by amie.huiam.net | Feb 7, 2022 | Kids bikes
You may have heard of balance bikes and wondered whether they’re worth it. They provide endless benefits to your child’s learning and development, and they’re great for getting your toddlers to places quickly, meeting friends at the park and keeping them entertained when you need a well-earnt break!
Here’s your guide to everything you need to know about balance bikes and whether your toddler will benefit from one (hint: they’ll love it).
Build strength and coordination
Fortunately, balance bikes will keep your toddler entertained for hours. It’s great exercise and will boost your child’s confidence. Not to mention, balance bikes help develop core muscle strength and endurance. Furthermore, balance bikes are great for development in young children. According to Kid Sense Child Development, learning balance and coordination is important for injury prevention, self-regulation, and developing a foundation for future development of fine motor skills.
Perfect gateway to pedal bikes
Do you remember learning to ride your first pedal bike? The frustration and embarrassment every time you toppled over? Balance bikes provide your child with the skills they need to ride a pedal bike. You’ll know when the time is right to upgrade when they outgrow their balance bike. It’s a win-win.
Promotes good health and wellbeing
Children love being outdoors, especially with their families. Balance bikes provide a great opportunity to get the family outdoors for the day and explore the area safely. It’s the perfect opportunity to teach your child about road safety from a young age. Balance bikes are great for back gardens, grass, or even hiking trails. They’re completely dynamic.
First taste of independence
Whether your toddler uses their balance bike to ride to nursery, meet up with family and friends, or day-to-day entertainment, it opens a wealth of opportunities. For more tips for keeping your child safe on their first bike, click here.
A safer way to start riding
Balance bikes are a safer way to ride for your little cyclist, helping them gain confidence before progressing to a pedal bike. Browse our range of kids Balance Bikes, perfect for toddlers and children aged 2-4 years. Free home delivery or same-day Click & Collect available.
Go further on family adventures
As the evenings are slowly starting to brighten, many of you, we’re sure, will be keen to get back outdoors with your children. If you’re a parent, grandparent or childminder, you may have thought about taking your young ones with you. If you’re not yet tempted, take a look at our ’10 reasons to cycle with your kids’ blog.
We are more than happy to help your little one pick the best option for them, even if they are more concerned about the pretty colours! Visit one of our stores or shop our range online.
by amie.huiam.net | Jan 10, 2022 | Cycling advice & tips
‘New Year, new me’. We’ve all said it, but how many of us are able to make sustained changes to our lives as we turn our calendars to a new year?
The start of January can sometimes feel overwhelming, with the pressure to set resolutions or make dramatic changes to our lives, but it doesn’t need to be this way. If you’re ready to lead a happier and healthier life in 2022, our list of 6 reasonable and simple steps will help. Whether you tick off all six or try one or two, we’re confident you’ll notice a positive change!
1. Regular exercise
You probably don’t need us to tell you that exercising has a whole multitude of benefits. It improves your physical health and fitness and the way you think and feel.
If hitting the gym or getting out for a run is your thing, we’re sure you’ve got this one covered. But, if you’re struggling to find time around a busy work life or being a taxi to the little ones, we’re here to help:
– Walk or cycle to school/work instead of the car or public transport
– Organise your kids’ playdates to take place at the park – lots of running (and fun!) guaranteed
– Set your alarm clock half an hour earlier for a quick morning stroll
– Exercise while watching TV, our home trainers are great for this!
– Take the stairs instead of the lift
– Get moving in your lunch hour or suggest a walking meeting with a colleague
– Meet with friends for a walk or fitness class rather than coffee or dinner
– Park further away than you need to. You’ll thank us later for that extra stroll.
2. Develop healthy sleeping habits
After all that exercise, you might think you’ll be more than ready to sleep. However, a surprising estimate of 4 in 5 Brits get less than the ideal 8 hours of sleep a night! If you’re guilty of cutting short your forty winks, let’s explore some of the reasons you might want to change this.
A good night sleep can:
· Reduce stress
· Improve your mood
· Help you concentrate for longer
· Improve your memory
· Better control your weight
· Keep your heart healthy
· Allow your body to rest and repair
· Benefit your relationships
3. Stay hydrated and eat well
A healthy diet is imperative to feeling good. Try to get your 5 a day (and beyond) and keep your diet well-balanced. This gives your body the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and energised to get you through the day.
