Lightweight 12" kid's bike...do they exist?
My boy is turning 4 this summer so I figured it was time to get him on a bike. I went to my LBS and looked around, and finally picked out a little green Raleigh. When I hefted the thing, though, I was SHOCKED at how much it weighed: with training wheels, a little over 22 pounds. 22 LBS!!!
That's just 1.5 lbs less than my 26" fully-geared hardtail MTB, and almost 5 lbs MORE than my 700c fixed gear. This is just ********. Seriously, WTF? The kid weighs less than 40 lbs. Put in context, that's like me (160 lbs) trying to crank a 90 lb bike around. The inertia is incredibly discouraging to the little guy, especially with training wheels. And at $140, the thing isn't cheap, either, despite the crap bottom bracket, crank, headset and stem - all of which are the same size as grownup bikes.
Do light bikes exist for kids? If not, I sense an opportunity for a savvy manufacturer.