Good bicycles for kids

:
: However, I now have a 8-y-o niece and an a 6-y-o nephew and we are all
: appalled at the dismal quality and configuration - as well as the weight
: - of the commonly available kid's bikes. Does anyone make anything like
: what I had as a child? I think it was called a touring frame with
: non-dropped handlebars and it had a 3 speed gear ... we'd dearly like to
: get the kids bicycles they can enjoy riding instead of the trashy
: heavyweights that seem to be standard stock these days. Not a mountain
: bike, not a bike for stunts, etc. just the kind of bike a kid can ride
: for a few miles on.

Where are you located?

Pat in TX
:
:

I'm in Atlanta, my folks are in SC and the kids live in the DC area. My
father will happily order from just about anywhere in the CONUS if he
can find appropriate bikes for the kids.

Pat said:

:
: However, I now have a 8-y-o niece and an a 6-y-o nephew and we are all
: appalled at the dismal quality and configuration - as well as the weight
: - of the commonly available kid's bikes. Does anyone make anything like
: what I had as a child? I think it was called a touring frame with
: non-dropped handlebars and it had a 3 speed gear ... we'd dearly like to
: get the kids bicycles they can enjoy riding instead of the trashy
: heavyweights that seem to be standard stock these days. Not a mountain
: bike, not a bike for stunts, etc. just the kind of bike a kid can ride
: for a few miles on.

Where are you located?

Pat in TX
:
:

You need to be conscious of the fact that kids have a need to conform when
it comes to something as personal as a bicycle. Yes, the quality of what's
out there may not seem up to par with what you or I had as a kid, but in the
end, if you get the kid a great quality bicycle that all the other kids
laugh at, you're going to lose anyway.

When my kids were pre-teenagers, the movie ET came out and started the BMX
craze. Up until then, one was riding my old Schwinn Orange Crate and the
other, my old Schwinn Lemon Peeler. For a while, they were the absolute
coolest kids on the block. The day after they saw the movie, neither would
ride those old heaps anymore. Eventually, they each saved enough money to
plunk down most of the $400 for their new Supergoose 20" bikes that, in my
opinion, were made like garbage. But at least the kids rode again. I went
through very similar situations with electronic gadgets, sports, equipment,
etc. with them over the next several years. Today, they're smarter and more
practical about their purchases, but at the time, they needed to fit in.

More recently, I ran a bicycle recycling project in my community and
supervised about 40 kid volunteers per year. I taught them all about what
makes a quality bike and showed them the difference over and over.
Fortunately, the kids in this neighborhood come from families that can well
afford the best bikes out there. In the end, though, these kids all ran
after the X-Games bikes or those death trap full-suspension mountain bikes
from K-Mart. I felt like I had been preaching to a wall. But the truth is,
when you're a teenager, it's not about doing the right thing -- it's about
doing the cool thing, in spite of knowing better.

Your niece and nephew will fast outgrow anything you buy them at this age.
I say go to a bike shop (not a department store) and let them pick out what
appeals to them, as long as it's within your budget. If it's a decent shop,
they won't let you buy something dangerous.

"vwpalmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've scanned through and not seen much about this - when I was a kid in
the 1960s, my father bought me a very nice English-made 3/4 sized
bicycle. I rode it for years, then my sister and two godchildren rode
it - and it still wasn't worn out.

However, I now have a 8-y-o niece and an a 6-y-o nephew and we are all
appalled at the dismal quality and configuration - as well as the weight
- of the commonly available kid's bikes. Does anyone make anything like
what I had as a child? I think it was called a touring frame with
non-dropped handlebars and it had a 3 speed gear ... we'd dearly like to
get the kids bicycles they can enjoy riding instead of the trashy
heavyweights that seem to be standard stock these days. Not a mountain
bike, not a bike for stunts, etc. just the kind of bike a kid can ride
for a few miles on.

"vwpalmer" <: I'm in Atlanta, my folks are in SC and the kids live in the DC
area. My
: father will happily order from just about anywhere in the CONUS if he
: can find appropriate bikes for the kids.

