Sebastien, how did you get the idea to build a push bike?
My son was born two years ago and I wanted to make a bike which would fit to his needs. I work for Commencal Bicycles, so it was clear that I wanted to produce his first bike in our company. I asked our frame designer Nicolas Menard to draw a 12” walkbike for him with a nice geometry and cool features like the ‘adult bikes’ with normal pedals. My chief Max was stoked by the idea, and so we decided to produce it and offer the push bikes to the public.
How did you make it?
What we wanted was a real mountain bike for the kids, not a toy. So we decided to use the alloy frame, same image as downhill bikes, for frame design, and artwork. The result is, that even kids can have the same feeling bike as the World Cup Racers.
Is it different to design a push bike than it is a MTB for adult riders?
The biggest difference is in the size. We had to find out how to adapt geometry for the kids in the age of two years. But the method was still the same as we use for the adult bikes, and the goal was to make a bike that would fit the size of the our small riders and make them as happy as possible.
If parents want to buy a push bike for their kids what should they look for?
They should look for a bike which would fit to the size of their kid. It’s good to ask for good components that will last, like real ball bearings or real tires. Because once your kid starts to ride a push bike, it will probably ride it every day.
What’s important to know, when you want to teach children ride the bike?
You should be prepared for the consequences. Your children will become addicted to MTB in a really short time and the best way to teach him how to ride, is to show him how you ride. Kids are like little monkeys, they will copy with whatever you do. Help them at the beginning by pushing them on the back, but better to leave them to learn how to control the steering and getting used to keeping balance.
What was your first bike when you were young? This month we prepared a video about history of first bikes. Don‘t forget to watch it!
