As does getting an Alfa...
Kids bike w̷o̷e̷s̷ joy
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Little guy is loving the bike. His speed is real on this thing. He spins out and keeps pedalling. Looks like one of those Keirin guys during warmups.I unfortunately wasn't able to find anything of quality used locally, so I took the strong hints and basically doubled the price I'd spent previously. Luckily there was a good option nearby. It seems that's the baseline for a decent bike. That gets you a freewheel, kid-size brake levers, not a tank, wheels that spin and one that's properly adjusted right out of the shop.
He's spent the last 2 years on a strider. He was a pro on that thing. Had all the mechanics down. Did half a block fumbling with a coaster brake pedal bike before this one.
As we left the bike store this afternoon, he jumped on the bike. In the block from the bike store to the car he was riding by himself. We hopped in the car to take him to his favorite park with a pit-stop for pizza. While we waited for pizza, he wanted to ride. I only showed him where his brake was and how to position his pedal to get started. Here he is, having spent a total of 3 minutes on a pedal bike. The joy is palpable. The future is looking up!
Dropbox
www.dropbox.com
Thanks again for the suggestions and moral support!
He's also started taking cues from me about riding now that we've been going together so much lately. He's standing up over bumps... standing and pedaling and the like.
To date, I haven't given him any riding tips – just letting him have fun and figure it out. Last week I did give him some tips though out of necessity:
- use both brakes to stop faster on straightaways (he was skidding to a stop w/ heavy rear brake)
- keep the pedals flat in turns (as he's leaning over pretty good now and about 1cm away from clipping at times)
nice! my oldest has been riding without training wheels for like 10 days now and can't get enough of it.
big little nugget has started doing stupid shit on the bike, just like her old man. Big dirt pile? Let's schralp down it
Nice, thanks! Did you build one?
Not yet. It's been raining here. My kids have been riding their bikes a ton and it's been on my list. I might try to get to it this weekend. I think the overall look of it works out well though, proportions, use of a full sheet of plywood, while still being somewhat portable. All that with the combo of being able to easily be ridden by kids along with enough pop to have fun on for me makes it a winner I think. I've built plenty of other kickers and ramps and most are too much for kids unless it's tiny. I built a simple triangle and it was intimidating for the kids, plus super close to pedal/bb territory. I was worried they were going to eat it hard and then be scared of ramps. This looks great to get more comfortable on.
If you want to just spend money, a few people in our neighborhood have stuff like this.
These are narrow, maybe 12" or so:
Amazon used to have these, not sure why I can't find them now. It's the regular flybox. A few neighbors have and they are nice, good size for kids, with two ramps and a connector. Same as above but better size for bikes. Durable enough to leave outside if you want.
Except that there is a decent used kids' bike market, and they hold their value well. My kids have nice bikes because I don't want to work on crap bikes. And because I like working on bikes.
More riding today. A little snow today out of nowhere. Our area is pretty flat, but we got to a spot where there was a downhill and as he let off the brakes and picked up speed, he exclaimed, "weeee, downhiiillll". When we reached the bottom he said, "wow, that was something... let's do it again!"
This is great.
This is great.
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Yep, I guess that sentence by me was highly hypocritical since this is my daughter's bike...
Also, my nephew is interested in a bmx bike. Is into skating and wants to learn tricks. Have told my sister that she should get him a bmx since he was about 5, but rei-bought mtbs has been what she's bought. Think the rationale there was we are going to go on group family bike rides where we'll have to pedal a lot... and if you want to jump it, you can. But it's a far cry from the playfulness of a bmx bike.
Haven't ridden a 20" since I was about 15, but it's what I rode exclusively as a kid and how I learned my foundational bike skills. Checked out dans comp. Is this a reasonable starter bike? https://www.danscomp.com/haro-bikes-2020-leucadia-bmx-bike-20.5-toptube-deep-red-20246/p1126325
Haven't ridden a 20" since I was about 15, but it's what I rode exclusively as a kid and how I learned my foundational bike skills. Checked out dans comp. Is this a reasonable starter bike? https://www.danscomp.com/haro-bikes-2020-leucadia-bmx-bike-20.5-toptube-deep-red-20246/p1126325
What I did that worked well for my kids: as soon as they outgrow their first pedal bike, keep them on bikes that require them to stand. Sitting doesn't do them any favors when it comes to riding non- sidewalks. Also, a bmx race bike is an awesome jack of all trades. Rolls super fast and is easy to carry when they get tired of riding.
