What do your kids ride?

[geoff_tewierik]

The general jist of it I see is going from a 12" balance bike to a 16" pedal bike with the pedals and/or crank & chain removed. That way the child gets used to the slightly bigger bike and its handling, while using it as a balance bike. Once they've got the balance down pat on it, you add back in the bits you've removed. Because they've already got balancing on that bike sorted, its a natural progression to pedalling, and they're sorted if they don't want to pedal as they already know how to balance on it. Also helps if they see other kids older than themselves on bikes with pedals pedalling. Imitation is a great learning tool.

That's the plan I have in place for my daughter - and she gets her first balance bike this Christmas, she'll be 15 months old - too early to use it properly probably, but it'll at least be around the house and it's a good "Christmas" present.

 

[steve24]

If they have been on a balance bike then just don't fit trainer wheels. Take them to a flat area like a car park and spend some time running with them. Gloves and full skin cover is good idea but try not to let them crash 1st day out.

I hate back pedal brakes as it is hard to get pedals in the start position (my son always paddled to start) and also when they freak out on a down hill and take their feet off the pedals they have no brakes (even if the bike has a hand brake too they mostly rely on back pedalling...).

A decent bike also makes a world of difference. My 5yr old son just swapped to his sisters hand me down miro racing BMX- 20x 1 1/8th. We did a 15.5km ride yesterday, 3 times further than he could manage on the 16" GT he was riding.
That little bike just rolls and rolls and is under 7kg.

 

[buffthatout]

My daughter (7) is on a 16" GT & my son has a son (5) has a 16" moongoose & just last week he got a Redline mini race bike.
We have never had a problem getting them bikes. From balance bikes & the old Giant trike our old local bike shop always had us covered.

 

[Duane]

I hope to get the lad a Kona Stinky 24 for his next (10th) birthday but used ones seem rare and new ones are too bloody expensive. Anyone have any experience with them? Too heavy for trailriding?

 

[rangersac]

If they have been on a balance bike then just don't fit trainer wheels. Take them to a flat area like a car park and spend some time running with them. Gloves and full skin cover is good idea but try not to let them crash 1st day out.

What's worked a treat for me in the transition from balance bike to a peddlie is this. Strap a broom handle in between the seat stays, so that it sticks out at an angle towards you when you stand behind the bike. You can then walk/ run along behind them holding this when necessary to prevent spills, and to help them to get started. As they become more confident and stronger you'll find you can take your hand away progressively earlier. Had my two up and running in a week with this method.

 

[rsclio]

I hope to get the lad a Kona Stinky 24 for his next (10th) birthday but used ones seem rare and new ones are too bloody expensive. Anyone have any experience with them? Too heavy for trailriding?

Mate I'd go a hardtail
My 2 boys and a friends daughter all rode a Mongoose rockadile AL 24"(same one) and it was heavy I shudder to think what the Stinky 24" would weigh. 24" bikes and forks are nightmarishly heavy and of low quality. Matt punched the springs through the top of the forks on the Rockadile he was probably 9 or 10 at the time Ended up putting 26" forks on it
My older son then got onto a Diamondback Comprsssion 2 while the younger one went for the more XC Malvern XCS7 which he is still riding although almost grown out of They were about 10 when they got the 26" bikes . Both of those bikes were good for what the boys wanted to do on them.
Try and find an XS 26" bike is my advise

 

[Duane]

He has a 24" spesh hardtail, the forks are pretty woeful but a bit of MacGyvering and they work okayish. Reduced friction and he has 65mm travel now. The bike is pretty heavy though. Might have to put it on a diet.

 

[rick79]

I hope to get the lad a Kona Stinky 24 for his next (10th) birthday but used ones seem rare and new ones are too bloody expensive. Anyone have any experience with them? Too heavy for trailriding?

