LIKEaBIKE, but just not quite
By Ryan Block 
posted September 21st 2004 3:15AM
posted September 21st 2004 3:15AM
We're not exactly sure why the LIKEaBIKE comes without pedals (though it explains the name), or why, as a children's
bike (age 2-6, as advertised, to be exact), it's is better than say, one with training wheels. But you know, the Euros
do it differently over there. When they get older we take away the training wheels. And they add the pedals. It's just
their order of things, okay? And we have to exercise cultural tolerance.
[Via Land+Living]
since legs reach the ground easily.. and therefore no training weels needed either.
you should see young kids zooming around on these, look like they are having lots of fun, see little guy/girl in this picture below
http://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/html/like-a-bike.shtml
just confirming stereortype as compulsively orderly German
cheers
Maybe shouldn't put that off as stupid so fast. In contrast to training wheels, kids learn to balance and ride without feet on the ground in no time. My daughter could ride a real bike when she was just approaching 3, while all the older kids were still on training wheels. Go ahead, let your kid try something new now and then...
The training wheels approach has its drawbacks. The kid learns to pedal but not to balance. Then the training wheels come off and the pedaling skill can't be used as the legs are flailing all over the place!
With the like-a-bike the kid learns to balance as there is nothing for them to bang their legs on. To start with their feet are on the ground most of the time and later they zoom for ages without putting a foot down. Then you stick them on a real bike and they are off like a shot.
If you're trying to teach a kid to cycle, you'll find the best way is to emulate the like-a-bike. Take the pedals off and lower the saddle. Once the kid can coast along for a good distance without putting a foot down, stick the pedals back on and see the instant results.
The next step is to lower the wheel count yet again and get them on a unicycle. :-)
I recently saw another version of this kids bike at an environmental trade show in Luxembourg. (link provided) I put my 3 yr old duaghter on it and she was zooming around in no time... I am now sold on this over training wheels. /HH
I'm afraid in the begginings bycicles had no pedals, just like this one...
... because it just works.
... because it works really better than one with training wheels and kids really like it.
In Germany this kind of bikes are just becoming mainstream.
My favourite model is this one :
http://www.raddiscount.de/images/shop/P02945_BILD1GROSS.jpg
;)
So this time good old Europe is a step ahead ;)
Regards,
Markus
My daughter learned to ride well before her 5th birthday. I just put the seat down "too low" so she could reach the ground and push herself around. It took about 3 days before she got tired of hitting the pedals with her feet and started using them.
Like the Wright Brothers first mastering gliding, then putting an engine on the thing (as opposed to others who put an engine on machines that would not even work as gliders), this makes complete sense. And braking is completely intuitive, which it is not with pedals at first.
God bless America
Stefan
Although I won't buy the Likeabike, this ignorant American is gonna mod a regular bike for my daughter in this way (goodbye crank and drive system). Thanks Euros!
"Take the pedals off and lower the saddle so they can scoot" is a standard way of teaching a child to balance a bike. As with most things bike related, see Sheldon's web site: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/teachride.html
velocipede
My 21/2 year old recently got a LIKEaBIKE and within a day was able to push himself along fairly slowly and balance amazingly. Two months later and he's absolutely whizzing round. With training wheels he would still be wobbling all over the place and as he is unable to pedal a bike would still be out of the question.
The bikes also look great, see http://www.helemill.com
As others have said, the nice thing about the Like-A-Bike is that your kid learns to balance first, without brakes and pedals to worry about. Using stabilisers often gives them bad habits that they then need to unlearn later. When I'm teaching adults, I suggest the same thing - take off the pedals and lower the saddle so you can reach the ground easily, then try scooting along. It's much easier to learn that way.
Probably the best measure of success is that there are now lots of companies making Like-A-Bike-alikes ;-) A few have cranks that you can fit later to convert them to pedal power, which is ingenious...
The LikeABike is SMART.
Training wheels are DUMB.
Why? Because you can't learn
to ride a bicycle with training
wheels. Why? Because when you
turn a bicycle to the RIGHT, you
must first turn the handlebars
to the LEFT. This does NOT happen with training wheels.
If you want to train a child on a
bicycle, then TAKE THE PEDALS COMPLETELY OFF. Put the seat
all the way down, and let them push on the ground and learn to balance and turn as they coast. When they can do that, then put the pedals back on:
VOILA! They ride with no spills.