DailyBicycle.com

by Oliver Carbonell

Quick Q&A with Ryan McFarland of Strider Sports

I had orginally written about the benefits of a balance bike versus a traditional pedal bike on this blog 4 months ago (scroll down to view that article). Since then, Ryan McFarland, the “Founder and Chief Enthusiast” of Strider Sports, manufacturer’s of the Strider PREbike, has chimed in with his take on the two types of 2 wheeled vehicles. I did a Quick Q&A with Ryan and here is what he had to say.

DailyBicycle: So let’s get right to it. What’s a Strider PREbike?

Ryan McFarland: The Strider PREbike is a no-pedal bike designed specifically for really small riders. Our goal is to educate parents about the Strider while the child is 12-18 months old so the bike can be purchased and introduced while the child is 18-24 months old. Children develop rapidly between 2 and 3 years old and their riding stills will develop just as rapidly. From 3-4 years old, the kids really start exploring the limits of riding; riding obstacles and challenging terrain, starting to use the footrests to ride while standing up, learning to shift weight while riding standing, hop both front and rear wheels while gliding, etc. By 4 years old, kids are usually starting to ride a pedal bike but will likely ride both the Strider and the pedal bike for about a year. The pedal bike is fun for the child when going a distance on a relatively smooth, level surface but little kids don’t have the strength to ride a pedal bike off-road at that young age due to the gearing and weight of the pedal bike. The Strider, however, is under their total command at this point since it is so light and simple. This allows the children a much higher ‘fun factor’ on the Strider. Let’s face it, if we had to ride our mountain bikes around in a flat parking lot, we’d get pretty bored in a short time. The passion for riding comes from the never ending fun and challenge found by riding new and varying terrain. The beautiful thing is that every moment spent on a Strider is building a skill that will eventually be used on a pedal bike or eventually a mountain bike or dirtbike.

DailyBicycle: What are the advantages of a Strider PREbike versus a pedal bike? Can’t people just remove the pedals, training wheels and adjust the saddle height on a regular bike to make it ‘act’ like a PREbike?

Ryan McFarland: An older child that hasn’t learned to ride at age 5+ can use a pedal bike that has been converted. It is by far the best way to quickly, easily, and safely learn to ride. However, for a really small rider that has an inseam of maybe 12”-13” can’t learn by doing this. The lowest saddle height on a 12” pedal bike is typically about 15”-16” off the ground. Put a toddler on that bike and their feet will be dangling in the air. This is the big misconception. The theory is correct but the actual fit makes it an impossibility. The other MAJOR consideration is the weight. The converted 12” bike is about double the weight of a Strider. Striders weigh less than 7 pounds. A 2 year old is only about 25 pounds, some even lighter. A 15 pound converted bike that is too tall will not work and could possibly backfire by intimidating or scaring the child. If you want to get a child a big headstart and really fall in love with riding, you have to give them the bike that truly fits them the best. Super lightweight, really low saddle, super simple design. This is what allows the child to feel in control. Control builds confidence. Confidence encourages exploration of the new found mobility.

DailyBicycle: What compelled you to design and build the first PREbike?

Ryan McFarland: I’ve always loved riding dirtbikes, mountain bikes and street bikes. When I had my son, I was excited to share my passion with him. When he as 2 years old, I had various ride-on toy; a tricycle, a pedal bike with training wheels, even had a Yamaha 50cc with training wheels. What I learned from witnessing his interaction with all of these items is that they were WAY too big for him and WAY too heavy for him to control. I started stripping down his pedal bike and removing every non-essential item. This led me to really consider what is most important. I came to realize that pedaling is not riding a bike. Pedaling is simply a means of propulsion. Balancing, steering, and leaning is the essence of riding. If pedaling was the definition of riding then a bicycle going down a hill would not be riding. We know this is not true. Riding is balancing, steering and leaning a two wheeled vehicle in motion. The propulsion can be gravity, pedals, throttle, striding motion, whatever is most efficient. For a 12”-14” leg of a toddler, the striding motion is actually the most natural and most efficient. Once I came to terms with this, then the ‘stripping’ of the original pedal bike really took off. Stripping the drivetrain and the upper frame tubes allowed the seat to drop and shaved major weight. When I gave this bike to my son, he took to it immediately. He finally had a properly fitting bike and it showed in the way he could ‘man-handle’ it around and ride it off-road. His abilities far surpassed my expectations. A real an eye-opener. Kids are capable of MUCH more than we give them credit for.We’ve just not given them the right tool for the job until now.

DailyBicycle: Thanks Ryan!

Here’s an interesting link that Ryan shared with us. It’s coverage of the first ever National Strider Cup… too cute! http://www.stridercup.com/

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