Check your balance.
In the wake of last summer's Grand Depart, and in the run-up
to the new Tour de Yorkshire, cycling has never been so popular in the UK. But
as you don your fancy cycling gear and sit bestride your high-tech road bike,
it's worth remembering that everyone has to start somewhere. Enter Kiddimoto
with their brand new range of balance bikes for toddlers, the Kurve.
Balance bikes are something that only parents might be familiar with. Essentially they are bicycles for very young kids who are migrating from the tricycle phrase to riding something with two wheels. Lacking any pedals, the bikes are intended to help kids learn how to balance before moving onto something bigger.
That is what Kiddimoto have made in the Kurve, their new
range of balance bikes designed from a simple curve of wood, complete with
turning handle bars, adjustable seat, and loads of funky paint jobs. The bike
itself requires assembly, but this is as easy as screwing in a few bolts
through the wheels and steering column, then attaching the handlebars. It took
us ten minutes using the included Alan keys.
The bike itself is made from birch plywood which has been
sourced from manageable forests, while the coat of paint, rubber grips, and any
small plastic parts, are all non-toxic. Speaking of the design, we were sent
the 'Skullz', complete with skull and crossed bones motifs, but many others are
available. The designs feature Union Jacks, butterflies and some are even inspired
by Jorge Lorenzo and Evel Knievel! We were happy to see that none of the
designs were gender specific (pink one for the girly girls, blue one with guns
for the gruff boys), and think that any child would love all of them.
And that was surely confirmed by our expert four year old
reviewer, who despite being a bit of a girly girl herself, loved the pirate
themed designs of our Kiddimoto Kurve. As the Kurve aims to cater for the three
to six years age group, she was a perfect test pilot for the maiden voyage.
Just a note on that - although the Kurve does state it is designed for kids up
to the age of six, we couldn't see how our four and a half year old tester would
get any more than six months use out of it. She's not a big girl in any way, so
if you're considering getting this for an older child it might be worth
checking out the Kiddimoto site to check size and dimensions.
Anyway, she loved it. Although the Kurve was not her first
balance bike (in fact , she really wanted us to let you know that she's already
graduated to an actual bike) she seemed to relish whizzing about the garden on
it, gracefully bouncing over bumps thanks to the 12-inch pneumatic tyres with
an actual inner tube. The steering column is locked at about 30 degrees,
meaning the bike can never jack-knife, and the wheels are solid wood, so no worries
about snapping spokes.
This is a great first bike for kids, and a definite stopping
point on the road to winning their own yellow jersey.
£64.99