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Ages For Bike Upgrades


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#1 Darth Lefty

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 02:05 PM

I don't remember ever having a kiddie size bike.  I had a Big Wheel, maybe two, then went to a 20" BMX type thing.  It was built for me by my Grandad who was a bike hoarder and had hills of parts.  I remember at some point, maybe age 6, he changed out the crank for a longer one.  Next I got a 24" mountain bike.  I think that was at about age 10.  These both got sold at yard sales.  In high school I had a mountain bike with index shifters, a huge upgrade.  Seem to recall this was about freshman year of high school.  I gave that to a college girlfriend one spring and we broke up over the summer.  I wonder whatever became of it.

 

It seems to me like the usual progression is from some kind of kiddie toy, either a trike or a little thing with training wheels, to a BMX to a mountain bike.  What age for each upgrade?  I still see 24" mountain bikes sometimes but they don't seem too common.

 

Also - there is a recent trend for kiddie bikes which have no pedals but no training wheels either.  The idea being that you get them learning to balance from the start.  Has anyone tried this with his/her kid?  Did it work?  Why not a scooter?  Or since they are often $50+, why not just take the pedals off a MUCH CHEAPER Walmart kiddie bike?

 

Does any normal kid really want a nerdy contraption like this one?


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#2 mac_convert

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 09:20 PM

The pedal-less bikes are apparently popular in Germany. The transition to a pedal bike is very easy and kids start riding bikes with pedals much earlier than the typical kid in the US.



#3 chris v

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Posted 23 May 2013 - 05:49 AM

My son had the cheapo toys r us bike until he was 8. Then he showed us that he had a huge interest in riding with us and not just cruising around the neighborhood with his friends. I didn't want to go the 24" route because the way he was growing he would be done with it in a year. At the time Specialized had a 13" frame, 26" wheel Hardrock and that was the perfect fit for him. He was able to ride that up until this last year when he got a 29er for Xmas. I have no issue with spending good money on something he will use regularly. I know many here think its ludicrous to spend 1k on a bike for a kid but if they're serious it will be leaps and bounds better than a toys r us bike. Both my kids have been on pedal bikes since they turned two. My son gave up the training wheels right before his 3rd birthday my daughter who is almost 5 still can't get over them.




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