When most parents see a LIKEaBIKE for the first time, they ‘get it’ straight away. It’s such an obvious and simple idea it’s a wonder why nobody had thought of it before. In fact, wooden bikes without pedals are nothing new, the LIKEaBIKE is a 21st Century update on the very first bicycles designed almost 200 years ago.

In 1817, Baron Von Drais invented a ‘walking machine’ that supported his body weight whilst enabling him to get around the Royal Gardens faster. Two same-size in-line wheels with front steering, mounted into a frame which he could straddle. He propelled his contraption by pushing his feet against the ground to create forward motion in the form of a gliding walk. The machine became known as the Draisienne or Hobbyhorse and was made entirely of wood, including the wheel rims.

Although the LIKEaBIKE is not actually so revolutionary as it first seems, our 21st Century update is so child-friendly and adorable, it’s the perfect introduction to riding. With a LIKEaBIKE, children playfully gain a sense of equilibrium and control, whilst naturally learning to balance so they’ll never need a bike with stabilisers. With its simple design, LIKEaBIKE teaches balance and control at a much earlier age than traditional cycles with training aids, rapidly paving the way for progression to a standard pedal cycle.

The LIKEaBIKE Design

You’re probably reading this right now because you’ve been astounded by a toddler in the park whizzing around on their little LIKEaBIKE and you simply MUST have one for your own child. This is the way most other parents discover LIKEaBIKE too, so join the club!

The fabulous design and construction of the LIKEaBIKE is credited to Kokua Holzspielzeug, a small business run by the Mertens family in Roetgen, Germany. The Mertens realised that the best way for a child to learn to cycle is not to use stabilisers, which simply prevent the child developing a proper sense of balance, but to remove the cranks entirely and use their feet for stability. They replaced the traditional steel frame with a lightweight wooden one and created LIKEaBIKE, the perfect trainer wooden bike.

The attention to detail with LIKEaBIKE is superb. The frame, fork, wheels, handlebar and saddle are beautifully crafted from high-quality birch or beech plywood and treated with a tough varnished coating which fully complies with strict child safety regulations. There are no sharp edges and no places for little fingers to get trapped. The steering is ‘damped’ by soft felt pads to prevent over-steering, which is a common cause of accidents with traditional toddler bikes. The wheels run on quality grease-free sealed cartridge bearings and have non-marking tyres for use indoors and out. Most models have inflatable pneumatic tyres, although the original ‘LIKEaBIKE Racer’ model has solid ones, which are more suitable for smooth surfaces.

LIKEaBIKEs are so well built that the manufacturer provides a two year unconditional warranty; astounding for a product aimed at 2-6 year olds! Your child’s LIKEaBIKE wooden bike is made to last and you can be assured that it will still be fit for handing down to younger brothers and sisters when they are ready.