Andy_K 

I bought my daughter an old RockHopper when she was about that age. I replaced the original thumb shifters with some 8-speed Alivio trigger shifters I had lying around. She didn't like the colors (it was originally red with green lettering) so I had it powdercoated and let her pick the color. This is how it turned out:



The powder coating cost more than the bike itself did. I had to replace one of the tires but I think the whole project wasn't much over $200.

RubeRad

My 12y.o. (boy) was excited to finally fit on the smallish road bike (raleigh technium) we have in the stable, but found it painfully difficult to operate the road brakes. With the help of a PIF flatbar and some brake levers I had laying around, I was able to convert it for him like this:





That said, I think (without knowing anything about your kid's preferences) that a great starting point for a kid would be a sufficiently-small city/fitness bike, flatbar, 32-ish tires with a smooth-rolling center and somewhat knobby sides, I like your idea of 1x, but you don't find it that often in new bikes (Fuji Crosstown 2.3? But that frame says 'FRED' to me)

While I'm poking around the Fuji page, this is kind of nice, if she would like a townie. Anything from Fuji's Lifestyle/Fitness category really looks like what I'm thinking of, all the different models of Absolute and Silhouette (except I can't find any 1x). If your budget is $1K I would take a look at Silhouette 1.3 Disc, the pink accents are subtle enough to (maybe) not be overly girly, and the disc brakes are hydraulic. The brake levers are separate from the shifters, so it should be easy to convert to 1x, maybe a shop would swap in a 1x crankset for free if they keep the takeoff 2x crankset? Or a 1x crankset would not add too much cost, and you'd have the 2x and shifter and FD if you ever want to go back.

Other brands certainly all have comparable models, that's just what I'm seeing poking around Fuji because I happened to remember the Crosstown 2.3 was a 1x.

tjspiel

How much did the powdercoating cost you? Just looking for a ballpark. That's a great idea because I could see her really getting into picking out a color. Did you do all the surface prep? Not sure I'd have time for that in the next couple of months or not.

dim

this is what is popular with the girls here in Cambridge UK ... they come in all sizes and all colours (most have 3 speed)... Both my daughter aswell as my wife have these:

Andy_K 

There's a local shop that did the powder coating for about $100. I disassembled the bike and removed all the parts. They media blasted to remove the old paint. They also brazed on a new brake cable stop (the bike originally had an unusual noodle around the seatpost for cantilever brakes) for an extra $25.

RubeRad

What kind of shop was it? I've heard autobody shops can often powdercoat a bike for really cheap (assuming, like in your case, you do all the work of disassembling it down to bare, clean frame)

Giant Doofus

Public makes some really nice looking mixte bikes. The small one should fit a 5'2" girl just fine. The colors are lovely without being cutesy. It looks like the 1x7 is about $550.

Best affordable mixte bike under $600: New PUBLIC M7 mixte

tjspiel

Was hoping you would respond. Those styles and colors I think are on the right track. Thanks !

Darth Lefty 

You could just head to REI and see what she likes. I agree with others what she is supposed to want is a cruiser or townie with limited complexity; but if she's been on an MTB for a little while she might want gears and shocks.

Clamms

My kids are 16 and 14 so I'm not too far removed from your situation. Take her to a local bike store and let her pick out a bike. A hybrid probably works best since kids typically ride on all types of surfaces. But it's got to be something that she herself likes (as opposed to you!). I'd get her a middle of the road bike - not the cheapest and certainly not the most expensive as she will probably outgrow it in a year or two.

Btw my experience is that 12 year old girls (and 13 and 14 year old girls) don't want to look different from their peers. They want their own stuff to look just like what their friends have. Plus they don't want stuff to be complicated, they just want to get on the bike and go. So... I'd get a plain old hybrid and stay away from a folding bike.

HardyWeinberg

My son shifted his new bike on the 1st day of school this year to the gear he wanted and hasn't shifted it since.

One of my household jobs is to go out to the garage and turn all the bikes around so they are pointing out in the morning.

Leisesturm

I didn't think of it, but I LIKE the folder idea. A lot. I have two, and even so I didn't think of it until a previous poster mentioned it. Folders aren't odd. The Dutch bike? That's what's odd. An MTB, less odd, but so meh. Way too much choice (IMO) is given to children too young to know what to do with it. Make her want the folder. It's all in the selling of the idea. The folder! Lock the thread. No more submissions.

