18" Boy's and 22" Girl's Bikes?

[Paul C. Cox]

My kids have been riding since age 3, and two of them are now in the awkward point of not fitting
any of the "standard" sizes. Does anyone know of a good quality multi-speed 18" (tire, not frame)
boy's bike? Though not quite as critical, I also am looking for a girl's 22" in at least a
six-speed. TIA for any help you may provide! pcc

 

[Henry]

Paul

I haven't shopped kids bikes lately but my LBS (local bike shop) always had a good selection of
multispeed bikes in kid's sizes. I vaguely remember that the "real" bike manufacturers (those that
produce bikes that are well enough made to be safe--like working brakes-- and not fall apart before
the kid grows out of it) don't do 18".

I'd check with the LBS about proper fit. If you don't require road bike for the girl, most
namufacturers now make 24" wheel ATBs which might be just the ticket, as long as it's not so big as
to be unsafe.

Again, a good and reputable LBS should be able to help.

good luck! ie "ride fast, take chances"

"Paul C. Cox" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> My kids have been riding since age 3, and two of them are now in the awkward point of not fitting
> any of the "standard" sizes. Does anyone know of a good quality multi-speed 18" (tire, not frame)
> boy's bike? Though not quite as critical, I also am looking for a girl's 22" in at least a
> six-speed. TIA for any help you may provide! pcc

 

[Chalo]

[email protected] (Paul C. Cox) wrote:

> My kids have been riding since age 3,

Cool.

> and two of them are now in the awkward point of not fitting any of the "standard" sizes. Does
> anyone know of a good quality multi-speed 18" (tire, not frame) boy's bike? Though not quite as
> critical, I also am looking for a girl's 22" in at least a six-speed.

There is so much variation in the sizes of bikes equipped with 16", 20", and 24" wheels, that they
overlap with regard to rider fit.

Any single-speed bike can be fitted with some sort of gearhub, which you could successively relace
into bigger wheels as Junior needs a bigger ride. This seems preferable to derailleur shifting for
kid use. Tykes and derailleurs are a bad mix, at least from the derailleur's standpoint. I wonder
what use a child too small for a 20-incher has for multiple speeds? Certainly derailleurs, fussy and
vulnerable to damage even for adults, are not something that would tend to foster a funloving
interest in cycling on the part of a small child.

My corner bike shop hsa a Haro 16" freestyle bike, complete with gyro, U-brakes, and axle pegs, that
is generously-sized enough to entertain the owner's teenaged sons. It's proportioned larger than
many 20" kid bikes, though not so large as a normal 20" freestyle bike.

Likewise, BMX bikes all feature 20" wheels, but are sized with top tube lengths from about 16" to
about 22" depending on the application and anticipated rider size. A 20" BMX frame sized XL or XXL
would almost certainly provide more cockpit room than most 24" wheel kid bikes.

18" and 22" wheels are rare and growing scarcer, and have poor tire and tube support. They serve no
need that can't be addressed by a judiciously chosen 16", 20", or 24" wheeled bike.

Chalo Colina

 

[Paul C. Cox]

Chalo:

thanks much for the input. We ended up this weekend at a local shop and a Toys R Us. The former sold
us a Shimano-equipped 20" 6-speed Raleigh (very kewl since that is my old touring bike manufacturer)
for the 5YO, and the latter sold us a 24" Pacific 21-speed ALUMINUM bike, also well equipped. The
kids are LOVING the new rides (some of my others are quite jealous of the 6YO girl, whose bike is
now "the largest").

Really appreciate your comments; I certainly know where you are coming from on the "no
derailleur" advice. I know it is hard to understand my situtation, or dilemma in shopping. Not
many have 7 kids, let alone 7 under age 8, and who have been off training wheels since around age
4 and riding 35 miles a day since they were 6. They are clearly off on the right side of the bell
curve in this regard, and getting advice on what to do for them at local shops is hard even when
the kids are with us.

Thanks again! pcc

>
> > My kids have been riding since age 3,
>
> Cool.
>
> > and two of them are now in the awkward point of not fitting any of the "standard" sizes. Does
> > anyone know of a good quality multi-speed 18" (tire, not frame) boy's bike? Though not quite as
> > critical, I also am looking for a girl's 22" in at least a six-speed.
>
> There is so much variation in the sizes of bikes equipped with 16", 20", and 24" wheels, that they
> overlap with regard to rider fit.
>
> Any single-speed bike can be fitted with some sort of gearhub, which you could successively relace
> into bigger wheels as Junior needs a bigger ride. This seems preferable to derailleur shifting for
> kid use. Tykes and derailleurs are a bad mix, at least from the derailleur's standpoint. I wonder
> what use a child too small for a 20-incher has for multiple speeds? Certainly derailleurs, fussy
> and vulnerable to damage even for adults, are not something that would tend to foster a funloving
> interest in cycling on the part of a small child.
>
> My corner bike shop hsa a Haro 16" freestyle bike, complete with gyro, U-brakes, and axle pegs,
> that is generously-sized enough to entertain the owner's teenaged sons. It's proportioned larger
> than many 20" kid bikes, though not so large as a normal 20" freestyle bike.
>
> Likewise, BMX bikes all feature 20" wheels, but are sized with top tube lengths from about 16" to
> about 22" depending on the application and anticipated rider size. A 20" BMX frame sized XL or XXL
> would almost certainly provide more cockpit room than most 24" wheel kid bikes.
>
> 18" and 22" wheels are rare and growing scarcer, and have poor tire and tube support. They serve
> no need that can't be addressed by a judiciously chosen 16", 20", or 24" wheeled bike.
>
> Chalo Colina

 

[Chalo]

[email protected] (Paul C. Cox) wrote:

> The kids are LOVING the new rides (some of my others are quite jealous of the 6YO girl, whose bike
> is now "the largest").

Glad you got it all sorted out to your collective satisfaction. Sounds as if you might have found an
inexpensive solution too. If you do bike maintenance, you'll want to go through the Toys R Us bike
and grease/adjust all the bearings, stem quill, seatpost, etc. Those bikes can be good value if
properly tuned, but tend to self-destruct from poor assembly.

> Really appreciate your comments; I certainly know where you are coming from on the "no derailleur"
> advice. I know it is hard to understand my situtation, or dilemma in shopping. Not many have 7
> kids, let alone 7 under age 8, and who have been off training wheels since around age 4 and riding
> 35 miles a day since they were 6.

Wow. Are you going to field your own family team in the 2020 TdF?

Best of luck keeping that brood in wheels! And my impressed congratulations to your wife!

Chalo Colina