Recreational & Family - 8 yr old advice

Hello , I have a 8 yr old son that rides a 16 inch wheel size walmart bike that only lasted a year before the bb became total junk . there anything better out there that size besides going to a legit lbs ? Once he gets bigger I will purchace a legit bmx that will last , like I did with my oldest son . I just dont want to buy a pricey small bike when I know he will outgrow it in a few years . I guess I can get another walmart bike I guess.

Many Wal Mart kids bikes have a bushing bottom bracket. Wou may be able to replace it with an Ashtabula crank, cups, and bearings. Our LBS took care of my son's bike several years ago and only charged me for parts.

At 8 years old my brother and I were both riding 26" cruisers. You might want to look at what's available in a 24 or 26 inch for him.

At 8 years old my brother and I were both riding 26" cruisers. You might want to look at what's available in a 24 or 26 inch for him.
Seems awefull big for just a lil guy.

of course you could try to replace the bb, it might be a cheap fix.

buying a used bike is another possibility in the future, the price depreciation will be smaller (you can probably sell it for a similar price to what you paid for it) and the fit is less critical for a growing kid in the first place. although i guess there may be other parenting factors involved that i'm not familiar with.

My experience has been that if you buy a good bike from a major bike brand, rather than a department store bike, you can sell it when your child outgrows it and recoup most of your money. I got my daughter a 7-speed Hard Rock from Specialized. It was lighter than a Wally World bike, and all the components worked flawlessly. She loved that bike. My son inherited it when she outgrew it. He also loved it and it never gave him a bit of trouble. When he outgrew it we gave it to my brother-in-law for his two boys, so we never had a chance to resell it.

I would never buy my child a department store bike, just as I would never buy one for myself. I'd rather spend a little more money for quality.

I'd also recommend buying a bike at a bike shop, rather than a departement store, for the support you'll get, from people who know bikes.

Salvation Army, craigslist, flea markets, etc.

Edit: some bike shops sell used bikes

At 8 years old my brother and I were both riding 26" cruisers. You might want to look at what's available in a 24 or 26 inch for him.


My experience has been that if you buy a good bike from a major bike brand, rather than a department store bike, you can sell it when your child outgrows it and recoup most of your money. I got my daughter a 7-speed Hard Rock from Specialized. It was lighter than a Wally World bike, and all the components worked flawlessly. She loved that bike. My son inherited it when she outgrew it. He also loved it and it never gave him a bit of trouble. When he outgrew it we gave it to my brother-in-law for his two boys, so we never had a chance to resell it.

I would never buy my child a department store bike, just as I would never buy one for myself. I'd rather spend a little more money for quality.

I'd also recommend buying a bike at a bike shop, rather than a departement store, for the support you'll get, from people who know bikes.

I fully agree , once the weather is nice ile look into that:thumb:

As said above, while it can be hard for some people to pay a few hundred bucks on a kids bike, but they can be sold for significant money later on. Or for cheaper look for somebody selling a nicer bike. A $250 kids bike from companies like Trek or Specialized found at bike shops use real components such as threadless headsets, linear pull brakes, real bottom brackets, real seatposts, and so forth. There are times I say a Walmart bike is all a kid needs, but its usually in the 4-6 year old range.

Ok, so a couple other things here. First a 16" bike for an 8 year old is very likely too small, but of course that depends on height. My 8 year old son is 4'7" tall and rides a 20" Specialized HotRock 6 speed, and he will really need a 24" this summer. Within 15 months he will be rolling on a 700c road bike when he hits 5' tall.

You mention buying a BMX bike when he's a little older. Thats fine if he really wants a BMX, but otherwise BMX bikes are horribly ill suited for anything other than a BMX dirt track. Something like a Trek MT220 or Jamis X.24 (just examples) are better bikes for riding almost anywhere. Better geometry, better comfort, gears, and larger/faster/better rolling wheels. Front suspension though is take it or leave it at this level. Depending on the boy, he will also be shooting up like a weed as well and when kids are growing 4 inches year you can sometimes skip a size depending on the bike.

Just food for thought.

I have an 8 year old daughter that rides a 24" Giant. I agree that a 16" is going to be too small very quickly-unless he's just into BMX.