Kid's Bikes?

[b_star]

Hey All,

Now buying a bike hasn't normally been something I have struggled with... it is normally either finding the money or deciding which forks would go best that I ponder.

But I am looking to buy my Two year old a bike for Christmas, and I really don't know what to do. i checked the Santa Cruz site and they don't have anything small enough so now I'm stumped!

Do any of you Dad's out there have any ideas? I don't feel I need to spent too much, but don't want something totally crap either.

Any one know of any second hand bikes around?

Thanks in advance.

[DJninja]

Since you mentioned Santa Cruz I guess your not to worried about price. Many big brands do make kids bikes but Im not sure about one for two year olds. There's Specialized P Grom, Kona stuff 2-4 and some others. I think for 2 year olds your better of going to your lbs and seeing what kiddies bikes they have.

[Dicky]

Trading Post, Vinnies, cash converters, car boot sales, school fetes, garage sales...

You can do a lot with the time you've got up your sleeve - a spare saturday and a can of gloss red will go a long way.

If his balance is not too good, there's the FirstBike type option - a simple two wheeled bike type toy, only with no pedals, so he has to use his feet.
Only catch is they're about $300, don't use any standard bike parts, and he'll probably grow out of it in 12 months.
Solution - get hold of a 12" kids bike, remove the chain / cranks etc and plug up the bottom bracket with something.
Once his balance is sorted, dust off the drivetrain and teach him to wheelie.

Buying a new kids bike is a bit like driving past the pound to get to the pet store...

[Pebble]

Depends what you define as too much but this is something to consider...

Ebay seller "dragonsportsco" sells JD Bug bikes, they are one's without pedals. Absolutely great for a 2yr old.

My Son acutally rode his from the age of 3, we only got it because he wouldn't ride a regular bike. And in the end we took it off him probably around age 4. Our daughter got one for her 2nd birthday, she is 3 now & still loves riding it. We got her a 12" pedal bike recently, but she can't really coordinate both pedalling & steering yet, she can however roll down the jumps on her JD Bug with feet in the air & pretty much go anywhere.

So all I can say is I highly recommend it - they are build of alloy or aluminium so a lot lighter than your normal bike for a 2yr old to handle.

Hope this helps - check out this link (she sells blue ones & pink ones, ones with tanks as well). They're about the same cost as a regular 12" kids bike but you should get a great amount of use out of it anyway. Only thing I suggest is getting some PVC tires if you have heaps of prickles in your area, not as comfy for the kids but saves repairing punctures all the time

Ebay dragonsportsco JD BUG BIKE (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/JD-Bug-Childrens-FirstBike-Trainer-with-tank_W0QQitemZ200156363259QQihZ010QQcategoryZ19025 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

http://forums.farkin.net/photo/data/500/medium/Jan07_Downloads_035_3_1_1.jpg

[bowzaa]

Trading Post, Vinnies, cash converters, car boot sales, school fetes, garage sales...

You can do a lot with the time you've got up your sleeve - a spare saturday and a can of gloss red will go a long way.

If his balance is not too good, there's the FirstBike type option - a simple two wheeled bike type toy, only with no pedals, so he has to use his feet.
Only catch is they're about $300, don't use any standard bike parts, and he'll probably grow out of it in 12 months.
Solution - get hold of a 12" kids bike, remove the chain / cranks etc and plug up the bottom bracket with something.
Once his balance is sorted, dust off the drivetrain and teach him to wheelie.

Buying a new kids bike is a bit like driving past the pound to get to the pet store...


Good post dicky, also another option is the Netti "my bike". They are a wooden framed version of the first bike, but only retail for $120. However, the downside is that they dont have a brake.

[deaks]

go to your local bike shop.. they will defently fix you up..

[Pebble]

You didn't specify boy or girl? Here's a girls one, I got my boy a blue silver (without the moto looking petrol tank).

