# Need a new bike for my 8 year old daughter



## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

Right now she has a small wall-mart special that she loves to ride but she is quickly growing out of it. I have always been against buying department store bikes but at the same time I hate to drop $500 on a bike that she will probably one ride for 2 summers. Any suggestions?

I did find this bike at walmart and its fairly light and seemed well built for the price.

20" Girls' BCA FS Pro Bike, Purple - Walmart.com










She liked it because it has purple on it so I would like to find something similar. I searched the local craigslist and didn't find anything.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

If super-cheap and purple are your top priorities, that thing's perfect.

I dunno if a 36lb bike with a 100lb rider limit really could be described as light or well-built though.


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## hobiesmith (Mar 1, 2008)

islabikes.com


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## griffter18 (Jul 3, 2009)

Before you pick a bike, figure out were you plan to ride.
At 8 you could be looking at a 20" bmx, a 24" mtb, a modified xs frame capable of running 26" but running 24"
Check the used market as youll get much more for your cash and something with a far superior spec and lighter weight.


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

slapheadmofo said:


> If super-cheap and purple are your top priorities, that thing's perfect.
> 
> I dunno if a 36lb bike with a 100lb rider limit really could be described as light or well-built though.


I would rather spend a little more but my wife is against spending anything over $100 because she will grow out of it so fast. I should have said that wallmart bike felt lighter and stronger than their currant bikes which have 14 or 16" wheels.

Islabike looks great but its out of my budget.

I would like to pick up a decent bare frame wheels and components and throw some spray paint on it and put it together myself but the frames I've found are $400-$500


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## Fuzzwardo (Oct 16, 2013)

Craigslist. I have found killer deals on kids bikes on there and if you take your time, you can find good bikes for a decent price that looks almost new.


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## tomson75 (May 25, 2014)

01tj said:


> I would rather spend a little more but my wife is against spending anything over $100 because she will grow out of it so fast. I should have said that wallmart bike felt lighter and stronger than their currant bikes which have 14 or 16" wheels.
> 
> Islabike looks great but its out of my budget.
> 
> I would like to pick up a decent bare frame wheels and components and throw some spray paint on it and put it together myself but the frames I've found are $400-$500


Does your wife understand that the Walmart bike will simply go in the trash or the local Goodwill store, whereas a quality bike from a reputable dealer will have significant resale value? That's how I sold my wife on buying a Commencal for my 3yo, and I'll be buying a quality used bike for my 10yo this month too.

The quality of a Walmart bike is almost nonexistent. I'd wager you won't even get two years out of it.

Often times, you can buy a good bike and resell it for 75% of the original cost if you take care of it...probably negating the difference in costs for a cheap bike.

I'd also recommend looking at Craigslist. You can buy a used one, ride it for two years, throw on new grips and tires, and sell it for what you bought it for.


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

I have been watching the local craigslist with no luck so far but it would be great if I could find something there


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## Rae6503 (Jun 30, 2009)

What kind of riding do you want her to do? Just around the neighborhood, or do you want to introduce her to mountain biking? Even if it's just for the neighborhood, you might check out REI or Performance Bike instead. The bikes will be closer to $200 but better quality, and higher resale.

We got our 8 year old a Giant MTB 24". It wasn't cheap but luckily we have 2 other kids it can be passed down to and then probably sold for at least half of what we paid for it. It's for real mountain bike. It has disc brakes, gears, and air shock, etc. It's a little big now but I bet she can ride it until she's ready for an adult size bike at 12 or 13.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Look at pawn shops as well. I was surprised walking past one I saw a nice 24inch Cannondale Trail in the window. Went in and it was only $90. That's a $440 bike for $90


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## jk13 (May 21, 2012)

01tj said:


> I have been watching the local craigslist with no luck so far but it would be great if I could find something there


Just upgraded my daughter's bike so I have a (06 ish) Specialized HotRock 24" 7 speed painted flat black frame/white fork/purple ano accents that I'll be selling in central Wisconsin if that's anywhere near you. Haven't listed it yet but was about to. All stock except riser bars, lock ons, and trigger shifter instead of grip shift. Willing to drive a bit to help out a fellow mtb'er or talk to a local shop about shipping (but I've heard that's nearly $100 nowadays).

pm if interested.

Best of luck otherwise!


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

slapheadmofo said:


> If super-cheap and purple are your top priorities, that thing's perfect.
> 
> I dunno if a 36lb bike with a 100lb rider limit really could be described as light or well-built though.


