Little Bikes For Little People - Cycle News - August 2nd 2006.

OSET, a Denver-based company, used the AMA National MX round in Lakewood, Colorado, to debut its new products - electric dirt bikes targeted for children from ages 3 to 10. The bikes have been in development for two years, with production machines slated to arrive in the U nited States starting th is fall.

OSET will be offering two bikes: the Spider 12.5 (for kids 3 to 5 years of age), and the Spider 16.0 (for kids 5 to 10 years old). These bikes are competition-proven, with young Oliver Smith (left) winning the Colorado State Junior Trials title for the last 3 years on the smaller bike, the first time at age 3. This was against 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds on gasoline-powered bikes. At 4, Oliver also successfully completed a half-hour hare scrambles race on the bike.

“A lot of kids can ride a bike once they hit 4 or 5, but not too many can develop true technique," noted OSET president Ian Smith. "It’s always going to be a losing battle if you pit a 50 pound rider against a 100-plus-pound bike, especially if the kid can only ride once every two weeks. It would be like asking Ricky Carmichael to ride a R1200GS on the Supercross track. When we built the first prototype for Oliver it was clear that we’d created a bike that evened the odds and allowed him to really ride. Our daughter Eleanor rode on two wheels for the first time a week before her third birthday. Kid’s on OSETs are way ahead of the game.”

The OSET features a 24-volt motor, full suspension, powerful brakes and a "speed dial" that allows adults to set the top speed from zero to maximum. Run times are about two to three hours of normal stop-and-go riding.

The venue chosen for the introduction was chief engineer Mike Buchholz’s yard in Denver .

"You could never do this with a gas bike in this neighborhood," Buchholz said. "In fact, my neighbors come over specially to watch the kids ride.”

All you hear when an OSET goes by is the whirring of chain on sprockets.

“OSET’s philosophy is that the way to become a great rider is to give young kids a bike they can ride every day and not be intimidated by,” Ian says.  “Our test riders are living proof that these bikes help the riders to learn solid skills, and have loads of fun doing it.”

The OSET Spider 12.5 should sell for $699, the 16.0 for $799. Video clips and further information are available at www.osetbikes.com.