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/JD-Bug-FirstBike-Childrens-Training-Bike-New_W0QQitemZ200176381683QQihZ010QQcategoryZ2518QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And another photohttp://forums.farkin.net/photo/data/500/medium/Jan07_Downloads_039_2_1_1.jpg

[rone]

by Avanti. Roughly around 140 bucks. Should do the trick.

[Zyphryss]

The FirstBIKE is the perfect training bike for developing your child's sense of balance and motor skills. This expedient cycle is the ideal companion for walks and discovery journeys, because already young children can keep up with their parents walking speed without trouble.

http://firstbike.com/images/firstbike.jpg

[Wonder Boy]

G'day m8.
I suggest a Norco B-Line it would last up until they are about 6 or 7 and is a cool little dh rig.
Also consider Giant kids bikes. they are a nice price and would be great for your little one.
Just ask your local bike dealer and they could help you out.
Cheers.:D

[b_star]

Hey Guys,
Sorry I totally forgot to reply. We brought a JD Bug Bike. It arrived to today, I'm looking forward to getting home and building it up.
Thanks for all your replies.

[wombat]

G'day m8.
I suggest a Norco B-Line it would last up until they are about 6 or 7 and is a cool little dh rig.
I really hope that was an attempt at humour.

[axertes]

http://firstbike.com/images/firstbike.jpg

Look! A DH bike!

[Pebble]

Hey Guys,
Sorry I totally forgot to reply. We brought a JD Bug Bike. It arrived to today, I'm looking forward to getting home and building it up.
Thanks for all your replies.

Great, hope your little one likes it as much as my two did (well the Daughter still rides hers).

Oh and when he/she gets bigger you can actually fit a normal seat post & saddle off a standard 12" kids bike - if required for more comfort on the long rides (you know long for the kids like 3k's to the shop & then back).

[Richo 18]

Pebble, what are you doing on the net at 4:30 in the morning?

[StInKy LoVeR]

Good choice on that bike. Hope your kid rides her hard!

[ovadahill]

Never put training wheels on a kids bike - they are a crutch that inhibits balance. My second kid had training wheels for over a year and hated it whenever I took them off. His older sister was a late starter but learnt to balance in 2 weeks on a crankless bmx. You can even teach a grandmother to ride a bike without training wheels.

[Zyphryss]

Look! A DH bike!

Nah mate, its a HT with rigid triple clamps!
B_star, I hope you have fun teaching your kid to ride.
Should be a very rewarding experience :)

[Richo 18]

haha. When I got my first bike (pedals, trainer wheels), I learnt to ride it for about 20 mins on the back verandah, then I just got caught up with the idea of going faster and faster.

Problem was, the verandah was a 4x4m square one, with rails/walls on all sides.

So there I am faster , faster faster, thinking, shit, If i don´t start leaning this thing in soon, I´m not going to be able to turn in time.

So coming up the next wall

And leaaa-shit, not leaning? Trainer wheels-shit bang.

And there I am, plastered to the wall, crying and dad´s just said.

`Hmm, I don´t think he likes the trainer wheels´
I think I was about 4. Funny shit.

[pylet_thekid]

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g187/billthekid/DirtMag_04_06_large.jpg

Thats the only picture I could find of it. Its Steve Peats sons bike if im correct. Anyway, i found it funny.

[PLUCAS]

My First Bike is the go (or a good copy)
Steve Peats kid has one
They seem to get their balance a bit quicker without
having to think about peddling
I think training wheels are dangerous and should be bloody banned

[cameron_15]

yeh, trainng wheels are the dumbest things ever, they don't teach kids to ride, they teach them that they can lean in any direction and never fall off, they don't teach them balance or any other co-ordination skills required to ride a bike.

thts why i wasn't allowed them, i learnt to ride when i was like 3 and i had a couple of stacks and grazed my knees and stuff, but i kept trying because i had to beat my brother who was 4 and a 1/2 and had been riding for a couple of months already.

those jd bug bikes look awesome and i'm sure any kid would love them. they can learn to balance and stuff without having to worry about pedalling.

why weren't they around when i was a kid

[Pebble]

Training wheels are still useful so that the kids can get used to pedalling and steering at the same time without worrying about falling off. It really depends on the kid (their temprament;)) and also the age. My 3yr old rides the JD bug with no problems at all, but it would take her a bit (I need to spend time) to get used to pedalling & steering of a normal bike both at the same time.

