4 yr old bike

[hairylegs]

This is a bizarre post for me to write! I'm looking for another bike for my 4 yr old! She has a Minnie Mouse Bike and we're doing the "armpit" technique. But it seems small for her. So I'd love to get her something a bit bigger. She's about 46" tall, so am eying a 16 or 18" wheel model. Would love hand brake instead of coaster. Thoughts or tips from the fellas here who have taught their little ones? Thanks!

[robin3mj]

Check out Cleary bikes. My 6 year old learned on the Hedgehog, which has v-brakes. Her 4 year old sister is on the smallest (12"?) Cannondale with pedals and learned quickly, but I think the Cleary geometry is designed for little kids, and certainly looks "right" when they're riding.

I'd have bought the 12" Cleary as well, but my 4 year old has a twin, and they're pretty pricey.

Woom also gets good reviews.

[hairylegs]

Super helpful! Thank you. These look awesome but are legit bikes! Maybe I'll try and find a used one...

[markie]

46” is super tall for a 4 year old!

I have twins that are almost 6 and they are just getting that tall.

My kids are just growing out of their Raleighs, but I am considering the model up the 20” Raleigh Rowdy or Lily They are in stock at Amazon.

But my son is getting pretty good so I am thinking of getting him a Woom off 4

Which looks awesome and is a small version of something I would want to ride!

https://us.woombikes.com/products/off4

[dbh]

I started my 4 year son old this spring on a used 12" Cleary. He's on the smaller side for his age and it fit perfectly though by next year he'll need to move onto a 16" bike. My daughter started at 5 on a Woom 3 and loved it. My son will inherit my daughter's Woom 3 this coming spring. The Cleary has more aggressive geometry and is heavier than the Woom. I'd recommend the Woom over the Cleary all things considered given the weight, wheel stabilizer and relaxed geometry, but they are both very good bikes.

[pdonk]

My 38 inch tall 3.5 yr old is on a spawn cycles yoji.

It has hand brakes. Lots of industry standard parts and is not too heavy with a claimed wright of 14lbs.

Geometry and position seem more bike like than wooms.

[hairylegs]

Super helpful guys. Thanks! I was wrong - 44 inches! And 19 inch inseam. Now I gotta convince the wife to spring $300-500 on a bike for her! ;)

[rustychisel]

My qualifications are 3 grandkids: 10, 6 and 4, so I've seen them grow through the sizes.
The critical factor is standover height at that age. If they can reach the pedals and get at least one foot solidly on the ground then you're in the ballpark. Two feet better.
Other than that kids are supremely flexible and accepting: I've never heard one demanding a -17 stem or complaining about setback. Age 4 is the youngest I'd even consider handbrakes because they lack the reach to encompass bars and brake lever and often lack the pull strength. A coaster brake on the back wheel is still a fine thing.
As to weight: all kids bikes are obscenely heavy compared to their rider. They just are. A bit of bashproofing is more important at this age.

[Ken C]

I bought my 5 yo son a Cleary Hedgehog after he learned how to ride on a Strider 14x. I am very impressed by the quality of the Cleary, not too heavy and a very nice brake spec. The brake levers are conducive to small hands and the brakes do not require much hand strength to use. At first I thought they might be too powerful for a small child, but he has adjusted fine. The geo seems well thought out, it is easy for a kid to quickly put a foot down. The gearing seems a little under- geared as my son spins out pretty quickly on the flats but he can climb hills ok since it is a single speed. I know they are expensive, but given the retail bike shortage I figure I can sell it for a good used price when I get him a 3 speed Owl at some point.

The hedgehog is not much different fit wise from the strider 14x, but my son never embraced coaster brakes. However the 14x works amazing for teaching how to ride without training wheels.

[soupless]

one more vote for the Cleary.
My daughter rides her bike a lot more than I thought she would, and it's cause the bike is awesome. I want something just like it.

[dddd]

Contemporary thought on getting the kids on bikes is to have them learn to ride on grass, not pavement.
Less trauma to kids and bike, plus learning to steer over uneven and soft surfaces (and without the danger of other vehicles and urban obstacles such as parked cars and curbs).

[dbh]

Contemporary thought on getting the kids on bikes is to have them learn to ride on grass, not pavement.
Less trauma to kids and bike, plus learning to steer over uneven and soft surfaces (and without the danger of other vehicles and urban obstacles such as parked cars and curbs).

I found baseball diamonds to be a great place to practice. Grass made it hard for my little ones to get enough momentum to really get going and coast, but the dirt on the infield made pedaling easier for them.

[pdonk]

I took a queue from one of the manufacturers, can't remember which one and put coloured dots on the brake levers.

When we ride and my daughter is going a bit fast I tell her to pull pink brake and she easily knows which one it is.

She has no problems with reach or hand strength.

[hairylegs]

Opinions on this guy? Cleary is awesome but tough to find right now!

https://www.prioritybicycles.com/products/startfw2?gclid=CjwKCAjwnef6BRAgEiwAgv8mQWS_8N7yNco n58DpHwLYtwepuu3n6MFodsbvSvykT2pExjMElFHvkhoCDwQQA vD_BwE&variant=32711579697229