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Parents - Kids bikes

 
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jason_ssr
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 5:38 am    Post subject: Parents - Kids bikes Reply with quote

Ok old folks, I need some advice on a bike for my 4.5yr old.

We got him a 12" bike last year and its too small for him now. I want to get him a new bike, but cannot decide between 16" or 20" and whether or not to go "nice" bike or not. The wife and I are on totally different pages and I honestly dont know the "right" answer.

The wife wants to get a nicer 16" bike. Apparently kids bikes you get from the chain stores are overbuilt heavy pieces of crap with bad crank ratios, etc ( according to her "research"). but, if you open your wallet you can get lighter well built bikes that are easier to ride. She understands that he will grow out of the 16" by the end of summer, but we do have a another son who will use it in a couple of years.

I contend that if we are going to spend for a nice bike that we get a 20". He can ride either size right now. Yes the 20" is big on him now, but he will grow into it. I say that the wife really feels strongly about getting a 16" bike, then just get a chain store cheap one for now and revisit the nice bike pricetag when he gets to a size that will have some longevity.

Does it even matter? He is freaking 4.5 years old!!! Is a better bike really going to affect his riding experience?

Anyway, just wanted some of you guys real world experiences.

so:

16 or 20
cheap or quality

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 6:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

16, quality

When you get through kid 2, put it on Craigslist and it will be gone in a snap.

Everything we have bought to date for the kiddo that is of quality has held up extremely well and will be there if/when kid2 comes along.

I know for right at $200 you can get a 16" from a good mfg.

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 6:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would definitely go with the quality bike. My daughter just got a Specialized and some of the other kids with the chain store bikes actually go out of their way to borrow hers. I wouldn't call the chain store bikes "overbuilt", but they are heavy, and they seem to start having troubles much sooner than the quality bikes.

When you say ride, is he still learning to ride, or does he have all of his riding skills down on his current bike? If he is still learning, I'd definitely go with the bike that fits the best and is high quality since you will want him to be very comfortable with what he's learning on. If he is comfortable riding bikes and the 20" is CLOSE, you probably could go with that, but if it's a long way off I'd stick with the 16". We were in a similar situation, only between 12" and 16", and went with the 16". She's doing just fine with it, but I think she's taking one or two spills because it is a bit big.
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 6:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why pay more for a nicer bike when he is just going to grow out of it soon. It's not like a bike you buy from toysRus is going to be an unrideable piece of stuff. It will do more than fine until he out grows it. When he gets to an age where he won't be out growing it every year then buy the nice quality bike.

All of my bikes as s kid came from chain does and they were perfectly fine.
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 6:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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All of my bikes as s kid came from chain does and they were perfectly fine.

You have to be high right now? Or maybe you haven't had your morning cup of coffee yet? Laughing

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 7:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My son is only 17 months old, but I struggle with the quality vs. cheap decisions as well. Mostly because I grew up on cheap stuff and if I wanted quality I had to save my money and pay for it myself. This made me appreciate quality and taught me to work hard if I wanted nice things. My wife and I are much better off, financially, than my parents were when I was a kid, but I would like to teach my kid(s) some of the values I learned by growing up in a family without much discretionary income.

From a purely which bike would I prefer for my kid in your situation, I would say a quality bike that fits now. When I get to the point of buying bicycles for my kid(s), I'll struggle with this decision.
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 7:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ohsix, my struggles on the matter usually begin at that hellhole known as Babies R Us and end at somewhere like REI or a specialty kids store.

For example: looking at jogging strollers. Saw at BrU a few from names like Graco and even Jeep. Thought to myself, hmm, these don't seem too bad. Then stroll on over to REI and check out the stuff from BOB or Chariot and holy hell what a difference. It's been the same with many other things from carseats to toys.

I'm not buying our kid the quality stuff for him necessarily, I'm buying it for me/us (my own sanity). He'd be just as happy with a cardboard box and some crayons.

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 7:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

BOB strollers are awesome, I started with a much cheaper one and that was dangerous, almost had a few wipe outs due to the crappy wheels. With the BOB all it takes is one hand on the stroller and it glides along with you.


Id go with the nicer 20"
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 7:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quality until the kids themselves can actually tell the difference, imo.
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 7:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Neither is going to be the end of the World and I am fairly confident that your kid would never know the difference.

I have purchased a few crap bikes(ToysRUs) due to the kids wanting the "Look" of said bike, you know the theme bike. Both bikes didn't last and went in a dumpster.

