good deal on a first bike for girl?

[bandgsmama]

do you think this is a good deal for a first bike for a little girl (3 1/2)
http://www.meijer.com/s/16-inch-huffy-so-sweet-girls-bike/_/R-157588

tia!

[fattytuna]

I'm sorry for this lengthy post but I have a story to share.

Is your 3-1/2-yr DD very tall and has very long legs? When DD turned 4, DH and MIL went out and bought her a 16" bike. DD is not that tall but has long legs. Poor girl also took after me, and is not that coordinated. I wasn't there when they bought the bike, but I think they decided on the 16" because her knees were already hitting the handle bars on the smaller ones. Well, for about half a year she was reluctant to ride that bike. It was always a pain just to get her to ride around the block a few times. She just sort of goofed around and not really interested in learning to ride - it seemed like a lot of work for her. I think it was because she sits high on the 16" and it's a little bit scary and uncomfortable and felt discouraged. Most of the time she will ride for 5 minutes, then always returned to ride her trike. So I started to think about getting her a smaller bike, so she can rest her feet on the ground and feel more confident. Meanwhile my neighbor found out about this and she gave me her DS and DD's old bikes, both 12" ones. The problem is, her DC are older and they've already thrown out the training wheels after they knew how to ride. So those bikes were just sitting in our garage for a long time.

Come this summer, DD turned 5 and DS turned 3 (same month birthdays). I read about the pedaless balance bikes on this and another board (and saw videos on YouTube) and bought one for DS for his third birthday. I got a generic cheapie version from Walmart for about $30, since I had no idea if it's going to work or not for my kids. At first DS flat out refused to ride it - because it's not the same as big sister's and it has no pedals. DH went to the garage and pulled out the hand-me-down 12" for DD, removed the pedals (you have to remove the entire pedals and chain mechanism) so they both had pedaless bikes. For the next three weeks the kids just ran around with their bikes and gliding and learned how to balance. At the end of the 3rd week, DD asked DH to put the pedals back on. And just like that, off she went riding a two wheeler. Her 16" bike is still sitting in the garage. I'm in no hurry to have her go back on that one. Yes she looks a bit silly on the 12" bike with her long skinny legs coming up to the handle bars, but she can zoom around on that thing and she is super comfortable maneuvering it so I'm leaving it alone.

If I had known this earlier, we would not have bought her a 16" bike as her first bike. It will not save you any money by going straight to a bigger bike. And the $30 I spent on DS's balance bike, it was worth every penny. BTW, DS has short legs. The balance bike I bought him was a 10".

If you aren't tired of reading this post yet, and are willing to give a balance bike a try, for a 3-1/2-yr-old, I would recommend getting a balance bike instead of removing the pedals on a real bike. A balance bike is so much lighter. Most likely your 3-1/2-yr-old will fall at least a few times as she is learning. DS has no problem picking himself up after every fall off his 10" balance bike. When he was tall enough to move onto the 12" hand-me-down (pedals taken off), it's a much heavier bike and he gets pinned when the bike falls on him.

As for the size of the balance bike, 10" or 12", that you will have to try it out - the child's feet need to rest on the ground. Google this and you will find all sorts of information (with video). For us, brand didn't matter. DS's personality is that he will try things and make them work for him. But I've heard some brands are easier than others.

If you are wondering about DS's progress, he is now 3 yrs 3 mos. old, riding a 12" two-wheeler. Compared to DD, DS is very coordinated, and quick to react. After he learn to balance well and moved onto a regular bike, we did have to spend time teaching him how to use the pedals, as that is completely new to him. But that part is much easier to learn.

I can tell you it's really something watching the magic happen right before our eyes. And not having to run after our child holding on to his/her bike while they are learning to ride? Priceless.

HTH.

ETA: Correction - at about 5-1/2, DD is now riding the bike DH and MIL bought her. I just realized it's actually a 14" bike - I guess we put it away for so long I didn't even remember the correct size.

[Sweetum]

I've always wondered how kids would "brake" on the glider type of bikes. DS is 20 mo and I'm considering one for him. Thanks!

[groundhog74]

I would suggest trying out some bikes. We got DS a 14" bike as his first one. There is no way he would fit on a 16" bike.

[lisa928]

Come this summer, DD turned 5 and DS turned 3. I read about the pedaless balance bikes on this and another board and bought one for DS for his third birthday. I got a generic cheapie version from Walmart for about $30, since I had no idea if it's going to work or not for my kids.

This is exactly what I was thinking for my twins girls who are turning two very soon. I figured I would get them for their birthday or Christmas even though they may not be able to use them until it gets warmer. The problem is they are out of stock online and have been for a while. No local stores by me carry them.

Anyone know if something like this would come back in stock and about how long it would take?

[Dr C]

I agree that good deal or no, you would have to have an ENORMOUS 3.5 year old for her to be comfortable on a 16 inch bike. My DS, who is 4, is still very happy on his 12 inch. The exception to this is the Trek bikes which are built for growth with a really low seat post. Even then, it might be big. If you want a good bike she can grow into you might want to scout your local craigslist or the used bike rack at your local bike shop to see if you can find a better model used.
I totally second the idea of a balance bike. We got one (the Skuut, from REI--was about $80 with coupon) for DS when he was 3.5 years and he transitioned easily to his regular 12 inch bike (with pedals, as he likes to say) with no training wheels after a few months on it. Our balance bike is making its way around our neighborhood as we speak and in the last month 3 more young four-year-olds have learned to ride regular bikes without training wheels.
To answer PP's question--you brake on a balance bike by putting your feet on the ground, the same way you make yourself go. A few models come with hand brakes but I'm not really sure why--I doubt the little kids have the coordination to use those. Really little kids will just push themselves along slowly, older kids will pick up their feet and really glide a loong way.
Good luck and have fun with whatever you get!

[groundhog74]

Is an almost 4 yo too old for a balance bike?

[bandgsmama]

thanks everyone for the replies! we had a balance bike & i sold it at a consignment sale as my son would have nothing to do with it. wish i would have saved it for my gal. she is the same height as my sons girlfriends, who are about 2 years older!

at a consignment store, i ended up getting her a Raleigh 'Lil Honey 16" Girl's Bike & the seat will go very low. i think i will be back in the market for a balance bike though now! thanks again for the wisdom!

[christiedavid3]

Another vote for a balance bike. DS adores his Strider. It has been worth every penny!

I definitely don't think almost 4 is too old for a balance bike.

[smiles33]

I agree with fattytuna and PPs re: getting a balance bike first. I thought my 4 year old was too old for a balance bike so I opted to upgrade directly from her Kettler tricycle (which she still fit and loved!) to a 16" bike.

Per some recs here, I bought a 16" Trek Mystic for DD1 for her 4th birthday when she was 39" tall (the bottom of the recommended range). She loved it UNTIL she fell HARD. Refused to get back on it again. Bought her a Skuut and she absolutely LOVES it. Still won't get on the Trek, but I figure she'll eventually be tall enough to stand flat-footed on the ground. That will give her more confidence and we might be able to take off the training wheels entirely.

I should add that I bought a used Trek for $75, just $25 more than the Huffy OP found and supposedly of much higher quality per BBB posters. Our Trek looks fantastic and near new (except for the white basket). Toy store bikes supposedly have more problems earlier on: rust, chains break, etc. Since I have 2 DDs, I opted to spend a little more on a brand name bike.