LIKEaBIKE Forest: It's Like a 'Real Bike,' Only Better!

If you’ve never seen a LIKEaBIKE ($315), then you’re probably one of those people who keep coming up to ask about it when my 3 ½-year-old son is whizzing about the neighborhood on his. Truly, it’s tough to go somewhere without someone stopping us and inquiring about this incredible bike. I don’t blame them. It really is amazing. And unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

The LIKEaBIKE is a little wooden bike for children who are approximately 2 to 6-years-old. It was developed in Germany to help children become familiar with the concept of a two-wheeled vehicle long before we would normally expect them to. A cross between a scooter and a bicycle, the LIKEaBIKE is propelled when a child pushes off with their feet.  They can walk, run, and eventually even coast, learning all the logistics of riding a two-wheeled bicycle without even realizing it.

A few hours into riding his Forest LIKEaBIKE, I could already see vast improvements in my son’s ability to balance and in his understanding of the LIKEaBIKE riding concept. It was remarkable to see such an immediate change. Suddenly, after seeming somewhat hesitant at first, he was flying up and down the driveway knowing instinctively, it seemed, how to put his feet down to stabilize himself and stop.

The day he first tried the LIKEaBIKE, I had to pack it into the car (with a baby in my other arm and a diaper bag over my shoulder — just goes to show you how light the LIKEaBIKE is) so we could take it to his friends’ house. He promptly demonstrated his newfound riding skills for all. And picked a flower to put into his Saddle Bag ($39 sold separately, but available free with purchase by following the link below). The next morning, the LIKEaBIKE was the immediate request upon awakening. And that evening, my son proudly proclaimed that his LIKEaBIKE was “awesome!” before falling asleep happier than ever that he now has a “real bike,” as he calls it.

Assembly was quite simple. Despite arriving in a much smaller, lighter box than I’d imagined, the LIKEaBIKE is extremely sturdy — made of birch, beech plywood, aluminum and steel fasteners — and all we had to do was attach the handlebars and adjust the seat height with an included allen key. There were rubber grips for the handlebars, but they seemed really difficult to put on. Since I had seen so many pictures of the LIKEaBIKE without them, I was tempted to leave them off, but a quick e-mail to Bridgitte at Natural Pod (who sent me the LIKEaBIKE for review) was all it took to convince me otherwise.

She told me to use a bit of liquid soap to massage them on (it was still incredibly difficult, but we did it eventually). She also pointed out how useful the grips are for protecting the LIKEaBIKE handlebars, a fact that hit home the next day when my son –not yet familiar with the balance of the LIKEaBIKE — dropped it after his first try! An additional great tip we learned on our own: riding on grass boosted my son’s confidence and ability on the LIKEaBIKE really quickly. So did riding around the living room! (Another cool feature about the LIKEaBIKE is that it has non-marking pneumatic tires, so it’s great indoors and out!)

A LIKEaBIKE isn’t exactly inexpensive, I know. But it’s an investment that will last through many years and many children. And it will also save you multiple chiropractic bills when you don’t have to teach your child how to ride a two-wheeler by running along behind him holding the seat! (I’ve had two people tell me how their children, after a couple of years of LIKEaBIKE riding, just hopped on a regular two-wheeled bike and didn’t give it a second thought. No training wheels needed!)

And until that day, intrigued onlookers — and my husband and I — will just eye our son jealously as he sails around on his LIKEaBIKE — his ‘real bike’ — without a care in the world.

You can buy a LIKEaBIKE and accessories here.

CBB Deal: Buy a LIKEaBIKE and receive a free Saddle Bag (a $38.95 value) at www.naturalpod.com — just make sure to mention it in the notes when you check-out (expires August 31, 2008).

– Stephanie

Comments

Why on earth would anyone pay over $300 for a bicycle with no pedals – when a bicycle WITH pedals is 1/3rd to 1/2th that price?

*boogle*

- Ed on July 17th, 2008

you can buy a similar wooden bike at One Step Ahead- it costs $79.95, much cheaper, and i am sure it probably works just as well

- jacky on July 17th, 2008

I live in Germany and EVERY kid has one of these (or one of the cheaper brands). And it’s common to see 3 year olds ride a regular bike without training wheels. I have been told by a bike shop (in the US) that you can buy a regular bike and they can take off the pedals, and then put them back on whenever they are ready for it. Seems like a better solution than paying $300+.

- bockstark.knits on July 17th, 2008

The Like-a-bike is truly an amazing piece for children. I can say that we have seen the ‘knock-offs’ and be warned they are not as safe or durable. Often the wheels are wobbly and make it difficult to ride. Our daughter has had her Like-a-bike for almost 2 years now and every day she is out there riding. Her sense of freedom and balance is extrodinary. She recently rode a pedal bike and within an hour was riding on her own without training wheels. I have to say it was the best investment for us by far.

