Kids bike suggestions

Came to the conclusion today that a new bike for the kid is pretty much a necessity if I want to keep her motivated to go. She's currently on a 20" Specialized Riprock that is heavy as hell for what it is, singlespeed, coaster brake and one hand brake. She's had a growth spurt lately, and is also getting worn out trying to tackle hills on the RR. Looking at 24" bikes with hand brakes, and a handful of gears. No suspension, and skinny tires are fine. Premium being placed on light weight. My first instinct is/was the Woom 5, or Early Rider, but they're out of stock until late May or June at least, as were the other kid specific lightweight bikes. I assume it's a COVID/China supply chain issue. I'm leaning towards a Liv Alight 24. Price is right, and it's immediately available at the LBS. I doubt there's a perfect option that I'm missing, but figured I'd consult the brain trust here before I pull the trigger.

 

Honestly, if you are just looking to get her out on roadie spins with dad....anything with some gears will do. Kids don't know about the weight of the bike....they just pedal.

Most kids bikes are gonna be heavy....just he nature of the beast.

The Liv would be fine.

Couple more to look at:

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...-24-8-speed-girls/p/28128/?colorCode=pinkdark

https://khsbicycles.com/bikes/2020-khs-models/syntaur-20/

 

I’m a firm believer in not skimping out for kid’s bikes. Weight absolutely is a factor for kids so I’ve always kept that in mind for my son (and my daughter is now on his old balance bike shredding at 2yo). Imagine riding a bike that weighs as much as you do, that’s how some of those Wally Target bikes are for kids.

I bought the Early Rider Spherevelo for my son when he was a baby and his current bike is an Early Rider Belter 16. Have you tried REI for Early Riders? They were “out of stock” on the ER website but I was able to order one through REI when I bought my son’s.

https://us.earlyrider.com/products/seeker-24

 

I've been looking to upgrade my youngest bike.

check this....
https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-gear/10-best-kids-mountain-bikes-2018/

 

Trailcraft has actual off-roadable bikes for kids.

 

Kona Honzo 24, it’s a great kids bike

https://www.konaworld.com/honzo_24.cfm

 

The only reason we didn't go with the Honzo was that it was 1x7 with a low gear of 32 x 36 or something ridiculous like that. (Looks like it is now 28 x 34). No way my daughter could climb with that. We went with the triple ring Ghost from REI. Shimano trigger shifters instead of grip shift. Grip shift was hard for Ruby, but triggers are easy. Disc brakes.

That Liv you mentioned sounds great if she doesn't want to do dirt. Otherwise, I would move up the Liv line. Like the Enchant 24 Disc. Triple ring. 24 x 34 granny gear.



25 lbs. $700. She chose the bike that fit and had the right stuff over the bikes with pretty colors. I never have.

And before you smart alec's chime in, she wanted the reflectors on there. But I'll pull them off before she rides again. She won't notice. And the dork disc, of course.

 

Woom all the way.

 

Just make sure to dispose her old bike properly.

 

Islabikes pulled out of the US market, but used ones can be found. Here's one: https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2759900/

Lightweight, geared, decent components, no heavy/crappy sus fork. Highly recomended.

 

Totally makes sense. My kid weighs about 1/3 of what I weigh and I bet her bikes weighs more than my DV9. Combine that with no gears and short crank arms. No wonder it's hard. Unfortunately REI stops at 20" for ER bikes now.

Absolutely my first choice, but they're nowhere to be found at the moment. If you look on Pinkbike there are like 7-8 ISO posts for the Woom 5. I'm guessing that crazy demand due to stay at home orders, and supply chain issues means all legit lightweight high quality kids' bikes are sold out.

Yeah, I think that's probably going to be the ticket. She has no interest in dirt yet so I'm just going all-in on whatever will maximize her fun right now. So steering away from the added weight of suspension, disc brakes, etc.

Great suggestion. Thanks!

 

You’re thinking like a guy, a father and bike enthusiast.

A kid will pick by color first...

 

Vince has the Rocky Mountain Reaper, Vertex and Edge and can get Early Riders.

 

Liv wouldn't list the weight of the bike, but I wouldn't be surprised if it equalled the 25 lbs that my daughter's bike weighs. I was shocked at some of the prices on that list of Singletracks Top Ten. I think the Islabike was $1250 and the Trailcraft was $3k (full sus).

If you want light and inexpensive, the Trek Superfly was listed at 18 lbs and $450.
Ooops, N/M - that was a 20" er.

Here's the Trek Wahoo 24. 21 lbs.

 

Thanks for this, and for doing some homework for me. I'm planning to call the LBS this morning to see if they can weigh the Liv for me. Description specifically mentions lightweight, but I take that with a grain of salt. There's a Trek dealer close by as well, so I'll check out the Wahoo. Cannondale quick seems like a good candidate as well. https://www.rei.com/product/166397/cannondale-quick-24-kids-bike-sherpa And yeah, shocking is a good word for pricing on some of those kids bikes.

