Lee Bowman knows all too well what can happen when panic kicks in while stopping a bicycle. Grabbing too much front brake, he flew over the handlebars and hit the ground, breaking vertebrae and ultimately landing himself in traction.
The story has a happy ending, at least. Bowman recovered, and his grandson Brian Riley used the accident as inspiration to found the company SureStop – an Irvine bicycle component maker that uses one hand lever, instead of two, to control the front and rear brakes simultaneously, practically eliminating the possibility of an “endo.”
Predicated on the idea that safe braking makes happier riders, SureStop technology has been available on adult bicycles since 2013, including models from popular brands such as Jamis, Torker, XDS and, coming in October, REI’s Novara Corsa models.
But another group of riders has long been underserved: children.
“None of our customers were doing it on kids bikes, yet at the same time, everybody was asking for it on kids bikes,” said Riley, now 27 and CEO. “A lot of companies, kids bikes are an afterthought. It’s the last thing they put R&D into, so to do a new thing for kids wasn’t really happening. That’s why we decided to just go ahead and do it ourselves.”
In September, the component maker will apply its SureStop brakes to a new business of its own creation – Guardian Bicycle Co. Designed exclusively for children ages 6 through 12, the bikes will be available in 20- and 24-inch aluminum frames for girls and boys and sold through independent bicycle dealers.
Guardian will officially launch at the annual Interbike trade show in Las Vegas next month, but the weekend prior, a demo ride will be held in Orange County at a location yet to be determined. The venue will be posted at Guardianbikes.com when available.
Priced at $399, Guardian Bicycles are the only children’s bikes to incorporate SureStop’s version of a traditional V brake system. It works by applying brake force to the rims of each wheel when the one brake lever is squeezed.
The amount of brake pressure that is applied depends on the amount of rear traction. As the rear brake is applied, it communicates via cable with the brakes in front, effectively inducing all-wheel braking for improved stopping power.
“What typically happens is that people don’t understand how to use their brakes in combination and especially during a panic situation,” Riley said. “If you’re not used to using the front brakes, you can grab too much and toss yourself over the handlebars.”
In the United States, many bicycles, especially those targeting entry-level or leisure-oriented cyclists, are equipped with two levers operating the front and rear brakes independently. Paired with each hand grip, the left lever operates the front brake, the right lever operates the rear. But many riders don’t know which brake controls which wheel, Riley said, citing results of an online survey SureStop conducted in March with riders of varying skill levels.
Among riders who knew which lever activated the brakes on each wheel, 45 percent reported using only the rear brake to avoid going over the handlebars. Using only the rear brake, however, doubles the distance it takes to stop. The shortest, most effective, way to stop a bicycle is to use both brakes.
“If you can make a bicycle easier to use that means more confidence for the people that are riding, and more confidence means a better and safer experience,” Riley said.
When it comes to kid’s bikes, how often they are ridden is also a matter of more fickle tastes, such as colors and graphics – the overall cool factor.
Guardian Bicycles were designed in response to cross-country research in grade schools to learn more about how kids ride and what they like and dislike. As fashion forward as they are safety conscious, Guardian bikes color match the wheels to frames that are decorated in eye-catching graphics.
The frames themselves are a geometry oriented around comfort. They are built to have a lower center of gravity, for better balance, and are made of lightweight 6061 aluminum for easier control. They are also outfitted with high-quality Shimano components.
It’s a combination that hits all the right notes for Jax Bicycle Center in Fullerton, which currently sells children’s bicycles from Trek and Electra. Comfort is the most important aspect for riders under age 12, said Doug Druz, store manager at the independent dealership.
“If a kid’s not comfortable on it, he won’t ride it,” said Druz, adding that it’s important that children’s bikes also be high quality and easy to use with durable components because “kids are not gentle on bikes at all.”
At Jax, about 20 percent of the shop’s sales are children’s bicycles, which is on par with the national average, where sales of children’s bikes are outpacing the cycling segment as a whole.
According to market research firm NPD Group, sales of children’s bicycles increased 9 percent in the calendar year ending in May. At the same time, 19 percent of the 2.4 million bicycles sold through independent bicycle dealers over the 12-month period ending in May were for children, making them the second largest bicycle category by sales volume, said Greg Shoenfeld, retail business group manager for NPD Group’s sports and leisure trends division in Boulder, Colo.
“Bikes are healthy. They’re a sustainable mode of transportation, especially in cities where there’s not enough room for everybody to have cars,” Riley said. “You can’t have everybody riding bikes if they’re not comfortable with the user experience or have concerns about safety, so we’re doing our little part to make people more confident on a bike.”
Contact the writer: scarpenter@ocregister.com On Twitter: @OCRegCarpenter
