# Skuut Bikes not so good



## Maida7 (Apr 29, 2005)

I love the concept and it really does work but this skuut brand bike I got for my kid is just not made to last. Here is a link to their website http://www.scuut.com/

Within 2 days my son had broken the fork, handle bars and rear wheel. The bike is mainly built from wood and it's just not made for the type of abuse that a typical kid can produce. I can't even imagine what would happen to the wood if it was left out in the rain.

I have reinforced the broken bits and it's back in action. But if your looking at getting one of these avoid the Skuut and go with another brand that is built from something a bit sturdier like metal or plastic. I think there is a company in Wilmington, NC that makes them out of PVC pipes. I should have got one from them. lesson learned.


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## fastale (Jul 2, 2007)

That's too bad, I think they look really nice. I'll probably get a strider when my little guy is ready. Thanks for the review.


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## Maida7 (Apr 29, 2005)

The concept is fantastic and it really teaches balance much better than a pedal bike with training wheels. My 4 year old was able to hop on and balance and glide down hill almost instantly. But the Skuut is just not made for real world kid abuse.


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## 69tr6r (Mar 27, 2007)

Get a Strider bike. I'm really impressed with ours so far.


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## surlytman (Nov 9, 2005)

Hate to see bikes not holding up. Makes us all look bad.


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## autoduel (Feb 2, 2004)

My co-worker got a strider and I bought the specialized hotwalk.
The strider seat adjusts much lower, however I was not impressed by the quality.
The plastic wheelsand foam tires wobbled and had flat spots and the headset were plastic bushings. The lack of seatstays won't hold up once he starts jumping off curbs.
The specialized was built like any other bike you'd expect from specialized.
Aluminum frame, 1" quill stem, steel headset, spoked wheels with aluminum rims and aired tires.
My co-worker did get a good deal on the strider at $69, while I got the hotwalk on sale for $100. But at current full retail prices at $89 vs $129, I'd rather get a bike that lasts and has better resale value. For $69 I think it was a good deal, but at $89, I'd expect better quality.

The strider is good the get your kid to learn to balance and switch him over to a 12" pedal bike. 
I got the hotwalk for my son to use for a good 2 years and then switch him to a 16"er when he turns 3-4.
He's 18 months now and to get a seat low enough on the specialized, I zip tied a kid's saddle(off his 16"er) to the frame rather than using the stock seatpost/seat.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

Sorry for bursting somebody's money wasting bubble but $19 for a used little bike and a little time to remove the drive train = a scoot bike that has taught my daughter, one son and a few kids in the neighborhood to ride with plenty of life left for teaching others.


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## 69tr6r (Mar 27, 2007)

Strider's are $73 from bikeman.com. The advantages to the Strider are the weight, only 7 lbs. and the seat height, 11". I've done the drivetrain removal on a $19 bike and it was still about 20 lbs. and the seat was about 16" from the ground. Good for 4 year olds, but not for a 2 year old.


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## surlytman (Nov 9, 2005)

autoduel said:


> My co-worker got a strider and I bought the specialized hotwalk.
> The strider seat adjusts much lower, however I was not impressed by the quality.
> The plastic wheelsand foam tires wobbled and had flat spots and the headset were plastic bushings. The lack of seatstays won't hold up once he starts jumping off curbs.
> The specialized was built like any other bike you'd expect from specialized.
> ...


may I address some of your points?

First, as adult cyclists we need to get past our pre-conceived notions of what a bicycle needs to be. We are talking about a mini-human that weighs maybe 20-25 pounds. They loads the put on components are far less than we are used to. I have bushing headsets in our 3 year old prototypes that are holding strong! As for the foam tires, I know no parent that enjoys a whiny kid every time a tire is flat. With well over a decade wrenching in shops I also never met a mechanic that liked to change a 12" tire on a busy Saturday!

Weight? Steel is real and our complete bike weighs less than 7 pounds.

