Suggestions on bike for my kiddo

[TronnyJenkins]

My son is about to turn five. He’s been riding no training wheels for a year and is pretty decent on his little Specialized Hot Rock I got for free (it was a free girls bike from the neighbors that I painted black like daddy’s “racing bike”). Unfortunately he’s tall (44”ish) and kinda looks silly on it now. Not to mention he spins out a lot with my riding with him. Maybe gears in that case...

I don’t know what would be best, so if you all have any suggestions, let’s hear em! Budget... dunno, ($200 max says my wife). Planning to buy used and it will get passed down to little brother too.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by TronnyJenkins

My son is about to turn five. He’s been riding no training wheels for a year and is pretty decent on his little Specialized Hot Rock I got for free (it was a free girls bike from the neighbors that I painted black like daddy’s “racing bike”). Unfortunately he’s tall (44”ish) and kinda looks silly on it now. Not to mention he spins out a lot with my riding with him. Maybe gears in that case...

I don’t know what would be best, so if you all have any suggestions, let’s hear em! Budget... dunno, ($200 max says my wife). Planning to buy used and it will get passed down to little brother too.

Not sure you can find a used one but my grand daughter, about the same height, has one of these..GREAT bike.

https://www.clearybikes.com/products/meerkat-24-5-speed

If that's too big, this one..My grand daughters have had both.

https://www.clearybikes.com/products/owl-20in-3-speed

[JLQ]

I picked up a lightly used Trek M220 with 24" wheels for my niece last month after a good bit of searching. It's a super solid bike she'll pass on to her little sister one day. I was happy to find one with a rigid fork. My son had a similar bike a few years ago, it's only shortcoming was the pretty cheap fork that eventually seized. I also looked at the 24" Giant and Specialized, they were all very well put together too. I had the same budget as you and ended up spending $140 bought locally on ebay.

[XXtwindad]

I got my twin daughters the REI CO-OP REV 20. This thread also might be helpful: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=259861

[TronnyJenkins]

Thanks! Some good ones to keep an eye out for! Appreciate the replies.

[Peter P.]

If your kid is gonna participate on this forum, his bike better cost at least $5k. Guaranteed membership if you buy him a Serotta.

[EDS]

My 9 year old got a Woom Off for Christmas this year. It is pretty sweet. There is a 20" option that would likely fit the bill for your son.

[duff_duffy]

It’s how I got my membership:;

Originally Posted by Peter P.

If your kid is gonna participate on this forum, his bike better cost at least $5k. Guaranteed membership if you buy him a Serotta.

[Applesauce]

I can’t speak specifically to your needs, but here’s my suggestions based on selling kids’ bikes, and equipping my own two growing kids:

- buy the best bike you can afford: kids’ bikes generally suck, because they have to meet incredibly low price points at brutally poopy margins. Ask yourself, is it good enough for you? This applies less to drivetrains than brakes, which kids need to start learning to use and balance early on. Hint: your old XC race brakes will fit your kids’ bikes just fine. And, eg, XTR XC and SRAM Levels can be dialled to fit super-short small reach requirements. In these days of $40 hydraulic brakes, forget cable actuated crap altogether. And remember too, it’s OK if the levers hit the bars: stopping 40 lbs is a lot different that stopping you or me. (And on the same note, all your old 600 mm Easton carbon handlebars? They go on your kids’ bikes now. My kids’ bikes looks super schnick-schnock, but it’s really just all my old useless crap that I didn’t sell on Internet forums. It’s worth more to me to have clapped-out XTR 980 brakes on my kids’ bikes!)

- buy the biggest bike your child can almost comfortably ride. It’s OK if it’s a little awkward for a bit: slam the saddle, buy a cheap short stem and slam it, roll the bars way back. Don’t worry too much about stand over (this goes for adult bikes, too). And don’t forget the brake reach adjustment, and don’t set it up for you.

- the most appropriate application for “plus” tires is kids’ bikes. Specialized Riprock is the best example of this style of bike. And again, buy it too big: the advantage of plus tires is that you can put a normal tire on the bike and save the kid and inch of two of additional BB height for a bit, then she grows into the plus tires and you get another wheel size out of the same bike. For a while, run them comically low. Like, sub-10 psi. Your child isn’t going to pinch, or put a flat spot in his wheel.

- buy air suspension or ignore suspension all together. Most kids aren’t strong enough to actuate it, and aren’t going fast enough anyway. But most kids’ bikes come with it for the marketing advantage. It isn’t going to work; please don’t grind the shop staff because it doesn’t work. Having said that, I have trimmed old XC-fork coil springs to replace the stock springs in super garbage kids’ forks, to good end. But that depends on your LBS having a box of old Marzocchi Z2 springs...

Personally, I suggest developing a circle of friends among whom you can cycle through bikes, skis, snow suits, skates...you name it. You get it back for your next child, whatever. Maybe it’s just the town we live it, but I can always rely on finding gear for our kids.

Lastly, good luck buying new this year, if you go that route. These are weird times in the bike industry. If you’re going to try to buy new, go do it yesterday already.