Jodi

- Jodi on July 17th, 2008

I think Stephanie’s review of the Like-a-bike is just perfect. When a child is riding it each and every day, and getting so much enjoyment from it, $300.00 is just a small price to pay. For us the bike is so well made that it has lasted 3 years of riding all year round and we have now past it down to our son. You can also get a seat extension for it, so the life of the bike is prolonged even further. Once you have seen a child on a Like-a-bike then you will definitely understand. Also, it is manufactured in Germany, so the quality is exceptional. I have also seen the ‘knock-offs’ which I believe are made in China, and I can absolutely see the difference. – Francine

- Francine on July 17th, 2008

I think, its not about the cost. Its about what you think is best for your child.

- Megan on July 17th, 2008

Both my children LOVE the LIke a Bike — my daughter is 8 and STILL loves to ride her little brother’s bike. She learned to ride a “regular” bike with wheels in about 10 minutes, after spending hours on the Like a Bike. I also really like the safety features, particularly that they can’t turn the wheel so sharply as to make them fall and crash! Although expensive, it’s some of the best money we’ve ever spent, and one of their most well-used “toys.”

- heather on July 17th, 2008

Must be nice to be rich! $300 pays half my mortgage. And I have twins, I’d have to buy two of them. Ridiculous.

- Megan on July 18th, 2008

We bought a knockoff last year at Target for $50 (called a Balance Bike, I think). It is not as sturdy as the actual Like-a-Bike we tried at a friend’s house, but it absolutely gets the job done! My then 5 year-old daughter zoomed up and down the sidewalk for a week before asking us to take the training wheels off of her bike. She was riding her bike within about 15 minutes. My daughter is a cautious kid who even with training wheels had been very intimidated by her bike, so this was truly amazing. Now one of my almost 3 year-old boys has been using it for the last 6 months. He can balance for 2 yards or so without putting his feet down. We are reasonably sure he will be riding a 2 wheeler before he is 4.

I want to add that my daughter commented that once we took off her training wheels, she felt like her bike was much more stable. This experience really turned me off training wheels, and we plan to go from Like-a-bike directly to two-wheeler this time.

For those really looking to save $$ I have heard there are instructions on the net for taking the pedals off a bike and making some other adjustments to make something similar to a Like-a-Bike. I do agree that the limited turning radius of the Like-a-Bike and its knockoffs are a great safety feature, and make the bike more manageable for little ones. I’m not sure you could do that if you try to make your own.

- twinsathomemama on July 18th, 2008

We’ve had our Like-A-Bike for over 2 years now and my son loves it. Yes, it was an investment but rather than him getting a ton of presents for his birthday, we had everyone pitch in a bit of money towards the bike. He got one great present that he still uses almost everyday. It is one of the best purchases we have ever made.

- Catherine on July 22nd, 2008

I just bought now Likeabike of Bugabike, colors pink, traveling with my daughter every constituency and every day. My son loves him so much. I think now we’ll buy a new bike blue for him. The design is beautiful.

- Julie on December 11th, 2008

Like-a-Bike are not more from GERMAN but from china. http://www.maukilo.com/brands/kokua-like-a-bike-92/jumper-white-aluminum-push-bike-6616.html

- David on December 12th, 2008

Like-a-bike is the original, invented (or re-invented for kids) and manufactured in Germany. It’s true, every child seems to have one of these or a knock-off here, including ours. They are about a third of the US price though. One big disadvantage of this original model in my opinion is that the handle bar doesn’t turn in a full circle, so that when the kid falls it might stick out and hit the child in the stomach. That’s why we chose a different, aluminum version by the German brand “Puky” (yes, they might have to reconsider their brand name choice for international sales). We’ve been very happy with it and our son was able to ride a real bike without training wheels literally right away.

- Gini on June 20th, 2009

We have a Skuut – which is exactly the same and costs $100.

- Suzanne on June 20th, 2009

@David
As others have mentioned before, the original Like-a-Bike was (re-)invented in Germany in 1997 and is still being built there.
Here’s an article about it’s history:
http://xinkaishi.typepad.com/a_new_start/2008/07/ft-bike-power-without-the-pedals.html

- anna on June 20th, 2009

Firts I love this web site.
I wanted to buy the likeabike, on google I find another bike, the bugabike, finally we buy the bugabike pink, and my daughter uses it every day. An fantastic idea.

- Marie Ange on August 12th, 2009