Spit Up: Bike Made from Kindling
So according to the website, this Canadian company sends Canadian Maple to France so people can put it together and send it back to North America so kids can learn to ride a bike that isn’t a bike?
Whatever. All that shipping for a Bugabike that isn’t a bike must be why it costs $245-$265, like this one we featured earlier.
Also, for the kind of money they’re asking, they might want to hire a spellchecker for their website or Learn(e) To Spell. Just sayin’.
The price is absolutely ridiculous, as is the shipping of wood materials and finished product back and forth across the Atlantic. However, the concept is awesome. These little “pushbikes” (called “Laufrad” here in Germany, meaning “running bike”) are very popular here and you can find them in every conceivable shape and style, in wood or metal. I was skeptical about them initially, even as my first two little ones struggled with their trikes (and never mastered them, just went on to regular bikes). We finally got one for our third child for her second birthday, made to look like a ladybug (and nicknamed her “bug bike”) and she LOVED it. No learning curve, she just took off on it. SO much better than a trike. Apparently, starting little ones off on one of these pushbikes makes mastering a regular bicycle much easier later on. And that has certainly been our experience, as well. They learn balance much better than they would on a trike or other sort of riding toy. What’s more, I could go for a walk with my buggy-shunning toddler and she could actually keep up easily with my brisk walking pace. Try that with a trike!
P.S. They most certainly do not cost anywhere near that sort of price over here in Germany. But if you can find one of these little bikes for a more reasonable price, I highly recommend letting your little one give it a try!
My 4 years old kid is a Bugabike User. During our last trip in Ny he used the Bugabike all the time. On the Brooklin bridge, in Central Park, in manhatan. So easy for us and so fun for him !
Forget all the imitation, it’s the only Wooden bike i find with a thrue ergonomic position. We tried few other model, i think that The Bugabike will be a real leader.
Sarah
Target has their version of it which is on clearance now, if you can find it, for $12.50. It retailed for $50 full price during the summer. I think it’s well worth $12.50 if it can get your kid to skip the training wheels…
agree. what’s up with the price on these things??? i’ll call my x from france and see what he has to say.