[DRZRM]

Great advice Applesauce!

Clearly, Woom, Early Rider, all light and well thought out for a kid's needs. Also, all are about double your price point, at least. For me it was well worth the investment, especially if you will have two kids growing through each bike, and they actually retain most of their value for resale, which is not true of the much heavier kids bikes.

Once they get bigger it is worth looking for adult XS or S 26" mountain bikes, generally very cheap, and you can make them fit earlier and last longer by putting 24" wheels on them, there are a few 24" inch tubeless tires available (Schwalbe and Vee Rubber IIRC) . Also, make sure you get appropriate length cranks for kids, I put Suntour 152mm on both of their bikes, not the lightest, but quite affordable, and they have held up fine (some rough reviews from adults riding the longer versions). I've built two 24" wheelsets for my 9 & 12 year olds and we have quality, light bikes that they really enjoy, a Salsa a la Carte, and a Sette aluminum frame. I'll put the 26" wheels back when they grow a bit more, and I'll likely get 3-4 years on each bike. As Applesauce said, use your old stuff, I have one kid on mostly XTR 10 speed I pulled off an old bike of mine, the other on some SRAM 9 speed, both on decent hydro disc brakes, one asked to have a suspension fork put on after a year, I found a very nice SID air fork with a lockout here (have I mentioned that 26" stuff is dirt cheap) and he loves it. Narrow bars from decades ago feel super wide for them, one is one a Moot ti bar, the other on some carbon thing I got cheap. One also opted to put a dropper on his bike, again a bit heavy, but he finds it is worth it when he is jumping or riding real offroad. I bough a spare air fork for my older son, but he likes climbing fast and likes the rigid carbon folk on his bike now, he says he may try it out this summer.

Of all the investments in a lighter and more expensive bike out there, I think kids bikes have the most dramatic upside. Many kids bikes weight well over 20 lbs. for like, 40-50 lbs. kids. Imagine if your bike weighed half of what you do (this is how I feel on my Surley fat bike). I think my son's first Cleary was like 13 lbs., he was blown away and realized that climbing was not so bad. Both boys have become really engaged with biking, have started riding pretty serious trails around here, and both jump better than I do. When it is time to move them on, I bet I'll sell them them for about what I initially paid.

[TronnyJenkins]

Originally Posted by Applesauce

I can’t speak specifically to your needs, but here’s my suggestions based on selling kids’ bikes, and equipping my own two growing kids... (trimmed)

Thanks! Some great advice in there!

Originally Posted by DRZRM

Great advice Applesauce!

Clearly, Woom, Early Rider, all light and well thought out for a kid's needs. Also, all are about double your price point, at least.

(trimmed)

Of all the investments in a lighter and more expensive bike out there, I think kids bikes have the most dramatic upside. Many kids bikes weight well over 20 lbs. for like, 40-50 lbs. kids. Imagine if your bike weighed half of what you do (this is how I feel on my Surley fat bike). I think my son's first Cleary was like 13 lbs., he was blown away and realized that climbing was not so bad. Both boys have become really engaged with biking, have started riding pretty serious trails around here, and both jump better than I do. When it is time to move them on, I bet I'll sell them them for about what I initially paid.

Definitely some serious consideration to be made given these replies... I'll see what I can do price point-wise, because resale value is something I hadn't considered. I figured any kids bikes are more or less disposable, but given the points about weight and value on the 'name brand' kids bikes, I might re-think. I think/hope my son will want to do some longer road rides and offload with me... hopefully it'll help keep him in shape and out of trouble as he grows up!

[Columbus SLX]

If you can find them I brought both my kids up on Redline Conquests (20" & 24") which were decent, earnest attempts at cyclocross bikes under $500. Much lighter and quicker handling than the usual knobby-tire kids tanks, and use true Shimano shifting. Definitely recommend them! There are two 24s on CL now, one in DC and one in Portland OR.

[TronnyJenkins]

Originally Posted by Columbus SLX

If you can find them I brought both my kids up on Redline Conquests (20" & 24") which were decent, earnest attempts at cyclocross bikes under $500. Much lighter and quicker handling than the usual knobby-tire kids tanks, and use true Shimano shifting. Definitely recommend them!

Never heard of this... I'll check it out.
One of my teammates messaged me that he has a tiny Trek road bike. By the photos, it's early 2000s (USA colors).
I'm just not sure if I want to jump to a road bike yet. My son is kind of clumsy- probably because he is so big for his age. I don't know if a twitchy road bike is a good idea on my part.

[Applesauce]

I have a 24”-wheeled road bike for my 8-yr-old, got it through a weird channel for not much money, and she’s ridden it maybe twice. Same as asking her to go XC skiing over alpine...it’s hard to convince any normal kid that crushing watts is fun. My take on road bikes for kids - and I’m a died-in-the-wool roadie - is don’t bother. Kids need to learn that bikes are fun.

[markie]

At 44” you are on the border between. 16” and 20” wheeled bikes. Riding bikes should be fun and for me it’s more fun if my bike fits. I think to some extent it’s the same for the kids.