Strider 2014 Media Kit

Media Contact:Kyla Wright605.342.0266Kyla@StriderBikes.com

Strider Bikes Rolls Out A New Revamped Line of Balance Bikes

Industry-Leading Product Line Now Features Three Winning Models

Rapid City, SD (April 1, 2014) — Strider Sports Intl., Inc., the world’s premier manufacturer and marketer of children’s no-pedal balance bikes, has unveiled an expanded line of their best-selling 12-inch bikes for 18 month to 5-year-old children.

The balance bikes responsible for teaching over a million toddlers and young children of all abilities how to ride a bike will now be available in three unique models with three separate price points. Whether a tod-dler is just learning to walk or has advanced to popping wheelies on an obstacle course, there is a STRIDER model perfect for any child!

All STRIDER bikes promote a natural method to learn balance and riding skills for children. Strider’s trade-mark durability, functionality, and easy adjustability are retained in every model of the new product line, as are the ultra light molded wheels, premium sealed cartridge wheel bearings, flat-free EVA polymer tires, and integrated footrests. New model names will assist consumers in finding the STRIDER bike best suited for their children and their budget.

The three models will be distinguished by the following product names:

• 12 Classic™ o The Skill-Building, Entry-Level Model • 12 Sport™ o The Feature-Rich, Mid-Level Model • 12 Pro™ o The All-Aluminum, High-End Model

“The STRIDER 12 Classic model is a return to our roots… a super simple design featuring the core elements that make Strider the number one balance bike brand in the world, yet less expensive without some of our options of custom grips and saddles offered on our other models,” says Ryan McFarland, CEO of Strider Sports International. “The 12 Sport model offers every feature a child (or parent) could want with custom grips, padded saddle, handlebar pad, and quick release clamps (no-tool adjustment). It is the perfect bal-ance of performance, options, and value. More than eight years of design evolution and manufacturing improvements all packaged into one model. The 12 Pro utilizes all the features of the Sport model, but in an all -aluminum design, making it the lightest STRIDER™ in the world. Fully featured and ultra light weight make this the top performing balance bike for the little superstar riders and racers.”

All STRIDER bikes and accessories are available through the Strider website and at local STRIDER dealers. To learn which STRIDER is best for you, visit www.StriderBikes.com.

About Strider Sports International, Inc.Strider Sports International, Inc. designs efficient, no-pedal balance bikes that encourage toddlers to ride, learn, and explore the world on two wheels. Founded by Ryan McFarland in January 2007, Strider Sports is a company full of passionate riders of dirt, mountain, street, and road bikes. The goal of Strider Sports is to simplify a bike to its essence, so that proper size, lightweight and simplicity com-bine to eliminate any fear of riding and instill confidence in young new riders. The patented STRIDER™ No-Pedal Bike is now distributed in over 35 countries. To learn more and to find a retailer in your area, visit http://www.StriderBikes.com.

About Strider™ No-Pedal BikesIf your toddler can walk, your toddler can rider a STRIDER™. STRIDER No-Pedal Balance Bikes were devel-oped specifically to help toddlers and young children learn balance and coordination BEFORE pedaling. The simple, no-pedal design allows toddlers to learn to ride on two wheels, avoiding tricycle tip-overs and training wheel wobbles, and instilling considerable confidence and stellar bike handling skills sure to last a lifetime. Strider No-Pedal Balance Bikes encourage the development of spatial awareness, balance, and basic mo-tor skills so that all children can reach their maximum riding potential faster, better and safer. Available at http://www.StriderBikes.com.

All STRIDER bikes and accessories are available through the Strider website and at local STRIDER dealers. To learn which STRIDER is best for you, visit www.StriderBikes.com

Strider Bikes Announces New Program to Teach Balance and Riding SkillsStrider Camp Curriculum and Kit Praised by Educators

Rapid City, SD (March 20, 2014) — Strider Sports International, the world’s leading manufacturer and mar-keter of children’s no-pedal balance bikes, has created a new “How to Balance and Ride” Train the Trainer Curriculum known as STRIDER Camp™. This turnkey kit and lesson plan, complete with five sessions of hands-on learning, fun, and instruction, makes it easy for Strider Dealers, Educators, Park and Recreation programmers or any parent to teach balance and riding skills to groups of toddlers or young children of all abilities.

Strider Camp is a Train the Trainer Program with the goal of teaching balance and the ability to stride. The Strider Camp Kit includes a detailed five session lesson plan, as well as the materials needed to conduct the camp for kids 2-12 years of age. After reading the materials, instructors will have all the knowledge needed to host/teach a camp. Upon completion of the course, youngsters will have the tools and skills necessary to perfect bike handling and the balance needed to ride a bike. STRIDER riders quickly gain confidence and have fun while improving coordination and motor skills. And best of all, the kit includes the ability to order bikes at discounted prices, so that Strider Camps can be used as fundraisers for non-profit organizations.

