# Recommending a 16" bike for 4 yrs old



## lidation (Jun 16, 2010)

My son is 3.5 yrs old now. He was pretty fluent with the Strider walking bike when he was barely 2. Then at age 3 he was with the Specialized Hot Rock 12" - without training wheels. Just this past weekend, he had made his epic bike trek of riding across the Golden Gate Bridge and back on his Hot Rock. (3.4 miles total). He did the same feat on his Strider half a year ago.

I guess it's time to move him up to the 16". 

Which one do you recommend? I'd like to have the V-brake rather than staying with the coaster brakes. But I couldn't find one without the coaster brakes for 16" bikes. Or maybe I should let him keep using the coaster brakes till he could handle the 20" bikes? Thanks!


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## MCM990 (Jul 31, 2006)

I ended up with a hotrock 16" for my son but had I known this was out there I would have definitly gotten it... 2012 Spawn Cycles Banshee 16" Bike - Spawn Cycles - The World's Best Kids' Bikes!

Looks really nice for your advanced youth rider without getting too crazy expensive. I have almost just ordered one of these and sold the hotrock rather than try to upgrade the hotrock to this level. The freewheel and Vbrakes are huge improvement over the coaster on the hotrock...


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## slcdawg (Jul 28, 2003)

My daughter just got a 20" Spec Hot Rock with v-brakes and gears. She's 6 and was a little intimated with the brakes, initially. Prior to that, she'd been a rock star on her 16" Trek (with coaster brakes) and 12" bike before that. All kids are different....but I'd prob keep a coaster brake (at least as an option) for a another year or so.


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## adamm3 (Mar 26, 2007)

I just bought the Spawn Banshee for my 3.5 year old after she pedaled a 12" for a few weeks. Made some small changes like low rise bars and larger tires, but she picked it up right away. The braking is great for small hands. We have already been out on the trail and she is doing great.

I did the same search as you and came up empty until I found Spawn. The owner is quick at responding to questions and was very helpful.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

The spawn is nice, but even for me too much for a 16 inch bike and I'm all about spending money on my kids bikes.

If I had to do over, for the 12 and 16 inch bikes, used, they just out grow them too fast. Take the saving and buy a nicer 20 and 24 inch bikes.

Heck even for the 20 inch, I found a used Kona Shred for the daughter for $250.


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## col123 (Aug 6, 2012)

Wondered what bike to get my 3.5 yr old boy next, he has been riding his stompee balance bike for a while and is very confident on it. he also uses a tag along for longer rides but I think its time for peddles ! The spawn looks great, what age range are they for ?


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## adamm3 (Mar 26, 2007)

My daughter is 40 inches tall and is on her tip toes with the seat as in the pic above. She gets about 75% leg extension while pedaling with it at that height. 

They also have a 14" wheel model.


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## lidation (Jun 16, 2010)

Thanks for the info. This Spawn is really fitting into this niche market. But it is also not cheap. The $350 + shipping is really making me hard to decide. My son will not ride this thing for much more than a year before moving to 20". 

Actually what is the downside of living with a coaster brake, like what the Hot Rock 16 has?


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

lidation said:


> Thanks for the info. This Spawn is really fitting into this niche market. But it is also not cheap. The $350 + shipping is really making me hard to decide. My son will not ride this thing for much more than a year before moving to 20".
> 
> Actually what is the downside of living with a coaster brake, like what the Hot Rock 16 has?


None. I put a rear hand brake on for both my son and daughter. By the time they moved to a 20 inch bike they knew how to use a hand brake well, so going to a geared 20 was no problem.

Craigslist for your area

$75 Specialized Hotrock 16"
$90 Specialized Hotrock 16 Blue


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## adamm3 (Mar 26, 2007)

I get that....I also got dinged for customs fees from UPS ($70). Get it shipped Canada Post. 

It helps that I have another one that just turned 2 and learning to ride the Balance Bike. She will get it later....at least that is how i justified it in my head 

One negative for me is that my girl is learning to stand and that activated the coaster brake on her 12" Princess bike


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## Cinq (Jan 2, 2003)

That Spawn does look good! My youngest had the 16" Specialized but I don't like the coaster brake and the front brake is really low quality. Since my oldest moved up to a Kona Kula 24 (review in a few weeks) the youngest now rides the Specialized Hot Rock 20". He still has a small problem with the SRAM X9 gripshift but that's just temporarily.

Kind regards,

Clemens


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## MCM990 (Jul 31, 2006)

col123 said:


> Wondered what bike to get my 3.5 yr old boy next, he has been riding his stompee balance bike for a while and is very confident on it. he also uses a tag along for longer rides but I think its time for peddles ! The spawn looks great, what age range are they for ?


You are probably in between the gremlin and the banshee. The website has some good sizing information.


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## FREDGOAT (Jan 9, 2007)

Maybe can you check with Isla if they can deliver to the US.
Nothing compares to them for kids bikes as far as I'm concerned, not overly expensive, fairly light and every part is well thought out.
I had the Cnoc 14" for my son as fisrt pedal bike and we just moved to the Beinn 20 small.
Sizing info is also available on the site and is reliable
Islabikes Cnoc 16 - lightweight first bike for kids age 4+


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## BullSCit (Mar 26, 2004)

I have to agree, and say the Spawn bikes all the way. What you are forgetting is, that the Spawn bikes will be worth more when you go to sell it after your little one has outgrown it. I hope to be able to sell my $375 Banshee for $200 (after my 4 year old daughter has outgrown it and my 1 year old son). So $175 for 4 years of good riding is a heck of a deal to me.