But the real advantage we see is our stays, they let the kid learn BEYOND just the balance part of things because they can STAND just like you stand on your pedals. Many bikes have seatstays that get in the way of doing this. A couple of our riders have picked up on this and can bunnyhop, manual and do kick turns while standing. The Strider simply lets the kids progress to a skill level that they normally would not hit until 7 or 8 years old. You can check some of this out here..http://stridersports.com/blog/

I want to get sme footage of the one grommet doing his typical 2 foot drop offs, he hasn't killed a frame yet:thumbsup:


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## Dan_AZ (Mar 24, 2007)

I agree on all points. The concept is great. My four year old learned on that as well as the training wheels route. Last weekend we took off the training wheels and he rode like he's been doing it for years! It was very fun for both of us.

That said, the Skuut is made of ply wood and while ours has not broken the front fork is really loose and I'd be surprised if it lasts for our two year old who I just re-adjusted the seat for. Friends who have had thiers longer have turned it into a franken-skuut with home-made handlebar they replaced the wood one with.

The only benefit to the light construction materials is that living in Phoenix, they do ride it in the house during the summer and when the crash into walls it does less damage than if it were a big heavy steel bike.


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## surlytman (Nov 9, 2005)

Dan_AZ said:


> I agree on all points. The concept is great. My four year old learned on that as well as the training wheels route. Last weekend we took off the training wheels and he rode like he's been doing it for years! It was very fun for both of us.
> 
> That said, the Skuut is made of ply wood and while ours has not broken the front fork is really loose and I'd be surprised if it lasts for our two year old who I just re-adjusted the seat for. Friends who have had thiers longer have turned it into a franken-skuut with home-made handlebar they replaced the wood one with.
> 
> The only benefit to the light construction materials is that living in Phoenix, they do ride it in the house during the summer and when the crash into walls it does less damage than if it were a big heavy steel bike.


Dan, the Strider is under 7 POUNDS! My toodler has diapers heavier than that!:eekster:


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## Dan_AZ (Mar 24, 2007)

surlytman said:


> Dan, the Strider is under 7 POUNDS! My toodler has diapers heavier than that!:eekster:


Cool. If the Skuut breaks before my 2 y/o learns to ride maybe I'll pick one up. With "big heavy bike", I was actually referring to his 16" bike with training wheels that he also rides in the house and has crashed into walls. The thing is as heavy as my XL FS bike!


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## prlundberg (May 7, 2004)

surlytman said:


> may I address some of your points?
> 
> First, as adult cyclists we need to get past our pre-conceived notions of what a bicycle needs to be. We are talking about a mini-human that weighs maybe 20-25 pounds. They loads the put on components are far less than we are used to. I have bushing headsets in our 3 year old prototypes that are holding strong! As for the foam tires, I know no parent that enjoys a whiny kid every time a tire is flat. With well over a decade wrenching in shops I also never met a mechanic that liked to change a 12" tire on a busy Saturday!
> 
> ...


Hi, sorry to drag up an old thread, but I wanted to make one comment.

Your points are valid. However, as adult cyclists we also have notions of what things are worth. While the Strider is a great idea, there are bikes with MUCH better components out there for about the same money.

For example, a Kinderbike retails for $79 and has aluminum wheels, real tires, aluminum stem, angle-adjustable 4-point saddle, brake, ball-bearing headset, quick seat release, and handgrips that don't tear and expose the sharp bar ends on the first fall. These parts must cost quite a bit more than Strider parts, yet the Kinderbike normally sells for less. After buying both, there is no comparison as to which one is built better. Not even close.

Unfortunately, the Kinderbike is too big for most two-year olds. But it's more in line with the quality I expect at that price and what I would prefer regardless of the points you made. Striders are what I would expect to see at Wal-Mart. Kinderbike, HotWalk, etc is what I expect to see at my local bike shop.

I'm sure a Strider will work just fine for those of us who know how to install handgrips, saddles, etc. I hope so anyway, because the Strider is the only bike that will fit my son now and grow with him as long as I can forsee him using it. But there is a lot of room for improvement. A brake should be standard at this price, as should a quick seat release, metal headset, and better grips. The tires are debatable I guess but most folks here know how to fix a flat.

I would only recommend a Strider if you want to start your kid riding as early as possible. Granted, most of us here probably do.


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