Our Story
Our Story
It began with two boys and two firmly held beliefs: one, that we need a generation more connected to the environment than devices; and two, that there’s no better way to connect with the world around us than to get riding a bike, a snowboard, a surfboard...
We stretch boundaries.
We stretch boundaries.
Since 2005 we have helped redefine kids bike manufacturing and changed the perspective on what kids can do when given the best tools for the job.
Awesome bikes in kids sizes.
We’re not a kids bike company and I really don't like being thought of as one. For me it conjurs up images of sickly colours, novelty stickers, baskets and stabilisers. I’ve always thought the market was full of opportunists leveraging childish appeal and marketing waffle rather than any real substance - and we’ll always distance ourselves from them. We make sophisticated, premium bikes fit for adults, we just make them in kids sizes.’
Proof is in the riding.
The importance of these first bikes cannot be overstated. They have taught us how our work is rewarded: by a generation more capable and committed than ever before. From humble beginnings, but with a steadfast commitment to making the very best, we have learnt how to produce bikes and young riders with unparalleled potential. And we don’t just mean how well they ride their bikes, we measure this by confidence, independence and the lengths they are willing to go to break down boundaries.
Still so much to do.
And finally we make our bikes with an attention to detail that you'd expect to see on a high end adult bike. We do this believing that when we, as parents, know that something is special, we will naturally find a way to let our children know too, helping to earn their trust in the process and circling the loop on confidence.
We Are Riders...
We Are Riders...
Adventurers, problem solvers, innovators, non-conformists, kids (at heart) and parents. We are also a little bit obsessive about what we do...
A way of life. Not a bike company.
“When I first started Early Rider, I had no idea of the journey we would take. It was meant as two fingers up to how kids were being brought up at the time, a thinly veiled play on Easy Rider. What I didn't realise is just how positively adventure in those early years can influence our children's later lives as well as our own."
Andy Loveland, Founder.
A means to explore.
And so we saw riding bikes not as a milestone or a means to get to school, it was a vehicle for adventure. A symbol of a counter culture, shunning the idea that screen time and inactivity were to increasingly characterise our kids lives.
Our journey begins.
And so since 2005, everything we've done has focused on encouraging adventure in our children's lives. Whether it's within the local town, off the beaten track or hitting the trails. Wherever we ride we've dedicated the last 16 years to innovating ways to get the most out of every journey.
The Early Rider Way...
The Early Rider Way...
Our goal isn’t just to make more capable bikes, it’s to make more capable kids. We have a process and it starts with empowering parents with the right tools for the job.
Cognition, coordination& confidence.
“Our range is unique in that it’s a complete, systematic developmental journey for children. A structured process that gives us the best chance of helping kids develop into independent, capable and confident young explorers. Our pillars are these 3 C’s and every bike we make is designed with these in mind.”
Andy Loveland, Founder
Making life easier.
We also design our bikes within a framework that works for the parents: easier to justify, easier to use, easier to maintain, easier to get excited about. Our bikes are finished brushed so they look great used, clear coated to be gender neutral and more easily passed on. There are no model years, so a bike never becomes out of date. We use belt drives where dirt, grease, clothing or maintenance are a consideration, and aluminium everything where corrosion is a concern.
Trusting the process.
And finally we make our bikes with an attention to detail that you'd expect to see on a high end adult bike. We do this believing that when we, as parents, know that something is special, we will naturally find a way to let our children know too, helping to earn their trust in the process and circling the loop on confidence.