I also grew up with training wheels. They're called Stützräder in German.

Guys... think about wearing safety-shoes... in Germany it is a duty to wear these for a reason. You do the same work as professional construction workers, so behave like these as well. No one needs shitty accidents... remember the bike-accident.

A short story: 1:18 NALF almost hits the power cable 1:25 Cody rolls up the power cable to save it from NALF's wrath.

The greatest German invention that no one else uses is the Sonntagsruhe. Everyone I know outside of Germany thinks it’s crazy that everything is closed on Sunday and that you can’t make any noise (no mowing the lawn, no drilling, nothing that leaves your four walls). But everyone I know that has moved here absolutely loves the fact that they’re forced to rest on one day of the week.

At first I was shocked, because judging from the thumbnail I thought there were no jackhammers in the US 😮

Dude, you need shoes with protective caps, don´trisk an injury!

Karl von Drais invented the Laufrad in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. At the time, many horses had died in the battles or on the long marches from battlefield to battlefield. And because a good horse was hard to come by (and if you did, it was barely affordable), Karl von Drais looked for an alternative. Or as Platon noted more than 2000 years ago: Necessity is the mother of Invention.

Who here also wants to see how the work on this house progresses piece by piece until it's finished? It's oddly satisfying to see how you work on it while I'm drinking Spezi and eating chips on my couch.

I live in Switzerland. Both my kids used balance bikes at age 2 almost 10 years ago. They got so good at it, that when they got their real bikes at age 3, they instantly were able to balance and pedal. No need for training wheels. By age 4 we were doing 5-10 mile family bike tours in the country side.

My Daughter trained on a Laufrad from a very early age on (could barely walk) and only needed three tries to switch over to Bicycles at the age of Three. So yeah, it's absolutely brilliant! Last weekend i even saw a Little Girl riding a Laufrad with 12" wheels through a big Dirtjump Line over the Table Jumps, trailing here Parents behind her. She had so much fun and kept shredding round after round Ü

Hi Nalf, I recommend getting some good Arbeitsschutzschuhe ;)

"Groundhog Day" (deja vu) - Nalf Style Brainfieri got a nice spa treatment again. I'm curious how long it will take until the first positive effects become noticeable in the cardboardbrain. And why is there a tractor and not an ambulance? Haven't you all learned any lessons from the frailty of the Man-Child? With the jackhammer alone he could have: Harmed poor Toefieri, the granny traumatised thing, Calfieri could have suffered a cramp due to odd positioning - just look at the "I need to wee stance", Anklefieri could've fainted, Wristfieri could have become Jell-O (yes, the green one), Ray and Charlie could have received dust spikes (the poor little creatures), All the progress on Brainfieri could have been wiped out by the shocks of that thing. However...Transporting him off by tractor and losing him a few times along the way and marinating him in road dust and give him some nice sprinkles...yeah, clearly more fun. Got it, Cody.

I've been in a "NALF' youtube vortex for the last 2 weeks and I still haven't finished watching your back catalogue. Nice!

That was a totally cute animated film of the Laufräder.

I‘m so happy you‘re back, honestly! So many memories when I watch the scenes of the city because I was born in Schwäbisch Hall and my granny still lives there. 😊

I literally live next to the house where Karl Drais used to live. [EDIT] *goes downstairs to check* [EDIT2] it is the house where this absolute legend died

I've seen those pedaless bikes in Miami. In fact, over the years, I've seen "kids" things in Miami that I haven't seen other places in the USA. On a separate note, can we all just say how nice it is for NALF to actually thank us for watching at the outro of his videos?

If you are interested in those old pedal bikes you should visit the next Volksfest in Crailsheim - there is a historical pedal bike race on one of the days 😎

There’s balance bikes that can later be converted to bicycle. My godson was so excited when he got his pedals, drove right off.

My kids used one of those bikes and there were common enough in our small community in Park Slope. Ours was a wooden version. I think we did a lot more research into our toys than average Americans. We also invested in Habba for the kids. Not because there were German toys, but because they were quality wooden toys.

