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There’s no better place to start than from the beginning, and BMW does just that with its new Cruise Bike Junior.

It is just the thing to introduce five to eight year-old children to the brand.

Modelled along the same lines as the range of BMW adult bicycles, the new Cruise Bike Junior is more than just another kid’s bike.

It introduces bicycle riding, BMW-style, to youngsters at the early stages of the development of coordination and perception skills, on a machine that is as reliable and sturdily built as it is ergonically sound.

Importantly, the BMW Cruise Bike Junior is as cool as they come.

The sleek, smooth-welded frame, with its top tube sweeping all the way down to the back axle and incorporating an underslung L-shaped section that locates the seat tube, is sure to be a sensation on the bike paths, as will the classy blend of Metallic Shell paintwork offset by matte black on the 20-inch aluminium wheels, seatpost, handlebars and front fork.

With its high-strength AL6061-T6 aluminium frame, no less than three brakes, front suspension and an easy to operate twist-shift SRAM i-MOTION three-speed rear hub, the BMW Cruise Bike Junior is a definite playground asset that has already been awarded the prestigious international red dot design award for 2007.

Street credibility comes via an integrated 3D BMW logo setting off the Metallic Shell paintwork, and a nifty black/red saddle.

The BMW Cruise Bike Junior also comes with a side stand that makes a much better impression than leaving it lying on its side in the grass.

BMW attention to detail includes brake cables integrated into the frame for that unencumbered, sleek look, an enclosed chain to keep the young and adventurous rider relatively clean, and a 40mm travel matte black suspension fork complete with carbon fibre-look slides.

And, as well as its DIN-certified construction, the Cruise Bike Junior, like any other BMW, comes with excellent safety credentials, including child-friendly pedals with inbuilt LEDs, reflector strips on the Schwalbe Big Apple 20 x 2.30 balloon tyres, and front and rear reflectors.

The three-brake system allows the stopping power kids often need via powerful V-Brakes on front and rear wheels, as well as a crank-operated hub brake at the back.

The Cruise Bike Junior fulfills BMW principles through its ergonomic design too.

The seat tube is angled so that the correct relationship with the handlebars and pedals is maintained according to the child’s height, while individual adjustment of the handbrake levers enables the bike to be set up for a range of hand sizes. The seatpost has a quick-release lever enabling as much as 190mm of adjustment up to a maximum of 800mm, while the handlebars are low-rise MTB-style on an adjustable stem allowing full adaptation of the bike during that critical, five to eight years growth period.

With all that, the BMW Cruise Bike Junior shouldn’t prove to be a handful for smaller riders with its weight of 12.5 kg.

The BMW Cruise Bike Junior retails for $710 through all BMW dealers and joins the range of adult bicycles, including the Mountainbike Enduro, the Cruise Bike, and the Touringbike.