It might not have the brand name of Specialized, but when you but the important features in the ad (16 pounds, v-brakes, aluminum frame and no coasters), people that are looking for a good bike will pay more.

Like I said in my review, how much is your kid progressing and having a great time worth to you. To me, everything. We have ridden 4 days in a row for 6-8 miles each day, and everyday my daughter is cleaning a new uphill or downhill section. The look in her eyes of the excitement when she is riding great is priceless. And then when we get home she says that she wants to go and do it again tomorrow. She had the Specialized for a year, and it was more me pushing her to go riding, and she couldn't climb up any kind of a hill, and was scared when she locked up her rear wheel with the coaster brake. Now it is her pushing me, and that is awesome.


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## Surfpoodi (Sep 14, 2011)

I didn't see anyone mention the Redline Pitboss. That was the route I took. I picked one up used for around $150 or something, and it is quite light. Downside is the lack of front brake bosses, so my boy had to live with poor performing caliper brakes for a bit. 

Resale on a Redline is also excellent.... if you can find a used one, you may end up just "renting" it for a couple years.


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## BullSCit (Mar 26, 2004)

I was looking seriously at the Pitboss, but there were several things I didn't like about it.

Like you said, no brake in the front, and no bosses for v-brakes either. I put the way underperforming caliper brakes on a Specialized Hotrock, and they suck. And if I want to teach my daughter good braking habits, with the front being your power brake, then it would be tough. I'm sure this would be good for it's intended purpose, which is more park and jumps kind of riding, but only having one brake on the rear riding the trails we do, it would be a lot of skidding and a lot of crashes.

The chainring is freaking huge. I know you can change it out, but why do they put a 36T on a kids bike?

I don't like the integrated seat / seatpost thing. You can't change the longitudinal position of the seat, and you are stuck with that type of seat.

And the 140mm cranks seemed too big. Probably alright again for it's intended purpose, but too much for someone who has to climb, and also is learning to keep their pedals flat when coasting.

Overall, two good bikes, but it seems to me like the Spawn is a little more setup towards trails, and the Pitboss towards streets and parks.

I was also interested in the Isla bikes, but couldn't find anyone who would send one to the US.


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## Surfpoodi (Sep 14, 2011)

All good points, and after riding with a 3/4 year old who was on a Pitboss for the last year, they are all accurate. 

I did put super soft pads on the front calipers, so they worked better, changed out the cranks to a smaller size, and put a larger tooth cassette on the back. All helped for a little guy.

Overall, if cost isn't a factor, the Spawn is better for trail riding.

For what it is worth, we just made the Pitboss "acceptable" till he was 4 and half, then went straight to a Hotrock 20. That has worked out really well for us. I posted the build on a thread recently.


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## Surfpoodi (Sep 14, 2011)

One more thing... I wrote the Isla Bike owner a year or so ago, and she told me there was no US distributor... I ran into that wall as well....

Then of course there are the amazingly awesome LIttle Shredder bikes. Get it with 16" wheels to start, and your kid can ride it for years.


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## Ltdan12a (Jun 15, 2012)

BUMP!!!

So, I'm running into this now as well- My 5 year old has been on a 16" Novara for just over a year now, but I would like to get him on something with hand brakes that better quality. Anything new/current out there?


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## silvascape (Sep 11, 2014)

For a 5 year old - Trek Superfly 20. Great little bike - just get the shop to change the cranks to 120s. Most shops seem to be willing to change the way too long stock cranks for the Trek growfit ones which have pedal holes at 120mm and 140mm. 

For those looking at 16" bikes we went for the ByK - light, well engineered bike with 18" wheels but a seat height lower than most 16# bikes (almost identical geometry as a redline micro mini but longer stays). We ditched the coaster brake - the hand brakes worked great. If you have a skilled little rider we found coaster brakes to be a huge turn off. Once Mr 3 started riding his micro mini bmx which only has back V brakes we really saw the cons of coaster brakes, they cant back pedal to get their feet in the right spot to stand up, I think you would be amazed how often you backpedal when you ride. Coaster brakes also make it very hard for them to set up to pedal from a standing start, particularly going uphill. Try this - go and get your bike, get on and start pedalling without adjusting your pedals. Very Frustrating, they are just not in the right spot, if you cant move them backwards then it takes a lot of strength and coordination to shuffle the bike along and get them right.


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## tomson75 (May 25, 2014)

Spawn prices just went up.

Commencal makes a good kids bike.


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## airwreck (Dec 31, 2003)

Delivered today. '15 Ramone16. 4.5 y.o. 39" tall. Also has Hotrock 16 and had Isla 14 and Hotrock 12.


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## ghughes.hesinc (Jun 10, 2009)

*+1 for the Pitboss*

We felt like the braking was more than adequate, seriously it's a sub 15lbs. bike with 16" wheels. Put all 3 kids on that bike, one of them rode it until she was 6. She's now moved up to the 20", but she'll still grab the Pitboss for just bombing around the house. Plus, they all know how to modulate a brake and stand and rock a bike to the top of a climb now!


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## Thomaschh (Oct 31, 2015)

Bump here. Having a tough time finding a good 16" boys bike used. Anyone selling their commencal or Spawn?


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## RMCDan (Feb 28, 2008)

adamm3 said:


> I just bought the Spawn Banshee for my 3.5 year old after she pedaled a 12" for a few weeks. Made some small changes like low rise bars and larger tires, but she picked it up right away. The braking is great for small hands. We have already been out on the trail and she is doing great.
> 
> I did the same search as you and came up empty until I found Spawn. The owner is quick at responding to questions and was very helpful.


What are those tires you have on there?


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