24" Cruiser style girls bike?

[MommyofAmaya]

DD has finally learned to ride her bike at nearly 8yo. We had promised that she could get any bike she wanted when this happened.
Months ago she decided on the teal super girly 20" Trek Mystic.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/collections/kids/mystic_20/

When we went in to buy it this weekend they said that she was right on the cusp of needing a 24" bike and recommended that size. Unfortunately, all of the 24" kids bikes were mountain bike style and DD just wasn't interested.

I thought that I solved the problem when I found a 24" basic women's Electra cruiser, but when we went to try it out, she couldn't reach the handlebars b/c they are so wide. Apparently she needs a 24" girls cruiser.

Any suggestions? Her birthday is in two weeks and I need to get her a bike quickly. I'd prefer a decent quality bike since this should last until her early teens.

Thanks!

[cheme]

This was one we had looked at, though we ended up going with a mountain bike style:

http://www.amazon.com/Diamondback-Girls-Cruiser-24-Inch-Wheels/dp/B008CDXF86/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1398874402&sr=8-3&keywords=diamondback+girls+bike+cruiser

[MommyofAmaya]

Thanks cheme. I've also been looking at the Della Cruz but I can't find it locally anywhere to see if it will be a good fit.

I almost wonder if they were just trying to get more money out of us by suggesting an upgrade. How old/how tall was your child when they got the 24" bike? DD is 50 inches.

[cheme]

She has always been tall for her age, but we got the 24" when she was 7 years old, and it only lasted her 2-3 years and then we went to a small adult bike (a hand me down, but likely still 24", I'm not sure). She is currently ~60 inches at 11 years old. I now wish we had waited to buy new/expensive, but at least we have a second dd who will use it eventually.

[georgiegirl]

My DD is probably about 50" and we got her a 24" trek mountain bike. I "encouraged" her to get the gender neutral one (orange), so we could hand it down to her brothers.

[Gracemom]

We got my DD a cruiser style bike, but I wish I had gotten her a mountain bike style. The cruiser was larger, heavier, and harder to pedal and steer. She loved the way it looked, though.

[MommyofAmaya]

We got my DD a cruiser style bike, but I wish I had gotten her a mountain bike style. The cruiser was larger, heavier, and harder to pedal and steer. She loved the way it looked, though.

That is something to consider. DD is not a confident rider so we don't want to make things harder for her. The jump to 24" will already be a stretch. Thanks for sharing. I'm leaning towards this Giant which is kind of a hybrid of both and has the much wider seat that she wants.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/gloss/14866/66209/

[Percycat]

Well, you already promised your DD any bike she wants, so your situation is different than ours. My DD also learned to ride her bike (16" originally with training wheels) at 8 years old. When we went shopping for a new bike, she was close to the point of needing to go to a larger bike, but could still easily ride the smaller bikes. She really wanted a bike that had the pedal brakes, because that is what she was used to using, and that meant most of the moutain bike models we saw in her size would not work.

We wound up finding a nice used 20" bike at a flea market that was in great shape for being used. It has rear coaster (pedal) brakes and hand brakes. We cleaned it up and bought new purple streamers and a basket with flowers and she loves it. I expect she will be able to ride it until she is at least 12 years old (may have to remove the streamers???) because my son is riding a similar bike and he is 11. I plan to get them nicer bikes when they are solidly in the next size -- or I may hand down my trek mountain bike to my son because I would rather have a hybrid at this point. I think DD would have been intimidated if we had purchased a larger bike because she was still a new rider.

We have a bike similar to this one with rear coaster and hand breaks and comfortable seat -- but older and white and purple in color.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/NEXT-20-Girl-s-Slumber-Party-Bike/17174046?action=product_interest&action_type=title&placement_id=irs_top&strategy=PWVAV&visitor_id=67628145274&category=0%3A4171%3A133073%3A539397%3A1075104&client_guid=dfe4ad80-fcb1-4ed7-a4f6-89f4ec79b831&config_id=2&parent_item_id=11065173&guid=7c69f03c-279c-4e6c-9436-5d5297a28db4&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&findingMethod=p13n

[Simon]

Ds1 is 49 inches, but its all in his legs. There is no way I'd buy him a 24 in frame. Especially since she is a new rider, a too big frame is a bad idea.

