When you purchase a bicycle as a gift, you get so much more than an item to be shoved under the tree!
A quality, professionally assembled bicycle from your neighborhood bicycle store is a piece of finely tuned mechanical artistry, a vehicle that is powerful, reliable, durable and safe. For most kids, it is simply the best gift you can give. A bicycle, especially the first bicycle, is different from any other gift. It represents a coming of age, a new independence, a right of passage.
- Owning a bicycle creates new transportation options. It is more than a toy: it is the first vehicle many children ever ride on their own. Let your child discover the responsibility associated with controlling a vehicle, but also the exhilaration and freedom that come with it.
- A bicycle will help your child gain a sense of autonomy. It offers a way to get from point A to point B without relying on the automobile, transit or other people. Children from a very early age can appreciate the difference, and older children can actually use the bike to chauffeur themselves around.
- A bicycle is a great teaching tool! You can help your child learn the rules of the road using your bikes on quiet streets around the neighborhood. Or, you can sign up for a bike repair class with an older child to learn practical skills, and further boost the sense of responsibility and autonomy in your kid.
- It's really a gift for your whole family. Now you can enjoy cycling outings together. Or you can walk or jog, while your child cycles along. But it's winter! SO? Your child will actually WANT to go outside in the cold. Trust me, I've been there.
- A bicycle purchased from a professional shop is a terrific value. It is a fancy gift that's truly worth it's price. Think of a price of a popular doll with a couple outfits, a fancy box of Legos , or a video game system, and you will see that the price of a quality, professionally assembled, properly working child's bicycle is actually quite reasonable (with a year of free service, to boot!). In fact, this gift will keep on giving. It will not be discarded or forgotten. Your child will use it enjoy it for a long time to come, and the cost of a bicycle and its maintenance, spread over the number of years the owner will enjoy it, adds up to a very affordable annual expense.
- A Bike will help your child build awareness. Unlike a car, which isolates us from our surroundings and fellow humans, the bicycle puts us in touch with the environment & people around us. It's hard to space out on a bike. You have to pay attention. And when you are not looking out at the world through a smoked glass window, you notice things like prowling cats, sparring squirrels, dragonflies, homeless people under a bridge, the weather, nasty smells exuded by cars, and other interesting things you might otherwise miss. A bicycle is also a vehicle for social change. You can discuss how bikes are used around the world to alleviate poverty and and offer mobility solutions in developing countries (for example World Bicycle Relief or Working Bikes).
- It is the most fun your kid will have without being plugged in. A bicycle can teach your child the value of unstructured exploration, and how to unwind and relax.
- It doesn't need batteries. Just your kid's own power, and a little air and oil once in a while. That's all.
- It won't scatter small parts all over your house.
- It makes very effective presentation. Imagine this giant package under the tree!... Or rolling it with great fanfare from the garage... wow! (We will store the bike for you until December 24, so you can keep it a surprise.)
