best bike for 4 year old

[basil]

DS has recently gotten good at riding his tricycle. It's a yard sale find and it is really too small for him I think. I think he's ready for a small bike with training wheels. (He has a balance bike but no interest in it).

I've read that I should not buy the cheap 12 inch character bikes from Walmart, but get him something of decent quality and that will make it easier for him to learn. He's average size for a 4 year old, maybe 42 inches tall. I'm thinking he could ride a 16 inch bike.

What is a good quality one? I would love to buy online so I didn't have to go to the store. I want it to be a surprise for Christmas.

[MamaInMarch]

DS has a Trek Jet and loves it. He is a pretty skilled rider, which happened really quickly after training wheels were off. We bought him a cheapo bike at WalMart to keep at my parents' house and he struggled so badly to ride it that he was in the house crying after 10 minutes.

A neighborhood friend just got a Giant and DS hopped right on, rode all around the block without an issue. And really, the Giant was a little big for him. So in my experience the money spent on a good bike makes a difference. DH and I both have Giants so I don't think you can go wrong with Trek or Giant.

[Mommy_Mea]

We have the Specialized Hotrock for both kids, and Santa is bringing the next size up. We never used it with training wheels (they used balance bikes), but it was an easy transition for both of them. DS1 was riding a spare bike a neighbor gave us, and commented how much faster he could go on his Specialized We buy them all off Craigslist for <$100, I think the 16" (which is what you would want) runs close to $300...

[KrisM]

We had a 12" Trek at that age. My kids moved to a 16" at 5-6 years old. I'd have him give both of them a try.

[123LuckyMom]

Mine learned to ride without training wheels at age 4/5 on a Craig's List cheapo 12" bike and then got a new cheapo 16" bike. He's a very good rider, and we like to bike. We have a 20+ mile bike trail we enjoy. The cheap bikes are not great, but we wanted to save our money for a good bike once he could really ride and was able to take real trips as opposed to just riding up and down our street. We plan to buy him a good 20" in the spring. He had no trouble learning on the cheapy bike.

[WatchingThemGrow]

We got a Specialized Hotrock (16") and had the seatpost cut 1/2". It was perfect for DD, then DS1, then DS2. We also had a Trek Jet that was either free or really cheap, but it was heavier and more difficult to maneuver. We just kept getting Hotrocks from CL after that and loved them all.

bicyclebluebook.com was a great help, as was the local bike shop for new helmet and such.

[WatchingThemGrow]

We got a Specialized Hotrock (16") and had the seatpost cut 1/2". It was perfect for DD, then DS1, then DS2. We also had a Trek Jet that was either free or really cheap, but it was heavier and more difficult to maneuver. We just kept getting Hotrocks from CL after that and loved them all.

bicyclebluebook.com was a great help, as was the local bike shop for new helmet and such.

[georgiegirl]

We got our petite 4.5 year old a 16" trek Jet. He had been writing without training wheels for 9 months or so, so transitioning to a big bike wasn't an issue. He's 6 now and still rides it.

[teresah00]

I'm a fan of used specialized. We have a 12, 16 and 20. I think it would be easier to learn on a 12. DS got a 12 in for his 4th bday last year. He was riding in a few minutes (used a balance bike before). A few months later, he could ride the 16. It was easier for him to learn on the 12 (we owned the other already for older DS). He was a bit shakey when he started the 16. Now it's a year later and he loves to jump on my 7yo's 20 in.
I stalk CL for used quality bikes.

[Mommy_Mea]

I'm a fan of used specialized. We have a 12, 16 and 20. I think it would be easier to learn on a 12. DS got a 12 in for his 4th bday last year. He was riding in a few minutes (used a balance bike before). A few months later, he could ride the 16. It was easier for him to learn on the 12 (we owned the other already for older DS). He was a bit shakey when he started the 16. Now it's a year later and he loves to jump on my 7yo's 20 in.
I stalk CL for used quality bikes.

I can usually find Hotrocks for around $75-$100 on Craigslist.

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