We’ve been looking forward to this season for a long time. Nothing will be the same again here at Early Rider.

For a while now we’ve been developing a reputation as a premium kids’ bike builder, it’s flattering but sort of belies what we’re really about. We want to put in place the building blocks of an active life, a really active life. Think active in an adventurous, earthly connection with life kind of way.

In our minds, there is no better way for a child to develop a lust for life-living ethic than just getting on a bike and going for a ride. Exploration is nothing without independent mobility and what more efficient a way than man’s noblest invention?

Well that’s how it’s supposed to be but somehow kids bikes have been overlooked.

Over the past couple of years we’ve taken to task the job of putting kids’ bikes right. We’ve focused purely on developing the tools that give children the best possible start to their cycling lives in the hope that they can enjoy the kind of experience that only getting out on your bike can provide.

We have some pretty exciting innovations that we’re keen to share with you. 2012 is going to be a very exciting year. It really is time for something different.

Meet Juno, the newest member of the Early Rider family. Juno is a ‘Spherovelo’, a unique push along ride on for 12-24 month olds.

The Spherovelo is the world’s first ride on to accelerate the development of young children by helping them make the connection between their senses (vision, pressure, equilibrium...) and their motor system. Some might call it balance but it’s really more about the coordination of our muscles in response to what we see and feel.

It manages this by being a ride on that’s unstable on the one hand (so that the child is required to effect some control - like with a bike) but safe on the other; a combination never before achieved.

The reason this is so important is that this is the age when we’re first developing our coordination and the age when we’re most receptive to experiential learning.

The Spherovelo’s design, essentially two great spheres, is based upon the fundamental principle that a ball able to move freely will just relocate and not tip like a wheel. By replacing wheels with a special arrangement of spheres we’ve been able to simulate a bike, but with increased lateral forgiveness so that it becomes very difficult for a child to fall onto or off of. In other words, because of the spheres, the Spherovelo is the world’s first safely unstable ride on, a balance bike for very young children.

The Spherovelo uniquely has two play options: a stabilized platform (four wheels) and a two wheel setting unfettered by stabilisers for the more experienced rider. The difference in play can be compared to a sit on truck and a balance bike.

The front wheel is on a fixed axis while the rear wheel is free to move in any plane. In the stabilised state, the freedom of the rear sphere allows the rider to point, push and go in any direction without the need for steering. When the stabilisers are removed, it’s also what allows the Spherovelo to drift rather than topple in the event of sideways movement.

Whilst the rear wheel will happily drift, as the front wheel looks to propagate forward it creates trail for the rear sphere to follow, helping your little one stay on course.

The wheels themselves are covered in hard polyurethane, the same material skateboard wheels are made from. So whilst primarily designed as an indoor ride on, the Juno will happily cope with heading outside.

The seat is also polyurethane. A soft touch, grippy texture ensures the rider doesn’t slip. The saddle stretches from the low between the two spheres and the crest of the rear sphere, seamlessly enabling the growing child to take a higher position and increase their reach.

Making the connection between our motor system and our senses is the most important physical development of our lives, it’s a skill that determines what we can and can’t do in future years. We only hone this skill when we put ourselves in those unfamiliar positions where we’re required to effect a new level of control. Ideally we want to do this without putting ourselves (or our kids) in harm’s way. The Spherovelo is the first product for very young children to achieve exactly this. That the Spherovelo does this as a bi product of having fun and being independently mobile is anadded bonus.

Option 1 embossTop TPE Spine: all logos embossed

‘Fill’ area embossed

Outlined letters and bolt, untouched

If we have one product that’s a smidge indulgent this is it. Less accommodating than our Originals, but as close to perfect as affordably practical.

We always knew we would produce an aluminium bike, and not just to appease those stuck with the idea that a bike should be metal. We also knew that we would struggle to make it as accomodating as our Original series - features like the adjustable steering are particularly difficult to translate into a metal headset.

The only option was an exercise in uncompromised design with the acceptance that it’d be a bike most suited to those children who are not lacking in confidence.

As a build, it’s been our toughest. It had to be a classic diamond frame - there was no room for your typical cheap

straight-line-from-headset-to-stays approach. The tubing also had to sit comfortably with the widish wheels needed on a first bike. Meaning there was a lot to do in a small space, particularly as I was desperate to add a bit of cruiser character.

With the frame nailed, it became a matter of detail. The integrated threadless headset picked itself, matching both the tube diameter as well as cruiser curvature of the top tube. Aluminium rims, sealed cartridge bearings and alloy hubs are a no-brainer, they’re in the Early Rider DNA.

