With the start of the Tour de France 2010 just days a way it seems fitting that we share our family’s introduction to the Wishbone Bike. My husband is a avid road biker so I was excited to introduce my daughter and son to the joys of cycling. The Wishbone is a three-in-one product: the kids start with it as a three-wheeled trike, then it converts to a two-wheeled balance bike and then finally the life of this product is extended as you flip the frame to make it “one of the largest running bikes on the market.”
It took my husband about twenty minutes to assemble the bike and a majority of that time was spent inflating the tires. He has also been easily switching the bike among its three different positions as we experiment with it on our 3 1/2 year old and 22 month old. The adjustable seat height ranges from 11 to 18″ and it is lightweight in both its bike (8 pounds 4 oz) and the trike forms (12 pounds). The sleek, modern, wooden design works well with our living room decor since our life in a NYC apartment don’t allow for garage storage. The balance bike approach – pretty much a pedal-less bike that allows kids to gain their balance – is new to both me and my husband. According to the Wishbone developers, they are finding much success for their bikes in Europe, especially Germany. My 3 1/2 year old loves pushing herself quickly down the sidewalks of the Manhattan and the paths of Central Park. Already a bit of thrill seeker, we have been discouraging her from riding off-road/path but the Wishbone has been up for the challenge. Our youngest likes to sit and cautiously walk with it but his style is a bit more deliberate. After having the bike to trial for a week for reviewing purposes, we are big fans and will now be purchasing one. According to the New Zealand-based manufacturers, every Wishbone Bike has 60% post-consumer recycled plastic wheels, is made from sustainably managed woods and is bonded and finished with eco-friendly products. The Bike box and all printed material inside is recycled and printed with non-toxic inks. To find out more about the Wishbone and their retailers visit their website at www.wishbonedesign.com The bike retails for about $250 and can be found on www.Amazon.com.
-Thats IT Mommy friend, Jill
* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. Jill received a Wishbone Bike for 1 week. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service. The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.
12 comments
We have been considering a balance bike with my 5 year old and this one seems like a great choice that will last through our second child as well! Off to check them out..thanks!
Sounds like a smart way to teach kids to ride.
That’s adorable. I haven’t seen those before.
I REALLY love this a lot. I’m going to check it out now!!
Oh, I have been eying the Wishbone bike for months. I think it looks so great – sounds like it really is! Thanks for the review.
We have the strider bike for my son, and we would love to try out this one!
This is adorable!! I love the idea of it being wooden!
Wow! I have never seen anything like this! I wish I would have known about these when my boys were little! Once my dd is big enough we will have to look into buying one!
Thanks for an amazing post!
That is so cool looking! I’ve never seen them before!
That looks fun, especially for the little ones. I love that they are incorporating recycled materials. The greener the better I say!
Looks like it would really help the little ones gain confidence!
Love the fact it converts from 3 to 2 wheels