Mongoose Balance Bike Footplate

I have developed a footplate for my son’s Mongoose R12 Balance Bike.

I designed this footplate to allow my 3.5 year old son Josh to progress past sitting down on his balance bike.

The thinking behind this design is to allow the child to stand up and ride how BMX riders do.
Josh is gaining confidence and developing skills using the plate, this should also make the transition to pedals even easier.

The footplate is mounted between the bottom bars. I 3D printed the initial design on a Monoprice Maker Select Plus although the PLA wasn’t strong enough to stand on and kept breaking. I have been working with Opti Print Ltd to refine the design and produce strong prints.

CAD Design 3D Printed ABS Footplate

We’ve decided to produce a Polyurethane cast to reduce the cost and increase the product performance under loads.

Markforged Onyx 3D Print

Testing the ABS 3D print was successful, and this was a good product.

Josh soon developed his skills and transferred to a bike with pedals.

I passed on the balance bike to a neighbour and that was the end of this product.