We are about to buy our three year old his first bike. I’m sure his biggest concern will be color and whether it has a bell on it like his tricycle. Any thoughts regarding what I should really be looking for in such a bike, what I should avoid and how to size his bike properly would be very much appreciated.
Well, I guess “bicycle” throws out this option:
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I wouldn’t worry too much about sizing, as it’s going to change almost monthly. If you’re comfortable wrenching, then don’t worry about the build. If you’re not, then getting it from a reputable shop is tantamount. I can’t believe some of the builds I’ve seen in places like Costco and Toys-R-Us. Scary.
Realize that the bike is going to get abused. But the kid will love it anyway.
Color and style, as you said, will be the biggest concerns. But also you need to be there for a lot of those rides, as the concept of coaster brakes and steering aren’t all that instinctive (and the first reaction in panic is to take the feet off the pedals – thus no brakes). Once you’re comfortable with the child’s skills, then you don’t have to quite as vigilant.
What I’ve seen is that the smallest sizes tend to not have brakes at all (essentially a fixie). A serious problem to me. So make sure that even the first bike has coasters.
And look…no integrated headset! Do ya think that is 3/2.5 or 6/4 ti? Seatpost looks a little low as well…
Wal Mart, Toys R Us… pick one that looks cool and buy it …
A Cervelo P3K (Kid edition) should work for your 3-year old. Just make sure you get the Hed 3 training wheels.
The size question was directed more at how it should fit more or less properly so I can make sure it fits when bought and adjust as he grows.
He won’t be biking on his own for a while. When he is on his trike now, his primary concern oftentimes seems to be ringing the bell instead of steering.
I’ll make sure it has brakes.
Not a disc? Or is that just for racing?
What I have heard from some parents is don’t get a tricycle. Get one of those stand over bicycle looking things (no pedals even) so they don’t get bad habits from riding tricycles. YMMV.
I’m guessing that almost everyone on this forum had a tricycle and rides just fine.
Well, if you aren’t supposed to buy a tricycle, we’ve already blown his cycling career. To make things clear, we are looking for a regular bike, with the training wheels of course.
OK, the back wheel is a disk, but two more discs for the training wheels might be over-kill. Also, make sure to enroll the 3-year old in swim-lessons. That way we won’t have to have a discussion next year about the perfect wetsuit for a 4-year old.
One key question is whether you are going to be passing the bike down to a younger sibling. I have 3 kids and have bought bikes from Target and Schwinn. In terms of basic bike funciton, there was no difference. Both were indestructable (these are defintiely not delicate machines) but the Schwinn looked a little better over very prolonged use, probably because it had a better paint job and its parts were a little less prone to rust. It easily made it through 2 kids and was still in decent enough shape to give to a neighbor to have around for his grand kids when they visited.
Bottom line – You can go cheap on the bike but spend top dollar on the bell and streamers.
Of course you are right in the general sense, but my experience from teaching adults to ride bicycles at a velodrome is that not everyone is equally fine. Teaching people to unlearn things is sometimes harder than just teaching them the right way the first time.
Here’s an old hand’s take on this - note the age guidelines and tricycle comments.
Started the swim lessons earlier this week.
When I had him in the “Big Pool” with me last weekend, I was showing him the various lane markings and explaining how you use the T on the bottom to do flip turns.
This is similar to the one I got my son at about three… It is a really solid little bike. This one is his “mountain bike” and his big wheel is his “road bike”.
http://www.diamondback.com/items.asp?deptid=8&itemid=102
You can get them at Gart’s, Dick’s and maybe even Walmart for about $75. He is now 6 and still rides it, we recently removed the training wheels…
The new ones have a cool water bottle on the front like this http://www.epinions.com/bicycles_2003_Diamondback_Micro_Viper
I didn’t see anything in Sheldon Brown’s article that says you shouldn’t start off riding a tricycle. In fact, I think he says you should. He does say that they may not be safe for older kids on hills, but that’s a different issue. And even if he did say no tricycles, I think I would disagree with him. I wouldn’t take hair styling advice from him either.
No biggie, just bringing a different viewpoint in, it’s not like it’s that important. As I wrote in the first post, some friends of mines with kids have said…
A Cervelo P3K (Kid edition) should work for your 3-year old.
Oh, you mean this Cervélo?
I have actually tried riding this bike, but the saddle was too low for me.
Here’s some more pictures. Notice the aero TT helmet on the last two pictures. The kid is 5 years old IIRC.