[MommyofAmaya]

Ds1 is 49 inches, but its all in his legs. There is no way I'd buy him a 24 in frame. Especially since she is a new rider, a too big frame is a bad idea.

This is why the salesperson frustrated me. We were totally ready to buy the 20" and she took one look at DD and said she needed a 24". She didn't ask any questions about her ability or confidence. And she was at the minimum of the 24" recommendation only by a hair (literally in this case!) and still within the 20" recommendation (they overlap). That store has a trade-in program for kid's bikes so we can go back for a 24" when necessary and get half our money back on the 20" if we start there. Thanks for your comments.

[Kindra178]

I agree with Simon. My ds, almost 8, has been riding confidently since he was a new 5. There is no way I would put him on a 24 inch bike this summer. He is happily riding his Trek Jet 20. Kids, even more experienced riders, do better on smaller bikes.

[new_mommy25]

DD will be 8 on Monday and we bought her the 20" Trek Mystic for Christmas. She is also tall for her age but the 20" is a perfect fit for her at the moment. She had just learned to ride her 16" without training wheels a few months prior so there is no way she would have been ready for a slightly too large bike. She is very confident on the trek and the bike is adorable. I don't think I will have any issues reselling it when she is ready for the next size.

[mnosky1]

My DD is probably about 50" and we got her a 24" trek mountain bike. I "encouraged" her to get the gender neutral one (orange), so we could hand it down to her brothers.

My DD is 10.5 and almost 60" and doing fine on a 20". We just raised it to the top height and she got a little wobbly and said she didn't like it but got used to it after a few days. She didn't start riding til the end if the summer when she was 8, was in a cast the whole next summer and Fall and then refused to ride her bike the next year. I finally forced her to get back on this spring so she is a fairly new rider. But she is tall and older and still fine at 20" plus she likes the pedal brakes (has hand brakes too).

[MommyofAmaya]

And so we ended up with exactly the opposite of what we were intending to. I couldn't bring myself to pay $200+ for a bike that she would probably only use for less than a year, and I didn't want to go with a 24" after reading most of the comments here, so I started looking for options other than the Mystic. I found an amazing deal at Sun and Ski Sports on a new Haro Z20 girls BMX bike recommended for ages 9-10. It has 20" wheels like the Mystic but is bigger (and better) in every other respect. It is pink and black and I decked it out with flower spoke decorations, an adorable green metal basket, streamers and a pinwheel. She loves it and it is the perfect fit with room to grow! This might be a good option for anybody else with a kid on the cusp between a regular kid's 20" and a 24".

I loved the experience with Sun and Ski (they expedited assembly after site to store shipping so DD would have it for her birthday) and we'll probably leave the local bike shop where we've bought all the kids bikes thus far and continue to shop there.

http://www.harobikes.com/bmx/manual/2014-Haro-Z-Series-Catalog.pdf

[sariana]

DD is about 40% in height. Her first bike at age 5 was a 20". She learned to ride without training wheels within a few months.

DS took much longer to learn to ride. He started at age 4 1/2 on a 16". When DD got her first bike, DS upgraded to a 24". He was 8 1/2 and not a strong rider. [ETA Sorry I was not clear that DS is older than DD. He had been riding for a few years before she got her first bike.]

I would go with the 24" bike for a 50" 8 year old. She will outgrow the 20" very quickly. But look for a 24" that fits her well. Let her try out as many bikes as possible so that she can find one she really likes.

I don't think the salesperson did anything inappropriate. But there are web sites you can use to figure out what size bike is best for your child. Just Google "what size bike for my child" or something similar. I don't have the sites readily available right now.

ETA again: Never mind. I didn't see your most recent update. Glad you find one that works for your DD!