RubeRad

I recall that Sixty-Fiver has a few times mentioned that his daughter loves her raleigh twenty, I can't remember if it's a folder or a minivelo that just looks like one.

dim

best is to show her pictures of the different bikes and let her choose one herself.

Andy_K 

Their main business is motorcycle customization -- Brooker Enterprises in Portland. The color my daughter choose came out looking pretty plain, but they did an amazing candy coating on a Cross Check frame for me at the same cost. That was 5 or 6 years ago, so I'm not sure what their current prices are.

RubeRad

That's pretty sweet, with the Surly decals back on there it's like Surly made you a one-off!

caloso

A few years ago my mom (then about 70) decided she wanted to start riding again. We took her to the LBS and she bought a Bianchi Milano. 8-speed IGH, fenders, very cool. Of course she only rode it a handful of times and then it sat in their shed. This summer, my 11-year old daughter had outgrown her kid bike and wanted to be able to ride to soccer practice with her friends. I suggested that she borrow Nana's bike for a few weeks just to try it out. It's been perfect.

GamblerGORD53

Well I just looked over the Public bikes. For girl bikes they only have SS or 7 spd and all 700c. So rather a fail for short girls.
The header is way too high anyway. Linus has both wheel sizes, 26". The only thing goofy about the Princess is the bushel basket.

When I was 11 I goofed up not locking our boys CCM bike at the YMCA. bugger. Then my dad bought a used loop CCM with wire basket for the 2 sisters. I stole it every chance I got. Loved it. In grade 9 my dad got an antique Rudge, from his uncle, that I used 6 years, then dad rode it ever since. It was a 23 1/2" whopper. 2 " stand under for both of us. ha I liked riding it's 45 lbs, no problem.

Yah, I have seen Sixty-fiver's girls 20" flodders. Dorkmobiles.

Andy_K 

Yeah, and I got a real brake cable hanger instead of that glorified safety pin Surly gives you. The downside, I discovered, is that a beautiful finish like this made me reluctant to ride it the way a Surly ought to be ridden.

tjspiel

$100 gets it redone, I think that's reason enough to ride it as it should be ridden.

canklecat

Yup, a compact frame bike like the Rockhopper could last awhile, just elevate the saddle as she gets taller. Compact frames are gender neutral and can be outfitted pretty much any way the rider likes. Mine is fitted with a padded comfy saddle and slight riser handlebar to accommodate my bad back and neck, and with the simple spring suspension it's well behaved and comfortable on bumpy roads, gravel and trails. The previous owner was a gal, but I don't care. I added some pirate skull and bones stickers so the other old geezers don't make fun of me.

BTW, while I agree a folder could seem too dorky for a teenager, a mini velo might seem cool, especially if she can manage a few curb hops like this.

One option offered by Respect Cycles for its mini-velo is the SRAM Automatix 2-speed auto-shifting hub. I was tempted by that last year, as well as a Tern Castro folder with the same SRAM Automatix. The Tern Castro is a largish folder with 24" wheels and most folks wouldn't even know it's a folder at a glance. Most Terns are pricey but a few months ago the Castro was on closeout blowout discount sales by some US dealers.

tjspiel

Her experience with gears is why I'd like to stick with a 1 x X or a gear hub. She's smart but she barely understands gears and doesn't care enough to remember how or when to use a front derailleur vs a rear. I'd see her mashing in the big ring or spinning like crazy in the small. I think she'd enjoy riding more with fewer gearing options.

The shock on her current bike isn't doing much except make the bike heavier but I wouldn't talk her out of it if she really wanted one.

tjspiel

My son wanted a fixed gear when he was 13 due to the influence of some older kids he knew. It's been great for him. My daughter would be better off with a 3 speed at least.

Gresp15C

When my kids were on the cusp of the teenage growth spurt, we got an extra year out of their 24" bikes by installing taller seat posts.

tjspiel

I'm sure we could make her current bike work fit wise but it was never a great bike for her.

This was about the age my son started riding a lot more. He was big enough to ride my wife's bikes but getting him a bike he wanted rather than having him ride something we already had made all the difference.