That's a start. From what you wrote previously, I thought you must be in the
United Kingdom. if you don't want junk for a kid's bike, you need to visit
some local bike shops and talk to the guys that run the shops. Think of it
as gathering information from the pro's. They know what's available. I
bought a bike that is a semi-recumbent for a kid. It gets stares and "Nice
ride!" yells from neighborhood kids, too.
http://www.evoxcycle.com/Html/modeles_en.html

I got it at a great discount at a Galyan's store (which has now been bought
out by [censored]'s Sporting Goods here in Texas).

Pat

I personally like these bikes for kids.

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bikes/series.asp?series=kids

In my oppinion, Gary Fisher makes well built, safe, and cool looking
bikes that appeal to everyone.

Myo

"NYRides" <: You need to be conscious of the fact that kids have a need to
conform when
: it comes to something as personal as a bicycle. Yes, the quality of
what's
: out there may not seem up to par with what you or I had as a kid, but in
the
: end, if you get the kid a great quality bicycle that all the other kids
: laugh at, you're going to lose anyway.

Another thing is that if you buy a quality bike in the first place, it will
hold its value and sell for more when you do get rid of it. When my older
son was about 6, I paid $45 for a Schwinn 20" bike and later sold it for $25
a few years later. At that time, the common Sears bike cost about $20 and
in a year or so, were worth nothing for resale (because the components were
junk to begin with, the bikes wore out quickly). The Schwinn bikes had
ball-bearings in the bottom bracket whereas the Sears bikes had plastic
sleeves there. Once that plastic sleeve was worn through, the bike was
junk.

Pat in TX

They aren't allowed to watch television. This cures a lot of the
fad-stuff and they know, from watching how easily their mom and
grandfather ride, that their trendy bikes don't cut it. Furthermore,
sister has started riding to school with them 3 miles and they leave
their bikes and she rides home and then rides back in the afternoon to
meet them to ride home. They have already said they want a bike like
their Mom's (it's a 10 speed, but with the handlebars for sitting
upright?). I'll suggest that my dad take the kids to a bike shop in the
DC area when he is up there next, although a couple of makers names who
make good kids bikes would be a help, since Dad hasn't bought a child's
bicycle since the late 1960s
I have bad fibromyalgia and cannot tolerate riding a bicycle anymore,
but miss it badly - was a milbrat and had the aforementioned bike and
then a couple of Italian bikes bought on the other side of the pond

NYRides said:

You need to be conscious of the fact that kids have a need to conform when
it comes to something as personal as a bicycle. Yes, the quality of what's
out there may not seem up to par with what you or I had as a kid, but in the
end, if you get the kid a great quality bicycle that all the other kids
laugh at, you're going to lose anyway.

When my kids were pre-teenagers, the movie ET came out and started the BMX
craze. Up until then, one was riding my old Schwinn Orange Crate and the
other, my old Schwinn Lemon Peeler. For a while, they were the absolute
coolest kids on the block. The day after they saw the movie, neither would
ride those old heaps anymore. Eventually, they each saved enough money to
plunk down most of the $400 for their new Supergoose 20" bikes that, in my
opinion, were made like garbage. But at least the kids rode again. I went
through very similar situations with electronic gadgets, sports, equipment,
etc. with them over the next several years. Today, they're smarter and more
practical about their purchases, but at the time, they needed to fit in.

More recently, I ran a bicycle recycling project in my community and
supervised about 40 kid volunteers per year. I taught them all about what
makes a quality bike and showed them the difference over and over.
Fortunately, the kids in this neighborhood come from families that can well
afford the best bikes out there. In the end, though, these kids all ran
after the X-Games bikes or those death trap full-suspension mountain bikes
from K-Mart. I felt like I had been preaching to a wall. But the truth is,
when you're a teenager, it's not about doing the right thing -- it's about
doing the cool thing, in spite of knowing better.

Your niece and nephew will fast outgrow anything you buy them at this age.
I say go to a bike shop (not a department store) and let them pick out what
appeals to them, as long as it's within your budget. If it's a decent shop,
they won't let you buy something dangerous.

"vwpalmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've scanned through and not seen much about this - when I was a kid in
the 1960s, my father bought me a very nice English-made 3/4 sized
bicycle. I rode it for years, then my sister and two godchildren rode
it - and it still wasn't worn out.

However, I now have a 8-y-o niece and an a 6-y-o nephew and we are all
appalled at the dismal quality and configuration - as well as the weight
- of the commonly available kid's bikes. Does anyone make anything like
what I had as a child? I think it was called a touring frame with
non-dropped handlebars and it had a 3 speed gear ... we'd dearly like to
get the kids bicycles they can enjoy riding instead of the trashy
heavyweights that seem to be standard stock these days. Not a mountain
bike, not a bike for stunts, etc. just the kind of bike a kid can ride
for a few miles on.

Pat said:

I got it at a great discount at a Galyan's store (which

has now been

Quoted message said:

bought out by [censored]'s Sporting Goods here in Texas).

The local Galyan's has started a 50% off sale on all lines
which are not carried by [censored]'s. This includes all Galyan's
private label (need white crew socks anybody) and also bike
lines such as Haro. I picked up a nice pair of Ritchey SPD
pedals for 50% off. This has been going on for a couple of
weeks, so the bikes are probably picked over.

: The local Galyan's has started a 50% off sale on all lines
: which are not carried by [censored]'s. This includes all Galyan's
: private label (need white crew socks anybody) and also bike
: lines such as Haro. I picked up a nice pair of Ritchey SPD
: pedals for 50% off. This has been going on for a couple of
: weeks, so the bikes are probably picked over.

When our local store put those ads in the paper, they carefully did not
mention the bicycles section, so I figured it wouldn't be worthwhile to go
there. I just thought they were only selling the Galyan's branded clothes on
sale. My bad, evidently. I am sure they have converted over by now.....

Pat in TX

: They aren't allowed to watch television. This cures a lot of the
: fad-stuff and they know, from watching how easily their mom and
: grandfather ride, that their trendy bikes don't cut it. Furthermore,
: sister has started riding to school with them 3 miles and they leave
: their bikes and she rides home and then rides back in the afternoon to
: meet them to ride home. They have already said they want a bike like
: their Mom's (it's a 10 speed, but with the handlebars for sitting
: upright?). I'll suggest that my dad take the kids to a bike shop in the
: DC area when he is up there next, although a couple of makers names who
: make good kids bikes would be a help, since Dad hasn't bought a child's
: bicycle since the late 1960s
: I have bad fibromyalgia and cannot tolerate riding a bicycle anymore,
: but miss it badly - was a milbrat and had the aforementioned bike and
: then a couple of Italian bikes bought on the other side of the pond

I don't recall you mentioning the ages of the children. Also, for yourself,
have you looked into recumbent bicycles or trikes? You will be surprised at
what is available today, especially in the trikes lines.
www.hostelshoppe.com also, look here: http://tinyurl.com/6gl5y

Pat in TX

Quoted message said:

: I have bad fibromyalgia and cannot tolerate riding a bicycle anymore,
: but miss it badly - was a milbrat and had the aforementioned bike and
: then a couple of Italian bikes bought on the other side of the pond

I don't recall you mentioning the ages of the children. Also, for yourself,
have you looked into recumbent bicycles or trikes? You will be surprised at
what is available today, especially in the trikes lines.
www.hostelshoppe.com also, look here: http://tinyurl.com/6gl5y

It's not joint stress, it's exercise intolerance. I swim, but even then
I have to be careful - overdo it and I spend 3-5 days doing no more than
the minimum work and "life support". Unfortunately, with fibro, you
just can't build up endurance, you're always back at square one, it
seems. I have hopes that one of these days they will figure out what
causes fibro and have a "fix"

The kids are 8 and 6. The 8-y-o girl is long legged and her 6-y-o
brother appears to be one of those natural athletes - they are terrific
kids and the fact that they've been kept away from teevee for the most
part means they're a lot of fun and much more active than most kids.

thanks - we found that web site and my dad is looking at it. he'll
probably try to find a dealer in the DC area to take the kids to on
their next trip.

Myo Jorn said:

I personally like these bikes for kids.

