Start looking three times before you cross the street. Bike manufacturer Ouxi has just introduced a mini version of a fatbike — which means you may not just be at risk of getting hit by just a monster-fueled teenager but also a 10-year-old.
A version of the infamous fatbike, advertised in the US as being suitable for 10 to 14-year-olds, has entered the Dutch market, RTL reports.
VVN (Safe Traffic Netherlands) has condemned the bikes, saying, “This manufacturer really doesn’t care about anything.”
Mini fatbikes incoming
As if biking in the Netherlands needed to get more intense, Ouxi’s new version of a fatbike, the Cooryda C80 Pro Min is described by sellers in the Netherlands as “Suitable for smaller drivers” as short as 145cm.
Essentially, Dutch streets might soon be filled with very small, very young, and very fast cyclists. 🫠
Ouxi is not the only manufacturer introducing similar products. A smaller company, Electrix, is promoting their own mini fatbike on TikTok.
The VVN is not happy with these developments, describing the product as a provocation, especially when we consider another Ouxi fatbike has officially been declared illegal by the EU.
The kids are not alright
Most cyclists in the Netherlands will agree that there are few things more dangerous than a child on a fatbike — and unfortunately, statistics back this up.
There has been an uptick in fatbike-related accidents involving children, especially between the ages of 12 and 15.
READ MORE |Fatbikes cause nearly 100 accidents in one week, Dutch hospitals claim
While Ouxi claims the speed of the bike is not adjustable, VVN has doubts about this, adding to the worries about the new bikes’ safety.
What do you think of these new fatbikes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
I do not live in the Netherlands but I think it is a pretty stupid product. Kids need the exercise. One of these day you will also have many overweight children!
Just back from a trip to the Netherlands (which I left for the US 22 years ago) and where I was it wasn’t too bad. The few fatbikes I saw weren’t going far and were ridden responsibly.
Reading about the excesses though, I feel legislation / regulation can’t come soon enough with a minimum age, max speed, helmet requirement and potentially license plates.
Personally, I think they should be regulated like motorbikes, which they are essentially an electric version of
Yes, if an electric motor on a cycle does not make it a motorcycle then up is actually down. Am I right or am I right?