My son has one...check the rebuilt I just did on it on the previous page.
Hes now 1o and has had it since 7...and yeah your right...new ones are mega expensive, and second hand are rare as hens teeth.
In my opinion the new ones are excellent quality, and no kid is going to ride above the bikes capabilities in a hurry!!!
here is a kid launching big on a 24" stinky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u47e7kHoP34
I do think even standard they arnt suited to trail riding at all, geometry is not suited, and yeah just to heavy for uphill pedalling making it an unpleasant experience altgether. All Mountain/Enduro..yeah. Setup for DH...even better they absolutly RIP!

for trail riding id go a custom build, any bike disc brake compatable bike in a x-small, upgrade the forks to rockshox recon solo air's second hand ($150ish), second hand upgraded brakeset - avid elixir 1-3 or shimano deore or something ($80ish) and mabee $100 more just to freshen things up like grips, peddles etc.
26" forks will go good an a 24" wheel bike, it'll slacken the head angle a little which will be good for trail riding as most cheap hardtails have very steep headangles making them quite twichy and a handful on any descent...not such a great thing for a kid

my 2c

 

[quiggs]

The progression for my little fella has been balance bike from 18 months till just before he turned 3 years old, then got him a little Giant 12' bmx. which he rode like a balance bike for a good 2-3 months before he just "Got It one day" and started pedalling like he had been doing it for years. since then we have done trips to the Stockyards side at the Youies, and was comfortably rolling around the flatter trails @ Forest on the Yaughter end of town.

His latest upgrade is to an 18' bike from Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Clifton Hill, he has had it for about 3 months, he is now 4 1/2 year old. I was originally looking around for a alloy framed bmx in the 16" size but had a look at these and the design and angles are awesome. I still remember the guy in the shop say "It'll probably take him a month or so to get used to it". Will then proceeded to pedal out of the saddle up the him turn around come flying back down the hill to a skid stop next to us! The guy then said with a smile " I think he will be ok!" The bike is lighter in weight, more stable, both pedal and hand brakes and has a SRAM internal 2 speed automatic rear hub . Which changes gears when the wheels are going about 13kph, as a result everything is done faster. It's not the cheapest of bikes but I figure he will get a good 3 years out of it

[video=youtube_share;985W0DRTDWU]http://youtu.be/985W0DRTDWU[/video]

Here's a short little example of his lunacy

quiggs

 

[Knuckles]

The progression for my little fella has been balance bike from 18 months till just before he turned 3 years old, then got him a little Giant 12' bmx. which he rode like a balance bike for a good 2-3 months before he just "Got It one day" and started pedalling like he had been doing it for years. since then we have done trips to the Stockyards side at the Youies, and was comfortably rolling around the flatter trails @ Forest on the Yaughter end of town.

His latest upgrade is to an 18' bike from Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Clifton Hill, he has had it for about 3 months, he is now 4 1/2 year old. I was originally looking around for a alloy framed bmx in the 16" size but had a look at these and the design and angles are awesome. I still remember the guy in the shop say "It'll probably take him a month or so to get used to it". Will then proceeded to pedal out of the saddle up the him turn around come flying back down the hill to a skid stop next to us! The guy then said with a smile " I think he will be ok!" The bike is lighter in weight, more stable, both pedal and hand brakes and has a SRAM internal 2 speed automatic rear hub . Which changes gears when the wheels are going about 13kph, as a result everything is done faster. It's not the cheapest of bikes but I figure he will get a good 3 years out of it

[video=youtube_share;985W0DRTDWU]http://youtu.be/985W0DRTDWU[/video]

Here's a short little example of his lunacy

quiggs

He rides just like me, bounce down the descents, chuck her into the bushes and refuse to ride the ups :thumb:

 

[eastie]

He rides just like me, bounce down the descents, chuck her into the bushes and refuse to ride the ups :thumb:

I was thinking exactly the same - except the little lad didnt fall off like you do?
My daughter did a similar 'throw it in the bushes' at tathra recently.... quite funny except I think she takes after me.

 

[piker]

I'm lucky I think. My girl was on a 10" balance bike not long after she could walk and then pedalling a 12" BMX at 2 years.

