Wooden Pty Ltd

Wooden specialises in promoting mobility in children aged 1 to 12 years. Safe, educational and fun, the Wooden product range offers fantastic ways for kids to refine their physical skills.

Wooden continues to have a vested interest in balance bikes and this is why we have teamed up with British based company Early Rider, world class manufacturers of a unique children's bicycle range. Unmatched in stability and style, Early Rider offers the Harley of balance bikes for kids.

This year at Ausbike we will be focusing the Juno the newest member of the Early Rider family. Last year we showed the prototype this year we have the finished product and we will be taking orders.

It”s the first and only ride on in the world that is able to help young children (ages 1-2) to make the connection between their senses (vision, pressure, equilibrium…) and their motor system. Some might call it balance but it’s really more about the co ordination of our muscles in response to what we see and feel.

The reason it’s so important – is that this is the age when we’re first making this connection as well as when we’re most open to experiential learning. The reason is never been achieved before is that it requires a ride on that’s unstable (so the child is required to effect some control – like with a bike) but at the same time safe (unlike a bicycle) and this is the tricky bit.

The key is that the product is based upon spheres – it’s based upon the fundamental principle that a ball able to move freely will just relocate, it’s not tippy like a wheel. And so by replacing wheels with a certain arrangement of spheres we’ve been able to simulate a bike but with increased lateral forgiveness so that it becomes very difficult for a child to fall of or fall onto – and if they were too it can only happen in a harmless fashion. Genius!