\u201cGosh, he\u2019s growing up so fast.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n I can\u2019t assist however assume in clich\u00e9s as I watch my 6-year-old pedaling up the filth path. I let him set the tempo as we journey over small rocks and dodge larger ones on the Marshall Mesa bike path close to our Boulder, Colorado, dwelling. As the path steepens, Charlie twists his shifter to his best gear and rises to face on the platform pedals, wobbling barely because the extra-wide tires bump over a slab of sandstone. A couple of minutes later, respiration onerous on the hill\u2019s crest, he pauses a second to show and grin at me.<\/p>\n It looks as if solely yesterday that my son was driving the identical path (although a a lot smoother part) on his steadiness bike, toddling alongside, sometimes mustering sufficient braveness to choose his toes from the bottom and glide. Soon he had graduated to pedals and was driving laps (and sure, skinning his knees) in our cul-de-sac on an orange two-wheeler. Now, watching him race downhill on his geared 20-inch bike, I do know to savor the second. It would be the blink of an eye fixed earlier than he\u2019ll measurement up once more, pedaling a 24-incher and cruising much more confidently.<\/p>\n The Co-op Cycles<\/a> design crew had customers like Charlie (and biking dad and mom like me) in thoughts when creating its line of REV youngsters<\/a>\u2019<\/a> bikes<\/a>, which vary from 12-inch steadiness bikes to 24-inch geared rides. The assortment presents 9 youngsters\u2019 bikes for each rider at each stage, from these studying to steadiness or pedal for the primary time to older youngsters prepared for gears and path adventures. Kids can measurement as much as the following bike as they develop or achieve expertise. Meanwhile, dad and mom who’re REI Co-op Members could admire the comfort of with the ability to commerce in these gently used REI bikes via a used gear program<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n The designers acknowledged that fast-growing youngsters put their two-wheelers via the paces, each on filth trails<\/a> and metropolis streets<\/a>. They additionally knew that oldsters don\u2019t wish to change components\u2013a lot much less total bikes\u2013each season. They needed to make a motorbike line that was sturdy sufficient to carry out for a number of little rippers in a pass-it-down course of that advantages each the customer (much less cash spent) and the planet (fewer assets used).<\/p>\n \u201cThe world needs bikes to be used well over one person\u2019s learning cycle,\u201d says Joe Gray, lead designer with Co-op Cycles.<\/p>\n When the Co-op Cycles crew got down to create the REV line of youngsters\u2019 bikes in 2016, designers knew there was potential to provide one thing completely different\u2013and significantly better\u2013than what mass-market bike producers provide.<\/p>\n REI already had a long time of expertise constructing youngsters\u2019 bikes for the Novara\u00ae line. Still, its bike specialists dove into researching human biomechanics and the anthropology of human educating practices to replace their sense of how younger our bodies transfer and the way they be taught. The designers then reviewed anecdotes on parenting blogs to grasp the circumstances by which youngsters begin to journey bikes, whether or not they use widespread instruments like coaching wheels, for example, and at what ages they attain milestones like utilizing hand brakes and gears. Next, the crew interviewed dad and mom whose youngsters are completed mountain bikers in an effort to higher perceive how they instilled a love for driving. Through all of it, the crew additionally saved in thoughts their very own experiences as dad and mom and their very own efforts to share the enjoyment of driving bikes with their kids. <\/p>\n \u201cI got to look not just back at what my son did when he first learned how to ride a bike,\u201d Gray says, \u201cbut also look forward to what\u2019s going to happen soon.\u201d<\/p>\n All of that beta guided the crew towards three guiding rules for the REV lineup design course of: sturdiness, high quality and cost-effectiveness.<\/p>\n Prototypes are put via rigorous third-party testing to make sure they meet or exceed each regulatory and voluntary requirements. Why? Because youngsters are powerful on stuff. \u201cEven on a small, little sidewalk bike, we assume that these bikes will be ridden hard, and can still be passed down to other riders,\u201d says Karl Schumacher, improvement supervisor for Co-op Cycles. \u201cWe plan and test for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Durability was one space, the crew realized, the place the REV line may actually stand aside from the competitors. The Co-op Cycles crew selected high quality supplies like aluminum (recognized for its strength-to-weight ratio and being lighter than metal) for the body and opted to work with respected model names like Shimano for base parts. During the design course of, the crew factored in not simply the dimensions of the riders but in addition their energy in relation to pushing on pedals and gripping brakes.