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I think it's hard to go wrong with most of the new BMX bikes from any reputable company. I've been a fan of Cult as they are a local company.
www.danscomp.com
Cult 2022 Access BMX Bike (20" Toptube) (Raw)
The Cult 2022 Access BMX Bike is an entry level model designed for riders who have just become tall enough for their first 20" bike. Constructed... 01-CCTW-22ACC-B
Nice. Hadn’t heard of them before. Bike looks great.I think it's hard to go wrong with most of the new BMX bikes from any reputable company. I've been a fan of Cult as they are a local company.
Cult 2022 Access BMX Bike (20" Toptube) (Raw)
The Cult 2022 Access BMX Bike is an entry level model designed for riders who have just become tall enough for their first 20" bike. Constructed... 01-CCTW-22ACC-B
I'm in SoCal and they are local. Great group of dudes and great bikes. I have ridden a few of their frames, but have pretty much stopped riding bmx. Really looking into a 26" DJ/street just for some ergonomics.
I’ve been pretty impressed with the quality of my daughters Commencal Ramones. It’s only a push bike so it would be easy for them to really cheap out on it. Decent cup and cone bearings, and a disc brake mount, also has platforms so she can put her feet up (but she hasn’t quite figured that out yet) also the 2020 models have pseudo Fox and RockShox rip-off fork paint jobs which I think is a nice touch. Might upgrade her to the 14” scooter as she’s not ready for pedals and is sadly nearly too big for the 12”.
Don't underestimate your daughter. My son went from a Strider clone to a Specialized Hotrock 12 without touching the training wheels. For reference, he wasn't shy on the Strider:
(He was 3½ at the time we took that picture. Got used to jump the bike at 2. Too many Jackson Goldstone videos when he was 1½ I guess...)
I just took the pedals off the Hotrock, left the cranks and the rest of the transmission on, and sent him to wander in our backyard until he felt comfortable enough with the extra weight. He got a couple of bruises in his shins from the cranks, but nothing serious. When he adjusted himself to the new bike (which BTW was a goddamn boat anchor) we put the pedals on and 15 minutes after he was pedaling naturally.
This next picture was taken three months after he got the Hotrock, just before he broke his helmet after coming in too hot for a flat turn
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Yea she surprised me on the bike, she’s pretty shy naturally but after seeing my other friends son absolutely crushing it on his she picked it up pretty quick. Balance bikes are glorious. Cool photos, the world needs more kids on bikes.Don't underestimate your daughter. My son went from a Strider clone to a Specialized Hotrock 12 without touching the training wheels. For reference, he wasn't shy on the Strider:
View attachment 143763
(He was 3½ at the time we took that picture. Too many Jackson Goldstone videos when he was 1½ I guess...)
I just took the pedals off, left the cranks an the rest of the transmission on, and sent him to wander on our backyard until he felt comfortable enough with the extra weight. He got a couple of bruises in his shins from the cranks, but nothing serious. When he adjusted himself to the new bike (whic BTW was a goddamn boat anchor) we put the pedals on and 15 minutes after he was pedaling naturally.
This next picture was taken three months after he got the Hotrock, just before he broke his helmet after coming in too hot for a flat turn
View attachment 143764
Amen to that! If she outgrew the Ramones I'd advise you to jump to a 14-inch bike. The smaller ones tend to get twitchy as hell once the kids get used to pedaling and gain enough speed.
Lower the seat, remove the pedals and invest a couple of warm spring afternoons letting her adjust to the new bike. Once she gets up to speed, pedaling will be the most empowering feeling she could have.
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My sister finally came around to getting her kids bmx bikes. They are 13 and 11 and want to jump, learn tricks and generally muck about. Are there any books folks would recommend that they could dig into for reference, general know-how and/or maintenance that would be appropriate for this age group?
Books? At that age they'll probably be more interested in Youtube/Insta/Tiktok for advice and inspiration on tricks and riding
There's really not much maintenance to learn for BMX bikes, just teach them how to fix punctures, tension the chain, adjust their brakes and check the bikes over for play/wear/damage.
There's really not much maintenance to learn for BMX bikes, just teach them how to fix punctures, tension the chain, adjust their brakes and check the bikes over for play/wear/damage.
Yeah, the book request is intentional. So much to wade through on YouTube and the like. Just try, “how to bunnyhop”. But you are right, there isn’t much to it - that’s how I approached it... I can figure it out... but these kids have a different approach.