Which bike for 6yo girl?

[legomama]

DD turns 6 next month and has mastered her balance bike... can you recommend the best bike for her.

[crl]

You'll need to figure out what size fits her. My ds is tall and was using a 20 inch bike at that age. He had a Trex Jet 20 we were quite happy with. He is eight and a half now and Santa just brought him a 24 inch Trex with gears.

Catherine

[brittone2]

My DD is short and DS1 is average to maybe a little short.

DD has a 16 in Trek Mystic, and DS1 has a Giant bike (he test drove a Giant and a Trek and preferred the Giant).

Specialized also makes good kids' bikes. I would recommend going to a bike shop for a proper fitting.

eta: since price has come up in this thread, we found both used, which may be an option. DH is a cyclist so he checked out the mechanics of the bike before buying. The mystic was 19.xx at sal val and the Giant was like new for about 100 bucks via CL (seller had a Trek too that DS1 tried, but it needed new wheel bearings). Our kids ride a lot and dh is into cycling, so we prefer a better brand, even if 2nd hand, to a less expensive brand of bike.

[rlu]

DS rode his 16" for maybe 2 years and now has a 20". Depending on your finances and how much riding your daughter may do, we had no problems with the Next brand bike at Walmart which fit our budget much better than the higher-end bikes often recommended. The 20" is also a Next brand bike. If he trashes this one or really gets into his bike, we'll look at the other brands for his next bike when the time comes. This is not his "forever" bike.

[elbert]

My DD also has a Trek Mystic and we're very happy with it. We purchased it at a local bike shop and they have a trade-in program where you can apply up to 60% of the original cost of the bike to a new purchase of a larger size bike....makes the cost a little less over the biking career!

[mommytoC]

For longevity, I'd go with a 20" bike. (We've been very happy with our Specialized bikes; they're lighter than the Trek's, and have been easier for our "newbies" to ride.) My tall DD#1 has been riding a 20" bike for the past year (since she turned 5); her average sized (newly) 7-year old friend got a 20" bike this summer (IIRC, it's a Next brand from Walmart), and both do just fine.

I copied this from my reply to Catherine (crl)'s post a couple of weeks ago:

I think this is a reasonable (sizing) guide, bearing in mind that 18" bikes aren't commonly found:
http://bicycling.about.com/od/howtoride/a/bike_sizes.htm

For reference, my DD#1 rode her 16" bike from 38.5 to 46.5" (age 2.5 to 5). HTH!

Re: pricing, we've bought new bikes (past-year's models) on sale at our local bike shop for $120 (Specialized 16") and $150 (Specialized 20" Coaster).

[LMPC]

We just bought DD a specialized for Xmas from a local bike shop. They have a nice trade in program which will off-set a bit of the price we paid. They also have some really nice 20" bikes that are used and in the $100-150 range. These are higher end bikes that IMO you could see on CL after you're done and recoup a little $$.

[KHF]

For longevity, I'd go with a 20" bike. (We've been very happy with our Specialized bikes; they're lighter than the Trek's, and have been easier for our "newbies" to ride.)

This was my thinking too, when I bought a 20" Specialized Hotrock for my DD. One year later, she still refuses to ride it because it's too big and she doesn't feel comfortable on it. I'm giving up on it for now, and going to go to Walmart to buy her a cheap 16" bike to get her through till she's ready for the Specialized. Her brother got a 12" Cars bike for Christmas and we can't keep her off of that one.

If your DC is not super-comfortable on bikes, I'd think twice before skipping the 16" bike.

[KrisM]

How big is the balance bike? I'm picturing ours, which is quite small. Going from that to a 20" would be a HUGE change.

DS1 got a 20" at age 6 and I expect DD will this summer as well. But, they were both on 2-wheel, no training wheel bikes from 3.5-4 years old and went through 12 and 16" bikes to get there.

[pb&j]

DS juuuuust fits on the Trek Jet 20 - it had the lowest seat height of the 20" bikes we looked at. We wanted the 20" so that it would last longer, and also b/c most 16" bikes aren't that great. We wanted him to have a bike with a handbrake and coaster brakes. The 20" will last him a few years, and he'll be ready for a 24" with gears by the time he outgrows it.

FTR, DS came from a 12" bike. It took him about half an hour to get used to the bigger bike.

ETA: DS is average/slightly below average height, not quite 6.

[legomama]

Well DD is just now comfortable on her 12" balance bike... She would prefer for a long time riding her hand me down giant european trike that my mother in law gave her.

I have been searching craigslist and have found an almost new 16" specialized bike for $50.

I think I may go with it considering how much bigger the 20" look compared to what she is used to...

I figure if we only keep it until this summer I should be able to sell it for close to $50 when we are done.

Does that sound reasonable? I don't think I would buy a new 16" bike but I think for $50 (and the name brand that I should be able to resell) it seems okay. And then I can look for a good used 20" either this summer or fall - or even let Santa do it next year.

She is 44" tall.

[Kindra178]

Well DD is just now comfortable on her 12" balance bike... She would prefer for a long time riding her hand me down giant european trike that my mother in law gave her.

I have been searching craigslist and have found an almost new 16" specialized bike for $50.

I think I may go with it considering how much bigger the 20" look compared to what she is used to...

I figure if we only keep it until this summer I should be able to sell it for close to $50 when we are done.

Does that sound reasonable? I don't think I would buy a new 16" bike but I think for $50 (and the name brand that I should be able to resell) it seems okay. And then I can look for a good used 20" either this summer or fall - or even let Santa do it next year.

She is 44" tall.

I don't think she is tall enough for a 20 inch. Buying the 16 inch Specialized is a great choice. So light. DS1 has it and loves it. We are hoping it will make it through the summer but we aren't hopeful.

[mommytoC]

I don't think she is tall enough for a 20 inch. Buying the 16 inch Specialized is a great choice.

:yeahthat:

Given her riding history, and her height, I'd definitely go with the 16". It sounds like you found a great deal :).

[legomama]

The 16" specialized hot rock has been a success! Within 5 minutes she was riding it down the street on here own. Now we just need to work out stopping. ;)

Thanks.

[94bruin]

The 16" specialized hot rock has been a success! Within 5 minutes she was riding it down the street on here own. Now we just need to work out stopping. ;)

Thanks.

Yay for balance bikes! FWIW, my daughter really never did well with the coaster brake on her 16" bike (which she rode for about 1.5 years.) She often tried to put her foot down, like she did with the balance bike.

She just got upgraded to a 20" specialized for Christmas and has been loving the handbrake that now goes along with it.