Why Is It So Hard To Find a Decent Bike For Kids?
I have a nine-year-old son. Lately I've been trying to find him a new bike. The BMX he was riding, inherited from a neighbor kid, just died a long overdue death. But this has been a frustrating process, because I never realized how challenging it is to find a decent bike for a kid who loves to ride.
You know the dilemma. Do I drop several hundred bucks on a good quality bike that he'll outgrow in 18 months? Or go against every inclination of my nature and buy a cheapie mass-market clunker, hoping it won't break down before he's done with it?
I thought the answer was to get a good used bike, so I've been watching Craigslist, but the endless parade of used $25 Huffys has really got me down. The single good one I saw was a terrific Trek kid's BMX bike, a 1990's model that I had never seen before called the Trek SubDude listed for $40. Alas, even though I called on it immediately after it was posted at 8:30 pm, some lady had snatched it up by 7 am the next morning.
What to do next? So far I haven't bought anything yet, either junk or quality. I'm still watching the ads online and in the paper and I'll keep you in the loop as to what I do. In the meantime, I've fixed his old bike. We're calling it "Lazarus."
Image credits: Kid on bike - Dave Fiedler;
Trek SubDude - Bryan Moyer
Comments
Goodwill or other thrift shops are a good place to find kid bikes.
Check out the Paris Sport on ebay. I don’t know the size of your child, but it is a cool 10-speed for the smaller person that wants to ride on the road. I have a 68 cm PS that I bought in the late 70’s, which I converted to a single speed earlier this year. It is a blast to ride.
Good luck.
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http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Paris-Sport-Road-Bicycle-44cm-bike-Custom_W0QQitemZ320194068310QQihZ011QQcategoryZ56197QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I know the frustration. I searched everyhere trying to find my six year old a bike. I settled on one that has good basics with the idea of moving the good components to a larger frame. My biggest hurdle was finding a coaster brake with good rims. Sure I know everyone offers handbrakes but have you tried to operate them. I couldn’t, so how could I expect my son too. Even those with supposedly good handbrakes are not the quality any mountain and road biker would tolorate. We won’t talk about rims. So, find good basic components and let the frame grow with the child.
I had the same problem with my son when he was 9 last year. After speaking with the great people at our local bike shop we decided to get him an XXS frame Raleigh mountain bike. We then put slicks on in place of the off road tires and he uses it as a street bike.
With the extra tires it still cost about $350 but this way he has a road bike with gears and hand brakes that he has used in 2 road races last year and will run a number of times again this year. With the wider tires it is a bit more stable for a younger rider and a bit more durable for those unexpected off road excersions but it gives him the ability to get used to running gears and hand brakes.
The best part, though, is that when he gets a bit older and big enough for a full size street bike we can simply put the original mountain bike tires back on the rims and he will then have a mountain bike for trail riding in addition to whatever road bike he gets at that time. This way, even though we did spend a bit more for his current bike, it is something he will be using for years to come.
Build it!!! My son just turned 9 three months ago. When he turned 8 I cutomized an old huffy frame that I found in the junk. the frame was in great shape but the parts where all trash. Sand paper, primer, flat black spay paint, cutom dacals from the bike shop, 3 coats clear coat from a friend of mine at maaco, new tires, rims brakes, hand grips and a seat and presto my son has a one of a kind cutomized free wheel 20″ dirt bike. He loves it still 15 months later and is still the envy of all the kids in the neighborhood. It was fun to do and a great father son project, somthing he will remember for years. cost: about 200 but I went top shelf will all the parts (aluminum rims, v-brakes, case of beer for my buddy at maaco etc…)you can do it alot cheaper. Well worth it!!! E-mail me (michaelwhite13@yahoo.com) and I’ll send pics and more details.
I had the same trouble for my 8 year old daughter. Craigslist is a waste of time, in my opinion. REI is your friend, they have very nice bikes at decent prices. Costco used to carry good bikes at bargain prices, but their selection is very limited and they suck at best