As well as eating well, always try to stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is a good way to do this, especially while exercising. If you’re out on your bike, attach a bottle cage to its frame to prevent dehydration. This is particularly important in the summer months!
4. Look after your mental health
When thinking about improving your lifestyle, don’t forget your mental health. To establish a happier and healthier life, it’s just as important to look after our minds as it is our bodies.
We suggest a useful place to start is doing something meaningful each day. For example, it might be meaningful for you to call a friend or read a good book. Whatever brings you joy, attempt to find a little more time to introduce it into your day. For us, we love taking the scenic route on a daily bike ride!
Similarly, limit anything that does the opposite of bring joy. For example, overconsumption of the news or your social media feeds might not be the best use of your time. Reducing your screen time, in general, can have a whole host of benefits!
Another great step to take is to practice gratitude for the things we have rather than what we do not. Try writing a quick morning gratitude list to appreciate what is present in your life.
5. Improve your relationships
As human beings, relationships are often an integral part of our day to day lives. Whether with friends, family or colleagues – positive relationships can benefit our lifestyles.
Spending time with loved ones is a fantastic way to feel good. You could even tick off two things on our list and invite them out for some exercise! Bike ride anyone?
6. Get started today!
It’s time to get your healthier lifestyle going and, there’s no time like the present! Why not make just one small change today? Try taking the stairs over the elevator or calling a friend for a catch-up!
Making small changes each day is the best way to persevere with your healthier lifestyle. Don’t overwhelm yourself all at once, and be patient with any setbacks. You’ve got this!
At Cycle King & Hawk Cycles, we like to practice what we preach! That’s why family, mental wellbeing and exercise are such integral parts of our team. We love providing bikes to local families and hearing how they help you create healthier lifestyles!
Share your story! When you’re out and about on your bike, use #CycleKingUK or tag us @CycleKingUK in your Instagram photos.
by amie.huiam.net | Dec 8, 2021 | Cycling advice & tips, Kids bikes
With Christmas quickly approaching, we wanted to share our top tips for gifting your child their first bike. Read on for more information and, remember to check out our amazing range of kids’ bikes here.
1. Keep it a surprise!
They may have seen our latest Christmas advert and be begging for a new, flash cycle. To keep the excitement for the big day, ask neighbours or family and friends to help hide the bike away. If this isn’t possible, keep the bike in a box in a shed or garage if you have one.
2. Christmas club:
Our Christmas Club is another fantastic way to keep their bike a surprise! Reserve a bike today by ordering for Click & Collect and, your local store will call you to handle the rest! We’ll hide your bike in one of our stores until closer to the big day.
Shop our range of kids’ bikes here. Whether you’re buying online or in one of our 23 local stores, you’ll receive the same friendly, expert service we pride ourselves on. We prioritise ensuring that you have total confidence in us and that we’re always here to help.
3. Stocking fillers:
Don’t forget fun stocking fillers such as helmets, clothing and baskets! These are a lot easier to hide and can be selected in a range of colours to meet your child’s Christmas wishes. You can shop stocking fillers from £20 here.
4. Check out our blogs for riding in the dark and winter:
We’re sure they’ll want to rush out on their bike straight away, so ensure you’re prepared for taking your child out in the dark and winter. It’s important that your bikes are well lit, you are wearing protective and bright clothing, and you’re familiar with the route and any complications along the way. You can find more tips for keeping your child safe on their first bike by clicking here.
5. Building their confidence:
Take your child out for several bike rides to build their confidence on their new bike. Ensure they know basic road safety and are in your eye-sight for the whole journey. Always wear a helmet and protective clothing. For our top tips for teaching your child to ride a bike, click here.
by amie.huiam.net | Aug 25, 2021 | Cycling advice & tips
We’re thrilled to announce our brand NEW Spend & Save loyalty scheme.
Spend & Save enables you to earn points with every purchase, whether that be online or in-store, along with many other great benefits. For a limited time only, we are offering double points when you sign up to the loyalty scheme – for every £10 you spend, get £1 worth of free points!
At Cycle King & Hawk Cycles, we’re passionate about getting as many people as possible riding bikes and enjoying cycling. That’s why we are excited to be giving you great rewards and to help your money go further.
This is our way of saying thank you for being such wonderful customers and supporting your local family bike shop Cycle King & Hawk Cycles.
