Bicycle of the week! The Observer/ Guardian

We're really pleased to have been chosen by Martin Love as his 'Bicycle of the week' in this Sunday's Observer Magazine!

"Through a clever range of additions and adjustments, this bike will keep your child riding for longer..."

Black Mountain Skøg children’s bike
Price £329, blackmountain.bike
Frame aluminium
Gears two-speed belt-drive

Teaching your children to ride is one of the great joys of being a parent. But it’s an expensive hobby. Our kids have an annoying habit of growing. A few spins around the park on a balance bike and you are back at the cycle shop forking out for a bigger one.

But what if the bike could grow with your child, and expand its frame as your kid expanded theirs? That is exactly the solution Black Mountain bikes, based in Raglan, Monmouthshire, has come up with. Through a series of simple adjustments and clever add-ons the bike can be modified to keep pace with them as they shoot up.

There are two models to choose from: the Pinto and the Skøg. Each comes in three modes: a balance set-up to start with, then you add a ‘power pack’ of pedals, gears and cranks to make it into a mid-size bike, before finally reconfiguring the unique frame to stretch it into a larger-sized bike.

The bikes are sturdy and colourful, with knobbly tyres and a comfy seat. Micro-adjust brakes and an oil-free belt mean maintenance is low, while thrills remain high.