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bikes/series.asp?series=kids

In my oppinion, Gary Fisher makes well built, safe, and cool looking
bikes that appeal to everyone.

Myo

On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 01:36:18 GMT, vwpalmer <[email hidden]>
wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I now have a 8-y-o niece and an a 6-y-o nephew and we are all
appalled at the dismal quality and configuration - as well as the weight
- of the commonly available kid's bikes.

Tell me about it.

We ended up with an aluminium Trek for my younger son, but even that
is heavier than we wanted. He fell in love with the label because
Lance has one...

The best kids' bikes I've seen, by a country mile, are made by Puky, a
German company - these are expensive but they are 100% pukka bikes
with geometry designed specifically for kids, rather than scaled-down
adult bikes. My older son is big for his age so went to a 24" rigid
fork MTB (Dawes brand) aged 8.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

In article
<[email hidden]>,

vwpalmer said:

I've scanned through and not seen much about this - when I was a kid in
the 1960s, my father bought me a very nice English-made 3/4 sized
bicycle. I rode it for years, then my sister and two godchildren rode
it - and it still wasn't worn out.

However, I now have a 8-y-o niece and an a 6-y-o nephew and we are all
appalled at the dismal quality and configuration - as well as the weight
- of the commonly available kid's bikes. Does anyone make anything like
what I had as a child? I think it was called a touring frame with
non-dropped handlebars and it had a 3 speed gear ... we'd dearly like to
get the kids bicycles they can enjoy riding instead of the trashy
heavyweights that seem to be standard stock these days. Not a mountain
bike, not a bike for stunts, etc. just the kind of bike a kid can ride
for a few miles on.

Argh. I saw the perfect bike about six months ago, a used Marin rigid
mountain bike in a rather small size.

I daresay that no serious bicycle for kids is likely to be heavier than
the three-speed of your youth. I know you're probably not looking for a
BMX, either, but if you want a high-end, lightweight bicycle for kids
this age, and you don't want to go all out into the weird realm of a
very small road bike (which would be silly for kids this age), a racing
BMX makes a sensible choice:

http://norco.com/05/2005bikes/bmx.php

That there's a lightweight aluminum-framed bike with 20" wheels, which
means that road-riffic slick tires are available for that bike, if you
want to go that way. I'd add a front brake for normal riding.

Juvenile mountain bikes on the serious end of the scale make a logical
step up from there:

http://norco.com/05/2005bikes/kids.php

If you want to make that bike fast, change the tires out for slicks.
That's a hard thing to find, but as always, Sheldon has 'em:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/507.html

I know it seems like I'm steering you towards the exact kind of bike
you're arguing against, but there's some sense here. These bikes (and
the Fishers suggested elsewhere) are kid-sized non-[censored] bicycles.
Despite the dirt-oriented heritage of either of these machines, they
would make fast and light road machines for kids as young as your
sibling's children here. The second bike there has a 12-speed
drivetrain, which is enough for anything a 9-12 year old would do, and
will take them as far and fast as their legs can manage.

I'm not in the have-children phase quite yet, but I would be glad to see
my 6-8 year old on a bicycle like this. I think you may want to examine
how far or fast a 6-year old will go on a bicycle: at that age, I am
suspicious (perhaps incorrectly) that little legs would tire easily, and
little brains wouldn't have enough traffic sense to be safe unescorted.

There is one other item you may not be aware of, the much-loved
Trail-a-Bike. Fisher has 'em too, but here's the Norco (Adams) unit:

http://www.totalbike.com/reviews/adams_trailbike.html

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.

Quoted message said:

Argh. I saw the perfect bike about six months ago, a used Marin rigid
mountain bike in a rather small size.

