What do your kids ride?

[.:ROBBO:.]

I saw the video yesterday and asked the same thing. After mucho googling I found this - available in Oz for $319. Elastomer rear susser for the toddlers. Even though the boy has a Firstbike, I'm tempted

http://www.likeabikeaus.com/models/jumper.htm

Im about to buy 2 of them for my Nephews that spend most weekends here with us after their father passed away last year. They are 3 and 4yo.
We are currently working on kids of our own so it will end up being a great investment as by the time the older 2 are on to pedals the younger ones will be able to take these over.

 

[.:ROBBO:.]

I ended up buying a pair of JD BUG Trainer bikes. From this seller on Ebay- http://cgi.ebay.com.au/JD-Bug-First...Toys_Hobbies_Ride_On_Toys&hash=item53e0c0ad5c

Quality seams good and I only payed $90 each as I picked them up rather than going through Ebay. The frame is all alloy and the wheels are plastic but have sealed bearings. The hand brake works well and can be adjusted for reach easily. It has bushes in the head set rather than bearings but for how light(3.3kg on the bathroom scales) it is I doubt that will ever be an issue. And the seat is small enough for small children to sit on comfortably which I found an issue with most other kids bikes.

I did some research before buying these and most reports were good. And for the price I dont think you could do any better.

The seller brought a container load of these into the country and had planned on selling them to bike shops to re-sell but could not sell a single one. I don't know why as the quality is as good as any other kids bikes you see in bike shops.

 

[Pebble]

Robbo, I brought a JD bug for my son as well when he was younger, I was pretty impressed with it that I got one for my younger daughter too. I think I gave his away when he went on to a proper bike and my daughter learned to ride on the 12"er a bit later than he did after which I gave her JD bug to the local playgroup and it's still going strong, definitely a favorite amongst the kids there!
My Son in particular loved his and wished he could still have it when he outgrew it, probably should have kept it I guess.
The only thing is it's a pain to change tyres or inflating tubes on them (I ended up switching the tyres for those solid rubber / pvc thorn proof jobbies), but as for the rest it's not too hard to take the hubs etc apart and give it a good grease up every now and then.

My Daughter is about to turn 6 now (my Son will be 8 in Jan). However my Daughter is almost as tall as my Son!
The boy rides a Free Agent Trail Devil BMX which we got for him last year. The daughter is on his "done up' 16" Apollo kids bike, but due to her size she's ready for the next step, just looks a bit awkward and unstable on the 16"er. She's not the most confident rider either. I'm thinking I'll give my BMX to my son and his being slightly smaller can go to my daughter (the Trail Devil has a 20.25" TT and smaller bars basically).

Like someone else has said the only thing I would have to change on my BMX is the brake lever for one that has adjustable reach because that's the only problem the 7yr old has with my bike apart from not liking the plastic seat because it's a bit hard when he lands on it I'd probably get a smaller handlebar for him as well, even though he doesn't seem to mind the bigger size compared to his.

 

[2be]

I must say i have had this very conversation with my wife, over and over.......My six year daughter old is ready to move up to a more decent ride. She is a confident rider and I am keen for something of a better quality than the cheap generic bike she has cut her teeth on. Money is always going to be consideration, but as she is the oldest if I get this right it will be handed down to the other two as they all grow.

So the question i need to ask is what do others consider a reasonable budget for a 6 year olds bike ?

 

[indica]

So the question i need to ask is what do others consider a reasonable budget for a 6 year olds bike ?

I just spent $350 on a 20" GT MTB for my son, he's not yet 6. Immediately standing up riding up hills and putting his foot out around corners.
It was a big step up from the 16" GT BMX that had back pedal brakes.
This has gears and V-Brakes and is aluminium and is lighter than the smaller bike.
Worth it for sure as my 8 yo daughter has one and is no where near needing a bigger bike.

 

[furry forester]

2be - that $350 mark is about right - they are measurably better than the kmart type options. Now that my son and his friends have had those bikes for 2 and 3 years the only ones that haven't gone to hard rubbish are the ones produced by proper bike brands and sold through bike shops. I think I paid $50 - $100 for my daughters second hand mongoose, and my sons old Giant has moved onto another boy to teach wheelies and skids all over again! With girls you seem to get away with more, so I'd definitely keep an eye on the notice board of the local supermarket. If they haven't spent their life outside in the rain then they tend to still be fine after years!
That's a great time when they can ride a 20" with hand brakes, thats when my son started to ride xc tracks(7) and even the odd easy dh run(8). It's great fun for both of you when they feel like they can go on a "real" mtb ride. The pushbikes do ramp up in price pretty quickly after that if they are keen. My son has had 2 bikes since then, a dj frame with 24" wheels and when he started racing dh a specialized big hit grom, first with 24" and this year 26" wheels. I rebuilt the dj frame as a single speed for when he just wants to ride around and be a kid. And next year(11) he'll be on a larger frame for his dh bike - all of this on ebay/farkin/hand me down stuff. He also plays basketball - damn thats a lovely cheap sport. My daughter is still on a 20" and she is starting to get the strength and interest to make riding fun for her. If she gets keen I'll be doing it all again!