Laufrad: Twenty years ago I had to teach our Argentinien Aupair how to ride a bicycle. That was the moment when I realized, that steering a two wheel vehicle is totally different from steering a four wheel vehicle! On a 2 wheeler (single track) you do everything by balancing. before going to the left on a bike, you have to put the handle bar to the right side - so that you fall to the left side. Not till then you can turn the the handle to the left you can start banking around the left corner. On the contrary a kid on a bike with training wheels does the steering like in the car turning the handle bar to the left and going around the left corner while banking to the right side till the training wheels will catch all the centrifugal force. So if you want to go teach your children bycycling: NEVER put them on the bike with training wheels because they learn it the wrong way. If You put your kids (and Aupairs) on a pedal-less little Laufrad they will immidiately learn the whole principle of steering and balancing the right way

i love how frequently we´re getting content these days!

Thanks so much NALF for your great videos. I also love "your music" at the end. It is an excellent way to tie your videos together. Yes, you should wear steel toed safety shoes/boots.

My brother actually had a Laufrad when he was young and when my parents wanted to teach him how to ride a bike they left him at our parkway to get the camera to film the sensation of him riding a bike for the first time. When they came out he just said "Ich bin schon mal losgefahren" (best translation I can guess of is "I have already started") grinning like never before. He was already driving circles in front of our garage. My parents couldn't stop laughing :)

Good decision to get rid of this ugly floor. Every house in Germany seems to have gotten it in the 70s or something. So despicable.

My grandchildren in NC have balance bikes. One (now 5) has been riding a pedaled bike by himself for 2 years. The other (2) can almost keep up with her balance bike.

Balance bikes are in the US. My niece and nephew have one. My nephew is 6 and got his when he was 2. Also my best friend's son has one. This was in Florida. Maybe the other 49 states are behind.

Balancing bikes (Laufrad) have not yet been around when I was a child. We used training wheels on our bicycles and please bare in mind that I am only 23 so that is not such a long time ago. My guess is that they became popular in the later 00s/early 10s as the children I babysat already used them.

Loved watching that video you give me positive feelings great that you are back again!

I grew up in the 80s and we didn't have these kind of bikes. But nowadays they are quite common.

Confirmed, Nalf is snorting unicorn powder... 😂

Thanks, Nalf. That’s being a good friend to Cody. Liked the editing on it. Will be interested to see how it turns out. Cheers

Those bikes have become more popular here in the states. The other day I saw a little kid keeping up with his big brother who was on a regular bike. He totally skidded around a corner. I was impressed! They're a very smart design vs training wheels in my opinion.

Hey, German here. The use of those balance Bikes just got popular the recent years. It's quite "new" that there are so many around, but people then startet to realize how much better they are to teach how to ride a bike. I'm sure in a couple of years they will gain popularity in the states too, the benefits are too obvious :)

Love your Videos (outro song is awesome!!!)

Cool video format! Not often I see proper widescreen without black bars rendered in. And nice it's narrower than cinemascope. Looks good on my screen :D

You got the inventor's name wrong. It's actually Karl Friedrich Christian Ludwig Freiherr Drais von Sauerbronn or just Karl von Drais for his friends. 😋

Thanks NALF. I have lived in Germany just on the border of Luxembourg for the last 12 years and I had never seen balance bikes before your video. The next day I saw a child with one in my village. It looks like a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

3:33 I love your "Hight Budget Background" ;D

Interesting, didn't know that! Love your vlogs btw! Cheers :D

Perfect use for the Wilhelm scream.

Hi! Thanks for a little part of the history!

Well look at that! I would've never researched that balance bike haha. I also learned it with the training wheels.

When my kids switched from the "Laufrad" to the regular bike it was a fast and seamless transition. It's an excellent way to prepare your kids.

Finally! Polish accent in the video (I am Polish). The tractor is URSUS, which is made in Poland :) BENG!

"We are destroying things today." "Yeeesss" (full of joy) Perfect demolition man.

I like the High Budged Background:-) .Awesome! :-)

Your last vlogs are entertaining af

People used to teach riding with training wheels here too. Balance bikes have become really common in the last 10 years or so, and in my opinion they are much more effective at teaching the basics of riding a bike.

