What brand is your DC first bike?

[HIU8]

We are getting DS his first bike. He learned on a little 10 inch bike that a neighbor gave to us when they were done with it. I have been doing research and have found Huffy (at target, walmart, TRU), Schwinn and a very expensive one called diamond I think. Since it is DS's first bike (and not a gear bike) we really didn't want to go over $100. We are going to performance bike tonight just to have him fit on a bike (to make sure we get something he fits and can grow in to), but were not planning on purchasing there. I just wanted to know if there are other brands out there that I missed.

[DrSally]

nak, after 2 balance bikes, I'm looking into getting a Trek Jet (16 ") off CL for $60. very sturdy, good resale value. check your CL, they usually go for about $80 used ($200 new).

[o_mom]

Very first was a Kent (TRU or Walmart?) 12" and another similar 14", both handed down. When they outgrew that, we got a 16" Trek from CL. As long as we can find good brands used, we will probably choose that over the cheaper ones new.

[Tondi G]

giant and diamondback

[HIU8]

I search our CL under baby and kids and bikes. There are no treks for sale in my area at all. Mostly huffy and schwinn for kids (or total no name brands that I have never heard of).

[chays]

Ours was a Schwinn from Performace Bikes.

[DrSally]

I search our CL under baby and kids and bikes. There are no treks for sale in my area at all. Mostly huffy and schwinn for kids (or total no name brands that I have never heard of).

Too bad. Keep looking for a few weeks. I've been looking for a few weeks and new ones pop up as you look.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Specialized and Treks here. We want to reuse them for several children, so buying a quality one that won't fall apart makes more sense to me. You'd be able to pass this one down to DD, right?

If you go to an independent bike shop (not Performance- I don't think they do it) they may have a trade-in program. My neighbors all do it. You buy one bike brand new, then trade it in when the kid outgrows it. You get a considerable discount on the next bike and don't have to worry about selling it yourself. They usually also do the maintenance on them for free (ours does) since they want them to come back in good shape. They also SELL THE USED BIKES at the store for less than $100. Call around to find out if any indy shops in your area do that. It's a great way to get a decent bike that's not too heavy, wonky, etc for a decent price.

I pulled up this Trek (http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/bik/1721443572.html) - not sure how far it is from you or if a 20" would fit him. It may! Here's another 20" (http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/bik/1721230948.html).

[WatchingThemGrow]

double post. My first, I think!

[HIU8]

Thanks. We have an indy schwinn dealer nearby that I will try. The ones you pulled up are 45 minutes to an hour away from me.

[doberbrat]

specialized. you get what you pay for in bikes and we wanted something decent for dd1.

good thing since we now have dd2 to pass down to

we gave dn1 a trek for his bday but when my cousin went to buy dn2 a bike, she got something from Walmart b/c it was cheap. well, it fell apart (literally) before he could even outgrow it. luckily he wasnt hurt when the handlebar broke into 2.

we just bought him a trek as well to replace it.

[WatchingThemGrow]

http://locator.trekbikes.com/locator/search
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCDealerLoc.jsp?cmd=query&address=washington%20dc&countryCode=US&clientLng=%20-77.0363658&clientLat=38.8951118

maybe try calling some of these shops too, just to see... Totally not into driving that far, so I'm with you there! We did go 30 min away for the $7 Trek Jet 16" in great condition a couple months ago, though. Totally worth it!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Raleigh. IMO it was a waste of money and I would buy a simple bike at TRU or something next time.

Beth