masters competitor in elite regional bike races, I am all too familiar with the world of $5000+ racing bikes. I've paid more money for some bike parts than most adults spend on the best complete bike they'll ever own. The tires on my bike cost more than the tires on my car.. The seat and seatpost of my road racing bike alone, cost $350.. so you can just imagine what the rest of it is worth..

The point here is that I believe any well informed person with an experienced eye for quality will know at first glance that the LikeaBike products are not on the low-end of the pay scale, far from it. So when you first see a child riding a LikeaBike Jumper, you just know.. there is nothing better on the market in terms of materials, build quality, light weight, or life span.

Instead of listing all of the so-called features of the LikeaBike Jumper (there are enough internet retailers listing the same details and giving you only one picture to view, as if this is enough education for anyone to make a buying decision) I would like to walk you through the excitement of putting one together. The pictures will speak for themselves. All you need to know is that the LikeaBike Jumper is without any doubt the most durable child's bicycle in the world, and that it's designed for ages two to five.



Your new LikeaBike Jumper will arrive in this handsome box with built in carrying handle.

Inside you will find a very cleverly and effectively packed Jumper using environmentally friendly protection materials, no styrofoam, and a very small number of plastic bags.

Above, you see everything which comes out of the box, which include spare parts and instructions. The tires will have enough air pressure to be ridden on immediately.

Above, a naked Jumper frame with protection removed. Looks a lot like a grasshopper on steroids, and weighs about 3-4 pounds total. The green paint is impeccable. The aluminum begs to be touched. That main tube is ovalized, and it's the part of the bike you will reach for when you need to carry it.
Above you see the spare parts which are included with your LikeaBike Jumper investment: 1 stiffer suspension gasket for when Junior passes 35 pounds, a longer seatpost for when they grow over 36" tall, an allen key to attach the handlebars, a replacement steering limiter O-ring, a multi-tool for attaching the wheels (no need to run to the garage, I promise) and a pad which can be used to cover the handlebar stem (we haven't used ours)
That little hammer shaped pice of aluminum is a rear fork limiter. When you examine the welds of this bike's frame, you will be convinced that it is indeed "built like a brick...outhouse", as the saying sort of goes.
A view of the LikeaBike Jumper's rear suspension fork. This is the part of the bike which attracts the most attention from grown-up bike racers. The non-mechanical cushioning provided by the orange rubber is ingenious and maintenance free. The bike comes with the softer rubber pre-installed. If you child is over 35 pounds at the time of purchase, don't fret. You receive a stiffer one as a spare, for heavier children. Requires some patience and dish soap to switch them out though..
Adjusting the seat height requires no tools! The seat post clamp mechanism pictured above is a real time saver.
A rubber steering limiter keeps junior from accidentally turning the front wheel too far. This is a safety feature which prevents your child from flipping over the handlebars, which is what can happen when the front wheel is turned sharply at higher speeds.
You will be very impressed by the quality of the saddle and it's integral adjustment of tilt. Another screw makes sure that the seat never pivots on the seatpost- it's locked in place.
The infamous "floor saver" handlebar grips of the LikeaBike Jumper come pre-installed at the factory, so you don't need to bring out the dish soap. Our son has dropped his Jumper on it's side enough times that the rubber has been punctured, which attests to the grip's bike preserving qualities as well.
The two wheels which come out of the box are "unhanded"- you can install either of them front or back. No oily chains or sprockets to toil with either. We like the plastic caps provided to cover the nuts.. designed to discourage adventurous children who've found daddy's collection of open end wrenches. The "Schwalbe" tire is the same brand of $80 racing tires on my own personal $7000 road bike. These "Big Apple" Schwalbe tires pictured are nice and cushy with a bright reflective strip for safety. Twenty radially spoked rims. Can be trued with a spoke wrench if needed.

We can't tell whether this bike seat is covered in leather or "leatherette", but it sure looks like it's made to last. When the bike is laid down on it's side, the seat doesn't touch the ground, which is nice.

