Kids Bike

[gavgus]

Hi All,

I'm looking to buy a decent geared 20" bike for my 7yo son. Doesn't have to be new. He likes to ride quite a bit (off training wheels of course), and prefers thumb shifters to twist grips.

Any advice on what to look for/avoid will be most appreciated. Thanks!

[bychosis]

Look for one from a bike brand, not a dept store brand. Aim for alloy rims too.

I bought two second hand, a giant and an avanti, for my sons. They are both reasonable, one was over $100 on eBay, and was in pretty good condition. the second, the avanti, was on gumtree for $35, wasn't ready to purchase but grabbed it anyway at that price. The avanti is showing signs of surface rust, and looks a bit ordinary on the shiny bits but everything functions well after a bit of a tune up. Alloy frames for both. Of the two the giant is newer, and has better bits overall, but probably because it is a later model.

They turn up on eBay fairly regularly and seem to go for around $100-$150 in good condition.

[MattyK]

Buy a red one, because they're faster.

Maybe this:
http://www.bykbikes.com/kids-bike-range ... -bike.html
(and possibly a shifter swap - I doubt there are many trigger shift kid's bikes)

Though if anything on the market had a hub gear that's probably where I'd look.

Where does he ride? street? skate park? gravel? dirt?

[jacks1071]

Hi All,

I'm looking to buy a decent geared 20" bike for my 7yo son. Doesn't have to be new. He likes to ride quite a bit (off training wheels of course), and prefers thumb shifters to twist grips.

Any advice on what to look for/avoid will be most appreciated. Thanks!

Fuji have a 20" that would suit your requirements, they are good for the money but quality is average and they are very heavy. My 5yo son has one, both wheels were buckled when it arrived and it was poorly assembled - all things I was able to rectify without buying anything but it was a few hours in the shed.

If you want to go for something better quality in a 24" to give you a bit more growing room check here:



http://www.pro-liteoz.com/store/index.p ... roductId=6

[gavgus]

Thanks for the info.

bychosis, yes, haven't seen much on eBay lately but I'll keep looking. I'll look for name brands like you suggested.

mayytk, he'll be riding mainly on street with a bit of dirt for good measure. And it seems trigger shifts are on their way out - hard to find!

jacks1071, the pro-lite looks great but out of our price range.

Has anyone had any experience with HASA? Looking at this one: http://cyclingdeal.rtrk.com.au/?scid=141590&kw=754668:21956&pub_cr_id=14383622948. They're made in Taiwan (same as some of the big brands I think) with Shimano gear & Kenda tyres... Any good?

[shannon]

Maybe check out these bikes... www.fourtybikes.com they are 3 speed internal geared and good quality

[DavidL]

gavgus,

After running a couple of bikes though the kids now my process is pretty much to get a bike of eBay and then replace anything that needs it. If you have the time there are some real bargains that come up on eBay, bikes that have been ridden twice and the kid is now to big, or dad bought the bike because he was a cyclist and the kid just isn't interested.

Pretty much everything (excluding some very nice Scott and a couple of others) have complete crap for running gear, so it will need to be replaced pretty quick anyway if your kids actually ride. Parts are also cheap from Wiggle and the likes, as 8-speed is more than good enough though cranks can be very expensive to replace.

Also look for the DH/Dirt Jump style bikes, they have soft forks that actually work with the light body weight of kids and an alloy frame to keep the weight down.

My last purchase was a 24" Scott Voltage with cable disc's for $300 that was almost new from eBay. $80 to upgrade to trigger shifters and derailleurs that actually work and it is a very good bike.

- David.