I daresay that no serious bicycle for kids is likely to be heavier than
the three-speed of your youth. I know you're probably not looking for a
BMX, either, but if you want a high-end, lightweight bicycle for kids
this age, and you don't want to go all out into the weird realm of a
very small road bike (which would be silly for kids this age), a racing
BMX makes a sensible choice:

The little bicycle that I had was light enough for a 6 year old - I was
on the long and wiry side - to pick up without any difficylty - I
certainly don't remember any. Graduated straight from that into a adult
bike in 4th grade or so - niece shows every sign of being tall like her
aunt and father rather than her mother, so she may only be a year or so
away from a "proper bicycle"

Quoted message said:

I know it seems like I'm steering you towards the exact kind of bike
you're arguing against, but there's some sense here. These bikes (and
the Fishers suggested elsewhere) are kid-sized non-[censored] bicycles.
Despite the dirt-oriented heritage of either of these machines, they
would make fast and light road machines for kids as young as your
sibling's children here. The second bike there has a 12-speed
drivetrain, which is enough for anything a 9-12 year old would do, and
will take them as far and fast as their legs can manage.

We want them to have something where the riding - rather than the weight
- is what tires them, that they can pick up by themselves if need be and
that keeps them sitting in a good and safe posture while they're riding.
They live in a DC 'burb, and as I said, my sister has gotten so
disgusted with the constant driving children everywhere, that most days,
she rides her bicycle with the kids to school, leaves them and then
returns to ride back with them. Their existing bikes are not cheap, but
they simply aren't "right" for real riding vs. noodling around in front
of the house .....

Quoted message said:

I'm not in the have-children phase quite yet, but I would be glad to see
my 6-8 year old on a bicycle like this. I think you may want to examine
how far or fast a 6-year old will go on a bicycle: at that age, I am
suspicious (perhaps incorrectly) that little legs would tire easily, and
little brains wouldn't have enough traffic sense to be safe unescorted.

On their current bikes, in fair weather, they are going 2.7 miles each
way from home to the oldest's school ... only having to get down and
walk the bikes at two bad intersections; then the youngest goes another
..7 miles to his school. My sister rides with them and their bikes are
locked at school and she keeps the key to avoid unescorted adventures.
Unfortunately, in the big city, kids don't do anything outside the house
without supervision, so the unescorted thing isn't a worry. The fact
that predators in our society have free rein has destroyed the freedoms
of childhood in my lifetime ....

Quoted message said:

There is one other item you may not be aware of, the much-loved
Trail-a-Bike. Fisher has 'em too, but here's the Norco (Adams) unit:

http://www.totalbike.com/reviews/adams_trailbike.html

I am sending these on to my father, who is the prime mover here.
Frankly, if the bike makers don't make scaled down (in size) and
slightly less complex bikes, but made in the proper configuration vs
what's out there for kids, they are losing the chance to snag more
riders young and "raise" them to want to continue riding - and buying
bicycles. I know my early experience with the aforementioned English
bikes and then the Italian bikes bought when we were stationed in Italy,
resulted in me riding a bicycle much longer than many of my peers.

:
: The little bicycle that I had was light enough for a 6 year old - I was
: on the long and wiry side - to pick up without any difficylty - I
: certainly don't remember any. Graduated straight from that into a adult
: bike in 4th grade or so - niece shows every sign of being tall like her
: aunt and father rather than her mother, so she may only be a year or so
: away from a "proper bicycle"

Over the pre-Christmas shopping season, I was in a store that had some BMX
bikes for kids on sale. I bent over to pick one up with one hand (my other
arm being in a sling) and I could barely lift the thing without some real
effort! It must have weighed over 50 pounds, easily, and it was junk, junk,
junk.

I remember buying my son a bike with 24" wheels when he was about that age.
I always believed in buying the bike to fit the kid rather than "letting him
grow into it". When I was 7 my parents gave me a 3-speed "English Racer"
and told me to grow into it. I had to use a step stool just to get on it,
and stopping was a trick all in itself.

The fact
: that predators in our society have free rein has destroyed the freedoms
: of childhood in my lifetime ....

Don't kid yourself: there have always been predators.

Pat in TX

Quoted message said:

Over the pre-Christmas shopping season, I was in a store that had some BMX
bikes for kids on sale. I bent over to pick one up with one hand (my other
arm being in a sling) and I could barely lift the thing without some real
effort! It must have weighed over 50 pounds, easily, and it was junk, junk,
junk.