We had a Laufrad when I was in kindergarten. It was very popular.

They have those in the states, and I've seen them mostly at BMX tracks for the youngest ones who race. I think you're right -- it's a much better way to learn than training wheels.

I'm in Oregon and I got one for my kid (almos 2 at the time). When we went to parks we got some frowns, derogatory comments (thinking it was unsafe) and also some curious inquiries. The kid loved it and we have lots of fun.

So it's not just home improvement shows where demo(demolition) day is a cause for major excitement. From HGTV to This Old House to NALF & Cody on KZfaq, demo day is party time.

That house is more or less old and they used a lot of asbestos back in the days when they build that house. So stay safe, because they used it everywhere. adhesive, tile adhesive plaster, isolations, windows and so on...

Several of my grand kids had one of those "training" bikes about 11 yrs ago. They've been used by kids for a while here in the states.

My daughter had one for my grand daughter in Alberta, Canada. The kids learn how to use a pedal bike very quickly. Here they are called straddle, or balance bikes.

My daughter also started using such a 'Laufrad' pretty early and had no problems at all balancing a real bike after the switch. The only thing she had to get used to was getting up to speed or stopping with pedals. But that took only a view days and therefore she was able to ride a bike at a much younger age than otherwise; I would really recommend it. And there is another advantage to it, with a 'Laufrad' kids are often able to cover a longer distance at decent speed and won't need a stroller anymore if you're taking a walk - which is probably more important in Germany than in the States ;-)

when i grew up in the early 90s. i also had these additional training wheels. i've only seen these little balance bikes pop up in the past 10/15 years or so.

Ur KZfaq channel is kinda like a US German reboot of carambolage. That why I subscribed.

There are plenty of toddler/balance bikes in the States too...it's just something that mostly cyclist families are aware of -- let alone seek out. Cycling is a core part of transportation in much of the world, so it definitely plays a more vital role in a kid's upbringing as a result. In the US, cycling is mostly relegated to fun, fitness activities....depending on the community of course. Here in the Twin Cities we have TONS of cyclist friendly paths & lanes.

I think those bikes are super awesome. Our nephews here in Germany were using them when they were super little and it's adorable. I think it's so impressive because they were already riding the two-wheeler so much earlier than I did in the States.

"Chicken made earlier in the week" not a phrase you hear too often.

I'm from the coast of germany and everytime I see ur drone shots, it looks like a complete different country.

Ahh the good old Laufrad, I also learned riding a bike with one of these :)

Count me in for a Cody and Speedy - house - progress - documentary! Please 💪🏻💪🏻☺️☺️ By the way: our kids also use the normal bikes with the extra wheels. The Laufrad we use even earlier, from the age of appr. 2-2,5 years on. Some kids earlier (mine are so tall, it takes them longer to master their bodies). This I the first time for me to experience NALF videos in real time... all the others I consumed like a tv series, as I only discovered NALF during lockdown... a whole new experience. Nice, or should I say... Good vibes?😎 Greetings from Vienna!

Mate I grew up with a Laufrad and gotta say to this day I still remember how awesome these things were. Definitely gone buy one for my kids someday.

My sons learned riding bikes w/o training wheels. No balance bikes available then but scooters. Same principle, train the sense of balance then learn to ride a pedal bike is a piece of cake. Nice to see the refernce to Mr. Drais. I live virtually at his turing point back to the city of Mannheim when he did his first ride.

I think they've only recently become popular. I can't remember seeing those when I was a child.

My little boy used one of these bikes early on. On his third birthday, he got a proper bike with pedals, sat on it and rode right away.

as you noted before kids in the US dont need to learn to ride a bike early bc they cant really go anywhere by bike.

The tile you ripped out (the one you wanted to hang on your wall) looks very familiar to me. My grandparents made them by hand out of rubble and debris after WWII for the house they built with their own 2 hands.

