5
www.bikebiz.com
minutes with...
After starting in kids’ bike distribution, husband and wife Gary and Karen Wood launched their own bikes six months ago. Company director Karen introduces the brand to the industry
Can you give us a little background on Kidvelo? We are a husband and wife team running a small family business, based in Warwickshire, that has just launched a new brand specialising in balance bikes - Kidvelo. However, we aren’t new to the industry as prior we were the Strider distributors for the UK and Ireland. Our own passion for these little bikes started back in 2008, when we discovered them for our own children. Having witnessed how easy and fun it was for kids to learn to use a balance bike, we jacked in our careers and started retailing and spreading the word about what balance bikes were. We grew quickly to take on distribution, and over the years we hosted balance bike racing championships, inspirational fun riding events across the UK, including putting the kids up on the podiums of the Tour of Britain and the Womens’ Tour, and taught thousands of kids how to ride a bike.
At the start of 2020, we set out to improve balance bike design and make the step up to manufacturing. We joined forces with an Australian company that had the same passion and history as ourselves and together launched our first bike at the end of 2021 in our respective countries. We had pretty clear ideas from the start, gleaned from years spent observing how children ride and listening to parents, so the designs came together quickly.
What area of the market do you target? We want to keep to our area of expertise: kids’ bikes that help children of all abilities. Kidvelo is all about quality lightweight bikes that make it easy for kids to
Founders of Kidvelo bikes, Karen and Gary Wood
learn to ride. Toddler balances bikes with the correct geometry to cater for a growing child and 14”/18” convertible bikes that can be ridden as a balance bike, but easily adapt to become a lightweight pedal bikes for older children.
What makes your products unique? The Rookie 12 Balance Bike is our smallest bike - the lightest balance bike available that has pneumatic tyres (2.89 kg), built with quality components not dissimilar to those found on performance adult bikes. The wheelbase has been stretched compared to
July 2022 | 33
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