History of LIKEaBIKE

The early years

1997:

LIKEaBIKE racer - First year of development and tests. First contacts in spring/summer and first magazine reviews.

1998/1999:

More sales contacts, first contacts in Europe.

2000:

LIKEaBIKE Mountain.

2002:

LIKEaBIKE Spoky.

2003:

Design Award (toy fair Nurnberg) 3rd prize.

2004:

LIKEaBIKE Forest.

2005:

First Jumper delivery. Introduction of accessories, Hopper, Kickstand, Frame-bags, Froglights, LIKEaBIKE trailer.

2006:

Introduction of Kokua safety helmets, LIKEaBIKE footrests, mega bells and childrens' mitts.

2007:

LIKEaBIKE Maxi, Midi and Wing are Born. New colour of Jumper - Pearl White. To celebrate the 10th anniversary 3000 limited edition LIKEaBIKE which all feature a beautiful enamel badge are produced. The badge is embedded into the handlebars of the all wooden bikes

2008:

LIKEaBIKE Jumper now available in Pink for the girls! Also a vast new range of accessories available including new seat covers, frambags and bar bags. New bar bag launched which fits the Jumper. New Limited edition models launched, White Mountain and Denim Mountain...

History of wooden bikes

"There is still a lot we want to do"
('Rolf Merten 2006')

The development potential of LIKEaBIKE does not start with the first LIKEaBIKE learner bike in 1997. It goes back to the beginning of the 18th century.

In 1817, Baron Von Drais invented a "walking machine" that supported his body weight whilst enabling him to get around the Royal Gardens faster: Two, same-size in-line wheels, the front one steerable, mounted into a frame which he could straddle. The device was propelled by pushing the feet against the ground to create forward motion in the form of a gliding walk. The machine became known as the Draisienne or "hobby horse" and was made entirely of wood.

The Hobby Horse enjoyed a short-lived popularity as a fad, not being overly practical for anything other than use on smooth and well-maintained pathways such as those in parks and gardens.

Had pneumatic tyres been available at the time, it is likely that the invention would have been adopted by a much greater number of riders.

LIKEaBIKE teaches balance and control at a much earlier age than with traditional pedal bicycles with training aids.

LIKEaBIKE utilises this pioneering idea. With LIKEaBIKE, children playfully acquire a sense of equilibrium and learn to play whilst acquiring a sense of balance they will not need a bike with stabiliser wheels later on. LIKEaBIKE teaches balance and control at a much earlier age than with traditional pedal bicycles with training aids.

Awards

The Jumper, Mountain Classic, Spoky and Forest have been awarded a design prize for innovative toys with the German "Spiel-Gut" (Good-Play) award. The spiel gut recommendation signifies that LIKEaBIKE has been tested with children and examined by experts with a positive result.

Their criteria: play value, material, workmanship, construction, durability, safety, design, size, quantity, quality of the instructions for playing or making, suitability for the appropriate age group

The "Stiftung Warentest" (Germany's most famous test institute, who publich the very popular "test" magazine) tested running-bikes in July 2008.
Winner of the test was the LIKEaBIKE-mountain (score 2.5 = good), with second place for the LIKEaBIKE-jumper (score 3.0 = satisfactory).
One other tested running-bike scored 4.0(= pass), however all others scored 4.6-5.5( = poor).

The LIKEaBIKE-jumper got the best grade of all tested bikes in the category "driving", the LIKEaBIKE-mountain was by far the best in "reliability and durability".

The Company

LIKEaBIKE are designed and manufactured by Kokua Holzspielzeug GmbH in Roetgen, Germany. The company is run by Rolf, Alfred and Beate Mertens. Rolf Merten came up with the original concept of making a wooden bike without pedals for small children.

Rolf realised what we have come to accept as normal childrens bicycles, with pedals and stabilisers, obstruct children learning to ride. Stabilisers give children a false sense of security and in our bike shop we often see bent stabilisers as a result of children leaning over on them and not learning to balance. I often tell people you can see how to pedal but not how to balance. Using a LIKEaBIKE will help your child to find balance within themselves. "No stabilisers, No Confusion!" Once they are let loose on a normal bike, using all the skills learned through playing on their LIKEaBIKE and with a little tutoring on the fine art of pedalling they will be flying along, active and very very happy. Don't just believe me ask any of the many happy customers who have already realised the potential of LIKEaBIKE. Parents and children all over the globe will tell you and even show you just how good the LIKEaBIKE actually is.

The word Kokua is a Hawaiian word meaning 'in harmony'

And above all, it's cool to ride a LIKEaBIKE!