When Noah got his first 16" Spawn Cycles bike a year ago, I didn't know a single other parent who had chosen this kind of bike for their child. Most of my friends had children on balance bikes and from there were moving up to a generic pedal bike from Walmart or ToysRus. Now a year later, I get emails and texts weekly from friends and acquaintances telling me that they have just bought their child a first pedal bike - and have chosen a Spawn bike just like Noah's. Meanwhile, I also see moms come out to my Junior Biker Gang events that I run in Calgary with their three and four year olds - often on their first pedal bike ever, and often on a Spawn bike. One by one, most of my friends are choosing to invest in a Spawn bike and it feels like my outdoor playgroup community should practically be sponsored by Spawn Cycles.
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| Investing in my child's future with a Spawn Cycles Bike |
Why are so many people buying Spawn Bikes for their children? Because they've realized that buying a bike involves more than just going down to a store and choosing the child's favourite Disney character printed on the side of a bike. Buying a bike is an investment in your child's future. Choose a good bike and you're saying that you want your child to enjoy biking, you want your child to do well at biking, and you want to be able to bike as a family together.
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| Noah and his friend on their Spawn Bikes in Canmore - notice they've left everybody else behind... |
Noah is currently riding upwards of 16.5 km at one time on pavement (that's just over 10 miles) with breaks of course, and can do between 9 - 12 km (6 - 7 miles) on gravel or uneven terrain. He is showing great skill at mountain biking for his age and he LOVES bike parks and pump tracks. At 5.5 years old, he's certainly not the fastest rider out there but he does have endurance that I find hard to match on group rides with other families. He doesn't have gears yet but thanks to his awesome bike, he is able to get up most short hills and he's learned to pedal while standing for extra power. He's come a long way in a year! And, it's all because we decided to invest in a GOOD lightweight bike.
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| Noah's longest bike day yet at 16.5 km |
Investing in a Lightweight Kids' Bike
My son's current 16" Spawn Cycles Banshee weighs all of 15lbs (which is half the weight of your average department store bike.) 15lbs was a big jump from the weight of his balance bike, but imagine going from a 6 pound balance bike up to a 30 pound pedal bike. That's mean. No other word for it.
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| Easily riding together as a family |
Even if you decide to skip the big box stores and go to a real bike shop, kids' bikes are still not all that lightweight. For example, a kids' Trek or Norco Bike can still weigh upwards of 30 pounds. The Specialized Hotrock 16" bike weighs in at a low 20 pounds (still heavier than the Spawn) and a kids' 20" Giant bike weighs anywhere between 24 and 28 pounds. (The Spawn 20" Savage 1.0 still weighs less at only 20lbs while the Savage 2.0 weighs 22 pounds, still lighter than any Giant bike that size.)
There's no getting around it - Spawn Cycles has created the lightest kids' bikes out there that I've found in North America!
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| Starting out on the Lightweight Spawn 14" Furi |
Why are Spawn Bikes lighter than the rest? First and foremost, the lightweight Alloy frame is obviously going to weigh less than a bike made of steel from ToysRus. Second, the components are also lightweight. Spawn bikes have Alloy cranks, chainwheels, handlebars, rims and seatposts. Most bike stores however sell medium quality bikes for kids that still have department store quality components. This means you can go down to a really good bike store in your city, buy a bike that looks better than what you'd find at Walmart, and think you bought a good bike. Meanwhile, the brakes and everything else on the bike is exactly the same as what you'd get on a Walmart bike. The only "high end" part of the whole bike is the frame. (if that.) And that hardly matters if the brakes are still crappy or the rest of the bike is still made of heavy parts. You need everything to be of high quality on the bike from the pedals to the handlebars.
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| Spawn Bike Gang in Canmore |
See what other parents are saying about choosing a lightweight bike:
"The weight was the big thing in choosing a Spawn bike because my son is small for his age and only weighs 36 pounds himself." - Carolyn
Lightweight matters at the end of the day! (Photo: C. Hughes)
"Within 3 weeks my son transitioned from a run bike to the Spawn Banshee with no training wheels and I can't keep up. Yesterday on our hike I was sure glad we chose such a light bike 'cause I was carrying a baby, backpack and the bike for quite awhile while my son explored/ran." - Carolyn
"We were looking for a light weight bike that our son could ride and keep up with the rest of the family. Being the youngest member of the family, it was important to improve the odds of him keeping up." Marggie
"100% Weight Weight Weight – we wanted our kids to enjoy mountain bike riding like we do and to have success biking longer distances and uphills without having the struggle of trying to ride on a bike that was more than 1/2 their weight and that they would have to walk up 99% of the hills (especially since we live in a neighborhood which has a lot of hills!)" - Coleen
"When I upgraded my bike for a nicer, lighter one, I enjoyed biking more and I wanted to create that same experience for my son." - Lorraine
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| Keeping up with Dad on a 12km bike ride |
For more information on Spawn Cycles and their bikes, check out their website. Note that due to incredible popularity, many bikes are currently sold out so if you want to upgrade your child's bike, contact the company through their website and find out how you can get your bike order in now for fall or for that perfect Christmas present.
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| Spawn Gang in Fernie |
Disclaimer: I have partnered with Spawn Cycles to ensure my child has the best riding experience possible. I work hard to promote their bikes everywhere I go because I truly believe in their bikes. This review was not paid for and my words are 100% my own. All interviews were conducted by myself and those interviewed gave their own honest opinions as well.