Above, a nice close up of the weld between the down tube and the head tube. The steering limiter O-ring is replaceable (a spare is included). And in case you bike racing moms and dads wondered, yes, that is a threadless headset.
Assembly is just too easy: Attach two wheels (tighten four nuts total), attach handlebars (tighten three bolts total), and insert seat/post (tighten quick release clamp). Done.
And we're done! The LikeaBike Jumper will survive years and years of abuse, such as throwing it in the trunk of the car, dropping it on it's side, ramming into things, and being left out in the rain.. It is also remarkably light at only 8 pounds. We've used our Jumper as an alternative to a 10 pound stroller, which do nothing to entertain or give freedom to a child. Most importantly, the LikeaBike Jumper will be ready to delight your next child, and the next, and you will decide quite early on that you will never part with it on Ebay for any price. (Check Ebay for used Jumpers.. don't get your hopes up though) When the bike which teaches your child to balance on two wheels is a rust-proof indestructible German engineered marvel like this, who can blame you?

The Off-Road LikeaBike: The FOREST!

Update Oct 24, 2017: The LikeaBike era is ended, but we still have a huge inventory of accessories and spare parts to keep your old LikeaBike in motion. Reach out to us at WeeBikeShop and we'll get your bike sorted out!
The FOREST is a balance bike that is fitted with a very aggressive tires which are designed to grip rough surfaces and make an off-road bike ride safer for your child. The added traction and puncture protection offered by the knobs on the tires makes Forest the official "mountain bike" of the prestigious LikeaBike fleet. It's confusing, in a way because another model offered by LikeaBike, the "Mountain", implies that it's also an off-road model. Not quite so.. We believe that after the "RACER" was introduced in 1997, there was demand for a model with pneumatic tires. (If we look at competitive bicycle racing, we find three disciplines: road, track and mountain.. really four if we count cyclocross). It seems to us that the "Racer" most resembles a track bike or a time trial bike (by virtue of it's hard skinny tires), and that the "Mountain" was the original road bike.. and that finally with the immense popularity of mountain biking, the FOREST was born as the model that's truly compatible with actual off road use. In the LikeaBike USA color brochure, the FOREST is referred to as "the masterpiece".

Main differences between the Mountain and the FOREST:

1. Mountain is offered in 5 different seat colors, FOREST only one- green.
2. The Mountain has color coordinated felt at the frame/fork union, while the Forest uses gray felt only.
3. The Mountain has a clear natural finished mud flap under the seat. The FOREST has a mud flap that is stained a very attractive green color.
4. The Mountain uses tires with an all purpose tread pattern, while the FOREST uses a very aggressive knobby pattern (much like a moto cross bike or a mountain bike)

Confused? Why not let these numerous pictures speak for themselves? Here's the FOREST, up close: Notice the color coordination? The Forest is offered only in green. The mudflap is stained to match, but you can still see the wood grain. Doesn't it look so much like a moto cross bike?
Which child has never flipped their bike upside down to spin the wheels?

Below, the signature gray felt lining in the fork, to keep tender fingertips safe..
Handgrips! The ends are specially shaped to absorb impact, protecting both the bike and your floors (though this model begs to always be outdoors..)
Another note about the hand grips: They're very hard to install! We definitely recommend using them though because the wood finish on the handlebar is quite slick.
Aggressive knobby tires to tame the most unstable, soft, muddy, or leaf covered terrain.
Above, the wishbone shape of the frame is really pleasing to the eye.
The thru bolts at the tip of the fork appear useless, but don't be fooled. They guarantee that your Forest will have a long life span, by making delamination of the plywood impossible.
The floor model pictured above came out of the box with tires fully inflated. We love the "new bike smell" which they give off.

