Strider Bikes: How a Rapid City, SD, Dad Reimagined the Bicycle
As a cycling enthusiast who enjoys riding the trails in and around his hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota, Ryan McFarland wanted to get his young son, Bode, onto two wheels as quickly as possible. The problem was, seemingly the only choices available for a starter bike for a 2-year-old involved either three wheels (tricycles) or four (training wheels).
“A pedal bicycle is too heavy and complex for someone that little. So, we end up putting training wheels on it, making it even heavier and more complex,” McFarland says. “I realized the traditional products weren’t really advancing his abilities the way I thought was possible. So rather than waiting a few more years for those products to work, I decided I might be able to develop a better product.”
And so, he did. Working out of his garage, McFarland created a bicycle with no pedals, chains or wheel sprockets that add all the extra weight to a traditional bicycle. That way his son simply could walk or run with the bike between his legs, build up momentum, then lift his feet and coast.
When McFarland took his son out for a ride, he quickly discovered that other parents were fascinated by the concept and asked where they could get a bike like that. So, in 2007, less than a year after developing the original bicycle, McFarland began manufacturing them under the name Strider Bikes. In the ensuing decades, Strider Bikes has grown into a global company with more than $4 million in sales.
McFarland credits Rapid City with helping Strider roll its way to success.
“Rapid City has a great quality of life, a business-friendly environment and a quality workforce,” McFarland says. “There is a real spirit here of enjoying the outdoors and being active, and that has provided us with some great employees and customers.”
Visit StriderBikes.com to learn more about the innovative bicycle.