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kids bikes - walmart or bike shop?
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 2008-03-09 12:55 PM |
Master  3019   West Jordan, UT |  Subject: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop?For kids under about 10 years old, do you think there is any benefit in buying a bike shop bike? I'm looking at the bike shop for a bike for a 5 year old. The bikes there look like they have identical frames to the walmart bikes, but cost double or triple. They are both steel framed, single speed bombers. I know enough about bikes to make sure it is put together right, so do I get anything from the brand name bike? Any recommendations for a quality bike for 5 year old that will still be around for a hand me down to her lil' sister? Edited by tkbslc 2008-03-09 12:58 PM |
| 2008-03-09 1:17 PM in reply to: #1261456 |
Champion 11641    Fairport, NY | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? |
| 2008-03-09 1:25 PM in reply to: #1261456 |
| Regular 110 North Tonawanda NY | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? I dont think a 5 year old will be albe to tell the difference between the Wal-mart special or the LBS $400 bike. Go with Wal-mart, plus in a year or two they will be to big for it anyways. |
| 2008-03-09 1:40 PM in reply to: #1261456 |
Extreme Veteran 461 Cedar Park, Texas | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? Agreed. I've seen parents in my neighborhood spend $$$$ on nice bikes for their kids, and I don't think the kids really even notice or care. Save the bucks for a nice bike for later if your children really get into cycling or triathlon, and when they aren't growing so darn fast!! |
| 2008-03-09 1:41 PM in reply to: #1261456 |
Champion 9407 Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? tkbslc - 2008-03-09 2:55 PM For kids under about 10 years old, do you think there is any benefit in buying a bike shop bike? I'm looking at the bike shop for a bike for a 5 year old. The bikes there look like they have identical frames to the walmart bikes, but cost double or triple. They are both steel framed, single speed bombers. I know enough about bikes to make sure it is put together right, so do I get anything from the brand name bike? Any recommendations for a quality bike for 5 year old that will still be around for a hand me down to her lil' sister? Although I agree with Mike about yard sales (or better yet, dumpster diving a bike - hard to go wrong there Shane |
| 2008-03-09 2:32 PM in reply to: #1261508 |
Master 3019 West Jordan, UT | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? gsmacleod - 2008-03-09 12:41 PM tkbslc - 2008-03-09 2:55 PM For kids under about 10 years old, do you think there is any benefit in buying a bike shop bike? I'm looking at the bike shop for a bike for a 5 year old. The bikes there look like they have identical frames to the walmart bikes, but cost double or triple. They are both steel framed, single speed bombers. I know enough about bikes to make sure it is put together right, so do I get anything from the brand name bike? Any recommendations for a quality bike for 5 year old that will still be around for a hand me down to her lil' sister? Although I agree with Mike about yard sales (or better yet, dumpster diving a bike - hard to go wrong there Shane Yeah, I love going to the department store and finding the bike the have the tire rubbing against the chainstay or the fork on backwards. Puts a lot of confidence in the safety of the bike. I'd really like to find an lighter weight aluminum kids bike, but most of them are Hi-ten steel - even the Trek, Raleigh, etc. It is weird picking up my kids tiny bike and finding it feels heavier than my 19" mountain bike w/ suspension! I feel bad for the little kid trying to pedal a bike that weighs what she does up the driveway. Well probably end up going to Walmart, the kid would rather have a bike that says "barbie" on the side than Trek anyway!