I have also purchased the kids nicer bikes. The LM's first nice bike was a SE Racing PK Ripper Team & was passed on to my daughter. It has been ridden a TON, the LM, his friends, me & the Little One..... It looks and preforms like the day I put it together.

The Little One's first nice bike was a 20" Electra Hawaii, which she rode the chit out of(still does on occasion) and is like new.

I am sure both these bikes will outlast the kids and have to be given to friends for their kids or sold online.....neither will go in a dumpster.
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 9:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For that age, I'd say you've got one more year of buying the cheap one because he's going to outgrow it quickly and quality isn't as much of a premium in that case.

We bought my son a cheap Spiderman bike from Wal-Mart when he was 5 and he rode the piss out of it and it never had a single problem. Last year, before he turned 7, we bought him a nicer bike.

Due to how quickly he grew I'd have been ticked off if we'd have bought a really nice bike for him to outgrow that quickly, understanding the possibility of selling it later. Short story is that I wouldn't spend much.

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 9:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know shlt about kids bikes (or any bikes for that matter). But I would think a heavy overbuilt piece of crap would be a great thing to learn on? Considering how much it's going to crash and fall. Kinda similar to a high-schooler's first car.
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Faust, its the opposite. They are built cheaply and fall apart much quicker. They are heavier due to crappy materials.
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 11:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

chavez wrote:
Faust, its the opposite. They are built cheaply and fall apart much quicker. They are heavier due to crappy materials.


This just reminded me of a catastrophic crank arm failure my little brother had on his 12" bike during a neighborhood bicycle race. I guess my kids will be getting nice bikes after all.
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 11:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had something similar happen, except the pedal just sheared off.

Forget things like truing wheels and such too. You're better off trying to get a cat to play fetch.

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 12:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Im just glad to see some debate on the topic, so I dont feel like a moron.

Yeah, when you start looking around online at kids bikes there is alot of info. The online community pretty much falls in line with Chavez, in that the bikes are built with cheap heavy equipment. On one hand its durable to withstand crashes, on the other hand how many crashes are due in large to a kid being on a bike that weighs more than they do? The recommendation is to get a kid a $300-$400 bike made out of easy to ride, light material and a crank ratio that better suits fundamental technique.

Alot written about the crappy ratios in the sprockets where a kid is working his tail off but not getting anywhere. Its there to limit top speed but kids just over crank on it trying to go faster which leads to balance problems and therefore control issues.

My boy is still learning. He is on training wheels still but kinda balances between them. There is a girl his age in our neighborhood riding easily without. Im thinking about taking the 12" and turning it into a glider for the 16mth old and doing away with training wheels all together. that seems to be the fad in my neck of the woods and these kids are riding bikes without training wheels at 2yrs old.

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 12:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds like you should move. If I was 4.5-years-old, I wouldn't want to be in some neighborhood surrounded by a bunch of 2-year-old overachieving a$$holes.
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 12:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Faust wrote:
Sounds like you should move. If I was 4.5-years-old, I wouldn't want to be in some neighborhood surrounded by a bunch of 2-year-old overachieving a$$holes.


haha, I can't imagine my almost two year old riding a bike with our without training wheels anytime soon!
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jgriffith wrote:
Faust wrote:
Sounds like you should move. If I was 4.5-years-old, I wouldn't want to be in some neighborhood surrounded by a bunch of 2-year-old overachieving a$$holes.


haha, I can't imagine my almost two year old riding a bike with our without training wheels anytime soon!

Same here. When we were stuck at REI (while the wife shopped for hiking boots) I took the boy over to the bikes and plunked him down on a training-wheeled 12" and he could do that no problem. OTOH, he still hasn't totally gotten the concept of his balance bike. He has figured out his scooter though...

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 1:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Faust wrote:
Sounds like you should move. If I was 4.5-years-old, I wouldn't want to be in some neighborhood surrounded by a bunch of 2-year-old overachieving a$$holes.


Well, thats what has us all paranoid that we are doing something wrong. Here is what the wife is pushing for:

http://spawncycles.com/

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 1:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Damn those are pretty damn sweet. I was thinking something along the lines of a kids's Specialized or Trek or (insert decent brand here).
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 1:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Specialized has some decent ones. The Trek bikes we looked at were not as good. they are heavy designs just using the name to move a product. They aren't that pricey either (sub $200)

Which brings me back to "my" point of wanting to spend on the larger bike and go for longevity. I think you guys and the wife may be right here. I should just do the 16" bike sized correctly for "now", use it through two boys, then sell it. Heck you only get to buy cool bikes for your kids a coupe of times. Maybe I'm just being cheap.

