What age/ht for 16" bike & what to look for in used bike

[94bruin]

I found a 16" Trek Mystic on CL for $60. I'm going to see it tomorrow. Is there anything I should be on the lookout for when I take a look at it? Most of the Treks around here go for $100.

Also, DD is 42". According to the TRU bike measuring stick, she should ride a 14" bike. We have a 12" bike on loan from a friend. I figure once she gets really comfy on the 12" and grows a bit, she can use the 16" - maybe toward the end of the year? She just started riding w/o training wheels - having gone straight from the balance bike. However, she's not great about starting or stopping, which is why I'd like to keep her on the shorter bike until she gets better.

How long/tall does a child stay on the 16"?

Thanks!

[KrisM]

DD just took over DS1's 16" yesterday. She is 40" and fits fine. He is 46" and was looking big on it, but he could have made it the rest of the summer. He fits fine on 20" now as well.

Great price on the Trek!

[HIU8]

DS is 46 inches and on a 16" Trek. on the lowest setting of th 20" his tippy toes were the only thing that touched the ground. He is building a lot of confidence riding with more of his foot on the ground. He will probably outgrow the bike completely by next summer and need the 20" (on his current growth curve).

[lfp2n]

I just moved DD up to a 20 inch- she is 48 inches and 7 years old. She had her 16 inch for about 2 years.

HIH

[jerigirl]

We just got DS his first bike. He is around 41 inches and was too big for the 12 in and not quite big enough for the 16 in. It is ok with the training wheels on it but not without them. He can only touch the ground with his tippy toes. TRU was the only place we saw 14 in bikes and I didn't want to buy from there so we went with the 16 in with training wheels to get some longterm use out of the bike.

[94bruin]

Thanks for the replies. We ended up buying the bike this morning. She can put the balls of her feet on the ground, but isn't too steady about it. If she needed training wheels, the bike would be perfect.

Dd can ride it, but it not really sure-footed about stopping. She is used to coasting to a stop since she learned on a balance bike. (vs using the foot break.) I think we'll let her ride her 12" a little longer til she grows or learns to stop better.

She's in love with the basket, though!