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Kids Bicycle

My child is ready to graduate to street/sidewalk riding. She already has really but she needs a new bike.

Her current bike and kids bikes in general seem so crazy crapy. The biggest problem is that it weighs a ton and is a single gear. If we want to ride from home to broadway for lunch there are some decent hills and getting up them on her bike is more than I would want to do.

Shopping for kids bikes is frustrating as they are either candy colored bricks or they are 21 gears with crapy components that aren't really all that light weight.

I'm looking for a simple bike like 20 inches - maybe 3 gears - hand breaks - and reasonably light frame. does such a thing exist? Is there a shop that could whip one up?

Jim asked in Bicycles 11 months ago | Report

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2 Answers

  • Gold-head_small
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    Fnarf

    Every decent bike shop in Seattle sells good quality kid's bikes in that size made by Giant, Specialized, Trek, Novara, etc., and should have people on staff who can talk to you intelligently about them, get your kid fitted properly, and so forth.

    Just don't ever go to a general-merchandise store, like Fred Meyer or Walmart, as their bikes are crappy and their salespeople clueless. Even if the bikes is the same model as in the shop, it will have been assembled by the guy who usually stacks bags of mulch or mops the juice aisle.

    You really should get her at least six speeds, though, with a twist shifter.

    REI is a great place for bikes: http://www.rei.com/category/4500150

    Montlake Bike Shop always treated me well. My experiences at Gregg's Greenlake Cycle have been more mixed, but they have a vast stock and many good people. There are dozens of other good shops in the area. If these bikes are too expensive ($250-350), a used bike is a good option; a used bike is perfectly fine if it's been reconditioned by someone who knows what they're doing -- any used bike from Bike Works in Columbia City or Recycled Cycles in the U-District is going to be better than anything at Fred Meyer!

    Fnarf answered in Bicycles 11 months ago | Report
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  • Daaaaaaaaaaaaaveytalluuuuuuuuuuuuuulah_small
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    Yeah! So glad to hear that your child is so confident a rider, and that you are confident in her riding as well! Congratulations!

    It is true that quality kids bikes are hard to come by. I love the idea of a 20 inch 3speed, but I've only seen those as DIY hacks, never as a stock bike for kids.

    At Bike Works, we specialize in used bikes and kids bikes both! Along with the other suggestions already made, our shop might be a great place to look.

    We also offer classes where young folks ages 9-17 can learn the fundamentals of bike repair by refurbishing bikes that we then redonate to other young folks. The students are then given the opportunity to build a bike for themselves, at no additional cost! Even better, they can keep coming back, wrenching on bikes, making friends, doing community service, and earning bikes for themselves until they turn 18!

    http://bikeworks.org/programs.php

    Good luck!

    Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery answered in Bicycles 11 months ago | Report
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