Finding a "nice" kid bike has been an obsession of mine. They're out there, but a bit hard to find. My kids use them mostly for riding around the block, but put some decent miles on them going to grandma's, the library, parks, etc. Gears came into play quite early. They don't quite get them, but follow directions well when I holler: "Two left, four right."
I mentioned originally how much I like the 24" tire size. I think it's under-utilized! It rolls over curbs and bumps sooooo much better than a 20" tire, but doesn't require a tall fork/handlebar height like 26" bikes do. Even fairly small kids can ride them, limited more by saddle height and standover than anything. Right now, Redline makes the Conquest <http://www.redlinebicycles.com/bikes/commute/2012-conquest-24>in the 24" size (actually an off-size 24", but that's another story). If you're looking for a good all-round bike for your kid, check them out. Drop bars, fat tires! I found a good one on CL, and am not giving it up for a while! Oh, and all this talk about kid bikes has forced me to go and buy a new one<http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclotourist/6331069394/in/photostream>! My son is at the point where he will actually benefit from a front sus fork, not to mention carrying around the extra weight from his previous bike. It weighed 30lbs, which is about 45% of his weight. That would be like my riding a 85lbs bike on the trails! On Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 5:40 PM, Philip Williamson < philip.william...@gmail.com> wrote: > The cost-per-use being lower for more expensive kid's bikes is > certainly true in my case. I spent $120 on Max's first bike, a 16" > Gary Fisher "Jet Stream" or something. He rode it a LOT for a couple > years. It actually had moto-style fenders... > His BMX race bike cost $300+, weighs 15 lbs, and has lasted for years > of transportational riding. I could've gotten a used one for $150, but > I'd just tried to set him up with a thrift store BMX bike that cost > $10, plus $40 for a new rear wheel and he hated it. Cheap bike = money > thrown from a moving car; expensive bike = years of use, and I could > probably sell it tomorrow for $150. > > Philip > > Philip Williamson > www.biketinker.com > > On Nov 9, 4:06 pm, Allan in Portland <allan_f...@aracnet.com> wrote: > > Agreed on the $250 is a steal. The "free" Trek that I put tubes, tires, > > fenders, and a bell on cost me close to $100. And that was with the tires > > on close-out for about $20 each. You can imagine why I ended up > hesitating > > over the mustache bars. Also, a Wald basket up front would be very a nice > > and very useful touch. > > > > The thing is, most people don't want to spend money on a decent kid's > bike. > > It's understandable as most kids don't ride them very much. But in the > TCO > > (total cost of ownership), a good bike that can last through 2-3 of one's > > own children before being sold used for 50-70% of original purchase price > > is pretty cheap on an amortized basis. Not many people look at their > budget > > that way, though. > > > > -Allan > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > -- Cheers, David Redlands, CA ** -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