For the dropouts, forged were the only choice. An indulgence, but if there’s one thing that ruins a bike it’s flattened tubes for dropouts. Well, that and oversized saddles. Our saddle was always going to be bespoke - it had to be anatomically correct. This

meant we could have some fun. The faux leather tied in with our Originals and the contemporary twist on the classic riveted seat echoed the bikes raison d’etre beautifully.

There’s not much to say about the carbon seat post and handlebar other than the bike deserved them. That just leaves the bike’s biggest extravagance, it’s finish. It’ll be missed by many but there really is no finer finish. Raw heat-treated aluminium, carefully brushed increasingly finely by hand and then finished with clear coat lacquer.

You’ll find few adult bikes that justify such a final touch, but we think it speaks volumes.

FAUX LEATHERRIVETED SEAT

3.3KG / 7.25LBX

CARBONHANDLEBARS

FAUX LEATHERRIVETED SEAT

12” WHEELS

FORGED DROPOUTS

If there is one thing I hope people realise when they look at our incredible new products it’s that they’re all a result of our original works. The level of refinement in each of our Original series bikes surpasses that of any other. We feel strongly that they are the quintessential balance bikes.

Bodies and forks from bespoke formers, the finest veneers even for the cores, marine ply construction, sealed cartridge bearings, aluminium reinforced headsets, adjustable steering to support novice

and experienced riders alike, branded logos, tyre hot patches to name a few of the reasons why.

So non exclusive too, there’s a bike for everyone. The Lite: fast, responsive, super lightweight and small enough to take a child less than 2 years old but versatile to see any child through to a 16” pedal bike; The Classic, so aptly named. Vintage west coast chopper character, wide tyres and super low centre of gravity to give the perfect, effortless ride, and last but not least; The Evo – the

purest proportions pay homage to the magnificent Marc Newson Biomega and with 14” wheels, the bike that makes sure the bigger kids aren’t passed by.

It’s only the appreciationof these bikes that gave usthe confidence that our obsessive commitment to no compromise design and proprietary manufacturing could be justified.

Lite Classic Evo

And, what a belter. The world’s first belt driven kids bike. Weighing an incredible 5.6kgs (12.25lbs) it’s by far the lightest on the market.

The Belter was born out of need. We’d always struggle when asked to recommend a pedal bike. Put simply, balance bikes have advanced the abilities and expectations of young riders profoundly and the children’s pedal bikes of today just haven’t kept pace.

Without going into the phsyics, a balance bike is much easier for a child to propel. Added to the fact that a ‘light’ 16” bike in the market today weighs over 10kgs, twice that of a balance bike, and you see the problem. Given an average 3.5 year old weights only 16kgs, each 1kg on a child’s bike equates to adding a staggering 5kgs on an adult bike. Every gram counts. And so in designing the Belter

we focused on two things; making it lightweight and super efficient. Success was wholly dependent upon the use of great components and research into a child’s physiology.

We took advantage of the advanced balance skills of today’s early riders by using narrow 1.5” tyres thereby reducing rolling resistance and weight. Only otherwise found on high-end adult folding bikes, these super high thread count tyres are designed to be durable - having to stand up to prolonged use under a heavy load.

The bearings are free running sealed cartridges; the rims and hubs are aluminium. The lightweight frame is thin gauge 1-1.25” T6 heat treated aluminium. The cranks are bespoke 120mm forged aluminium with a narrow tread. This smaller Q factor

is to reflect the small hips of children and to help the pedal path more closely approximate the tracking of a child’s stride and thereby maximising pedal efficiency.

The handlebars are 43cm wide to reflect a child’s narrower shoulder width and with two inch risers they offer a higher hand position and adjustable reach. As with our Alley Runner, the saddle is also tailor made to be anatomically correct for our rider’s age. The seat post is carbon. Brakes are sensitive, short reach, mini ‘V’ brakes ordinarily found on racing micro BMXs.

CARBON SEAT POST

But it’s the Belter’s drive train that’sour greatest triumph. For starters, it looks terrific having sprockets proportional to the frame. It’s onlymade possible by the fact we’ve moved the freewheel to the front. This allowed us to use a smaller sprocket on the rear and a correspondingly small sprocketon the front without compromisingthe gear ratio.

The fact that it’s a belt drive is incredible too. Ordinarily, a feature found on premium adult bikes, we’ve worked with Gates Carbon Drive for two years to find a way of getting it on a 16” bike. Why? Because it makes perfect sense. The belt drive is incredibly lightweight, it’s super efficient, it never stretches, so never loses performance and never needs maintenance.

In a nutshell, you have the lightest,most efficient 16” bike - exactly what a child needs. You also have a super durable bike that will perform as wellthe day you finish with it as the day you start with it. Not to mention what this retained value has on the cost of ownership - comforting when you’re investing in quality equipment for fast growing families.

