droolicious : bicycles

Madsen Cycles Bucket for Your Precious Cargo

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:30:00 GMT

And we're not just talking about the kids: Designed for frequent errand runs, Madsen Cycles' Bucket bicycle features, well, a large, literal bucket seat for groceries, books and whatever else you acquire during your daily travels around town. Of course, the fact that you can safely buckle in two kiddoes certainly makes the Bucket more appealing -- although trying to park the thing in your usual rack space might be a bit of a challenge.

$1,299 from Madsen Cycles.

And Now a Tandem Trail-a-Bike

Heather Kuldell — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:34:00 GMT

Judging from the feedback I got from 5 Wild Ways to Bike with Kids, quite a few Droolicious readers are looking for ways to ride safely with kids. Go pedal power!

If you already have a bike, trailercycles are a popular way to bring kids along. You have the comfort of a familiar bike, the control of the steering and pace, and the kid can pedal to his-or-her heart's content. Normally, trailercycles mean a 1:1 adult-kid ratio, but the Adams Trail-a-Bike Original Tandem ($420) ups it to 1:2. I've seen some creative parents in a "bike train" — an adult bike with an attached trailercycle that's also pulling a trailer — so multi-kid biking is in demand. The Trail-a-Bike Original Tandem can haul up to 125 pounds of 4 to 6 year olds and attaches to the seat posts of most 26-inch and 700c bikes.

5 Wild Ways to Bike with Kids

Heather Kuldell — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:26:00 GMT

OK, I believe that if we left our cars at home, we collectively would be a healthier, greener nation, but the main reason I’m sharing this list of frickin’ sweet bikes is that they look like sooo much fun. Don’t worry about the kids keeping up or how they’ll deal with traffic: co-ride on these bicycles built for two (or more).

For two:

First came the SUV, then the SUB, as in sport utility bike. The Kona Ute Cargo Bike (above, $899) is longer than an average bike so it can haul big, heavy loads behind the rider. With room for grocery bags and a passenger, the Ute can be a green alternative for short adventures or errands. The passenger — adult or kid — does have to be able to balance, so you’ll have to use your wise parental judgement about when your kids are ready. With that in mind, handy folks have found ways to add a secondary set of handlebars and pegs for the passenger’s feet.

Think of the Love Bike ($890) as a compact tandem bike. The child can ride up front for a better view — you know, besides your bum. For little kids, stationary pegs are available as foot rests, or bigger kids can pedal along with the parent. It’s rare to come across a vehicle that puts the controls in the back seat, but the Love Bike does. Parents steer, shift and brake — or could ride the bike solo.

Brown Cycles KidzTandem ($1,949) looks like a regular tandem bike except that the front can accommodate 4-7 year olds or 1-4 year olds with the company’s Quick-change seat. Again, kids get the non-bum view while the parent controls the when, where and how of the ride. If you’re searching for something more aggressive, Brown Cycles also makes a road version, $2,399.

For three:

Whether you’re trying to fit the parents and a kid or one parents and two kids, the Co-Motion Cycles PeriScope Trident ($5,795) seats three. The Trident’s seat adjust to fit most riders, and like with most tandems, the first rider handles the controls. Keep in mind riding tandem requires some additional skills that a single bike does not require, like teamwork when stopping and starting (and staying up).

For more:

It’s probably safe to say you can ditch any gym memberships if you’re the human motor of the Sorte Jernherst Coach Trike ($5,549). This trike leads with two wheels that support the, for lack of a better term, kid box. The box seat six kids (yes, six!) on two foldable bench seats that have six hip belts. Should the weather turn nasty, the box also has a “sunbrella” that covers the passengers but not the driver. Supposedly, they’re common in Europe, but I gotta say I haven’t seen one in real life in the U.S.— but I'd like to!

This Bike Weighs Under Four Pounds

Heather Kuldell — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:22:00 GMT

The Droolicious Crew loves a good balance bike, but this one might be my favorite.

The Micro G-Bike may not look like much, but there’s a lot of smart design in this tiny package that helps justify the $150 price tag. Like any balance bike, kids perch on the saddle and run to propel themselves. To coast, they simply lift their feet.

The G-Bike’s aluminum frame weighs less than four pounds, which is easy for kids to handle and for parents to carry just about anywhere or fit in a car. The seat post and steering adjust for riders from 2 to 4 years old. The manufacturers also note that it features a limited turning radius to prevent sharp turns and that the polyurethane wheels are safe for indoor surfaces. Hmm, riding bikes indoors ... that dog doesn’t hunt in my house, but your floors, your rules.

Easy Riding on the Angeles Silver Rider Supercycle

Heather Kuldell — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:31:00 GMT

In kid world, a tricycle is to a motorcycle as the Angeles Silver Rider Supercycle is to a chopper. With a profile a Big Wheels, the low-riding Supercycle combines the safety with a cool, minimalist design. The chrome-finished steel frame sturdily bears the weight for 4 to 6 year olds, while the steering limiter helps keep kids from careening across sidewalks. Solid rubber wheels probably will rob riders of the delightful whooshing sound old-school plastic Big Wheels would make before they gained traction (remember that?), but they are the more durable, safer option. Like other Angeles trikes, the design avoids pinch points, as well as exposed rough edges or hardware. At $169.95, the Supercycle is a bigger investment than its plastic counterpart, but it comes with self-lubricating bearings and a 5-year unconditional guarantee.