<\/p>\n But what about its aesthetics? After all, youngsters desire a cool bike. With assist from the REI colour and sample design crew (Yep, there\u2019s an total division<\/a> devoted to how the gear seems to be), Co-op Cycles strategized paint colours. Gray and his crew knew they didn\u2019t need limiting blue and pink choices; nor would they provide bikes with licensed characters and pictures as lots of their mass-market rivals do. Instead, they noticed a chance to modernize the colour scheme, including hues like Desert Sage<\/a>, Blue Nights<\/a> and Pencil (pictured under left). <\/p>\n Such consideration to element hasn\u2019t gone observed. \u201cWe got [the] green color and [the] finish is matte, which looks premium,\u201d says one buyer reviewer of the Co-op Cycles REV 20<\/a> bike.<\/p>\n The designers additionally picked colours for the REV line that took cues from adult-focused Co-op Cycles traces just like the earth-toned DRT mountain bike assortment<\/a> and the steely CTY city assortment. \u201cWe appealed to the sense of connection that a parent might have with their kid when they\u2019re riding bikes together,\u201d Gray says. \u201cThe bikes are not the same color, but they\u2019re in the same family. They look like they belong together.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the whole design course of, the crew additionally thought of value. \u201cPrice is a huge barrier for people getting their kids into bikes, especially quality bikes,\u201d says Heather Henderson, senior product supervisor for Co-op Cycles. \u201cWe\u2019re super sensitive to that.\u201d<\/p>\n As bike designers, the REI crew knew that youngsters must journey a motorbike that matches them correctly in an effort to have one of the best expertise. As dad and mom, they knew that guardians wish to spend cash on new bikes as occasionally <\/em>as attainable. \u201cWe know that kids are growing and they\u2019re not stopping that anytime soon,\u201d Gray says. \u201cIf you can eke out just a couple of months more, that\u2019s a useful thing for a parent.\u201d<\/p>\n To that finish, the designers aimed to make every bike match the widest attainable vary of riders whereas nonetheless guaranteeing that youngsters are comfy on the bike. As an instance, by lowering the dimensions of the bike body (by shortening the seat tube or reducing the highest tube), every mannequin can match riders on the smaller finish of the spectrum. Conversely, by lengthening the seat publish, the saddle top could be prolonged increased to accommodate longer legs because the rider grows. \u201cThis user is changing their body size rapidly,\u201d Gray says. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to fit this bike for that long if we don\u2019t make it adjustable.\u201d<\/p>\n Such thoughtfulness in so many areas provides as much as high quality, REI believes.<\/p>\n \u201cOn a mass-market bike, something is going to break and you\u2019re going to pay as much to fix it as you did to buy the bike,\u201d Grays says, whereas the REV bike may cost a little a bit of extra upfront, \u201cbut your kid will beat the heck out of it and they\u2019ll still be able to ride it. And then when they\u2019ve outgrown it, you\u2019ll be able to swap up for a bike that does fit them. It\u2019s a long-term play.\u201d<\/p>\n REI facilitates that long-term play with its Bike Trade-In Program<\/a>, which offers an avenue for co-op members<\/a> to get a terrific deal on a gently used set of wheels. The program additionally ensures that every REV bike has a second (or third or fourth) life.<\/p>\n The trade-in course of is easy. Bring the Co-op Cycles bike into an REI retailer<\/a> and in-house bike specialists will full the trade-in on the spot. No appointment is required. As lengthy as the unique purchaser makes the commerce (have to be an REI Member<\/a>) and the bike purchased inside the final three years is in good working situation (no structural injury or mechanical defects, although beauty flaws are A-OK), you\u2019ll get a credit score of as much as 50% of the REI resale value within the type of an REI Gift Card. (See particular phrases and circumstances<\/a>).<\/p>\n Back on the filth path at Marshall Mesa, Charlie zips alongside a flatter stretch with Eldorado Canyon and the enduring slabbed rocks, the Flatirons, rising within the distance. I pedal behind him, watching as he confidently navigates the ruts. I grin at Charlie, simply as he grinned at me moments earlier than. I\u2019m grateful for the sweetness on the earth, for the enjoyment my little boy brings, and for the bike that made this second attainable.<\/p>\n Ready to get your toddler off and driving? Check out our helpful guides about <\/em>how to decide on a youngsters\u2019 bike<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>when to upsize your <\/em><\/a>child\u2019s<\/a><\/em> bike<\/em><\/a>. When you\u2019re able to make a purchase order, our useful <\/em>Bike Finder<\/em><\/a> device will level you in the best route. Or higher but, head to your <\/em>native Co-op<\/em><\/a> and have your kiddo take a check journey.<\/em><\/p>\nBuilding Bikes That Last <\/h3>\n
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All About Design<\/h3>\n
Trading in Your REI Bike<\/h3>\n
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