RFI: Kids bikes

[rob_s]

girls are 10 and almost 13. We were buying Specialized for them, and have been happy with them, but honestly they outgrow them faster than they wear out anyway. I need to either buy a new one for the 13 year old and give the little one her old bike, or possibly get both something new.

We aren't heavy bike-riding family but every kid "needs" a bike, right? Wife and I both have bikes so we're sorted there.

Wife wants to "just go get something cheap at Walmart" and frankly I'm not too opposed to that but experience in the past has been that might be a reverse-value proposition (i.e. the kids might actually wear them out before they outgrow them).

Anyone have a relatively inexpensive and easily-procured kid's bike recommendation?

To put this in a "what is inexpensive to him" context, someone suggested Woom Bikes but it looks like the appropriate size for my little one, cheapest model, would be north of $500. that's more than I'm looking to spend on a bike that gets ridden once a month max. I think that the Specialized the older one has was also ~$500 or so.

I'd really rather be in the $300-or-less realm.

Please don't suggest used. I haven't the patience for humanity. I'll got back to paying $500 before I have to deal with the "I'm selling my used shit on the internet" people around here.

[JTMcC]

Trek is what we went with for the same reasons.
Miles better than a wallyworld bike, repairable if need be, good resale when they outgrow them.

They have a kids "trade up" program, if you buy it from a real bicycle shop they'll usually do good on consignment.

Might be a little over your $300 number but you'll get a lot of that back later.

Good bicycle shops might have trade ups or used ones in solid condition without dealing with individual sellers : ).

[rob_s]

Trek is what we went with for the same reasons.
Miles better than a wallyworld bike, repairable if need be, good resale when they outgrow them.

They have a kids "trade up" program, if you buy it from a real bicycle shop they'll usually do good on consignment.

looks like they are price-comperable to the Specialized bikes we've been buying.

hoping for something cheaper given the (lack of) use here.

[JTMcC]

https://www.bikeexchange.com/s/kids-bikes/trek

[JTMcC]

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...speed/p/28128/

These are $360 now, we got one at about 300 bucks and she couldn't wear it out. My drive is almost 1/2 mile long and all dirt.

[Suvorov]

I just bought a Trek Caliber for my 7 y/o’s 8th BD. My 10 y/o is on a REI CoOp bike. The CoOp is high quality but does lack the name recognition that the Trek has and that might mean a lower resale price.

My philosophy on kids bikes is to buy a high quality bike and then sell it when kids out grow them. Around these parts you can get decent return on a well kept used bike, especially with COVID. I am still riding trails on my 27 y/o Trek MTB so I’m already a fan.

[rob_s]

I just bought a Trek Caliber for my 7 y/o’s 8th BD. My 10 y/o is on a REI CoOp bike. The CoOp is high quality but does lack the name recognition that the Trek has and that might mean a lower resale price.

My philosophy on kids bikes is to buy a high quality bike and then sell it when kids out grow them. Around these parts you can get decent return on a well kept used bike, especially with COVID. I am still riding trails on my 27 y/o Trek MTB so I’m already a fan.

We’ve given away all of the kids previous bikes.

I don’t have the stomach or patience do deal with buying/selling used.

Thought I’d try a different route this go-around and just buy something I can throw in the garbage when they outgrow it. We *might* get 12 rides/year out of a bike, which means maybe 24 rides before the bike is too small.

[JAD]

I think that if you go buy the cheapest ‘that’s cool enough, Dad’ at Walmart it will go to charity just as well as the specializeds.

[jc000]

I am a pro mechanic. Hate to say it but much harder to find a solid bike for under $500 these days. I consider Walmart bikes unserviceable and borderline unsafe.

If you could find a previous years' model on clearance for the 10 year old, I had one for my son and it was a very decent bike: https://salsacycles.com/bikes/timber..._timberjack_24. But, beyond your price range.

For the 13yo, she could probably go with an adult size at this point so there may be a bit more longevity with her bike. At that budget, you're best off (IMO) looking for something from Trek / Kona / Giant / etc. on sale somewhere. With some digging you might be able to get under $500.

[revchuck38]

I am a pro mechanic. Hate to say it but much harder to find a solid bike for under $500 these days. I consider Walmart bikes unserviceable and borderline unsafe.

If you could find a previous years' model on clearance for the 10 year old, I had one for my son and it was a very decent bike: https://salsacycles.com/bikes/timber..._timberjack_24. But, beyond your price range.

For the 13yo, she could probably go with an adult size at this point so there may be a bit more longevity with her bike. At that budget, you're best off (IMO) looking for something from Trek / Kona / Giant / etc. on sale somewhere. With some digging you might be able to get under $500.

+1 to this, especially about getting an adult bike for the 13 year old. My retirement job since ‘14 is working in a bike shop, and your predicament is common.

IMO, Giant is the best bang for buck choice out there. Getting a used quality bike from a bike shop is the best way to save money.

Be advised that the last year has been stupid crazy for bike shops. The pipeline is starting to fill back up, but we went several months without getting any bikes in and had to scrounge anything we could find to sell. It might be hard to find what you want, regardless of what’s on the brand’s website.

Another possibility is bikes from a shop’s distributor that aren’t the shop’s main brand. These bikes will be better quality than box store bikes and will be assembled by the shop so they’ll be put together correctly. Availability may still be an issue.