THE BIKE THAT GROWS WITH YOUR KID

Black Mountain Bikes claim to have made the world’s most advanced kids’ bike – one that’s lightweight, fits properly and grows with them. Their ‘EPOK’ technology lets you convert the 14in-wheeled Pinto from a balance bike to a small pedal bike and then a larger bike with harder gearing (pictured) as your child grows bigger and stronger.

The first stage simply involves undoing a couple of bolts and swapping the stubby balance bike seat tube for a longer version with a belt-drive crankset at its base. You then add the belt itself, wrap it around the sprocket already attached to the rear wheel and tension it via an eccentric bolt.

When your child is ready to move onto a bigger bike, the ‘Growing Triangle’ comes into play – you can increase the top tube length by 57mm, simply by changing the position of two bolts. At the same time, you pull o the rear sprocket, revealing a smaller one underneath.

As well as the belt drive, which cuts weight, mess and maintenance, other kid-friendly features include short-reach brake levers, a skinny 19mm bar, mini Kenda Small Block 8 tyres and a custom saddle that can be dropped super-low. The sub-6kg weight is a big help for little legs.

While the price is high, it’s cheaper than buying three bikes of similar quality. And the 67-degree head angle should prevent too many over-the-bars moments. There’s an identically-priced Skog model for taller kids (102cm+), with 16in wheels. £329 http://blackmountain.bike