This year was a special year under the tree as each kid got a new bike. There is nothing like, as a kid, seeing that brand new bike in the early hours of Christmas. Now for those of you that have no idea how bike shopping is in the year 2008, let me clue you in to some disturbing trends, some for good, some for bad, but all in all, it just leaves your garage full of bikes.
First, I can remember there only being like two sizes of bikes in the the days of old (1980's), a 20" BMX style bike or a "10 Speed." Maybe there were more sizes, but I didn't know about them. Naturally, kids didn't learn to ride bikes until they were somewhat big enough to get on the 20" bike. I can remember actually having to start out at the curb, so my feet would touch the ground enough to get myself started. As such, other riding toys like Big Wheels were very popular with the youth. I can recall wearing out the tires on my Big Wheels from locking up the pedals and skidding across the pavement. Innovations to the Big Wheel ensured their devoted riders came back for more. Great things like the rear brake, where you could skid out by pulling up on a lever to lock the rear wheel, new colors, new stickers, and a constant tweaking of the seat style and adjustments made sure Santa had a fair share of requests every December. Big Wheels ruled the road for much of my childhood, and it was awesome. Some kids had the cool "Green Machine" type Big Wheels where there was some weird steering mechanism with levers or something, but I never really liked them. The fact that Big Wheels were pretty cheap, required little to no maintenance, and were pretty fool proof in terms of safety was surely a nice thing for parents.
Flash forward to 2008. Now, I can confirm that for kids there are at least five different size bikes. 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 inch models all grace the shelves of the local retail establishments. And right next to them are the various accessories that are a "must." Helmets, bells, baskets, kickstands, and handlebar tassels. You can get your kid the 12" bike by three, move up to a 14" at four, 16" at five, 18" at six and a 20" by they time they are seven or eight years old. Nice huh? What used to be a few Big Wheels and freedom, has turned into a fleet of bikes by the time your kid is in the 3rd Grade. And of course, as parents you are helpless against this horrible trend, which leads me to the point.
This year, it was time to retire Brielle's 12" Barbie bike since she shed the training wheels some time ago and move her up a level or two. We picked the 16" size, which seemed to fit well, though give her a summer and it will be too small. We almost went with the 18", but we figure in a few years, we'll just move on up to the 20" and be done with it. And for Cooper, since we thought giving him the Barbie bike would be cruel, got a 12" bike with the training wheels. So that is that, our kids are set on bikes for a few more years hopefully, when it will be time to up size once again.
And what you ask, is the point of the Big Wheel trip down memory lane? Well, it seems that the big loser in all this is the Big Wheel, my it live on in our memories.
P.S. I realize you can get Big Wheels now, but I really feel like they are a purchase by parents who remember the fun and excitement of the Big Wheel. Once their kid realizes no one else has one and everyone is riding a 12" bike, the kid just wants a bike, plus the new ones are boring looking.
Brand New Bikes from Colby Bower on Vimeo.