General Cycling Discussion - need help on up-grading my daughters bike

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA
adamant
11-04-08, 06:16 PM
she is age 11 and 50" tall. we do mainly paved bike trails. i like to replace her single speed little kids bike to something more conformable to ride. she may be into going more if the bike is something up to date.
i ride a diamond back outlook.

http://www.diamondback.com/bikes/mtn-hardtail/outlook-09/

that i just got.
what do you guys recommend? i am looking for a bike that she can grow into.
thanks
ant

badmother
11-06-08, 02:38 PM
Depends where / how much she rides. What about buying her a nice folder? She could have a nice bike to ride for man years.
Little Darwin
11-06-08, 02:55 PM
How about getting her what you are riding, in the appropriate size? I see they come in sizes down to xxs...

It would seem to be pretty motivational to ride the same bike as you... And if you get the size that is on the slightly large size of what she can ride now, it should last her for a couple of years.

nahh
11-06-08, 04:57 PM
It all depends on how much she rides. If it's flat I wouldn't go away from a single speed too soon. They're lighter and easier to use. Raleigh has some great bikes that aren't too expensive and you can get a good fit too.

how's this? http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/women/retro-1/ , if you can get that in a small enough size it would be really nice. Or are you looking for something a little bit more high performance?
DieselDan
11-06-08, 08:03 PM
Try going with a 15" Raleigh Venture base model. It only has 7-speeds and one shifter with one rear derailer. Enough to get her started with a shifting bike, but nothing to overwhelm her.
martianone
11-07-08, 12:52 AM
Depends where / how much she rides. What about buying her a nice folder? She could have a nice bike to ride for man years.

+1 to this suggestion.
Recently got my 10 yo son a Xootr Swift folding bike;
it is light weight, responsive, easy for him to ride.
While a little more$ than other choices, we should be able
to adapt it as he grows.
Panthers007
11-07-08, 03:32 PM
Look at what the other kids are riding. This establishes the current trend. Then ask a kid which bike they'd like to have if they could. This establishes "cool." Then find out her preference for color. This covers individuality. Now remember that she's going to be growing. This establishes intelligence on your part.:D