 

I was able to get my daughter a pretty decent KHS 26” hardtail on closeout for under $600 from these guys in Anaheim. Good front fork and hydro brakes.
She loves it. Even if it is mostly a road bike.

https://www.bikecraze.com/Mountain-Bikes-s/1821.htm

 

From what I am seeing 25-26 pounds is the norm for kids bikes. A lot of that weight is forgiven with the availability of gears.

Trek Roscoe 24 if it fits her:

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...scoe-kids/roscoe-24/p/22705/?colorCode=orange

..comes in 4 popular colors...

 

Bikes from the big 4 are all gonna be about the same. Giant, Trek, Spec, Cannondale....they all run the same entry level 8 speed drivetrains. Most with crappy wheels, heavy cockpit components. They will all say they are lightweight aluminum frames, but it is just marketing speak.

bikes in that $300-450 price range when it comes to 20-24” bikes just aren’t apex’s that great. The old saying “cheap, strong, light....pick 2” is totally applicable here.

 

Roscoe has 2.8" tires - so it might be a bit of a pig for the lass.

 

Yes, but tell me she'd not be carving The Luge at maniac speeds on that thing once she got used to it?!

The plus tires can go by-by if necessary.

 

I found this article to be useful. I'll likely go with one of these.

https://rascalrides.com/best-24-xc-mountain-bikes-kids/

 

Check it:

https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2756042/

Lots of mountain bike recs when it's clear from your post you don't need a mountain bike. I've got three woom bikes for my kids: they ride circles around their friends on heavy bikes (from Trek, Spec, etc., and don't get me started on the shitty Linus kids bike), and their friends all try to snag my kid's bikes the second they set them down.

You know the right call you made it in your op! If you don't snag that one above, I would wait rather than buy a pig from the big 3.

 

The bell should seal the deal!!!!

 

I have a woom for my 2 year old. It's great.
Light, well built, and a company that is specifically designing bikes for kids, not just as a small page on their catalogue.....

I would wait a month until they restock and get a good bike rather than just whatever to fill the time...

 

Thanks to all that chimed in. Came home with the Liv Alight 24 today. It's not the perfect choice, but I think the best choice for the time being, and gets her a better experience during this time when we're riding more than usual. The Woom 5 in the color the kid wants isn't even showing as available for pre-order at the moment, so I'm guessing it will be well into the Summer before it becomes available. The Liv seems to be about the same weight as her Riprock 20, but with 24" rollers, longer crank arms, and gears, it was entirely different ride for her. She kept commenting how fast she was going. The grip shift will take some getting used to, as she said it was making her hand tired trying to shift. The bike is a little big on her, but she handled it like a champ. It was a compromise, but I think the right call under the circumstances.

 

EXCITING!!!

 

Great! I don't know if you recall the feeling the first time you went from a heavy klunky kids bike to something better. I remember going from my Schwinn Roadster (1 speed, 26" wheels, coaster brake) and getting on a Schwinn Varsity for the first time at about age 12. My first thought was "I gotta get me one of these!" Sounds like the same kind of revelation for your daughter "it's so fast!" So much fun seeing that smile. Ruby had the same response when she went from her 20" wheels to 24. I did not, however, have the same response going from 27.5 to 29, although I expected to.

Good job, DaddyBugg!

(I almost called you DadGravy, but then I really didn't like that...)

 

Oh I totally remember that feeling. Mine was from a Murray to a Huffy BMX bike for my 11th birthday. I think they were the same size, but the weight difference was crazy, and no more coaster brake. I could instantly wheelie, and catching air off the jumps we built on the old logging roads that cut through our neighborhood became a whole different ball game. I'll never forget that bike. She may not be catching air any time soon, but it will definitely be a game changer.

And yeah, good use of discretion on DadGravy. I chuckled and cringed all at the same time.

 

Perfect! I approve of the rigid fork in particular. Sus fork for a 60lbs human going slow and flat doesn't make sense. Many happy miles ahead! I found 24" was where the kids really started riding the bikes solidly and over obstacles like curbs with ease. Whole new world!

 

I bought a 16” Ridgeback Dimention for my Toddler from here: https://www.tikesbikes.com/

It arrived 3 days later.
I assembled it easily, and it “looks” to be a quality product. I cannot confirm yet that it can handle the impact of a 3 year old shredder girly-bro because she is 3cm too short for her feet to touch flat to the ground. So far, my only gripe is the steerer tube does not allow for more than 10mm of adjustment, but I can get riser bars or angled stem or an adapter if needed later.

Both of us are looking forward to the day she can ride it, and we use it as motivation for her to eat her vegetables and protein so she can grow and ride her bike “like Daddo’s bike with pedals and brakes.”

In the meantime, we are using the 12” balance bike to hone skills to ensure she is prepared to chase Strava cups and full moons and participate in dark-to-dark shenanigans.