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The Avigo Dirt Wave is designed for 4- to 8-year-olds.
By Kara Reinhardt, Cheapism.com
A bike may be tricky to wrap and seem positively archaic next to the gizmos on many holiday wish lists, but it’s still a classic gift. In online reviews of kids bikes, parents often note how excited a child was to receive a new bike. High-end models made of strong, lightweight aluminum usually cost $200 or more and often come from specialty stores, which relieves buyers of the potentially difficult tasks of assembly and maintenance. But like all kids bikes, they wind up too small within a couple of years. You can nicely equip a growing teen for less than $100 and let younger children tool around the neighborhood for less than $70.
The first thing a child is likely to note about a new bike is the design — Iron Man, Spider-Man, Dora the Explorer. One of the first things a parent is likely to note are the brakes. Small fingers may have a tough time squeezing hand brakes, so bikes for younger kids typically feature rear coaster brakes that stop the bike when the child pushes the pedals backward. Manufacturers equip some bikes with both types of brakes so older children can get the hang of hand brakes without relying on them exclusively. A few budget kids bikes come with only hand brakes (which may be referred to as side-pull, center-pull, caliper, cantilever, u-brakes, or v-brakes).
Size, as measured by the diameter of the wheels, is also crucial to safety. Here are some rough guidelines: 12-inch wheels fit 2- to 5-year-olds; 16-inch wheels accommodate 4- to 8-year-olds; 20-inch wheels fit 6- to 11-year-olds; and 24-inch wheels work for ages 10 and up. For a more accurate fit, measure the inseam on a pair of pants that fits your child well and match it up to the corresponding wheel diameter on this chart from the International Bicycle Fund. It may be tempting to choose a bike that’s a bit too big, so the child can grow into it and get more use out of it, but experts warn against doing that.
Size also contributes to the weight of the bike, which usually falls somewhere between 15 and 40 pounds. The best models balance maneuverability with strength and durability. Watch out for extra features that may be overkill for beginning riders and only add extra pounds.
Below are Cheapism’s top picks for affordable kids bikes.
- Huffy offers the largest selection and excellent value. The 12-inch Rock-It bike for boys (starting at $40), the 16-inch Disney Princess bike (starting at $67), the 16-inch Disney Toy Story bike (starting at $68), and the 24-inch Cranbrook Cruiser (starting at $80) all earn kudos from reviewers. (Where to buy)
- NEXT bikes feature designs that suit incipient daredevils. The 20-inch Chaos Freestyle (starting at $80) and 24-inch Power Climber (starting at $100) win over boys with features such as twirling handlebars and dual shock absorbers, respectively. (Where to buy)
- Avigo makes the 16-inch Dirt Wave bike for boys (starting at $73) and Waikiki for girls (starting at $70). Reviewers call these starter BMX-style bikes sturdy and easy to adjust. (Where to buy)
More from Cheapism:
Cheap Kids Bikes
Cheap Champagne
Cheap Turntables
Group Gifting Sites
Leave a Comment:
There are reasons that some of these "bikes" can be purchased for under $100.
First, all of the components making up these toys are "cheap" in the sense that they are not made to hold up - with substandard materials and workmanship.
Second, there is much more to "assembling" than just putting all the pieces in the right places. If they are not adjusted correctly, they will not work and are unsafe. There should be laws against selling these things.
A "bike" that doesn't work right or breaks in the first few uses is not fun to ride and the child who owns one will not develop the skill and thrill of riding that makes bicycling a lifetime activity. I have seen kids who are afraid of bicycles after experiencing these devices.
Do yourself a favor and go to a bicycle shop to get a real bike that will work properly and last longer and has the potential to affect a child's life positively. It costs more, but it can pay back for a lifetime.
Yes cheap bikes they are, and all from Communist China......
Just what we need! More laws!
Sounds like a bicycle shop shill and member of the silly pants gang.
Yes, there is definitely a difference between a Diamond bike with center-pull brakes and aluminum rims and a Wal-Mart or Crooks R Us bike that was slapped together in the storeroom. But, for kids that difference is inconsequential and most certainly not worth the difference in cost considering the kids will outgrow whichever bike you buy them within a couple of years anyway.
Having said that, and having worked in the bike-assembling part of a big-box retailer, I would highly recommend giving any assembled bike from a retail store a thorough once-over. Make sure brakes are attached securely and adjusted so that they actually work and check all fasteners to ensure they are tight.
The best bike my three year old ever got was the free Tonka bike that the neighbor put out in front of the house with the "Take Me" sign on it. My kid thinks it is the coolest thing he has ever seen, and the price was right on.
Don't buy more bike than you actually need. 99% of the people just want a cushy ride and couldn't care less about the number of gears. A comfy seat and an upright riding position are way more fun that a flat handlebar and a fencepost hard saddle,
torn---Thanks for trying. At the shop I worked at in Seattle, our motto was "Never buy a bike for less than $500 or a car for more than $500". Of course this was for adult bikes.
For a child, its OK to buy a decent dept. store bike, if only to determine if the child enjoys riding, without sinking an entire Xmas budget into it. I don't even know if its possible to get an inexpensive USA bike anymore, but I would find a good shop to either assemble it or tune it up for best performance.
I half-way agree, sort of. I once bought a house for $29,750. Thus, I will never - ever - spend anywhere near $29,750 on a car.
I currently own two cars for which I paid $350 (each). Using the same line of thinking, there's no way in hell or on earth that I'll ever spend $350 on a bicycle.
And, there's no need. For the vast majority of normal humans, a bike is a bike is a bike. Obviously there are some quality issues worthy of consideration. You don't want cheap shifters that don't work and you want a reasonably comfortable seat. But, for most of us who don't feel the need to wear silly pants when we ride a bicycle, just about any run of the mill $150 bike will do.
"line of thinking" are you sure?
and you speak for the vast majority? are you sure?
I know there are snobs on $10,000 bikes, but apparently there are some on the other end, too.
These terms are not synonyms; they are different types of hand brakes, center-pull being the preferred option as they exert equal force on both sides of the rim when properly adjusted. Cantilever brakes are very similar.
You can find disk brakes if you really want them, but I suspect finding replacement parts would be next to impossible. You'd probably end up just replacing the whole bike!