 

[Pebble]

For a decent BMX for our son we paid $415 I think, discounted down from $499. We originally had an idea of spending $200-$300 but like you say when it's for the oldest kid paying a bit extra can be very worthwhile. And besides I figured at least with a BMX it's not something you'd grow out of very quick at all, hopefully he is still happily riding it into his early teens at least if it hasn't been handed down.

Hmm the 6yr old daughter isn't a very confident rider, so contrary to what I said in my prior post I don't think his bike will be going to her in the near future anyway. Well not as long as she refuses to ride standing up I guess! Time to spend more riding time with her I guess.

 

[2be]

Thanks for the feed back, it makes it much easier to justify having bounced the idea around with other parents that actually ride. I like the idea of BMX but wonder at what sort of reception I would get from Miss 6 yo? Her dream bike would possibly be pink and involve Hanna Montanna or Bratz !! Whether she would think of a BMX as a 'boys' bike might seriously need to be taken into consideration, but then again if it is pink I doubt she would worry. I do have a six month old son that may end up with it and with a three year old girl in the middle so it potentially will see usage for the 10 years. Gears at the moment may be a little confusing but hand brakes should be fine.
Suspension possibly will create more complications and achieve very little besides aesthetics. The way i see it when you weigh in the low 20kg range and are as energetic and flexible as kids are is there any reason to have it?

 

[T-Rex]

The way i see it when you weigh in the low 20kg range and are as energetic and flexible as kids are is there any reason to have it?

I don't think so. My experience with cheap suspension bikes for little kids has been that the suspension is so stiff for their weight and riding style they can't activate it. A professional bike mechanic once told me that this is a deliberate design, so the manufacturer doesn't have to use bushes, thus keeping the cost down.

Example: My now 14 year old had exactly the bike shown in Furry Forrester's post above when he was 10, a Big Hit Grom. The original 4" forks off that Grom are now on my commuter bike. I'm 84kg, and I can only get 2 inches of movement out of that fork. Before that, the boy had a Kent duallie, which cost $150 or so, and for him at 8 - 9 years of age, it might as well have been fully rigid.

 

[2be]

Hmm... my thoughts exactly, thanks for that. So it looks more and more like BMX will be the way to go.

 

[Gripo]

Giant MTX150

Here's my nephew on his Giant MTX150, from stock we changed the stem to a 40mm (origionally 60mm) and put on some lighter, knobbier bmx tyres.

Value for money, you can get them for under $300.

http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/sho...r-XC-Machine&p=2092081&viewfull=1#post2092081

 

[.:ROBBO:.]

My Nephews have had about 4 hours on Bike paths so far. One is just about to Turn 3 the other has just turned 4. Its amazing how quick they pick it up. They both still fall off a little but thats usually because something else caught their attention as they rode past and they stop watching where they are going.

Here is a very short clip of them going down a hill off a Bridge. Filmed with my GoPro in my hand. This is raw un-edited HD footage.

[video=vimeo;14853949]http://vimeo.com/14853949[/video]

 

[Reign Rider]

My eldest (4 in nov)started on the ali likeabike (3rd b'day prezy)

http://www.likeabikeaus.com/models/jumper.htm

He still loves to ride it but with in months he wanted a "big bike" with pedels so after looking around found this on CRC

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=12842
the 16"

First day first ride off by himself down the drive like he had been riding for weeks. Our yougest is now trying to have a go on the jumper he's 2 in dec.

 

[Bjorn]

When my eldest daughter was approaching her 5th birthday I bought an Apollo 16" BMX from the shop a mate worked at. It was perfect, 14mm axles, A-head set and Dia-Comp brakes with adjustable spring tension. I think was about $320. The paint was a lame, powdery, fluro orange but since it was to be a 'girls' bike I stripped it and painted it pink, laid on some flame graphics and clear coated it. I don't think she would have minded the original colour, but I wanted it to be special.
She is now nearly 8 and ready for a bigger bike. Unfortunately darling wife and I are both studying and money is tight.

My second daughter is learning to ride, but is not enamoured of it like her older sister or her younger brother...

My now 4 year old son started out at 2 1/2 on a Stride-to-ride bike and then graduated to a S/H 12.5" BMX. I didn't put training wheels on it, because I think they stop you learning how to steer. He wasn't really getting it, the rear tyre always went down even though I put in new tubes and checked the tyre for thorns etc. The bike sat through winter in my shed and then I took the eldest to the MTB Park on the school holidays and the campaign began...
"Dad, when are you going to take me to the MTB Park?" he would ask. "When you learn how to ride," I would reply. After he pointed out he couldn't learn to ride without a bike, I got in and fixed it. In a day and a half, he went from being unable to ride to being able to start off by himself. He was just so ready to do it.
After a week it was obvious the 12.5" was too small so I pulled out an old 16" that a mate had given us and repacked all the bearings. I put a riser bar on for him rather than the BMX bars and he's stoked.