According to Kim Burke, PT, MPT at Children’s Care Hospital and School in Rapid City, SD, “Striders rock!!! Our (Strider) camp at Children’s Care opened the door to riding for every child who participated in the bike camp. All the families have given me feedback that their children love to ride their Striders! What a great tool to utilize to increase balance, strength, and motor coordination for children.”

Contact Dona Ochsner at Strider Bikes for more details on this educational program or to order your Strider Camp Kit.STRIDER balance bikes are industry-leading training bikes that help children as young as 18 months learn to ride on two wheels. Strider balance bikes focus on the fundamentals of balancing, leaning, and steering without the distractions and complications of pedals or training wheels.The STRIDER’s simple, no-pedal design builds confidence and eliminates fear by allowing kids to have their feet on the ground and progress at their own pace. This unique design teaches young children balance on two wheels right from the start, avoiding developmental delays typical with tricycles and training-wheel bikes.For toddlers, children, adults, and people of all abilities, a STRIDER balance bike is the perfect tool for learning and perfecting balance and bike handling skills that are key to enjoying a life full of fun, healthy, outdoor activities.

Strider Bikes Introduces Line of Balance Bikes for All Ages and All Abilities New 16” and 20” Balance Bike Models Unveiled at 2014 Special Olympics USA Games

Rapid City, SD (June 16, 2014) — Imagine a world where everyone from diaper clad toddlers to Special Olympians to active retirees knows how to balance and ride on two wheels; a world in which kids and adults can feel the freedom that many of us were lucky enough to experience growing up in the 20th century. Strider Bikes wants everyone to understand that Life’s More Fun on Two Wheels; that a glori-ous adventure awaits each and every individual around the world who hops on a two-wheeler.

Strider Sports Intl., Inc., the world’s premier manufacturer and marketer of children’s No-Pedal Balance Bikes, has announced two new models of its best-selling bikes for children, teenagers and adults of all abilities: The STRIDER 16 Sport™ and the STRIDER 20 Sport ™.

The balance bikes responsible for teaching over a million toddlers and young children how to ride a bike will now be available in three distinct sizes: 12 inch (ages eighteen months – 5), 16 inch for 6-12 year olds and 20 inch for teenagers and adults. The all new STRIDER 16 Sport and 20 Sport models allow older kids and even adults to ride in a simple, natural way. Or, for experienced bike riders, these new models offer a lightweight and fun alternative to bikes with pedals and a safer way to hone advanced riding skills. These highly adjustable, all-terrain bikes adapt to nearly every rider size and ability, help-ing the rider feel safe, comfortable and confident. High quality components provide maximum safety, performance, and durability.

All STRIDER bikes promote a natural method to learn balance and riding skills. Strider’s trademark sim-ple design, durability, functionality, light weight, and easy adjustability are retained in each of the two new models. In addition, the new sleek 16 and 20 models feature a 4-way adjustable padded saddle, ergonomic hand lever v-brakes, removable footrests, and pneumatic tires with alloy rims and hubs. The bikes are available in five vibrant pearl finish colors: blue, red, white, green and black. The 16 model is designed and safety tested for riders weighing up to 85 kg/ 187 lbs, while the 20” model is designed and safety tested for up to 110 kg/ 242 lbs.

www.StriderBikes.com

“The STRIDER 16 Sport model is a major redesign of our initial 16” model launched last year. With better components, new features, and more adjustability, we know this bike will be a hit with kids who are just learning to ride for the first time, kids who are dealing with special needs challenges, as well as those who are tearing it up at the skate parks and BMX bike parks”, says Ryan McFarland, CEO of Strider Sports Inter-national. “The 20 Sport model offers every feature of the 16 Sport, only on a larger frame appropriate for teens and adults. We believe these new models are the perfect balance of simplicity, safety, performance, and FUN, without the weight and complication of pedals.”

The new STRIDER 16 and STRIDER 20 models will be debuted at the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games in New Jersey June 16-19, and will be available for shipment to dealers and consumers in July.

All STRIDER bikes and accessories are available through the Strider website and at local STRIDER dealers. To learn which STRIDER is best for you, visit www.StriderBikes.com/bikes.

STRIDER Bike Scientifically Proven To Increase Balance Skills in Pre-School Age Children

University Of South Dakota Shows STRIDER Bike Helps Toddlers Improve Balance And Coordination During Four-Week Study

Rapid City, SD, February 2013 – Strider Sports International, developer of the patented STRIDER No-Pedal Balance Bikes, is pleased to announce the results of a recent study of the STRIDER bike at the University of South Dakota’s Division of Kinesiology and Sport Science. The study was conduct-ed over a four-week period with three to five-year-old children and concluded that participants bene-fited from using a STRIDER bike by improving their balance and functional fitness, while likely reducing future injuries during their daily routines.