We improvised making a laufrad for our youngest by removing the pedals from their first bike because training wheels were just not working for them. Worked great. But aren't those little kiddies on their laufräder cute, whizzing around like miniature Evel Knievels?

my nephew got a balance bike for his 3rd birthday, now he switched to a real bike he didnt use the training wheels at all. he just got on the bike and started driving. great invention

Our son used a small four wheels car with pedals and the walking bike switching almost every day. So he was used to pedals and balancing already before he got his first bike. The result was, he could ride the bike right away. Our daughter is processing the same right now.

Wow that’s a tad ambitious in wanting to drive a tractor. Don’t forget it took Nick about 4 years to be able to drive a normal manual car ;-) 🚜

Well, I guess when renovating typical German houses everything is a lot more solid compared to the standard American wood-based houses. But it makes it a lot easier in the US. Here in Germany everything is build to last an eternity 😉

I have noticed these bikes for tots in my neighborhood for a couple of years (northern California). I think it’s brilliant, far better than training wheels.

Thanks for doing the research, that's the only thing I envy my nephew, nieces and kids about, would have been great 50 years ago as well. They are fast on those, and the transition to normal bikes is much smoother lateron.

And the balance bikes are everywhere in the states. When you have kids you will notice

Laufrad it´s the name for the pedalles bike.The training wheels which the americans use and I grew up with called Stützräder in german.

"Südmeister"? lol nice shirt! love it!

@hein blöd I rember having read a book about bycicles. Was in the late 80th. There they told me "not to use 'stützräder' for beginners. They said: "Take away the bicycle pedals!" That is better for learing balance. Now my grandson (2y) has a 'Laufrad'. .-) Sorry bout my english, I'm german.

I've been seeing more peddless training bikes here in the Chicago area over I'd say the past 5-10 years.

we just got rid of the pedals of a real kids bike to have this traning effekt.. after a few weeks i could put the pedals back on and our little miss could drive... when i was a child i also got the training wheels first. They are also common in germany. So you can choose what kind of training you prefer.

I heard the statement that these pedal-less bikes make it easier (quicker) for kids to learn riding regular bikes than if they use training wheels. The basic idea is that with training wheels you learn riding a bike with training wheels but not actually riding a (two wheeled) bicycle.

That animation was pretty good. The running bike is also here in Hungary, so it's a European thing imho.

I'm from Germany. Those walking Bikes werent common in my childhood 25 years ago. I see them more and more today. I think its a reasonable thing to do. So this is a chance for USA to adopt our trend instead of vice versa (which is more common, admittedly)

These bikes are kind of new. When I was young in the 80s, they have not been used but these extra wheels at the bikes. These bikes are great for training. My nephews could drive their real bikes instantly after training with these small bikes without pedals.

Thank you for being our Ambassador to Germany. You should get paid for it!! :-) #PlayingwithUnicorns

Ah the Laufrad, haha. Its amazing cause you spare all the time with the training wheels and kids go from Laufrad straight to real bikes without any difficulties. My son did too, no trouble racing on normal bike.

Creative destruction. TSGO

A lot of kids in the Netherlands get a type of walk bike around their first year when they start walking because it's easier to balance then training wheels. After that you get your bike with training wheels or skip that all together.

From what I have seen Laufräder are also great for children when taking walks as it is much easier to cover a lot of distance so the parents can actually go places while the child "rolls" along. It also gives children a lot of possibilities to explore speed they otherwise couldn't achieve (or maintain for longer than a few seconds), so of course they love it!

Part of the "thing" with tools and equipment in Europe, is the 220/240 VAC power, which allows over twice as much power from a 'standard' house plug, compared to North American 115 VAC, so it's about 4 HP available! And, you've probably noticed that the power cords, for the same power, are much smaller, due to the higher voltage.

I thought you grew up in Oregon? Those balance bikes are all over the place here in the PNW.

I just saw that you have a camping van from Knaustabbert i work there and you got a good camping van

really cool invention i need that!

You can buy them here in Singapore, too. However, it is not too common, as most kids here are coach potatoes.

they have to have arrived in the states by now. bill burr mentions them on his podcast every now and again. his kids are learning bike riding on those things as well.

How come you did not seen this bicycle for kids????...my grand kids had last summer....and they were so cute and so fast ...I had to run after them 💗😀😀greetings from Montreal Québec Canada😀🍁