Advice needed - bikes for grandsons
 

They 11 and 12 years old, and want 18" mountain bikes. They are going to outgrow them quickly (or get them stolen) so I'm not buying a great quality bicycle. Is there a cheap brand I should avoid?

Craigslist. Used decent bike is better than a new Walmart bike.

i cant stop smiling when i see dads or moms riding with their kids.

i never took the time to check out the kids bikes, but they look like mini versions of dad's. there are some very good 10 year old mtn bikers in my area. a few more years, and full sized bike..they will be blurring past my ass.

i think their bikes had 24" wheels and were very lowrider.

just want to add. i got roped into putting a bunch of kid bikes together last Christmas and delivery some of them to underprivileged kids in the hood. the parents dont have tools. mostly single moms.

they were all types of low end bikes, donated from places like Walmart. i had Huffy's and other brands i didn't recognize. total junk. i've seen lawn furniture with more thought put into them. adjusting disc brakes on a $100 bike sucks..nothing lined up.

just saying. but the BEAMING smiles on the little kids..totally worth the aggravation. i wish i knew how to say, "oh, that dragging noise is perfectly normal.." in spanish.

I second the idea of buying used off Craigslist. Any name brand bike will be light years ahead of a store brand/Huffy, etc. and can be had for about the same price. The nicer the bike the more the kids will ride. I bought bikes for myself and both my sons on Craigslist. I got two older full-suspension Cannondales that are just a joy to ride for just a little more than the cost of a Wal-Mart special.

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/d/trekspd/6430769801.html

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/d/bicycle-for-sale-trek-800/6431185752.html

Without even trying these showed up on our C-list.
I'd go with used myself and clean them up nice for the kids. Like you say, they'll out grow them soon enough.

both of those would be huge under a small kid. this is a proper kid bike. i wish i had one as a kid!! OP would need one size up.

https://mikesbikes.com/product/specialized-riprock-20-247876-1.htm?variations=206731&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuui_m8eW 2AIVgrfsCh2KLAirEAQYBCABEgIZf_D_BwE

We have one of these for our daughter. My wife is an avid road cyclist and put a lot of research into finding this company. Great design for kids that makes riding a bike easy and fun. Worth checking out.

https://www.bykbikes.com/


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A pieco of junk bike is no fun to ride and generally not safe, if you are not going to get good get um something else.

department store bikes are measured by wheel size, your bike shop bikes are measured by frame size.
I have an 18in mtb, I am 5-7 and it is a bit too big for me, but I got a great deal on it. I would have preferred a 16. better to be small.

we bought 2 from walmart for needy kids this year. I was a bit impressed that when I got it home and put it on my bike stand it was actually put together quite well. just had t make a minor rear derailleur adjustment on one.. they were about $80 each. 24in. seemed like a decent bike.
make sure the brakes are adjusted properly and the gears shift properly. put the front chain ring in the small gear and shift the rear thru all gears. then put the front in the big chain ring and repeat.

if they are just riding in the neighbor hood a cheap bike is not a bad deal. any kind of off road riding on any regular basis and the walmart bike will fall apart.

trek makes really good bikes. really good entry level.
you will find that that the frames at the different levels are about the same for each level, but the components on it get better as the price goes up. then you will move up to a better frame with cheaper components and it starts all over again until you get in the hi end, then its just good everything.


I use to race and work on bikes.

If the bikes are a surprise, and you are shopping at a bike shop, this sounds a bit odd but you might take a pair of their pants to the shop so the guys can get a better idea of frame size.

I’ll second the used bike. Harder to find for adults since a lot of the used adult bikes are around 10 years old and people still think they’re worth over $1,000 even tho the technology has improved by leaps and bounds.

A nice used brand name kids bike can be had for $100 for something that was a few hundred just a few years earlier.

Throw on new handlebar grips, a seat, chain and tires and you have almost a new bike.

hint on MT bikes is better ones have quick release hubs and seat posts
big box bikes have nuts
next al rims and hubs not steel/chrome
then pick it up lite bikes are the better ones
then name brands schwinn is moderate decent china built best of the big box bikes
huffy kent next Pacific are china JUNK avoid them

trek fisher specialized iron horse giant even their cheap bikes are mid range and up
china built is the bottom end then Tia-wan then jap then usa or major euro italy best of all

my old gary fisher MT weights less then most road race stile bikes at 1500 new
I have 40+10 for spokes/truing+ 10 for the rear derailleur hanger that killed the spokes and 10 for rock shock judy from a bent frame bike in it 70 total for a 24 lbs MT bike
a quality bike with a minor problem is a good buy

Thanks for the advice on used bikes.
Time is short and there was nothing on Craig's list. We were despairing, but stopped at a local bike shop out of desperation. Just our luck, he has an overstock of good used bikes and was ready to deal. We got a Schwinn crossover and a Giant mountain bike, all tuned up and looking like new - $300 for both. I feel good that the money went to a local entrepreneur, and the bikes are way better than $300 worth of bicycle at WalMart.

Sounds like a good choice.
Was going to give advice about going with specialized. We have a bunch of them in our house.
My 11 year old has a 27.5” wheel MTB in a small frame and he does well.
Both kids had the 24” wheel MYB’s from specialized until this year. Bought both new, kept in great shape and got good money back by selling on Craig’s list. The market seems to appreciate good quality, and all in - you’ll pay 100-150 to ride a new bike for 2-3 years, depending on the kid and rate that they grow. Seems like a decent value to me. (That’s one tire for an air cooled car).

Some people like Trek, some like Giant, and there are lots of other good manufacturers. I’ve owned many Treks, and see a little more value in the mid range Specialized.

Important thing is to get the kids outside and spin those legs. Even better - go do it with them!

Nice! They are gonna love them.

sounds like you done good.

my kids have outgrown their bikes and are both getting new this Christmas. in both cases they will be on the bike for some time so I didn't mind spending a bit more.

for the 8 yr old who is apparently on the cusp of going from 20" to 24" bikes I was struck at how better scaled the good brand bikes are in that size. if you look at 24" at walmart or toys r us you see gigantic bikes that an 8 yr old couldn't ride. then you hit a local shop with Giant, Trek, etc. and you find out 24" is entirely possible with the right frame. found a great local shop that puts effort into kids bikes so they got my money.

getting bikes for kids.....something special and fun about that!!!!

will also mention we looked at one 20" bike at toysrus and the handle bars were bigger than the 24" SE bike we got for my 13y/o!

definitely wise to hit the good shops.