The website kinderfahrradfinder.de offers lots of information and answers on how to find the right bike for your child. We spoke to initiator Christopher Deschauer.
BIKE: Where does your enthusiasm and knowledge of children's bikes come from?
CHRISTOPHER DESCHAUER: When it was time to buy my daughter's first bike in 2009, the range of high-quality children's bikes was still thin on the ground. I was in the throes of lightweight construction fever myself and didn't want to settle for much less for my daughter. Since then, every new bike for my daughter has been a small lightweight construction project. The subject has developed into a passion and I have gradually learnt more and more about it.
How did the idea for the children's bike finder come about?
The market for children's bikes has developed considerably in recent years. Parents are more demanding today. Many great manufacturers have emerged. However, their bikes are usually not directly available in the nearest bike shop. In the end, it is often only possible to buy online without a test ride. And then, at the latest, the question of size arises. This gave me the idea of collecting the manufacturers' size specifications in a database and making them comparable.
Not all brands are represented in the children's bike finder. How do you select the bikes for your website?
Low weight, no coaster brakes, no triple drivetrains, adapted crank lengths and suspension forks only on real MTBs. These are some of my criteria. Every bike that the children's bike finder finds should be a good one. With currently around 300 models from 40 manufacturers, the bike finder offers a good overview of the market.
What else does your website offer?
Parents can find various guide articles on children's bikes on the Kinderfahrradfinder blog. I have also just reported on a bikepacking tour with my daughter. I hope this will inspire other parents. There are also articles on transport policy: For example, there are schools that want to ban children from cycling to school. In reality, however, such "bans" are legally unfounded. I would like to counteract this with education.
What's next for the children's bike finder? Is further content planned for the future?
I have lots of ideas - for example a dealer search. However, realising this takes time, which I am now using for another project in the spring: At the VELO trade fairs in Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt, I'm in charge of the YoungStars children's bike area. There will be lots of great bikes to see and test this year.
You can find this article in BIKE 5/2020. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
Stefan Frey
Editor
