M oshe Lock is the owner-operator of B3 Bicycles formerly Bike Blade & Ball in Lakewood New Jersey
1. What’s the best first bike to get for a kid?
The one he points to. You want to get him a bike he falls in love with because that’s a bike he’ll use. When someone comes in we size him show him what we have in that range and then he looks at the features and sees what he likes. Some kids like the bells and whistles. Speeds for example some kids want them because it’s an adult feature on a child’s bike really cool but other kids — and parents — just like the simplicity of a bike without speeds because the less it has the less you need to maintain. There are the brand names: Specialized Giant Raleigh. But to be honest if they’re selling it at a bike shop it’s a quality bike. Yes you’ll pay a bit more than the ones you get at department or toy stores but they’re much lighter and better made you can pass them on from child to child. And in addition to their longevity and durability these bikes are easier to ride easier to pedal the seats don’t fall off and the wheels don’t wobble.
2. How did you get into biking?
When I was 18 or so I really enjoyed playing video games and reading. I didn’t make a lot of time for exercise. I started feeling depressed so I went to my doctor and he said “You need to exercise for half an hour each day and you’ll feel better physically and mentally.” I started doing push-ups chin-ups in-line skating running biking. Over the years I began biking 15 20 30 miles a day — whether it was good exercise or not I enjoyed it — and it was slowly overtaking my other forms of fitness. I’d go through the bikes my parents had in the garage using each one and beating it up till it died and then moving on to the next one. That’s not a practice I recommend of course — take care of your bikes.