Some notable features of the LikeaBike Mini, common to most other LikeaBikes as well:

• Frame built from two CNC shaped pieces of 10mm thick baltic birch veneer core plywood (9 plies)
• Fork built from a solid piece of CNC shaped 19mm baltic birch veneer core plywood (15 plies)
• Inflatable 12" rubber tires are inflatable to 45 pounds. Schrader valved inner tubes
• Wheels built from solid disks of 15mm baltic birch veneer core plywood (11 plies), with a steel bike rim permanently bonded to the perimeter.
• Removable and washable padded cloth seat cover (GREEN is the only color offered, other colors including leather are offered separately)
• Seat height adjustable to four different positions (11" to 14") for fast growing toddlers
• Limited steering range for extra safety (what happens when front wheel turns too far? Bad things! Ouch.)
• Impact proof rubber hand grips (is Junior dropping the bike onto it's side? No worries!)
• Suitable for use indoors and outdoors (tires will not mark your floors)
• Handcrafted in Germany using wood grown in sustainable forests (FTSE certified?)
• Shipped fully assembled except for handlebar, which is applied with two simple screws
• Compatible with the optional LikeaBike Hopper handlebar basket and the LikeaBike trailer wagon
• Overall dimensions: 14" wide x 21" high x 33" long

The Fastest LikeaBike: The RACER

WHERE TO BUY: WeeBikeShop- Quality bicycles and equipment for growing families, since 2007.
The LikeaBike Racer model is especially appealing to parents (like me) who compete on road bikes because of it's large diameter solid disk wheels and hard rubber tires, which make it the most aerodynamic LikeaBike, and give it the lowest amount of rolling resistance of any model. The fit and finish are impeccable, and it comes right out of the box almost ready to ride. We simply applied the boomerang shaped handlebar to the fork using the two connectors provided (tools are included), and it was ready to roll. No tire inflation necessary! Although we must admit, applying the rubber grips to the handlebar ends takes some horsepower. Moistening the inside of the grip and the ends of the handlebar is the only way to get them in place. This only works if you rotate it while gripping tight, similar to the way you would throttle a motorcycle. Next time, we'll try gently heating the grips with a blow dryer and see if that helps. The Racer was the original LikeaBike first introduced in 1997, and is still very popular today. It's also the fastest looking one!

The features of the LikeaBike Racer are as follows:

• Frame built from two CNC machined bullet shaped pieces of 10mm thick baltic birch veneer core plywood (9 plies)
• Fork built from a solid piece of CNC shaped 19mm baltic birch veneer core plywood (15 plies)
• Hard rubber 12" tires do not require inflation. PLus they're narrow just like a time trial bike!
• Wheels built from solid disks of 15mm baltic birch veneer core plywood (11 plies)
• Removable and washable padded cloth seat cover (red or blue standard, other colors, including leather are offered separately)
• Seat height adjustable to four different positions (12" to 16") for fast growing toddlers
• Limited steering range for extra safety (what happens when front wheel turns too far? Bad things! Ouch.)
• Impact proof rubber hand grips (is Junior dropping the bike onto it's side? No worries!)
• Suitable for use indoors and outdoors (tires will not mark your floors)
• Handcrafted in Germany using wood grown in sustainable forests (FTSE certified?)
• Shipped fully assembled except for handlebar, which is applied with two simple screws
• Compatible with the optional LikeaBike Hopper handlebar basket and the LikeaBike trailer wagon
• Overall dimensions: 14" wide x 21" high x 33" long

Now for the close up photos which you'll find no where else:

We love the bullet shaped frame of the Racer, common to some of the other models.

Seat height adjust to four different positions, using an allen key which is provided with the Racer.

Peering down in the racer gives you an idea of just how narrow the wheels and tires are.

This rear wheel looks as slick as Lance Armstrong's time trial wheels in the Tour de France. What a great place to apply some of your own cool graphics or stickers..

Those pesky rubber grips are necessary, don't let junior ride without installing them properly. Besides.. they protect your investment in the bike (and your wood floors).Above, the frame and fork are pinned together permanently at the factory. Matching blue strips of felt protect fingers from being pinched.

Below, the seat cover has a comfy foam insert and is secured using velcro, both on top and underneath with flaps.
Below, this must be what it looks like to our little racers as they line up on the starting line..These views shows you the ingenious wishbone construction of the Racer's bullet shaped frame. The two pieces of plywood are joined where they meet the front fork, but they taper open into a fork of their own, for the rear wheel.