That's exactly what we're concerned about. A srtong kid like my nephew
has no problem picking up 20-25 lbs, but 50 pounds is nuts

Quoted message said:

I remember buying my son a bike with 24" wheels when he was about that age.
I always believed in buying the bike to fit the kid rather than "letting him
grow into it". When I was 7 my parents gave me a 3-speed "English Racer"
and told me to grow into it. I had to use a step stool just to get on it,
and stopping was a trick all in itself.

that's why I loved my little 3/4 size bike. it was the adult bike
scaled down for a kid.

Quoted message said:

The fact
: that predators in our society have free rein has destroyed the freedoms
: of childhood in my lifetime ....

Don't kid yourself: there have always been predators.

I know they have always been there, but in the past no one worried about
their rights to the point they they have freedom and children don't.
The niece and nephew will never know the kind of freedom I had as a kid
to roam and play unsupervised. Of course, growing up on military posts
we were even safer than civilian kids ... the bent did not prosper in
the military in those day, nor, I suspect now.

In article <[email hidden]>,

vwpalmer said:

Quoted message said:

Over the pre-Christmas shopping season, I was in a store that had some BMX
bikes for kids on sale. I bent over to pick one up with one hand (my other
arm being in a sling) and I could barely lift the thing without some real
effort! It must have weighed over 50 pounds, easily, and it was junk, junk,
junk.

That's exactly what we're concerned about. A srtong kid like my nephew
has no problem picking up 20-25 lbs, but 50 pounds is nuts

Trust me here: the mini-BMX bikes like the one from Norco I indicated
are very light. they're racing machines. But you have to seek them out
from a BMX racing-oriented shop.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I remember buying my son a bike with 24" wheels when he was about that age.
I always believed in buying the bike to fit the kid rather than "letting him
grow into it". When I was 7 my parents gave me a 3-speed "English Racer"
and told me to grow into it. I had to use a step stool just to get on it,
and stopping was a trick all in itself.

that's why I loved my little 3/4 size bike. it was the adult bike
scaled down for a kid.

There is another option. A wonderful option...

http://www2.trekbikes.com/Bikes/Kids-BMX/Kids/Ages_9-12/KDR_1000/index.ph
p

Trek KDR 1000. A full-on road bike with 24" wheels, recommended for kids
in the 53-65" height range.

Trek is not the only company to make bikes like this. You may even be
able to find a few of these for sale if you hang around the right kind
of racing clubs.
--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.

I just ran across the trek bikes searching. I think this is very close
to what my Dad wants to get the kids. If he follows pattern, he'll get
a boy's bike that can be ridden by niece and then passed down to nephew
..... I never had a "girls" bike ....

Smart of them to make a kid's bike that is the adults model shrunk -
create brand loyalty early ....

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

vwpalmer said:

Quoted message said:

Over the pre-Christmas shopping season, I was in a store that had some BMX
bikes for kids on sale. I bent over to pick one up with one hand (my other
arm being in a sling) and I could barely lift the thing without some real
effort! It must have weighed over 50 pounds, easily, and it was junk, junk,
junk.

That's exactly what we're concerned about. A srtong kid like my nephew
has no problem picking up 20-25 lbs, but 50 pounds is nuts

Trust me here: the mini-BMX bikes like the one from Norco I indicated
are very light. they're racing machines. But you have to seek them out
from a BMX racing-oriented shop.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I remember buying my son a bike with 24" wheels when he was about that age.
I always believed in buying the bike to fit the kid rather than "letting him
grow into it". When I was 7 my parents gave me a 3-speed "English Racer"
and told me to grow into it. I had to use a step stool just to get on it,
and stopping was a trick all in itself.

that's why I loved my little 3/4 size bike. it was the adult bike
scaled down for a kid.

There is another option. A wonderful option...

http://www2.trekbikes.com/Bikes/Kids-BMX/Kids/Ages_9-12/KDR_1000/index.ph
p

Trek KDR 1000. A full-on road bike with 24" wheels, recommended for kids
in the 53-65" height range.

Trek is not the only company to make bikes like this. You may even be
able to find a few of these for sale if you hang around the right kind
of racing clubs.