# What ages for a 20" trail-a-bike?



## SuperJETT (May 28, 2008)

Our kids are 4, 6, and 8 currently and I'm looking at a used Trek mountain train today but not sure if we'll get much use out of it.

Our 4 year old is on a 16" with training wheels but we've worked without them a little and he's getting it. I always put their training wheels as high as they'll go so they rock back/forth to get the feel of the sweet spot and how to balance.

Our 6 year old can ride without but I'm her safety blanket so I think the trailabike would help her confidence.

Our 8 year old rides great but doesn't like new things so this might help me introduce her to trails.

How old is too old? We do have a few trails here that would work with it, but most are too rooty or too tight probably.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

SuperJETT said:


> Our kids are 4, 6, and 8 currently and I'm looking at a used Trek mountain train today but not sure if we'll get much use out of it.
> 
> Our 4 year old is on a 16" with training wheels but we've worked without them a little and he's getting it. I always put their training wheels as high as they'll go so they rock back/forth to get the feel of the sweet spot and how to balance.
> 
> ...


A cheap little bike with drive train taken off will give you a scoot bike to get the little ones going, even taking pedals off and scooting around helps.

How bold the kid is and their natural talent make a difference with their progress. My kindergarten twin boys are chickens compared to their 3rd grade sister so they're more confident on their 16" wheel bikes. The 20" wheels do handle the bumps on trails better.

I don't think there are any answers other than don't push the kid too much. The circle in front of my house will have as many as 8 kids between 3 and 8 years old and most of their progress depends upon their drive and natural talent combined with parents making it fun. I see one of these kids timid and not making progress in any circumstance and one boy and girl who seem destined to be a stunt professional handle any bike they can get their little bodies on.

We tried and never bought trail a bike. My wife has seen some accidents with them where parent cut corners short and where kid zoned out while riding.


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## SuperJETT (May 28, 2008)

Well the seller of a Trek Mountain Train locally sold it out from under me to someone else so I'm looking still.

I may end up buying new but could get a Schwinn Hitchhiker locally for $75 used though they are $90 shipped off Amazon and I'm a little concerned about the quality.

I could get a Trek shifter 20" for around $220 new, any other recommendations?


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## SuperJETT (May 28, 2008)

I bought a new Adams folder 20" so that settles that. It should be here next week and our kids are excited.

What's funny is last night our 8 year old started standing/pedaling/turning at the same time and our 6 year old made good progress without the training wheels after I figured out what was scaring her.


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## EBasil (Jan 30, 2004)

The Adams is great. Swap a lighter, flat bar on there, air down and get on the trail!


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## SuperJETT (May 28, 2008)

Things are weird, I ended up finding an Adams Folder Shifter locally for 1/2 what I paid for a new Folder singlespeed, which gets delivered tomorrow. I may try to sell the singlespeed at a discount locally to avoid having to ship it back, but we'll see.

The kids love the TAB.


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## jalopy jockey (Jun 7, 2007)

My 4 year old loves the TAB on all sorts of conditions, my 6 year needs to be convinced that the ride is above his skill set or endurance. He'd rather ride his 20 inch geared bike.

I see kids much bigger than he on them all the time, but he can outride some adults I know, so if I tell him it's going to be a long ride it better be 40+miles of MUP or 20 in the dirt.


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## SuperJETT (May 28, 2008)

I took our 6 year old to Cherokee Park here in Louisville last night and we did 2 laps of the scenic loop which has 2 hills/lap. We had a blast and she really does help with the pedaling. At the top of the first hill each lap we'd stop for a drink out of her mom's Hydrapak she was wearing (which she thought was too cool) and at the top of the second we'd ride through the sprinklers to cool off. 

The trails were too wet to try thanks to ~2" of rain yesterday morning, but that's next on the list.

Loving it, and being able to fold it up to stick in the trunk plus having gears makes buying the Adams shifter the best choice to me.


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## hallfleming (Apr 18, 2010)

My 6 year old son road 9 miles yesterday on a trail in north Georgia that is ranked one of the hardest. The week before, he road 6.5 miles a trail that climbed almost 600 feet in the first mile. Yesterday's ride was too much. It was 90 degrees and miserable for him. I learned my lesson and will ride a easier trail next time. The hardest part is he has to stand up constantly for the climbs. He rides a 20" KHS Raptor with 7 speeds. It weighs in at about 26lbs which is more than my dirt jumper! Note his Kenda small block eights in the bottom picture. Those helped with raw weight and roll resistance big time.

Now my 9 year old girl, she likes smooth pavement.  She does like trails at campgrounds that are mostly flat. She rode a perimeter trail around the lake at a recent campground that was 1.5 miles over an over. She rides the same style Raptor in the girl model.

My son started on a 10" bike and dared me to take the training wheels off when he was 3. He's rode ever since. Now my daughter started at 6. Some do well, some don't. I do wish I would have started them on a strider instead of training wheels.


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## SuperJETT (May 28, 2008)

I'm not sure how that related to trail-a-bikes, but cool anyway.


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## hallfleming (Apr 18, 2010)

whoops! sorry, thought you posted "trail bikes".


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## SuperJETT (May 28, 2008)

Hey, it's cool, I liked seeing the pics.


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## SuperJETT (May 28, 2008)

It's gone. I sold the TAB today for $5 more than what I had in it including the extra hitch I bought earlier this year. Not a bad deal to use it for 1.5 years then make $5 on it.


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