“The best kids’ bike in the world,” the Woom website (here) announces.
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| First daffodil to bloom |
Yes, that’s Woom, but we suspect it’s pronounced “VOOM.” The bike comes from an Austrian manufacturer that specializes in kids’ bikes. This bike is a size “2” and retails for $399, but Hallie and Nick bought this one at a Seattle thrift store for $12. Mike just finished cleaning and tuning it. He was impressed with the quality of construction and said it didn’t need much. He cleaned the chain and the sprockets, trued the wheels, and loosened the pedals.
Silas
has already been introduced to cycling. He has a balance bike (no pedals) on which he whizzes along the sidewalks of his neighborhood. (Yes, he wears a helmet.) Now
he’s ready for the next step – actually pedaling.
Says Silas: “It will be fun!” KW
[Milo would have loved this story from beginning to end -- a deal on a bike, tuning it up, and nephew Silas learning to ride.]
6 comments:
It looks so good! I have already scoped out a nice park that has a wide, paved half mile loop that is a safe place for him to go as fast as he can while I can run.
I love that photo of him grinning on his bike. He messed with the adjustment knob underneath the helmet so it’s sitting funny on his head—it fits better than that.
That IS a good photo. I trust you to make sure his helmet sits correctly on his head.
It's a wonderful little bicycle. And I know he'll want to ride just as fast as he can. That's his style!
Oh my goodness! That is the cutest bike ever!!! And Silas on it? Who can look at it without smiling ear to ear? Not me, for sure!
And what a deal! I guess the thrift store didn't know what they had, but so wonderful for Hallie and Nick to be able to get it for that price. Positively mind blowing!
The deal on the little bike was incredible. Mike and I discussed this at the dinner table the other night. Why did the previous owner donate rather than sell it? Of course, we're only guessing.
1) Perhaps they tried and it didn't sell.
2) Maybe they bought it at a thrift store and wanted to pass it to the next folks in line.
3) Maybe they didn't want to bother with the process of selling it.
4) Maybe it was a gift and they didn't know what they had.
The wealthier the community, the better the stuff in the thrift stores. And as I've reported, it's amazing what people will just throw away.
I confirmed with Hallie that in the photo, Silas is on the balance bike, which is the same brand and looks much the same. This little bike was probably a thrift store find as well.
Here’s a story of bikes. Nick picked up a neat blue Schwinn balance bike for under $8 but it was too big still. Then, someone had another balance bike on the curb with a free sign so we nabbed it. Nick sold both of those bikes for a profit and used the money to buy the existing bike that was more than I’d ever spend on a child’s bike ($160, I think). The profits didn’t cover the cost, but we’ll turn around and sell it when he’s too big and probably come out whole. The pedal bike had two flat tires and was covered in green slime from being left outside. We could tell the wheels were not spinning true. Whoever had it didn’t care for it as you should, so it was a project for the buyer. We did some cleanup before it got to our skilled bicycle mechanic and then he did the rest! It’s a wonderful feeling to get a good deal AND restore life to something so nice. We are so fortunate that Dad has the skills to help with our endeavor.
We would never have believed the little pedal bike was in such bad shape. You and / or Nick did a great job of cleaning it before it came to your dad. And that the bike didn't suffer permanent damage from neglect is further testament to its quality.
Your dad can hardly wait to see Silas ride it. Maybe it will happen at the farm.
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