GATESCARBON DRIVEPOWERTRAIN

5.6KG / 12.3LBS

16” WHEELS

SHORT REACHMINI ‘V’BREAKS

Early Rider was born in a garden shed in the heart of Henley on Thames, England in 2005. We’ve been developing our bikes there since—though we‘ve moved out of the shed! Over the last five years we’ve developed a reputation for quality, innovation and style. We are proud of our work and our riders are proud to own our bikes.

As parents and riders ourselves, we quickly realized the need for a high quality starter bike that encourages growing kids to better develop their motor skills, physique and confidence in a fresh way. So we set about designing one. At our core, we are genuinely committed to quality proprietary manufacturing methods, and uncompromising design standards that ensure every child’s first bike experience is a memorably cool one.

Early Rider products are now sought after globally and our design work is held in the

highest esteem, within our industry and beyond.

We’ve come a long way since our humble beginnings, but our focus hasn’t changed: design products that make life, and the thrill of adventure, easy for young children to embrace in style.

All Early Rider products are designed in our Henley location. From the original concept to final design—the entire process takes place under one roof. Physical product development and manufacturing all takes place in house too. Having the ability to turn ideas into reality significantly speeds up product development, because we’re never at the mercy of a vendor’s lead time. But it’s the freedom to create that sets us apart.

We’re not a huge faceless multinational and we’d never want to be. When you pick up

the phone, send an email or mention @earlyriderbikes on Twitter, it’s always us you’re communicating with.

Obviously we’re very proud of our bikes, our slavish devotion to design and our unwavering manufacturing principles. However, we are also very very proud of our top notch customer service. We genuinely want to keep your children riding our bikes for as long as possible.

We’re here if you need to find a distributer in New Zealand, or you’ve lost a bolt or just want to show us your child’s amazing customized Early Rider go-cart. Actually, we’re always very very pleased to hear from you.

“I am truly in awe of the incredible service that you provided to us. We can’t thank you enough. Our son loves the bike, and we are so happy that he can now enjoy it for years to come. Sincerest thanks for your exceptional assistance!!!!!”KELLY, EVO, VANCOUVER.

MAKERS OFFREE SPIRIT

DESIGNED BY RIDERS: PROPRIETARY R&DAND MANUFACTURING

Territory Company Web Email Telephone

Australia Wooden earlyrider.com.au info@earlyrider.com.au +61 393 2907 09

Austria BLINKSPORT GmbH blinksport.de info@blinksport.de +49 23 12 86 65 90

Benelux Odissey KIDS bvba odisseykids.be info@odisseykids.be +32 934 8191 8

Canada * NRG Enterprises Limited nrgenterprises.com info@nrgenterprises.com +1 250 352 2099

Czech Republic CYKLOSPECIALITY.CZ cyklospeciality.cz obchod@cyklospeciality.cz +420 537 021 012

Denmark BLINKSPORT GmbH blinksport.de info@blinksport.de +49 23 12 86 65 90

France Horizon Vertical earlyrider.fr jouet@earlyrider.fr +33 388 48 00 48

Germany BLINKSPORT GmbH blinksport.de info@blinksport.de +49 23 12 86 65 90

Italy OGA One Gen. Ahead SRL ogasrl.com info@dahon.it +39 023 6554 408

Japan MotorcrossInternational Ltd ride2rock.jp rieo@motorcrossinternational.com +81 52 773 0256

New Zealand Wooden earlyrider.com.au info@earlyrider.com.au +61 393 2907 09

Norway Pluss Agenturer pluss-agenturer.no post@pluss-agenturer.no +47 232 22 22 9

South Africa Urban Route One (pty) earlyrider.co.za info@earlyrider.co.za +27 012 341 1100

South Korea Innoiz, Inc innoiz.com info@innoiz.com +82 2 322 0142

Spain Bike Tech SL bike-tech.net info@bike-tech.net +34 932 1302 55

Sweden BLINKSPORT GmbH blinksport.de info@blinksport.de +49 23 12 86 65 90

Switzerland Urban Trading urbantrading.ch info@urbantrading.ch +41 434 1106 80

United Kingdom Early Rider Ltd earlyrider.com info@earlyrider.com +44 1794 367302

USA * Cyclone Bicycle cyclonebicycle.com info@cyclonebicycle.com +1 503 226 0696

Main Distibutors

* Bikes only –does not include Spherovelos

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILL WHIPPLE: WILLWHIPPLE.COM • STYLING BY KATRINA HOWLEYDESIGN AND ART DIRECTION BY MERCY: MERCYONLINE.CO.UK

THANKS TO MILLIE, MYA, CHRISTOPHER, ERICA, WREN, NATALIE AND TED.

WWW.EARLYRIDER.COM