A new German brand exhibited quality bicycles for children for the first time at Eurobike. The bikes can be configured online and are built around wheel sizes ranging from 16 to 26 inch. SHOW DAILY editor Laurens van Rooijen visited their booth.
The history of German kids bike brand Sqeeder started with an avid mountain biker and father being frustrated by the shortcomings of existing offerings for children – many were way too heavy to be fun to ride for children. Ulf Magaschütz also saw a lot of room for improvement in terms of ergonomics and ease of operation: “Riding a bike in terrain is not easy, so children need to get into it step by step. Putting a child on a bike with a lot of gears and brakes up front and in the back, expecting him or her to ride unpaved trails is likely to end in a frustrating experience – there’s just too many new things to learn at once. I also felt that most children’s bikes on the market had boring designs and offered little to no options for configuration,” Magaschütz recalls. As a result, he founded the Sqeeder brand along with a small team.
Smallest Sqeeder model starts with 16 inch
To maximize the fun on two wheels for children, the brand has opted for a gradual approach: its smallest V3 model with 16 inch wheels comes with either v-brakes or disc brakes, but no gears and the option for either a chain or a belt drive. This way a child can focus on picking lines, shifting his weight on the bike and using the brakes without having to think about changing gears. The lightweight aluminum frame offers plenty of standover clearance and a slack head tube angle for predictable steering, and contact points like the brake levers, grips, saddle and pedals all have been selected to fit young children. The same goes for the cranks and the handlebar. To further save weight, Sqeeder opts for the combination of a rigid fork and wide tires on the V3 model.
A 10-speed drivetrain and a suspension fork come into play with the V4 model built around 20-inch wheels, and options include a dropper post. A special feature is the configurator that allows for individual customization of each model with various components to choose from. Additionally, Sqeeder offers 30 different colors, four color packages and many different sticker colors. This wide range of configurations is made possible by assembly in Germany. With the V5 and V6 Sqeeder has models with 24- and 26-inch wheels respectively as well, and the first full-suspension model will be on display at the Eurobike show. As for distribution, the start-up has opted for an omnichannel approach, with a webshop for D2C business and sales at bicycle shops worldwide.