You better like this bike because you’re going to have it for fucking ever, kid. (Photo courtesy of Orbea.)
In response to the pesky but unavoidable fact that children tend to grow over time, Spanish bike company Orbea has designed a child’s bicycle that grows with them.
Most children’s bikes need to be replaced every two to three years. But on this new bike, the crossbar, stem, and seat can be lengthened, and the bike will feasibly stay with one child for five to seven years. The components are also built to be longer-lasting. The idea, say company officials, was to create a bike that people take care of, and don’t just throw out when it gets a little too small.
Starting at around $240, this is not cheap for a child’s bike (although as long as it’s not five times as expensive, you’re still coming out ahead). And children accustomed to novelty may balk at the idea of keeping the same bike for longer than a year, never mind five. So this is when you patiently explain to them about overflowing landfills and the coming apocalypse and then say, “Why don’t you go take a nice ride around the block on the bike you’re so lucky to even have.”