I also noticed the "nicer" bikes getting away from coaster brakes, even on the smaller models. I guess coaster brakes are rec league these days.... Sad

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jason_ssr, that's the only problem my boy has riding - he doesnt fully get that you can't push the pedal the other way.

I think removing the coaster in favor is a good thing. Also, if you do plan to re-sell, stick to a very well known name like Specialized to help it "move" later.

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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 2:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We went cheap and my kids don't ride it, so I guess it's better than a $300 bike sitting in the garage unused. For some reason my 7 year old gets on a kick for about two days wanting to ride and then it stays parked the rest of the summer. My wife couldn't ride a bike right now to save her life, so maybe it's genetic. However, both kids swim on the swim team, do competitive cheer, and play tennis so at least they aren't sitting around.

Quote:
My son is only 17 months old, but I struggle with the quality vs. cheap decisions as well. Mostly because I grew up on cheap stuff and if I wanted quality I had to save my money and pay for it myself. This made me appreciate quality and taught me to work hard if I wanted nice things. My wife and I are much better off, financially, than my parents were when I was a kid, but I would like to teach my kid(s) some of the values I learned by growing up in a family without much discretionary income.


This is a blessing and a curse. I grew up fairly poor (by comparable standards to me today) and didn't have a lot. We decided that we were in a lot better position so we would provide our kids things that we didn't have. We travel with our kids several times a year, buy them nice clothes, they have new electronics, etc. Now that they are getting older it's become an expectation rather than something special, and we're rethinking our original strategy.
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PostPosted: Jun 10, 2013 2:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

chavez wrote:
Quote:
All of my bikes as s kid came from chain does and they were perfectly fine.

You have to be high right now? Or maybe you haven't had your morning cup of coffee yet? Laughing


Wrote that on my phone. Excuse the typos Laughing

But yea, all my bikes I had as a kid came from Toys R Us. I still say stick with the cheap bikes until he get to a size he will use for a long time.
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PostPosted: Jun 11, 2013 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just spent 20 minutes looking at cool old bikes on ebay.... Robinson, Hutch, PK Rippers.... People selling old sets of bear trap pedals for 1K....crazy.

Anyway, how I ended up there, is I started with that link to the SpawnCycle bikes... What do they charge to ship that to the States?

Because of my being pleased with SE Racing, I'll give you 2 options from them. The Mini Ripper(17.5) http://www.the-house.com/qsemripbk12zz-se-bmx-race-bikes.html and Lil Ripper(16")..... http://www.the-house.com/qselrip16wh13zz-se-bikes.html Looks like shipping may be free.....
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PostPosted: Jun 12, 2013 7:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree on getting the quality bike. We've done both with our boys at different periods of time and the quality bikes always do better than the cheap bikes. The first one we bought for our oldest, got handed down to the youngest and then sold. It was still in good shape when we sold it and it worked out much better than 2-4 cheapy bikes for that same period of time.
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PostPosted: Jun 12, 2013 10:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I said this earlier, but I think it is worth repeating. If your kid is still using training wheels, or your thinking about getting your kid their first bike, they shouldn't be on a pedal bike. Either remove the crank and the training wheels or get a balance bike.

I am nearly certain that's how jason_ssr's "overachieving 2 year old a$$holes" learned how to ride (or maybe they are just gifted mutants). We are now working on getting another neighborhood kid off of training wheels by loaning her my daughter's balance bike. I was extremely skeptical about this at first, but I am 100% convinced now.
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PostPosted: Jun 12, 2013 10:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jjaszkow wrote:
I said this earlier, but I think it is worth repeating. If your kid is still using training wheels, or your thinking about getting your kid their first bike, they shouldn't be on a pedal bike. Either remove the crank and the training wheels or get a balance bike.

I am nearly certain that's how jason_ssr's "overachieving 2 year old a$$holes" learned how to ride (or maybe they are just gifted mutants). We are now working on getting another neighborhood kid off of training wheels by loaning her my daughter's balance bike. I was extremely skeptical about this at first, but I am 100% convinced now.


Exactly!!!! In fact Im removing the crank from the 12" bike for my youngest. We would see that kid on his balance bike all the time walking the nieghborhood with his parents. By 2yrs old he was riding a 12" pedal bike with no training wheels and getting after it (not wobbly at all).

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PostPosted: Jun 12, 2013 11:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Had to google the balance bike. Those are pretty cool. I don't remember ever seeing or hearing about those when my kids were little. Both our boys rode the Razor scooters before bikes and seemed to quickly go from the bike with training wheels to without training wheels.
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