You guys! I am so excited about this new miniature horse/small pony vehicle!
And, yes, it does resemble the Hyperbike... but it fits Zorro sized ponies so much better.
I have had a very hard time getting my Hyperbike to balance correctly. Some days it's alright and then other days it's beating Zorro up on our drives. I have raised the shaft loops, lowered the shaft loops, we cut 6" off the end of the shafts because the gig end blocked his shoulder, I have raised the wheels, lowered the wheels, moved him as far forward as I can in the shafts, moved my stirrups, moved my seat. So. Many. Things. But it's never quite "right".
I had the chance to visit with Kent, the maker of the KBike and found out his shafts are adjustable in length. This means you can dial in the balance because you can shorten or lengthen the shafts as needed. If you have driven a miniature horse or a small pony you know that even one inch one way or the other is a BIG DEAL. So being able to make these tiny adjustments is so nice! It's called "Peace of Mind".
Another selling point for me, was the fact that, Kent has designed this bike to be able to be used with a longer set of shafts and a foot basket... this means it can double as a training vehicle!! No need to for two carts - this cart is two in one.
When it's in bike mode it weighs about 55 pounds.
When it's in training cart mode it weighs around 90 pounds.
Putting the long shafts and the foot basket on isn't that hard... though my Handsome Hubby did help me! (Alright, he did all the work, but I was moral support!) We had to trim about 15" off the shafts to get the right fit. The shafts came with plenty of room. LOL!
We measured the distance we wanted Zorro to be from the front of the cart and then made two cuts to get the shafts that length. We wanted to be very careful we didn't cut TOO much off.
We did roll the cart forward a little bit to make sure the shaft loops were hanging down straight and not pulled back as they are in the photo above. We made sure the cart and shafts were situated on him just as they would be if the cart was in the correct spot. Then Handsome Hubby made the cut!
You can use a hack saw to cut the shafts but since we have a chop saw we did it the easy way! After the cuts were made we took a file to the cut ends of the shafts to smooth them so they would slide into the cart body.
The bike balances so beautifully with the short shafts:
And just as well with the longer shafts:
I am an advocate for having shafts that float when the horse is in draft. I understand that even minis can handle about 5 pounds of downward weight on their back when pulling a cart... but how can you know that you are ONLY allowing 5 pounds to press down on them? If the shafts are floating then you KNOW there isn't any weight on their back.
**This is the way I like to drive my pony. You should drive your pony in a way that makes you feel safe and comfortable.
This bike can be broken down for travel but it's not quite as easy as the Hyperbike. The wheels bolt on. The shafts also have bolts that attach them to the bike body. You'll need a few wrenches and then you can take it down or put it back together quite easily! Personally I like the solid feel of the KBike. It's because the wheels are bolted on and the shafts are bolted on that it feels so solid. It doesn't rattle or squeak at all.
I have 6 of these bikes on order from the maker of them in Canada. I will import them into the US and then they will be for sale! If you would like to be on the list for one please email me at theladybugfarm@gmail.com. I am so excited to be able to work with Kent to get these here!!
**UPDATE!! I actually brought 10 KBikes into the US! Whoot whoot! All 10 are spoken for. I would never have been able to bring them in if they weren't already sold. The sad thing is this is the first and the last shipment I will be bringing in. Kent can not get insurance for the bikes down here in the US and getting them down here was not for the faint of heart I'll say that! Shipping is completely insane so my Mom and I drove up to the Canadian border to meet Kent and pick up all the cart parts and pieces. My Mom crossed over and Kent loaded my little red trailer and then she brought them down into the states. The hilarity that ensued was priceless and also exactly as expected when you pair my Mother and myself in an endeavor. The good news? We are going to be manufacturing these little beauties here in the states!! With some amazing coaching from Kent, my hubby is taking this challenge on. I am SO EXCITED that we can continue to provide the KBike to people here! Whoot whoot!
A video and blog comparing the KBike and the Hyperbike can be found here: VIDEO