Id be interested but I'm in WV. That's the biggest problem I'm running into now is that there is a Walmart in every town and not many people think of looking at a LBS for a bike around here



jk13 said:


> Just upgraded my daughter's bike so I have a (06 ish) Specialized HotRock 24" 7 speed painted flat black frame/white fork/purple ano accents that I'll be selling in central Wisconsin if that's anywhere near you. Haven't listed it yet but was about to. All stock except riser bars, lock ons, and trigger shifter instead of grip shift. Willing to drive a bit to help out a fellow mtb'er or talk to a local shop about shipping (but I've heard that's nearly $100 nowadays).
> 
> pm if interested.
> 
> Best of luck otherwise!


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

When my son outgrew his 20" bike, I bought a 24" GF Tyro from Craigslist for 60 bucks. 
Basically, I bought it for the frame. I didn't use any other part. 
I ended up putting kind of a lot of money into it but I ended up with a pretty light 1x10, disc brake bike that really upped his game. 
He rode that bike on the big boy trails. I ended up selling the bike minus the fork to someone here for WAY less than I had into it, but I felt that the experience my son got from it and hopefully, his child will enjoy riding it... It seems worth it in the end. 
Hey, if whoever bought the blue and grey GF Tyro sees this, how about a pic of what you did with it?


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

slapheadmofo said:


> If super-cheap and purple are your top priorities, that thing's perfect.
> 
> I dunno if a 36lb bike with a 100lb rider limit really could be described as light or well-built though.





NYrr496 said:


> When my son outgrew his 20" bike, I bought a 24" GF Tyro from Craigslist for 60 bucks.
> Basically, I bought it for the frame. I didn't use any other part.
> I ended up putting kind of a lot of money into it but I ended up with a pretty light 1x10, disc brake bike that really upped his game.
> He rode that bike on the big boy trails. I ended up selling the bike minus the fork to someone here for WAY less than I had into it, but I felt that the experience my son got from it and hopefully, his child will enjoy riding it... It seems worth it in the end.
> Hey, if whoever bought the blue and grey GF Tyro sees this, how about a pic of what you did with it?


I really like the idea of picking up a frame and just piecing together parts but I know that can add up. I've made some costly improvements on both of my mountain bikes which have been worth it but I do know how they add up


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Where in WV? Do you ever head up to Frederick MD? I saw that Cannondale in a paw shop in Frederick


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

slapheadmofo said:


> If super-cheap and purple are your top priorities, that thing's perfect.
> 
> I dunno if a 36lb bike with a 100lb rider limit really could be described as light or well-built though.


I'm in Fairmont so I'm not too far away but not sure when I can get up there. Do you know what kind of Cannondale?


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

01tj said:


> I'm in Fairmont so I'm not too far away but not sure when I can get up there. Do you know what kind of Cannondale?


It was this one Trail 24 Boy's - TRAIL - BOY'S - KIDS - BIKES - 2015

But I called them real quick and it's gone.


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

TwoTone said:


> It was this one Trail 24 Boy's - TRAIL - BOY'S - KIDS - BIKES - 2015
> 
> But I called them real quick and it's gone.


Thanks for trying, I'm going to expand my craigslist search a little wider


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

I found a 24" hotrock on craigslist for $100, does anyone know what size kid that would fit? My daughter is about 50"


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

Haven't heard back about the 24" but in my search I found a hotrock 20" coaster for my 6 year old. Still looking for my girl though


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## CJH (Apr 21, 2004)

01tj said:


> I found a 24" hotrock on craigslist for $100, does anyone know what size kid that would fit? My daughter is about 50"


The Isla Bikes USA has a fitting chart that includes both actual inseam and height in their fitting guide.

For their 24" MTB style bike they have a minimum height of 50" and an inseam range from 22.5" to 27".

The current Hotrock 24 is a somewhat large 24" bike so I'm guessing the Isla Bikes 24" is the same size or smaller.

So with that said, my best guess is that your daughter might be a bit small for the Hotrock 24". If your daughter is on the short end of the inseam range and the Hotrock 24 is one of the models with lower stand over she might be alright. If it's an earlier year with a shorter top tube then even better.

It might be worth picking up at that price anyways. Do you have a picture you can share? It's pretty easy to go through the archives on the Specialized site and figure out what year a bike is.


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

Here is the bike but I'm guessing its gone because I haven't heard back from the seller


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## ETChipotle (Sep 20, 2014)

My 6 1/2 year old and 8 year old are both 49" and riding 24" Hotrocks. Riding a 20" is appropriate at this size for my girls, but they can ride 24, so I decided to get them into a size they can stick with longer, since I'm modding the bikes.


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

ETChipotle said:


> My 6 1/2 year old and 8 year old are both 49" and riding 24" Hotrocks. Riding a 20" is appropriate at this size for my girls, but they can ride 24, so I decided to get them into a size they can stick with longer, since I'm modding the bikes.


I've also thought about picking her up a good BMX bike that she could ride for a while but I know it wouldn't be as comfortable and I don't want her on anything that would discourage her from riding

Does anyone know anything about these?










