Originally Posted by
atbman
I'm not paid by Islabikes, honest! But, IMHO they're the best for your purpose - WARNING! May injure your wallet! so take a look at
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/islabikes-all-purpose-bikes. They meet your needs perfectly. If a new one's a bit pricey, s/h ones sell like hotcakes and they hold their prices better than any others I know. The UK parent company opened a branch in Portland (where else?) a year or two back and they've received near-universal approval.
We got a grant a few years ago and our 20+ bikes of all sizes and models have stood up to weekly use by our club members with very little trouble and maintenance. The model you need is the Beinn 24" on the site address given. It is extemely common for one to fetch 80% of the original price two years later - assuming it's been looked after. One thing I can guarantee - your kid will love it.
This is a zombie thread that someone who is probably a bot resurrected. However, I have to say that while I love our Islabike Beinn 20, Islabike lost my business with their last two rounds of price hikes, which raised the price of Beinn 24 from $499 to $650 plus shipping. It's fine to do that when you dominate the market place, but the level of competition in the kids bike market has been raised dramatically in the last several years and Islabike isn't the only game in town anymore. For my son's 24" bike, we're looking at either the Woom 5 or Frog 62, both of which are $200 less expensive, have free shipping and are similar quality. Other contenders were the Prevelo Alpha 4 (doesn't have rack mounts) and the Guardian 24 (little too heavy). I'd probably even consider buying a Specialized Hotrock Street 24, despite the heavier weight and awful Revoshift shifters before buying a Beinn 24 fror $650.