Redrom

I made the mistake already of buying a kids bike from a garage sale... I can't even find replacement nuts for the front wheel... Anyway, I read a post a while ago about someone who heard comments from cars that he had borrowed his kid's bike, and it made me think it might work well in reverse.

Anyone have experience giving their kid a folder? It seems to me that it would grow with him until he thought it was"uncool" and then I could keep it in the trunk of my car. If so, what makes and models do people think would work best for a kid, what considerations should I keep in mind?

bookishboy

I think that Wavshrdr is the person to talk to, and he'll give you a hearty "yes!" to your question. He excuses his addic...... HABIT, of collecting folding bikes, by sharing them around the family and getting maximum use out of them.

Folding bikes can often be adjusted for multiple sizes of users. Many of them are "one size fits most", which means that a parent and child can go out riding them, and switch bikes halfway along the ride. They seem to especially appeal to folks who:

-haven't ridden bikes in a very long time, and for whom getting up on a "full-sized" diamondframe feels uncomfortable and awkward.

-are short. Shorter women seem to dig folding bikes, because they're not so intimidating and they can experiment and size the handlebars/seatpost/reach just how they like them. I know this sounds sexist to say, but I'm relating the experiences of women who have tried out my bike and wouldn't get on a regular diamondframe one.

-have never learned to ride a bike. A folding bike can be re-sized to them for the lessons, the pedals folded or removed, and just let them tool around on it until they feel comfortable picking their feet up, coasting, then putting the pedals back and pedalling.

-are growing, and may be 5'1" right now, but will be 5'5" in a year or two.

Kenal0

It depends on how big your kids are. Keep in mind that while folders look like kids bikes, the handlbar to seatpost distance is for an adult. My 11 year old rides my Dahon P8 all the time but it is a reach for the 9 year old.
Kenal0

Paul_the_Seeker

I agree with you both. If your kids are youngish, you may want to opt for a bike with a telescoping seatpost and steering tube. My 8-year old could not ride a Dahon D7 without dragging the seatpost on the ground and without a high reach. He has no problem on a Dahon with these adjustable components. These are just the folding bikes happened to try. Other makes may vary.

I'll have to adopt Wavshrdr's strategy. The hardest part about buying a bike is getting permission from the wife. But all you married folk already knew that.

-Paul

Redrom

Couldn't I just get different seat post and handlebar post, for while he's small? What would be the smallest quality folder? I'm thinking about a bike as a present for a 4 year old boy.

Wavshrdr

I don't know if there is a folder that would work for a 4 year old. Problem isn’t frame size so much as the crank length (pedal arm). Most kids are 150-150mm and most folders are 165mm and up.

The Downtube Mini would be a great choice EXCEPT for the handlebar stem doesn’t telescope. The hub gears are great for kids though. Downside is the effort to twist may be higher than some kids can do but I just reached over while riding and adjusted it for them if necessary.

One of the old Dahon Boardwalks I had worked ok for my kids AFTER I bought the telescopic handlebar post. This one of the reasons I ended up with Downtubes is most of their bikes have that as a standard feature. For some reason Dahon had it, eliminated it from some bikes, put it back, etc., etc..

With the handlebar setup on the DT VIIIH, you can flip the bars back via the stem so it faces backwards instead of forwards AND telescope it up and down. It took a little more work to do this on my previous DT models BUT it gets the bars closer to the kids.

It cost me a little more to buy a DT than a cheap store bike but my kids have a bike that will grow with them AND be of higher spec. They all love to ride and I am encouraging to be involved in a sport they can enjoy their entire lives. It gives them a sense of freedom that is hard to experience via other ways at their ages.

So I heartily recommend folders and trickle-down bike economics for kids. Saves a lot of money and passes on your love of the sport to your kids and family. If you do want to try a folder for a 4 year old, you could try going with a DT Mini and mod the stem. You might want to find a different handlebar stem like the Syntace system. A shorter crank might help as well. A 4 year old will be hard to fit. There are some very small Dahons but they are pretty mediocre but might be worth checking out.

Bacciagalupe

Erm.... You expect a bike that fits a 4 year old to fit an adult? C'mon, man. Use the right tool for the job.

A kid needs a kids' bike. When he gets older, you can buy him a folder that is probably adjustable enough to fit both of you if need be.

bookishboy

I think that 4 years old may be pushing it. Can the kid even ride bicycles yet?

Sorry, when you said "kids", I thought you meant in the pre-teen range on up.... maybe 10 at youngest, though admittedly I don't remember how tall I was at that age.

Wavshrdr

I'd say six is probably the lower age bracket for a folder depending on the size of the kid.

Brian

At 4, they have trouble reaching the brakes on most 20" kids bikes.

caotropheus

My son when was 6 years old was riding my folding bicycle. The cranks were huge for him and now that he is 8, it's much easier to ride my folding bicycle. Of course there is a limit for minimum ages to ride an aldult bicycle. No one expects that a 4 year old would ride a folding bicycle.

Redrom

Great, just the feedback I was looking for. One person's all for it, five people against it.

He's a big 4 year old, and I'm not purchasing it in the immediate future, but if the only options is to get him a "kids" folder (one that I could not use later anyway) then the best option sounds like stick with the kids bike he has for at least the next few years.

Uh, he's past the Radio Flyer trike though, thanks for the thought, but he thinks trikes are for babies...

djembob02

I don't know if this still an issue, but if you are correct that crank arm length is the only problem, you could purchase crank shorteners. These are often used for child stokers on tandems. You may have an issue with height of saddle from the ground.