BRANDS
5 minutes with Tom de Pelet of Hornit
Hornit isn’t a typical bike brand name, and it’s not a typical kids’ bike brand name either. But although Hornit is making suave-looking kids’ bikes now, that’s not where they started. The brand was born out of “a desire to improve cycle safety”, and they did so with horns, lights, helmets and other accessories. But as founder, Tom de Pelet, became a parent, he started designing bikes that focus on early rider safety as well as looking pretty good, and at a great price point. BikeBiz sat down with him to chat about the new range of balance bikes.
Why expand into kids’ bikes beyond balance bikes? Creating a beautiful range of balance and pedal bikes has been a long-term ambition for us. We’ve sold children’s helmets for over a decade and the Hornit MINI for even longer, so we’ve always been close to that early-stage riding journey. Balance bikes are undoubtedly the best way for children to learn to ride, but historically, the designs have been quite utilitarian. With the AIRO, we wanted to change that completely. Designed by an ex-Alfa Romeo designer and
made from magnesium alloy rather than aluminium, we believe it redefined what’s possible in terms of style, weight and price. Expanding into pedal bikes was a natural next step, driven
largely by customer demand. We had a growing base of loyal AIRO riders whose parents wanted to stay with Hornit for that first pedal bike. From a customer journey perspective, it makes complete sense but only if we could genuinely deliver on design, weight, quality and value. That’s what led to the HERO range.
How has Hornit navigated the post-COVID downturn? The post-COVID correction was significant as we saw revenues fall by nearly 50% over two years, which is a serious challenge for any business.
www.bikebiz.com May 2026 | 15
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