“This is a fantastic step for Cycle King & Hawk Cycles. We’re very grateful to all of our customers who have supported us not only throughout the challenges of the past year but through our long history. Whether that was through buying a bike, getting a service, or just popping in to say ‘hello’. We wanted to give something back and reward our loyal customers with something special. We’re immensely proud of playing our small part in helping to get everyone out and enjoying the time on bikes.”
Group Managing Director, Daren Hunt
You will be able to register online or in-store. Once your Spend & Save points have accumulated, you can redeem your points to pay for some cycling accessories, or even a contribution towards that bike you’ve always dreamt of.
Through signing up to Spend & Save this month, you’ll receive all these great benefits with our fantastic introductory offer:
- – Collect points worth 10p for every £1 you spend in-store or online
- – Exclusive access to future offers & promotions (only accessible through the Spend & Save loyalty scheme)
- – All the latest news and updates on Cycle King & Hawk Cycles
- – Up to two years to redeem your points
So what are you waiting for? Spend, save & ride away.
by amie.huiam.net | Aug 1, 2021 | Cycling advice & tips
As far as family fun goes you really can’t beat a good old fashioned family bike ride! They don’t cost much, the kids love them and it’s great exercise for you and your little ones. That being said there are plenty of things that can trip us up and turn a fun day out into a bit of a nightmare. So we’ve put together this guide to help you make sure your day out on the bikes goes as smoothly as possible.
If you haven’t been riding for a while the first thing you want to make sure is that all of your bikes are ready to roll. There’s not much worse than getting everyone excited for a bike ride only to find out someone has got a flat tyre! Check over everyone’s bikes making sure the tyres are pumped up, the brakes are working well and everything is oiled up and ready to go.
It’s also important that your child’s bikes are the right size for them, luckily we’ve got handy guides on how to choose the right bike to fit your child here and another guide on learning how to fix and maintain your bikes here. If you get stuck, head in to your local Cycle King & Hawk Cycles store and one of our friendly workshop staff will be able to help.
If the bikes are prepared the next step is to get everyone ready. We all know kids can be quick to moan if they’re too hot or too cold so get everyone kitted out in suitable clothing and don’t forget to pack extra layers if it’s cold or a cap for when they’re off the bike if it’s sunny. Sun protection is a must, remember that we don’t get as hot when we’re cycling as the air cools us down so it’s easy to forget that the sun is beating down on our skin. A good sun cream can save a lot of soreness and tears down the line! Finally, check that everyone is happy with their helmets, they should be snug and not move about when they wobble their heads but not so tight that they are uncomfortable.
The final step before you get going is to pack some essentials. We all hope that we won’t get a puncture but it’s better to be safe than sorry, a puncture repair kit and pump will keep you rolling if the worst happens. Secondly, cycling can be thirsty work so make sure you take a long lot of water, either in your backpack or in water bottles on everyone’s bike. Dehydration leads to tiredness and headaches which leads to lots of moaning! Last but not certainly not least is snacks. Cycling takes up a lot of energy, so to keep those little legs turning it’s important you keep everyone fuelled up with some snacks. Oaty cereal bars offer long lasting energy that should keep everyone happy, but it’s never a bad idea to take along some sweets for a quick energy boost or a reward for getting to the top of a hill!
So now you’re ready to go! But remember it’s not just bikes that go rusty… even the most confident peddlers can lose confidence if it’s been a little while since their last ride. Before you set off, take some time to go through the basics of pedalling, braking and changing gear. Once you’ve got these nailed it’s time to set some ground rules. For under 10’s it’s safest to stick to cycle paths, but remind them they still need to ride safely. Let everyone know what to do if they come to a road junction, how far ahead they are allowed to go and the importance of stopping when you say so.
Try to pick a route that’s mainly flat to keep everyone happy, children’s bikes are often relatively heavy so hills that may seem easy for you could be a mini mountain for them! Let them know roughly how long you’ll be cycling for and take lots of breaks for drinks and snacks. Do what you can to get them to pace themselves, kids spending all their energy at the start of the day is a sure fire way to take the fun out of the ride when it gets to the end. Stopping every now and again to look at plants and wildlife is a good way to moderate the pace and let everyone catch their breath.
The most important thing to remember on a family bike ride is to have fun! There’s no right or wrong way to go for a bike ride, whether it’s fast or slow, short or long, if everyone is having a good time enjoying riding their bikes you’ll be making great memories and staying healthy at the same time.
We love to see it when our customers get out riding so remember to take lots of pictures and tag @CyclekingUK if you post them on Instagram. We always share our favourites!