She's now 5 and rides a 1980 Mongoose Minigoose. Great geometry for kids and it rolls over stuff really well...proportions are like an adult on a 29er.

I ride a lot, mum does too and we have lots of bikes around, and she grew up in a house where she could ride inside, so I guess that helped with us chasing her around. She's had plenty of stacks that drew blood and keeps coming back for more...I also pulled her around in a Chariot from birth until she was 4, so she's always gone fast on wheels on dirt!

 

[WarbyD]

My 6yo finally "got" riding her new Giant 16" on the weekend..

She has been on training wheels since she was younger (3 or 4 I think), and when her birthday came around this year I told her I'd get her a new bike on the proviso that her old one immediately went on the hard rubbish and she would not be getting training wheels on the new one. I'd been taking her to a local park with a quiet section of path with a couple of corners to do short laps (basically, start, ride a hundred metres, stop, turn around and do it again - stairs at either end) to get her used to starting/stopping, thinking that was the most important thing, but she really wasn't progressing at all. What I realised when I was watching her though was that this wasn't the problem at all, it was her confidence - She could get up and go, but once she got going I think she was too concerned about what was next because she knew she had to stop soon...

Took her instead to the local netball courts and said "off ya go then" .. Told her to just ride. Practice cornering, ride slalom around the netball rings/posts, start and stop as often as she wanted, etc.. Spent about 2 hours just cruising around at her own pace and that was it. Confidence issues gone. She's hooked and wants to ride all the time now. Really wish I'd thought of these courts earlier..

At the same time, was watching my 3yo belting around on his balance bike - setting himself little challenges (linking corners around obstacles without putting his feet down, riding up/down ramps, riding with his eyes closed, feet in different positions, etc) and reckon that little Kmart balance bike was the best $35 I ever spent - Will be buying him a "proper" bike for christmas I think.

Two lessons for me:
(1) Training wheels are the devil. They did absolutely nothing except teach my daughter how to turn pedals over.. She didn't learn anything at all about riding/handling a bike until they were gone, and then she had to start from scratch;
(2) Balance bikes are where it's at for teaching kids to ride.

Keeping an eye out atm for a balance bike low enough for my ~18mo to ride.. As soon as I find her one, she'll be on it. Any suggestions?

 

[piker]

I found one of these in a bike shop in Frankston, Melb in 2010. She was riding it not long after she could walk...http://bikesandbeyond.ca/product/adams-girls-runner-bike-60024-1.htm

You can run the seat down really low and the bars are low. It's now taught 5 other kids to ride and handed it to the 6th yesterday! I haven't seen another one anywhere, but haven't really been looking I guess...

 

[lewis84 lewis84]

Hey guys. I would like some advice on wheel size etc. Both of my boys are absolutely loving MTB. My 5 year old is on a 20" 6spd Malvern star rigid, the only modification is a set of maxxis tyres and it's doing him fine. My 8 year old is on a junk Diamond Back 24", and this is where my problems are. Both boys have been riding since 3, and have both been on motorbikes since the same age. My 8 year old is pretty much destroying his bike, and I spend more time fixing it than he does riding, or at least that's how it feels! We've built a 3.5km single track loop in the paddock, and it's got a few jumps, drops etc. He is getting really confident but it's destroying his wheels, brakes etc. He wants to try his hand at racing with the local club and I'd like to build up something suitable for him. I looked at a few of the options off the shelf, but could only find 2 in 24" that might suit. The Scott scale and the specialized hot rock xtr. The scott is a bit disappointing in that it still runs rim brakes while the hot rock looks good, I'm not sure if it's worth spending that much on a bike he will out grow in a short period? Or is 26" an option? Will the large wheel size and comparative weight be detrimental to his riding? If he was a foot taller I'd be sold on 26", but right now I'm just confused. Any advice would be very much appreciated!
Cheers, Chris

 

[scblack]

