Monkey Cycle is an adaptable bike for kids that morphs as your child grows. With eight different modes starting with a stroller and ending with a belt-drive pedal bike or even a wild-looking quad bike, it will have your child rolling from around 9 months through to 6 years old.
MonkeyCycle 8-in-1 bike that grows from balance to pedaling
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeycycle/monkeycycle-the-modular-bike-that-grows-with-your
Getting its start on Kickstarter a couple of weeks back MonkeyCycle has already far exceeded its crowdfunding goal, with two weeks to go to get on board.
The basic idea is simple, create a core alloy frame with geometry that can be flipped around using alternate axle positions, and a kit of interchangeable wheels & components that can change the ride as a child grows.
MonkeyCycle 8-in-1 bike – How does it grow with your kid?
The Monkey Cycle’s first step can be as a stroller. With two tightly spaced wheels up from and two wide-set wheels in the back, the core alloy frame supports a standard Yepp Mini child seat and adjustable push bar. Plus, once you kid moves up to the next step, the child seat can be attached to the seatpost of your adult bike to ride together.
The first bike step actually starts out as a trike. With the frame slug in its low position, a pair of wide-set wheels out back give stability and let your child learn to scoot and steer.
Next step is the low balance bike. Pop in a rear wheel that includes a disc brake and small kids get low standover height, and can work on their balance and braking control. Then, as your child grows, you can flip the frame over into high balance bike mode to better suit for longer legs and the next transition to pedals.
Now the kiddo is pedaling thanks to a seat tube that bolts under the frame to support the bottom bracket and a single speed belt-drive drivetrain. Plus, you now get a front disc brake for full stopping control.
Other build options include a couple of three-wheeled tricycle setups. The Tadpole trike puts two wheels up front in a pivoting fashion that lets little riders lean and work on a different set of balance skills. Then the Pedal Trike puts the two wheels in back for stability, helping out little rider who have a hard time mastering pedaling, braking & balancing at the same time.
And lastly, the Quad. Four wheels, a tilting front end, and surely a fun time, no matter how odd it probably is to ride the thing.
MonkeyCycle 8-in-1 bike – Tech Details & Pricing
The heart of the MonkeyCycle is a 6061-T6 aluminum frame and fork with a proper headset, an adjustable angle stem, alloy kid-sized components, magnesium wheels with tube-type tires, and Tektro mechanical disc brakes with finger safe rotors.
It even gets internal cable routing and 3-piece alloy cranks. Final weight as a balance bike is just 3.6kg/7.9lb and 8.8kg/19.4lb as the crazy Quad. Minimum seat height is 30cm/12″ and max is 63.5cm/25″.
As part of the Kickstarter campaign there are several funding options. From $199 the basic kit includes the standard 3-stage setup to go from two balance bikes to the pedal bike. Step up to the $249 Trike kit and it adds the early trike. Or go all in on the $299 full kit for everything but the stroller. The Stroller Kit is actually a stretch goal since it will require a bunch of different safety testing, so who knows if that will happen.
Other than that, MonkeyCycle is on track for its overseas production schedule, with final bike kits expected to ship in March of 2019.