Edited by tkbslc 2008-03-09 2:34 PM |
| 2008-03-09 3:36 PM in reply to: #1261456 |
Expert 706 Spring (Houston), TX | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? We bought our 9 year old a new bike for Christmas. I went to the lbs and asked them what the difference was between the $400 kids bike and the $60 kids bike. "Well, ours has a lifetime warranty on the frame." "Well, my kid's only going to ride it for 2-4 years and he only weighs 55 pounds, so I'll take my chances on having to buy 5 bikes in that time period to get the equivalent of your lifetime warranty." Here's some advice - buy a Walmart or yard sale bike and a sharpie. Write Trek on the tube (or your brand of preference) and rock and roll. |
| 2008-03-09 3:52 PM in reply to: #1261456 |
Master 1779 | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? Wal-mart or yard sale. Spend the extra money on a used tandem and take your kids out on the weekends for a ride. Is you daughter going to ride their bike to school? Have you taken a look at how the kids rack their bikes? Even if your daughter is careful with her bike the kid who racks their bike next to hers probably won't be. Most kid throw bikes on the ground and leave them out in the rain or at a friends house. Several nice bikes have been stolen from our elementary school during school hours. Get her a bike with a basket, bell and tassels and she'll be a happy kid. When she's old enough to appreciate and take care of a nice bike get her one! |
| 2008-03-09 5:07 PM in reply to: #1261456 |
Champion 16151 Checkin' out the podium girls | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? My LBS has a Grow with your bike program. They give you 50% back on trade within 2 years. This makes their bikes price competitive with Toys-R-Us and other big box ones. They donate the trades to a local halfway house for kids being put in the care of the state as transitional housing for troubled families. Win all around. |
| 2008-03-09 6:07 PM in reply to: #1261456 |
Veteran 246 western iowa, almost nebraska. | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? I have always gone the route of used as my son has grown, there is always someone around with a kid growing out of the next size up bicycle. |
| 2008-03-09 6:17 PM in reply to: #1261456 |
Champion 6107 Out running or enjoying a fine glass of red... | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? Split the difference - have you checked big box bike? I just got a bike for my 6 year old from Performance...the price was comparable to the good bikes at Walmart AND I was able to get them to "fit" it for her and they tossed in a discount on a new helmet for her too. They also showed my husband how to make all the adjustments they made so he could keep "fitting" it for her as she grows. Plus it came with streamers, which really was the selling point.  |
| 2008-03-10 6:00 AM in reply to: #1261456 |
Extreme Veteran 461 Minnesota | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? I buy from the LBS for kids bikes. I got my son a bike from Target a couple summers ago and he rode so hard that the bike was junked within a month. I then went and spent not all that much more on a kids bike from the LBS which lasted much, much longer. |
| 2008-03-10 8:50 AM in reply to: #1261456 |
Champion 7347 SRQ, FL | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? Craigslist has a bike section for each town. There are always TONS of good kids bikes to be had for cheap. |
| 2008-03-10 9:31 AM in reply to: #1261456 |
Regular 62 Orlando | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? I am buying my 10yr old a bike from the LBS for her bday this weekend. She is 5'1" tall and 100 pounds. She has been through 10 bikes since she was two. This bike has a lifetime warrenty and the LBS said she can be fitted on it until she is ready to buy her own bike. Hopeully this bike will last. |
| 2008-03-10 9:59 AM in reply to: #1261456 |
Supersonicus Idioticus 2439 Thunder Bay, ON | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? Will they be riding on the street or taking jumps and doing the crazy stuff I did (like ghost riding your bike down a hill). That's the question I would ask before buying a cheapy road bike. Then on the other hand, I do remember passing by a cycling kid on a run one day. His wheel was taco'ed. He said he bought the bike from Canadian Tire (a canadian dept. store) that very day. |
| 2008-03-10 10:02 AM in reply to: #1261504 |
Champion 5868 Urbandale, IA | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? katzchen55 - 2008-03-09 1:40 PM Agreed. I've seen parents in my neighborhood spend $$$$ on nice bikes for their kids, and I don't think the kids really even notice or care. Save the bucks for a nice bike for later if your children really get into cycling or triathlon, and when they aren't growing so darn fast!! When does that start again? My youngest daughter grew 3" from the time she turned 12 to the time she tirned 13. I asked a store if I could just rent her some jeans last year. The sales lady didn't think I was funny. |
| 2008-03-10 11:00 AM in reply to: #1261456 |
Champion 5575 Butler | Subject: RE: kids bikes - walmart or bike shop? Definately walmart. I can't see spending 100+ for a kids bike unless they plan to race it and are actually fairly competative. You could always do the Griffen Bike youth program. You buy the bike and when they outgrow the frame you send the frame back and the send you a new one. Not bad if you have alot of $$$$ to spend. |
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