Kick Off Spring With the Kettler Sprint Frog Training Bicycle

Heather Kuldell — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:35:00 GMT

OK, it’s not even close to spring, but we have some unseasonably warm weather this week. Faux-spring or not, I’m already sizing up who needs bigger bikes and whatnot. If it’s about time to start training, check out the Kettler Sprint Frog Training Bicycle.

Regular Droolicious readers will be familiar with this sort of riding toy: It allows tots to practice balancing, steering and stopping without worrying about pedaling. This 12-inch version has some nice features that make it more bike-like than others. Kids from ages 2 to 6 can ride the same bike, thanks to a low, step-through frame and a height-adjustable saddle. A limited turning radius feature helps keeps kids upright by prohibiting sharp turns that might make them lose their balance. It also features a handlebar brake, a thoughtful touch that many other push-bikes don’t have. In other words, the kids don’t have to shred their shoes to stop. (They still might, but they don't HAVE to.)

Available at ComfortFirst for $119.95 (and free shipping).

A Different Kind Of Training Bicycle: The KinderBike

Lisa Estall — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:33:00 GMT

Forget training wheels, start your preschooler off with a KinderBike. The bikes have no pedals or training wheels and are intended for kids to just use their feet to push themselves around and glide.

They weigh 8.5 lbs and are made of...

sturdy, aluminum and steel parts. Colors the bikes come in are red, blue and pink. Price is $74.99 for the red and blue bikes and $69.99 for the pink one.

Recommended for children ages 2 to 5.

I'm just wondering, "Wouldn't the child get really tired just gliding?"

For more info visit mykinderbike.com.

The Family Who Bikes Together Needs an Adams Trail-a-Bike

Heather Kuldell — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:26:00 GMT

The leap from trike to bike is a big one. There’s the balancing, the stopping, and the super-challenging one: keeping up with the parents. As a parent, it can be incredibly hard to ride slowly enough to stay near a kid on a bike. Then there’s the worry that the wee cyclists won’t stop where and when they’ll need to. If you really want to ride a bike with your kids rather than watch them ride, think about an Adams Trail-a-Bike.

This one-wheeled bike attaches to most adult bikes so the pair of you can pedal away together. You add a hitch to the adult’s seat post, which only needs to be installed once using an allen wrench and the included plastic shims to ensure a snug fit. To add the trail-a-bike, plug it into the hitch and secure it with a pin and nut that’s tightened by hand. That’s it. Hop on and ride away.

Riding takes a little practice: The adult pulls the trail-a-bike, which can go left/right or up/down at the hitch. Turns need to be a little wider and going up hill takes more effort. Even though the kid can pedal, the adult controls steering and braking. This means you’re free to go longer distances and faster speeds than if the kids were riding on their own bikes. Plus you’re both getting exercise. We have one and — to our surprise — it’s become our preferred method of transportation.

When you’re done, simply unpin and unplug the trail-a-bike. It also folds in half when you remove the seat post for easier storing or fitting into a car.

Ready to feel the wind whip through your helmet? The original folder 1 (pictured) is designed for kids 4-6 years old and fits most 26-inch and 700c bikes. It’s a single-speed bike that comes with a chain guard and a removable safety flag. It comes in black, blue, pink, white, silver and red for $160. For littler kids, you can also attach a baby seat or a back rest. Find a retailer, or a fancier version, at www.trail-a-bike.com.

The Babble Review: Soft Buggy Cup from Think King

Chris Ford — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:02:00 GMT

Honestly, what's more American than a cup holder? Some strollers come with cup holders, and others (like my un-American Bubagoo Frog) don't. The Soft Buggy Cup from Think King is a portable cup holder that you can use for much more than beverages in many more places than your stroller. But it works pretty well holding your drink while you're at the mall with the kids too. My full review is after the jump.

The Soft Buggy cup is made of a silver mesh that keeps it's form while still being soft enough to collapse into your bag or pocket. It attaches to whatever you are trying to put it on with a series of velcro straps. In fact I was successful in attaching it to a bunch of things without a problem. On my Bugaboo it worked very well as a cup holder for my daughter, but trying to attach it to the top of the handle while keeping it upright was more of a challenge. It worked better when I attached it a little farther down the handle, but it is the sort of thing that will work best with a capped drink in a bottle (like the picture on the web site).

The cool thing about it though is the other places you can attach it to. Wheelchairs, scooters, bicycles and bunk beds are just some of the suggestions Think King has (I particularly like the bunk-bed idea) but it's limited only by your imagination. If you can wrap a piece of velcro around something, then chances are you can stick a Buggy Cup to it too.

If you're looking to find a place for the kid in the top bunk to keep his water at night, or if you just want a place to keep that caramel macchiato handy, The Soft Buggy Cup is definitely worth checking out.