Hey guys. I would like some advice on wheel size etc. Both of my boys are absolutely loving MTB. My 5 year old is on a 20" 6spd Malvern star rigid, the only modification is a set of maxxis tyres and it's doing him fine. My 8 year old is on a junk Diamond Back 24", and this is where my problems are. Both boys have been riding since 3, and have both been on motorbikes since the same age. My 8 year old is pretty much destroying his bike, and I spend more time fixing it than he does riding, or at least that's how it feels! We've built a 3.5km single track loop in the paddock, and it's got a few jumps, drops etc. He is getting really confident but it's destroying his wheels, brakes etc. He wants to try his hand at racing with the local club and I'd like to build up something suitable for him. I looked at a few of the options off the shelf, but could only find 2 in 24" that might suit. The Scott scale and the specialized hot rock xtr. The scott is a bit disappointing in that it still runs rim brakes while the hot rock looks good, I'm not sure if it's worth spending that much on a bike he will out grow in a short period? Or is 26" an option? Will the large wheel size and comparative weight be detrimental to his riding? If he was a foot taller I'd be sold on 26", but right now I'm just confused. Any advice would be very much appreciated!
Cheers, Chris

My nine year old daughter has been on her 26" Giant Boulder W XS size bike over a year now. The bigger wheels and weight do not affect her riding. She is pretty big for her age though - but if your son is riding as hard as it sounds here, I'm sure he'll be fine with a 26" as long as you don't buy a tank. My younger daughter 7yo is on a 24" Giant Areva and actually the difference in weight is minimal.

 

[Knuckles]

Hey guys. I would like some advice on wheel size etc. Both of my boys are absolutely loving MTB. My 5 year old is on a 20" 6spd Malvern star rigid, the only modification is a set of maxxis tyres and it's doing him fine. My 8 year old is on a junk Diamond Back 24", and this is where my problems are. Both boys have been riding since 3, and have both been on motorbikes since the same age. My 8 year old is pretty much destroying his bike, and I spend more time fixing it than he does riding, or at least that's how it feels! We've built a 3.5km single track loop in the paddock, and it's got a few jumps, drops etc. He is getting really confident but it's destroying his wheels, brakes etc. He wants to try his hand at racing with the local club and I'd like to build up something suitable for him. I looked at a few of the options off the shelf, but could only find 2 in 24" that might suit. The Scott scale and the specialized hot rock xtr. The scott is a bit disappointing in that it still runs rim brakes while the hot rock looks good, I'm not sure if it's worth spending that much on a bike he will out grow in a short period? Or is 26" an option? Will the large wheel size and comparative weight be detrimental to his riding? If he was a foot taller I'd be sold on 26", but right now I'm just confused. Any advice would be very much appreciated!
Cheers, Chris

You'll find the weight of a decent 26" bike will be a fair bit less than a 24" kids bike. Kids bikes seem to be able to find that hard to get mix of high weight and weakness and the options for upgrades is very limited.

 

[moorey]

Definitely go the 26" for your 8yo. My son moved to a small 26" when he was 7, and hasn't looked back. For less than the price of a shit heavy 24", I built him a sub 12kg 5" duallie.

 

[lewis84 lewis84]

Thanks fellas. That's pretty much confirmed what I was thinking, that I could build up a 26" frame at less weight than a 24" kids frame. The biggest problem I've found is that even the alloy frames seem to be ridiculously over built and over weight. Couple that with the fact that most of them seem to run a 1" steerer and there is not a lot of options to upgrade. The single biggest gripe with them for me though is the fact that none of the bearings offer any sort of seal. Kids being kids seem to seek out any puddle or muddy section they can find and I am constantly stripping and re packing wheel and bottom bracket bearings! I think I'll start shopping for a small 26" frame and build it up as light as I can. I have a lot of bits left over from mine so I'll be able to run 1x9 etc and 26" parts seem to be crazy cheap now days. Thanks for your help!
Cheers, Chris

 

[geoff_tewierik]

He's 8, he should be stripping and rebuilding his own bottom bracket.