New National Survey Shows Californians Raise Early Bicycle Riders While New Yorkers Lag

Early Rider champions early childhood development through biking, encouraging parents from coast to coast to get their kids on bikes sooner.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, May 1, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Research released today, in time for National Bike Month, shows New York children are behind the rest of the country in learning to ride a bike. In a survey of US adults by independent research firm Researchscape, only 14% of New York respondents said their eldest child learned to ride before kindergarten. This compares to almost 30% of California respondents and is well below the national average (25%) recorded in the survey. Kids learning to ride later are missing out on significant development opportunities, particularly during the golden period of child development.

The research was conducted on behalf of Early Rider, makers of children’s balance and pedal bikes, to help raise awareness of the importance of learning to ride during National Bike Month.

Commenting on the findings, Andy Loveland, Early Rider founder and CEO, said, “Research has been telling us for years that earlier gross motor skill development has a positive impact on cognitive development in children. The earlier we address this during the golden period of child development, the better. And there’s no better way to do this than teaching our children to ride bikes earlier.”

The golden period of child development is widely accepted as the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. This is generally when we develop fear, particularly within the first 500 days, and when key development milestones, such as walking and talking, are typically met.

Having made balance bikes for the last 20 years, Andy and the team at Early Rider set out to develop a brand-new baby balance bike. Early Rider’s recently released Velio range is designed for babies eight months and up and is consciously crafted to support the development of balance, coordination and control, safely.

Velio’s spherical wheels are three times harder to tip over compared to traditional balance bikes and only 1/3 of the effort to bring back into balance. Velio also features Active Balance Control, which helps babies develop a sense of balance, while a tiller enables parents to support the child in their first rides or when out on longer rides.

“Having lived in New York for almost a decade, I’m still stunned when I see so many children using training wheels on their bikes. My eldest child learned to ride on an Early Rider balance bike almost 20 years ago. Our Velio range is really set to change the game when we think about children learning important skills such as balance and coordination.” said James Beechinor-Collins, Early Rider President for North America.

Parents play an essential role when it comes to teaching children to ride. Early Rider goes beyond making bikes and sees its mission as supporting parents with products built to last and that inspire adventure – the simplest actions, such as teaching a child to ride, become traditions that endure.

Additional findings in the survey include 71% of respondents sharing their concern about the time children spend on screens. Getting kids into activities earlier has become increasingly important. And the earlier this happens, the better. “Velio has already been a massive hit for us at Early Rider, we can hardly keep up with demand, particularly in the US”, Beechinor-Collins continued.

Speaking about National Bike Month and how Early Rider is helping children participate in an active childhood, Loveland said “our job is to create tools that empower parents to enable children’s growth and enhance familial bonds. Within shared experiences such as families cycling together, memories are forged – be it on trails or sidewalks – and laughter and learning become indelibly linked”.

James Beechinor-Collins
Early Rider
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The Velio is designed to supercharge the development of coordination, balance and cognition in children before they develop self doubt.