# 16" kids bike with gears?



## SkepticCycles (Mar 22, 2008)

My almost 5 yo has been riding without training wheels for almost a year now:thumbsup: and I think he's actually ready for gears. Does anyone know of a 16" bike that has a rear derailleur and a hand brake?


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## mtbrae (Oct 11, 2005)

I don't know that there is one, our kids are all quite small and began riding fairly early.
OUr youngest was mountian biking at 3, he is now 6 and is finally ready for a 20"!
So for three years he had no choice but to ride a SS coaster brake, and he did great! he has ridden all the beginner trails here.
Have you looked into a 20''? most 5 years olds can fit.
there are some really nice ones out there. trek, marin, DB or Raliegh, all make a 20" the Marin is really nice, but the BB is low and pedals tend to hit cornering or in techy areas.


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## pinkheadedbug (Aug 16, 2006)

I have the Marin in both 20" and 24" and it's great. Really light and well-specified.

16" is really hard to find geared. 

What I did was buy a nice BMX bike for the little one. It has hand brakes and he can ride it on the easier trails. As soon as he can ride the 20" he'll be on that, and the BMX will still be fun.

Norco make a good 20" too which is a bit smaller than the Marin, but also heavier and not as nice bits on it.

The Marins are real bikes. The 24" has disc tabs, which is nice.


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## mtbrae (Oct 11, 2005)

I also liked the Marin 20 " but like any other 20" forks don't really do 

much, the one thing, I DO NOT like is the BB or crank size- really don't 

know which. I just know his pedal is always hitting the ground. It gets to be frustrating. It is going to be retired this year so we don't have to worry about it anymore


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## Maida7 (Apr 29, 2005)

At 5 your kid is gonna outgrow a 16" very quickly. I would not recomend wasting your money on a fancy 16" bike. Just wait untill they can fit a 20 or 24 and buy a nice one with gears and real brakes for trail riding. That will run you 300- 400 new. Look for a used one and you can save some. You will get a few years out of the 20 or 24 size. The 16 will only fit for a short time.

My oldest son was on a 24 wheel at 6 yrs. As soon as he got the 24 with gears we were doing 8 mile trail rides.

He's 9 now and rides a 26" wheel with a 14" frame. We did a 15 mile ride last weekend with 1,000 of climbing.


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## Wish I Were Riding (Jan 30, 2004)

Maida7 said:


> My oldest son was on a 24 wheel at 6 yrs. As soon as he got the 24 with gears we were doing 8 mile trail rides.
> 
> He's 9 now and rides a 26" wheel with a 14" frame. We did a 15 mile ride last weekend with 1,000 of climbing.


That is so cool. :thumbsup:


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## Polymer (Jul 25, 2006)

Skeptic,
Go with the 20" geared, it will be worth the money. Just get one that the seat can go very low and you can by-pass the 16". I bought this one at Performance Bike on sale for $140 and it was well worth it. I cut hte seat tube to get the seat extra low and this thing is well build with a aluminum frame and good components

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=25855&subcategory_ID=3030


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## MarvinK (Apr 9, 2004)

I really like Scott kids bikes. They are one of the very few that actually offer FRONT shifting on a 20" bike. My daughter is short for her age, and still rides her Scott Contessa 20" (she's 8 now). The extra gears have come in handy on longer rides with faster older siblings and hilly terrain.

http://www.scottusa.com/us_en/category/1207/juniors


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