Recreational & Family - Big Box Bike For Kids

Hey all.

May soon-to-be 12-year-old daughter's birthday is coming up. She's due for a new bicycle and ready, I think, for a full-sized 26-inch wheel. We live near the beach, so she wants a cruiser, natch.

We were in a big box store a few months ago -- a rare occasion, actually -- and she saw a bike she became smitten with. I've been trying my best to steer her away from it and to a bike, any bike, from an actual bike manufacturer from an actual bike store. Mostly, it has been futile, since all the bikes I've shown her are seen through the prism of the big box bike she likes.

Then it occurred to me that maybe my snobbery is getting in the way and that the best bike is the one you love and the one you ride and maybe I should just get over myself and get her the little Huffy she likes.

I dunno. It's a single speed cruiser. There's really not much to go wrong with the thing. Anyway, I just wanted to know if anyone else has had this dilemma and what you did about it.

Thanks in advance,

Keith.

There are two ways to approach this.

There's the "father knows best" where you make the decision and she has to live with it.

The other is she will be disappointed if she gets a bike other than the one she wants.

If you decide on the cruiser she wants I would also buy her some tools and have her assist in checking/repacking all the bearings and checking spoke tension.

I say get her the one she likes and take every opportunity to get her to go for a ride. If she becomes a bike nut she'll want something else eventually. If she moves on to other hobbies you might save some money.

I say get her the one she likes and take every opportunity to get her to go for a ride. If she becomes a bike nut she'll want something else eventually. If she moves on to other hobbies you might save some money.

+1

Just go over the thing with a fine tooth comb before you let her ride the thing.

Concur, just go with the cruiser. The frame is probably the most important part so when other stuff starts going wrong you can simply replace that stuff with better parts.

+1

Just go over the thing with a fine tooth comb before you let her ride the thing.

If you have the tools and inclination, you might pull apart the BB and hubs. My son's Target bike was poorly adjusted and hardly had any grease in there.

Thanks for all the responses. I think I'll just get her the one she likes and spend some extra money on having my LBS put the thing together properly. Then, get her to ride like the wind!

Thanks again.

Keith.

Thank your lucky stars she's not dead set on some brand name. (yet?) This will serve you well when it comes time for school clothes.

That's a good point, actually. I hadn't thought of that.