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Little Kid bikes


Kyle

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My daughter is going to be 3 1/2 this month and I think she's ready for a pedal bike.  She's pretty much mastered a balance bike and now she's dragging her toes around corners destroying all her shoes.  

She's about 39" tall.  She's kinda in between sizes, but I'm leaning towards a 16" bike.   I have no experience with kids bikes but from googling stuff the Spawn Yoji 16 and Commencal Ramones 16 stand out to me.  I would definitely get the Commencal for myself if I were 3 feet tall, but I'm super jealous of people with childhood BMX experience, so the Yoji has appeal too.

I also wonder if instead of getting one nice bike I should get cheaper craigslist bikes in 12", 14", 16", etc as she grows so she's always on the perfect size and so we can move on cheaply if she doesn't love something.

I suspect this forum is full of middle aged people with kids, what did y'all do?

Anyone have an awesome tiny bike collecting dust to sell?

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My daughter is going to be 3 1/2 this month and I think she's ready for a pedal bike.  She's pretty much mastered a balance bike and now she's dragging her toes around corners destroying all her shoes.  
She's about 39" tall.  She's kinda in between sizes, but I'm leaning towards a 16" bike.   I have no experience with kids bikes but from googling stuff the Spawn Yoji 16 and Commencal Ramones 16 stand out to me.  I would definitely get the Commencal for myself if I were 3 feet tall, but I'm super jealous of people with childhood BMX experience, so the Yoji has appeal too.
I also wonder if instead of getting one nice bike I should get cheaper craigslist bikes in 12", 14", 16", etc as she grows so she's always on the perfect size and so we can move on cheaply if she doesn't love something.
I suspect this forum is full of middle aged people with kids, what did y'all do?
Anyone have an awesome tiny bike collecting dust to sell?

I have a little princess bike that is available 12” tires but no pedals my daughter went from her strider to pedaling a 12” then a week later a 16 inch and now only about an inch short of her older sisters 20” mountain bike, I wouldn’t spend $ on something that she can out grow so quick, ur welcome to the 12 in princes bike if U want it it’s a solid bike my oldest used it and now my youngest blew threw it so if nothing else is a great “ just give it a try kinda bike


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My kids were 7 and 9 when we adopted them so I don't know about little kids other than from my brother and he went push then Woom for his kids and they are great riders.  They just progress through the sizes and they're now on 24" for my niece and I think 20" for my nephew.  He hands the bikes down from his daughter to his son, then sells the small one off.\

I'd go used bike and get some older parts to make a lighter and better bike. Go for lightweight.  That makes a huge difference.  

My kids got 24" and 26" new Specialized bikes at 7 and 9 and they were so heavy for a small kid.  It wasn't until my 7yo grew into the 26" bike and I took weight off it that he really started enjoying it.  Weight is even more dramatic a factor with little kids.

 

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Woom just came out with an mtb version with a air spring fork (properly damped for littles too). Great company and I think they do a trade in program when they out grow them to ease the sting of that initial kid bike purchase.

 

I say if you like to tinker, buy used and upgrade. If not, those Commencals are sweet for if your kid is a shredder. If your kid just likes tooling around the neighborhood, the Woom bikes can’t be beat for a new purchase.

 

After the strider I moved my boys to a 12” Spesh Hotrock, Redline 16”, Spesh Hotrock 20 that I rebuilt with lighter parts and made 1x9 shimano drivetrain, and now the full custom build Hotrock 24 with two piece cranks, discs, and a shortened Fox F100 (now F60)

 

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13 hours ago, Teamsloan said:

Woom just came out with an mtb version with a air spring fork (properly damped for littles too). Great company and I think they do a trade in program when they out grow them to ease the sting of that initial kid bike purchase.

 

I say if you like to tinker, buy used and upgrade. If not, those Commencals are sweet for if your kid is a shredder. If your kid just likes tooling around the neighborhood, the Woom bikes can’t be beat for a new purchase.