The data analysis showed a “significant improvement” in the Limit of Stability scores (the subject’s ability to lean different directions without a loss of balance) for the experimental group after four weeks of targeted training with the STRIDER bike. The study concluded that society could benefit from the knowledge that pedal-less bicycles are a tool for improving stability in three to five-year-old children and are possibly a safer alternative to using training wheels for bicycle riding acclimatization.

“This scientific proof is truly groundbreaking for us at Strider Sports,” says Ryan McFarland, CEO, Strider Sports International. “We have witnessed thousands of anecdotal instances of children learning balance and coordination after using a STRIDER bike. Now the empirical evidence has been gathered and supports what we have seen for years – the STRIDER bike significantly improves a child’s gross motor skill develop-ment as it relates to balance. This, in turn, lets toddlers and young children enjoy life on two wheels like never before!”

“We think the results of this study are fascinating,” says Dr. Andrew Shim, Department Chair of the University of South Dakota Division of Kinesiology and Sport Science. “According to our data collected from the study, the STRIDER bike product really does increase balance in three to five-year-old rid-ers. Ultimately, this increase in balance may eliminate the need for training wheels and tricycles.”

Strider Sports is the world’s premier no-pedal balance bike manufacturer. The easy-to-use balance bikes are designed to encourage toddlers as young as 18 months to ride, learn and explore the world on two wheels at a very early age, instilling a love for cycling that is sure to build a safer, stronger, healthier and more envi-ronmentally sound future.

STRIDER: BRAND FACT SHEET

At Strider, we love riding bikes, and we love inspiring kids to ride. Our mission is to build lightweight, efficient, all-terrain bikes that develop two-wheeled balance, coordination and confidence in children.

LEADERSHIP

Founder Ryan McFarland is a riding and racing enthusiast. Born into a mechanical family, his grandfather was a racecar engineer and his father owned a motorcycle dealership. This early exposure to cars, cycles and racing influenced Ryan to ride dirt bikes. Later, he added mountain biking, dirt bike and stock car racing to his list of hobbies. His natural inclination to tinker and a finely tuned competitive spirit led him to invent the U.S. Patented Thudbuster suspension seat post for bicycles. The inventions continued when Ryan also developed a U.S. Patented suspension system for wheelchairs. He is currently the founder and CEO of Strider Sports International, Inc., home of the STRIDER No-Pedal Balance Bike. Ryan resides in Rapid City, SD with his wife and two young boys.

RESEARCH

STRIDER bikes have been scientifically proven to increase balance skills in pre-school age children. Accord-ing to a study conducted by the University of South Dakota, participants benefited from using a STRIDER bike by improving their balance and functional fitness, while likely reducing future injuries during their daily routines.

As a National Parenting Publications Awards Gold winner, STRIDER balance bikes have been recognized for their innovation, safety and ease-of-use, allowing toddlers as young as 18 months of age to start exploring mobility on two wheels.

EVENTS

STRIDER stresses the importance of getting kids moving at a young age. By hosting events throughout the year all over the country, STRIDER encourages children 18 months to five years old to participate in events that allow them to explore mobility on two wheels, and to learn sportsmanship through friendly competition and make new friends.

EVENTS INCLUDE:

Adventure Zones - STRIDER Adventure Zones are free events that allow children open riding time, time to socialize, play, practice tricks and generally just have a good time. Kids ex-perience the challenge and thrill of riding a STRIDER bike on unique terrains and obstacles. Riders of all skill levels can improve bike-handling skills and further develop balance, con-trol, motor skills and confidence. STRIDER Races - Non-qualifying race events held on a local and regional levels allow kids to come together, share their passion for STRIDER Balance Bikes and participate in friendly

competitive racing. These events also have STRIDER Adventure Zones available during non-race times for kids to enjoy free form riding.

STRIDER Championship Series-This groundbreaking program gives small children a chance to put their Strider Balance Bike skills to the test at several stops across the US and worldwide. The unique Strider Championship Series caters directly to children between two and five years old who want to experience the thrill of racing. Children of all sizes and skill levels are welcome to participate. STRIDER No-Pedal Balance Bikes are developed for both learning the ropes of riding and honing advanced skills in racing.There are heats for 2, 3, 4, and 5-year-olds at each of the races. Registration fees average $25 online or $35 on site. Racers generally receive a Strider goodie bag valued at more than $50 with their registration.

World Championship – The STRIDER World Championship is an annual racing event that brings together STRIDER riders and their families from all over the globe for the pinnacle STRIDER racing event. Whether your toddler is an experienced STRIDER World Cup racer or just starting out, the STRIDER World Champion-ship weekend is an international celebration that includes a variety of family orientated events and outings, all at a beautiful vacation friendly locale.

www.StriderBikes.com