IRVINE, Calif. (BRAIN) — New kids’ brand Guardian Bikes has signed up new independent reps earlier this year as it looks to grow the number of bike shops that carry its line of kids’ bikes equipped with SureStop brakes.
Reps who have recently come aboard include Jim Bremner covering central and Southern California including Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County; Eric Addicott covering Northern California and Reno; Mike Sweeney covering Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky; Ali Tajiran covering Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas; Eric Daignault covering Oregon and Washington; and Ed Tyler for Florida.
Guardian’s national sales manager Kyle Jansen hopes to add a few more soon.
Guardian is selling only through the IBD channel and on its own website, where it adheres to suggested retail price. The brand showed its bikes for the first time at Interbike last year and began shipping just before the holidays. Bikes ship from a warehouse in Ontario, California.
SureStop founders Brian Riley and Jansen launched the company to offer 20-inch kids’ bikes exclusively spec’d with the single-lever braking system that uses a sliding rear brake pad to modulate the front brake, which is offered on adult bikes from several brands including Jamis, Novara, Sun, Torker and Kent.
But none of the bike brands were interested in spec’ing it on kids’ bikes. So Jansen and Riley launched Guardian as a separate company.
Aside from the SureStop brakes, Guardian models feature extended wheelbases, shorter crankarms and lower bottom brackets to improve balance and maneuverability. Frames are made of aluminum for weight savings, and the bikes feature shorter brake calipers that require less force to be applied to the brake, and double wall rims that won’t bend or come out of true when jumping off curbs.
Guardian offers only 20-inch models, in both single-speed and six-speed versions in four colors. But the company will have 24-inch kids’ bikes in stock by end of April. MSRP is $399.99 on the six-speed and $319.99 on the single-speed, though the company offers a lower MAP to give dealers in price-conscious markets some flexibility. With an order of more than six bikes, dealers can get terms. And Guardian includes free shipping at 12 bikes. All first-time orders include free shipping as well.
“20-inch normally is the first experience with a hand brake where parents are concerned with front and rear braking,” Riley said. “We’ve noticed parents disconnect the front brake many times” to prevent over-the-handlebar accidents.
Aside from smaller and larger wheel sizes, Guardian Bikes plans to offer lower price point bikes in the future.