 

After the strider I moved my boys to a 12” Spesh Hotrock, Redline 16”, Spesh Hotrock 20 that I rebuilt with lighter parts and made 1x9 shimano drivetrain, and now the full custom build Hotrock 24 with two piece cranks, discs, and a shortened Fox F100 (now F60)

 

a193746d628945011dfeab051a106a17.jpg

1576bf875ec471be1460a8e3d74c88ff.jpg

 

 

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That's the nicest HotRock I've ever seen.  What did you get the weight down to?

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Curent weight is around 24lbs, but I haven't put on the back wheel and converted it to 1x10 with a rear disc. So, it's probably going to get a little heavier.

The MTBR families forum is chock full of Hotrock sub 20lb builds. I'm just scratching the surface of what some obsessed dads are doing. Custom Chinese carbon wheels with Tune hubs and 16 spoke lacing, carbon saddles, carbon rigid forks. You can certainly go down the rabbit hole (and unload serious amount of cash) building up mini dream builds.

I just wanted my son to have a bike that didn't weigh a ton, had really grippy cush tires, and gears that could get him up the climbs at WC. So far, he loves it and has already progressed quite a bit. He's a pretty risk adverse kid, and to see him trying to launch off of curbs is pretty cool.

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13 hours ago, Kyle said:

I am attempting the craigslist route.  There sure seems to be a bright line between companies like Woom and all sorts of bike shaped objects.

The key with kids bikes is getting them one that fits well enough that they feel stable and confident on. It doesn't even really matter how light it is, if it doesn't handle right for the kid then they won't love it.

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8 hours ago, Teamsloan said:

The MTBR families forum is chock full of Hotrock sub 20lb builds. I'm just scratching the surface of what some obsessed dads are doing. Custom Chinese carbon wheels with Tune hubs and 16 spoke lacing, carbon saddles, carbon rigid forks. You can certainly go down the rabbit hole (and unload serious amount of cash) building up mini dream builds.

At some point it becomes an obsession to see how much weight you can take off.  Sand off that paint and polish the aluminum for a couple oz more.  BTDT in a past life.  🙂

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Well, great success.  I bought a Spawn Banshee 16" on Craigslist.  It took my daughter all of 10 minutes to get used to turning the pedals in a full circle and then she was riding like she had done it before.

The 16" bike is big but with the seat slammed she can reach the ground.  I'm glad I didn't buy a smaller bike.  By the end she was pushing off to get started without my help. 

I'm not entirely sure she's physically capable of using the brakes.  I tried adjusting the reach, but cable v-brakes aren't something I have much practice with.  Brakes are a bad habit anyway.  

KylieBike.jpg

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1 hour ago, Teamsloan said:

She looks happy! Well done!

FYI...Avid speed dial 7 levers are relatively cheap and are very adjustable for little hands. Both of my boys bikes have them and they work great. The v-brake calipers...eh, I'm ready to be done with them.

Thanks!  I'm going to give those levers a try.  Are the calipers important?  On the bike now they just say Tektro with no model info.

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They're all pretty similar as long as they're in good condition. I mean, you could search for the XTR calipers with the parallelogram pad mounts, but I think it's overkill for a kids bike. Just make sure the caliper posts are well greased, and your tension is adjusted properly to center the arms on the rim.

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Curent weight is around 24lbs, but I haven't put on the back wheel and converted it to 1x10 with a rear disc.
 

Does that frame have disc tabs or are you using an adapter kit? And if so which one?

My 6yr old has been doing some trail riding with me on her Raleigh lily 20” (we did 5 miles yesterday) and was thinking about buying her a suntour air fork which would require a new disc front wheel and if we’re going this far might as well get a rear disc wheel, but no tabs.

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8 minutes ago, 4fun said:

Curent weight is around 24lbs, but I haven't put on the back wheel and converted it to 1x10 with a rear disc.
 