Yesterday we rode to kinder and back and today we will ride again. The bike is a bit of a POS, but it rolls well and fits OK. I cut the bars down, but they are still pretty wide. The back pedal brakes are a problem for more ambitious stuff (the MTB Park was sketchy as) so I've negotiated to buy the bikes my shop mate had set up for his son.
I'll say this, if your kids are ready; get them onto any bike that fits them. Don't muck around saving for "The Bike" get them riding while they are in the sensitive period. Then save and get the good bike. They won't care about having a flash bike, they'll be happy to be riding with you.

 

[Whitie]

Our Kids Ride

Have to agree about all the comments and the quality of bikes you get from a bike shop over chain stores.

Our eldest got a Malvern Star 12 inch bike when he was two(2000) - used it for about 3 years and the younger one got it and used it for about another 3 - then someone took it off the rubbish collection heap. Think we paid $129.00 (About 6 years use)

Then the eldest moved onto a Malvern Star Master Blaster 16 inch - and he sold it to a friend a few years ago and it's still going strong. Cost $159?? (Still going after 7+ yrs)

We brought the youngest one a Mongoose 16 inch(aged 5) - again it was sold after 2 or so years - but the quality was not comparable to the Malvern Star Cost $189.00?? Not sure of it's fate.

The eldest one decided he wanted a Haro BMX at age 8 - and still rides it after 4 or so years. Then he brought a giant MTX225($225) 2 years ago that started off as a XC bike and ended up last year as a DH bike with upgrades that the youngest one used in the Vic DH series - it's a spare but sill going ok - upgraded rims etc but could do nothing about the forks. The eldest one moved onto a second hand Giant STP that he upgraded and recently stripped to switch over to a Norco.

The youngest one moved onto a Raleigh 20 inch (aged 7) - again not that great a quality and he outgrew it and it wasn't going to surviive DH racing. The boy he sold it to is still riding it (in the driveway!!)

So now the boys who are aged 12 and 9 ride:
12 year old - Giant Boulder XC Bike, Haro BMX and an old Norco Fluid as a DH bike
9 year old- Avanti Black Thunder 24 XC bike, Kona Stinky 24 DH bike and the Giant MTX 225.

Mum and dad are broke supplying new parts! The boys have made some of the purchases - birthday money!! But the weights( Kona is heavy) and quality of running gear varied from bike to bike and we've had to upgrade from retro gear shifters and the brakes on most of the bikes. As our boys are small the Malvern Stars were fine - but are they still around?? (Total bike count in our shed is now 12 - that 3 bikes each!!) We now all ride XC and DH.

 

[skybustim]

What kind of helmets do your kids use?
We have been trying a RJ's helmet (the dinosaur) with our 14 month old, but having problems with it falling over his face, even with it tightened up.
A temporary solution was to have a cap under the helmet, but this is not great.
Also the adjust parts inside the helmets are now coming off the sheel due to Zac pulling the helmet up and down.
Can anyboday reccommend a decent brand which is ajustable to serve for a growing head, but tight enough that it doesn't keep falling over his face?
Otherwise it will be a lot of trapsing around different shops to try all the different brands.

ps does anyone use a wee ride? Think i would like to move onto this from the trailer, also be easier riding on city bike paths, without worrying about knocking walkers who won't move over a little bit.

 

[indica]

I have found most kids helmets to be of the shitty variety and not really much difference between them.

In other news my 6 year old rode down a hill on his face, ate dirt, had loads up his nose. We cleaned him up, he stopped crying and laughed saying I wish I didn't cry when I crash.

Top work!

 

[MrsH]

Specialized do a Small Fry Toddler Helmet.
Our 5 year old has Specialized youth sized helmet, before that he had a Netti kids brand.. but he's a fathead so never needed a toddler type
On the bike front hubby is currently building the boy's next bike - a 20" Mongoose BMX which he's stripped back sprayed red.. it's very pretty

 

[flamin'trek]

My son has been off training weheels for a while now (at 5). Probably could have got him off them a little sooner except we only had a 12" fixie. Found a 12" on the side of the road, slapped a coat of red and yellow (his choice) on over the pink, re-packed the hubs and he's away. I wasn't going to spend any money on this one knowing he wouldn't be riding it for long, and he prob should have a bike a bit on the small side to learn on.

Now gotta wait to inherit/find a 16" coz the 12" is too small. Wont be spending much until he gets to a 20" or larger, just as long as the work, doesn't matter how it looks...too much.

Also picked up a tag-a-long off ebay for $80 in top nick. He loves that, laughs like nothing else when we pick up speed or head off the cyclewa over a bump or two. Highly recommend it for polishing a few skills without having to worry about steering. Also means we can ride for further without wearing him out (just me!)

 

[Pebble]

I think they're kids sized xc type helmets, the bike shop recommended getting those over the skater style lids. But my boy in particular seems to have a pretty small head anyway so the skater ones are just too big.