A quick spy at the kids bikes turned up a blue 16" thing that looked pretty good for my under 4 lad to go to. He's already 110 cm tall so he's not far off a 16" and the timber balance bike is starting to look tiny.
It had $10 marked on the saddle. A quick run over made me think "this is alright for $10". Had the lad try it for size and it was looking good. Then I paid some attention to the features. Front brake, freewheel hub, rear coaster, good paint, mud guards, chain guard, good tyres, Giant logo, alloy wheels, excellent chain, handlebar and headset padding, everything turned as it should ...what was that? Giant logo!
Turns out that what we got was a barely used 2010 Giant Animator 16" kids bike that retailed just three years ago (and still does today - but de-featured) for $200...for just $10.
Get it home, re-grease the wheel bearings and rear hub, pump up the tyres (must get some new tubes), clean it up (little bloke did that) and remove the cranks for later...and he's away charging down the driveway on tippy toes. Four years worth of bike. Maybe. Ten bucks.