Does that frame have disc tabs or are you using an adapter kit? And if so which one?

My 6yr old has been doing some trail riding with me on her Raleigh lily 20” (we did 5 miles yesterday) and was thinking about buying her a suntour air fork which would require a new disc front wheel and if we’re going this far might as well get a rear disc wheel, but no tabs.

I forget which year they started doing it, but yeah the frame has IS disc tabs. Besides that feature the frame happens to be super light. I don't think they made any 20" models with them though. The rear disc is definitely extra. It's heavier, and more power than they need especially for a rear brake. I mainly wanted to run a cassette hub with a quick release, but I also hate having to adjust v-brakes. This bike often goes up on the roof rack or a trunk, so having to remove the wheels easily was a priority.

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Well, great success.  I bought a Spawn Banshee 16" on Craigslist.  It took my daughter all of 10 minutes to get used to turning the pedals in a full circle and then she was riding like she had done it before.
The 16" bike is big but with the seat slammed she can reach the ground.  I'm glad I didn't buy a smaller bike.  By the end she was pushing off to get started without my help. 
I'm not entirely sure she's physically capable of using the brakes.  I tried adjusting the reach, but cable v-brakes aren't something I have much practice with.  Brakes are a bad habit anyway.  
KylieBike.thumb.jpg.bb0e35eb6432243b5ddebf4186ff49ff.jpg

Pond Springs elementary. My daughter learned to ride her bike on that blacktop. We live down the street. She’s on a Fairdale Macaroni now. 952443f41077bc8f8c47056cbb6ca35a.jpg


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Here's my dude's recent setup.  It's the initial build and I've got some Stan's Crest wheels & Shimano disc brakes to upgrade to.  But right now its setup with a RS SID fork, Suntour 152 cranks with NW ring, SRAM X0 10spd stuff hung on a pretty lightweight Giant XTC extra small frame.  The bike works pretty well for him.  👍

 

image1.jpg

 

Snail Drop at Brushy

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On 4/18/2020 at 12:18 PM, Browndog said:


Pond Springs elementary. We live down the street. 

Me too. Pretty sure I have seen at least one of you guys out there recently. If I see you I will say hi (from a distance - HA!). Usually on a black/blue Epic.

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29 minutes ago, CBaron said:

Here's my dude's recent setup.  It's the initial build and I've got some Stan's Crest wheels & Shimano disc brakes to upgrade to.  But right now its setup with a RS SID fork, Suntour 152 cranks with NW ring, SRAM X0 10spd stuff hung on a pretty lightweight Giant XTC extra small frame.  The bike works pretty well for him.  👍

 

image1.jpg

 

 

 

I think that looks is "It won't be long before I can drop your ass Pops" 

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On 4/18/2020 at 12:18 PM, Browndog said:

Pond Springs elementary.

Yep.  Good place to practice, and it has a sick downhill from the playground fence to the rocky drainage channel.  On the new bike she actually makes it all the way without putting a foot down so I have to run and catch her.  I always knew 16" was the superior wheel size, and soon toddlers everywhere will be abandoning 12" solid foam so buy tires while you can.

I'm thinking we might hit the Rattan park trail sooner than later.  She desperately wants to ride on the sidewalk but she's not so good at holding a straight line yet.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 4/18/2020 at 12:18 PM, Browndog said:


Pond Springs elementary. My daughter learned to ride her bike on that blacktop. We live down the street. She’s on a Fairdale Macaroni now.


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Whats the weight on the Fairdale Macaroni? My almost 6yo needs a bigger bike. Shes 3"10  and 46lbs. Her current ride is a 14" Royalbaby Stargirl and she zips around on it. I like that Macaroni color though because my younger ones can abuse it as well when they're ready (3yo, 1yo)

 

Top Considerations: 

Specialized Riprock 20 (coaster)

Fairdale Macaroni

Craigslist deal

Commencal Meta HT 20+ (lulzzz)

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