[micahb]

I have been away from the BMX scene since Dyno had trailing dropouts on their forks and Matt Hoffman turned Pro. But my 6 year-old has developed a love for the bikes like his old man. Lately he has taken his big brothers plastic X-games skateboard ramp and now launches a 3 foot gap from one to the next and can bunny hop up onto a curb. He has a 16 inch Mongoose he never rides because the frame is too small, it maneuvers like a shopping cart and weighs as much as my TBC DirtBag. He now rides a neighbors girls-frame bike that they spray painted black. It is smaller than a standard size frame but with 20" wheels. I know he rides it all the time because it is light weight. I have even taken him over some smaller dirt jumps and trails on it. I would like to get him something for his size on a dirt jump/BMX frame that still rocks a coaster brake. Can anyone help me out? Obviously I want bang for the buck as he will outgrow it in a few years.

 

[Li'l Dave]

check out the Specialized Hotrock 20 models. They make one with gears, and a single speed one without. The Specializeds seem a little nicer too, and not that expensive. http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=32277

 

[urbaindk]

send a PM to manimal. He's a RM regular and his kid as a virtual internet celebrity; see for instance: http://media.putfile.com/Episode-4-big. I'm sure he can give you lots of advice.

 

[MC peepants]

are you in Washington state or DC? if your in DC you can stop by Germantown Cycles www.germantowncycles.com and pick up a haro group one JR that they have on display, i was going to get it for one of my kids. Its only like 16 pounds and can still handle what ever kids that age can trow at it.

 

[micahb]

In WA state for a bit, then moving east. I will PM manimal. Thanks.

 

[don]

My son is currently riding a 16" dk General Lee that I got at Dan's Comp. Stock it's a decent bike but certainly isn't light. I had some extra parts and replaced a bunch of items to try to get the weight down. It's now at 20 lbs but w/ a lighter frame and fork it woud be a lot lighter. He's 8 years old and I think it's a good fit for him for jumping and doing stuff like that - it has the typical BMX bike fit.

I just picked out a Mirra 16" Blend for my nephew who is also 8. Pretty similiar to the dk, but maybe a little nicer and lighter overall.

Any reason for wanting a coaster brake? My daughter is 5 and rides a RedLine Pitboss w/ a rear v-brake and she has no problem stopping.

At any rate, there really isn't anything great for the little ones. The bikes typcially weigh almost 30 lbs, have stuff like 14mm axles, and thick cranks and frames. For a 60 lb kid, it makes handling the bike tough. Think of one of us riding a bike 75-100 lbs!

The best deal for 5-7 year old is the Red Line Pit Boss. Light and pretty dialed. Other bikes that might be worth a look:

Mirra Blend 16"
dk 16" General Lee
dk 18" Franklin
Hoffman 16" and 18"
2Hip 18"

I would say look for a used one on eBay but from what I've seen they go for almost as much as new ones!

I would PM manimal as I think he did a lot of customization for his son's bike. In my opinion... that mtn bike he runs seems a bit on the long side. If you look at the vids and pics lil' manimal is really stretched out and not riding "on top" of the bike. But, like I said, there is nothing out there that's light and the right size.

One more option and it might cost a bunch but it will be the most dialed bike for your son, is to contact FTW and have him build something for you. He's done it before for a young BMX racer.

 

[micahb]

I contacted manimal and he gave me some advice. As for contacting FTW for custom work - doesn't really fit into my cost conscious plan. I will check out the ones Don listed. Picking up a used one would be fine with me. How much damage can a 6 year old do? Unless he leaves the bike in the driveway and the wife backs over it.

Yep, I thought that only happened in the movies too.

 

[micahb]

And for the coaster brake - just because he has zero time on calipers. When they are new to hand brakes, they sometimes freak out and forget about them, wondering why the pedals keep spinning backwards as they slam into a tree. Or so I have heard...

 

[don]

And for the coaster brake - just because he has zero time on calipers. When they are new to hand brakes, they sometimes freak out and forget about them, wondering why the pedals keep spinning backwards as they slam into a tree. Or so I have heard...

I hear what you're saying and agree but if your son is hitting jumps and stuff he sounds more advanced than most other kid riders. A half hour or so of learning hand brakes on driveway or flat road and I think he would be fine - just make sure you set the brake lever back as the kids fingers are smaller than ours.

 

[micahb]

I hear what you're saying and agree but if your son is hitting jumps and stuff he sounds more advanced than most other kid riders. A half hour or so of learning hand brakes on driveway or flat road and I think he would be fine - just make sure you set the brake lever back as the kids fingers are smaller than ours.

Agreed. Maybe I will just ask him. That Hotrock looks like a pretty sweet deal. Anyone know the weight? Unavailable on the company website.

 

[Gary]

my 5 yr old daughter loves her Redline pitboss. it's really really light must be about 14lb or something and wasn't too dear (£140 UK).

 

[overtheedge]

Agreed. Maybe I will just ask him. That Hotrock looks like a pretty sweet deal. Anyone know the weight? Unavailable on the company website.

not too sure about the weight on the 20", but on the b-room scale my sons 16" weighs about 19 lbs (including the bombproof training wheels). for a kid getting into mtn biking the hotrock is a solid build and the frame and components are interchangable w/ most standard mtn bike parts for when you want to upgrade.......but if your son will be racing/ riding more bmx i would look to those listed in the post above by don

 

[micahb]

My 10-year old has decided he wants a new BMX bike for his birthday in October. He never took to his 6spd 24" that he wanted - go figure. If anyone has a good used one for a good price and will ship to WA, feel free to spam me with the info. Same with anyone who has a Hotrock. Must have recent pics too.