My son whom I never thought would be riding properly before 5 actually mastered the whole riding a bike thing at four and a half, mainly thanks to the the JD bug I reckon. After he got a bit big to be riding the JD I still started him off with trainers on a 12" so he could get used to the bike, and then it was just a matter of mastering the take off & stopping. Take them out on the dirt on a bike that has trainers and they will soon get sick of the rear wheel spinning because the trainers are caught up on rocks yet again! We'll son, if we take the training wheels off that won't happen any more!

Hes on the next size up now with no trainers, the 12" was getting a bit small but was kind of perfect to learn on (he could easily reach the ground).

Me, I don't know what age I learned to ride, probably around 7? on my Mums bike as I taught myself. It was a lady style & I used to sit on the bar (near the cranks) wheeling it around till one day I jumped on the pedals & took off. It was only after that I got my own bike. Kids these days are so lucky to have bikes / wheels of sorts from day dot!

Pebble, what are you doing on the net at 4:30 in the morning?

I get woken when hubby takes off to go to work, pretty early at the moment. So what better to do at 4:30am for and hour and a bit before the kids wake up!

[cameron_15]

Training wheels are still useful so that the kids can get used to pedalling and steering at the same time without worrying about falling off. It really depends on the kid (their temprament;)) and also the age. My 3yr old rides the JD bug with no problems at all, but it would take her a bit (I need to spend time) to get used to pedalling & steering of a normal bike both at the same time.

My son whom I never thought would be riding properly before 5 actually mastered the whole riding a bike thing at four and a half, mainly thanks to the the JD bug I reckon. After he got a bit big to be riding the JD I still started him off with trainers on a 12" so he could get used to the bike, and then it was just a matter of mastering the take off & stopping. Take them out on the dirt on a bike that has trainers and they will soon get sick of the rear wheel spinning because the trainers are caught up on rocks yet again! We'll son, if we take the training wheels off that won't happen any more!

Hes on the next size up now with no trainers, the 12" was getting a bit small but was kind of perfect to learn on (he could easily reach the ground).

Me, I don't know what age I learned to ride, probably around 7? on my Mums bike as I taught myself. It was a lady style & I used to sit on the bar (near the cranks) wheeling it around till one day I jumped on the pedals & took off. It was only after that I got my own bike. Kids these days are so lucky to have bikes / wheels of sorts from day dot!



I get woken when hubby takes off to go to work, pretty early at the moment. So what better to do at 4:30am for and hour and a bit before the kids wake up!

yes, the training wheels would be useful after going from a bike like the jd bug, because the child would have got used to balancing and learnt how not to fall.

but starting off on training wheels is stupid because the kids don't learn how to balance and often face diddiculties learning to ride without them later on.

[Pebble]

yes, the training wheels would be useful after going from a bike like the jd bug, because the child would have got used to balancing and learnt how not to fall.

but starting off on training wheels is stupid because the kids don't learn how to balance and often face diddiculties learning to ride without them later on.

I agree as a whole it's not the best - they get used to relying on something so much & then you take it away. Ha I suppose it's like riding a mountain bike, say if you do downhill and someone just takes your front brake away, would take some getting used to for sure!

Even so, we probably tend to start kids off younger and younger these days then it used to be I suppose. I found lifting the trainers as high as they'll go allows the kid to find the balance point when they're scooting along particularly on a straight stretch - otherwise they tend to lean to one side:)

[DJR]

Those first bikes are wicked - i know what i'm getting my daughter next xmas now!

I learnt on training wheels but never got the hang of the backpedal brake - so much easier with a lever, but i did some mad skids when i was 10 if i remember correctly

[scblack]

I bought my oldest daughter her first bike for xmas - Kmart 12inch for $50.

She'll be right.;)