Soft Buggy Cup, $14.99 from Think-King.com

Vroom Vroom - the BMW Trike That Looks Fierce

alibaba — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:25:00 GMT

I missed the 7 Days of Bikes & Trikes by a week but this trike is so killer I had to feature it. During my brief professional stint on the West Coast, I never loved the on-ramp to the 405, I never loved sitting in traffic on the 101 at rush hour or the looky-loo's that would slow down to get better views at car crashes. But what I did come to love was BMW bikes and roadsters... especially that hypnotic BMW royal blue. Whenever anything BMW would pass me on the freeway I'd get a vicarious thrill. Who knew... they actually manufacture a tricycle based on their R 1100 GS cycle. While you probably want to keep your child on pedals away from the freeway, there's really no reason to discourage him or her from pretending they're an overpaid movie exec on their way up to Laurel Canyon.

Available for $136 at ShopBMW.com.

Pimp My Trike with a Kettler Bell

Heather Kuldell — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:46:00 GMT

OK, so maybe the Kettler Red Metal Bell isn’t exactly pimptastic, but it is a nice touch for any cycle, be it tri-, bi- or recommended in our 7 Days of Tricycles and Bicycles. In theory, or maybe in just a more grown-up context, a bell alerts other cyclists, pedestrians or joggers that you’re about to pass them. In practice, a bell on a kids’ bike is to unleash a ring-a-ding-ding of music like you’re never heard before, save for that Blue Oyster Cult song.

Available at Amazon for $5.99.

7 Days of Tricycles and Bicycles: Xtracycle PeaPod

Heather Kuldell — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:04:00 GMT

The Xtracycle PeaPod is really for parents’ bikes, but wow, what a child seat! The PeaPod is one possible component of Xtracycle, which is a kit that converts your 26-inch or 700c bikes into what the company calls a “sport-utility bike.” If you’re a bike commuter, or someone who’s trying to figure out how to bike around town while hauling kids (and their stuff), an Xtracycle might do the trick.

First, you gotta get a complete Xtracycle, or convert your bike with a kit that includes racks, bags and a deck that’s sturdy enough for an adult to ride on.

Next you can add the PeaPod, which attaches behind the bike seat. The kid can ride up high, and in view of the traffic rather than down low in bike trailer. The PeaPod fits kids as small as 20 pounds until they’re 55 pounds, or basically big enough to ride their own bike. And when the kid’s bigger, he (or she) can ride on the deck that can be pimped out with an extra set of handle bars and cute little foot rests.

Wait, is this safe? The PeaPod meets European Safety norms, and of course, all the riders -- the adult pedaling, the tot riding in the PeaPod, or the kid riding on the deck -- should be wearing helmets and obeying traffic laws.

This probably isn’t for the once-in-awhile biker. The conversion kit costs $489, and the PeaPod will run $199 on top of that. Then again, if you find yourself trying to balance kids on handlebars or connecting and disconnecting a biketrailer a lot, you may want to check it out. At very least, look check out the company’s photo gallery. Who knew you could carry so much on one bike?

(Photos from Xtracycle.com)

7 Days of Tricycles and Bicycles: Hang on, Sloopy!

alibaba — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:37:00 GMT

Now that I've got the attention of OSU alumni, check out this tricycle! Created by Kettler, originators of the much-loved Air Navigator Tricycle (which functions kind of like placing your kid on a rolling suitcase that you can drag or push), this nifty bike - the Kettler Sloopy Kettrike Tricycle - is designed for speed demons aged three and up. Great for motor skills, the tricycle actually goes in the opposite direction of where the handles are operated. It may take some getting used to, but it’s low to the ground, which makes it especially safe for toddler bicyclists, and is a refreshing departure from typical tricycle design.

Available from HealthCheckSystems for $159.99

Ceci N'est Pas Une Bicycle... Yet

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:30:00 GMT

Attention, IKEA or other budget-minded retailer of modern lifestyle accessories: If architect Andrew Maynard gets his wish, you'll one day soon be distributing full, working kits of his OLC (stands for "One Less Car") concept bicycle.

Built primarily from structural plywood with alloy and recycled-plastic components, the bike raises plenty of questions ("Seriously, only two gears?" and "Who'll pick out the splinters when I crash?" being key). But it's hard to deny that Maynard's presenting a novel, eco-friendly, and, at an incredibly optimistic $35 suggested retail price, ultra-affordable means of getting around town.

Maynard seems open to (and prepared for) criticism, so you tell us: Think the OLC bike will make it into production, and maybe more importantly, would you let your kids ride one if it does?

When You Care Enough to Buy the Very Overpriced: Neiman Marcus Ferrari Bicycle

Mir — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:00:00 GMT

The list of features on this very special bike starts out by boasting "Genuine Ferrari color." (Genuine Ferrari color: When plain ol' red just won't do.) Ummmm... yeah. It has other -- equally exciting, truly -- features that make this 16" bike worthy of the Ferrari label and $350 price tag, and you can get yours from Neiman Marcus. Pathological need to overspend in lieu of paying attention to your kid sold separately.