Its listed as a women's but it looks smaller than the hotrocks I've looked at


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## CJH (Apr 21, 2004)

01tj said:


> Here is the bike but I'm guessing its gone because I haven't heard back from the seller.


That is a 2011 or 2012 Boys Hotrock 24 seven speed.

The top tube is listed as 507 which is on the long side for a bike that size. Still might be worth picking up if it's available.

Also, I noticed Spawn has a new fitting chart updated with their 24" kids MTB.

Minimum height 48" and inseam range of 22.5" to 28.5".


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

CJH said:


> That is a 2011 or 2012 Boys Hotrock 24 seven speed.
> 
> The top tube is listed as 507 which is on the long side for a bike that size. Still might be worth picking up if it's available.
> 
> ...


It's looking like she may need a 20" bike in which case would I be better off getting her a BMX bike than a kids bike?

BTW I just picked up my 6 year old son a hotrock 20 for $40 that looks like this on


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## CJH (Apr 21, 2004)

01tj said:


> It's looking like she may need a 20" bike in which case would I be better off getting her a BMX bike than a kids bike?
> 
> BTW I just picked up my 6 year old son a hotrock 20 for $40 that looks like this one.


I tried my boys on BMX bikes but with their short legs they just didn't seem to mesh well with the higher BB geometry of most BMX bikes.

I'm sure they could've gotten used to them and much of their growth in the last 18 months has been in their legs but I haven't tried again.

That bike you just picked up is a Hotrock 20 Coaster. With the curved fork it should be a 2010 or earlier. I know you didn't ask that but thought I'd mention it.


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

CJH said:


> I tried my boys on BMX bikes but with their short legs they just didn't seem to mesh well with the higher BB geometry of most BMX bikes.
> 
> I'm sure they could've gotten used to them and much of their growth in the last 18 months has been in their legs but I haven't tried again.
> 
> That bike you just picked up is a Hotrock 20 Coaster. With the curved fork it should be a 2010 or earlier. I know you didn't ask that but thought I'd mention it.


Yeah I looked into it a little before picking it up, it seems like a pretty sturdy bike. I was able to ride it around a little lol


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## bubmiller (Mar 9, 2015)

I'm new here, (been reading for awhile) and don't really belong, but I'll share my experience. Not only are the bottom brackets too high on a bmx bike, but the cranks are too long for short legs and the gearing is too high for hills. If your handy with tools and the bike is cheap that can be overcome. I needed a bike fast (my 3 yr. old decided the 16" bike was his now) and found a new 20" bmx for $40. An hour in the shop turned the 6 1/2" cranks into a 5" version. (Although new ashtabula cranks are cheap) $10 had me a new 25 tooth chainring, and my 5 yr old rides it like a champ! Twice now he's gone around the lake at 3 1/2 mi. 

With 3 kids riding and the fourth starting soon, its a constant struggle to keep them supplied with bikes. My goal is to keep them happy till they can ride a 24" mountain bike and hopefully get each of them a better bike at that point. That seems to me the point at which they will get the most use before outgrowing them.

To the OP, I'd suggest skipping the 20" and getting a 24 for the 8 yr. old. My daughter is 7 and rides her cousins 24 just fine. She's even been for a couple rides on a 26".

Enough rambling, Carry on. . .


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## Big N Hood Rich (Nov 26, 2010)

Too bad you weren't closer to MN, I have a 2013 Marin Hidden Canyon for sale on craigslist that my daughter out grew. Bike looks like new


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

Big N Hood Rich said:


> Too bad you weren't closer to MN, I have a 2013 Marin Hidden Canyon for sale on craigslist that my daughter out grew. Bike looks like new


I wish, there's not much around here. Just found this one that's 2 hours away, does anyone know anything about these?

24 in Trek, Mountain Track 12 speed


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## bmf032 (Sep 8, 2010)

On Sale Sapient Capa Pro X BMX Bike 20in up to 45% off
This is what my 7 year old daughter is on. When her sister turned 8 I bought her a specialized Myka 26er. They both excelled on them. It really depends on the child's size and preferences really. If the child thinks it's a cool bike then they'll do amazing things.
I also had great luck with craigslist with their earlier bikes.


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## 01tj (Apr 29, 2009)

bmf032 said:


> On Sale Sapient Capa Pro X BMX Bike 20in up to 45% off
> This is what my 7 year old daughter is on. When her sister turned 8 I bought her a specialized Myka 26er. They both excelled on them. It really depends on the child's size and preferences really. If the child thinks it's a cool bike then they'll do amazing things.
> I also had great luck with craigslist with their earlier bikes.


Thank you that does look good. We are hitting the local shops this weekend but I'll show her that bike as well.

I like the price and the weight of that bike but it does look like it may be a little big. The reviews seem to be either really good or really bad for it but it seems like the bad ones are from really serious BMXers.


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