nolan7120

I posted in someone else's thread about picking out a bike for my 8yo daughter but got zero responses. The budget is $200. I'll drop more on a 26" bike down the road if my daughter is still big into biking. This bike needs to last her hopefully for 5 years. She is tall for her age and fits the 24" size rather well. I'm torn between these two bikes:

Nishiki Girls' Pueblo Mountain Bike 24" $180 Dick's Sporting Goods

or

Schwinn Byway Girls' 24" Bike $162 Toys R Us

I'd paste links but don't have enough posts to have earned the privilege yet. You can copy and paste the bike name if you want to see a listing for the bikes from the respective stores. Both are rather comparable according to what they're outfitted with. The Nishiki is about 6 pounds lighter (33 vs 39 lbs) so I'm leaning in that direction. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Shadowx

From what I can see either bike would be acceptable. its up to her personal taste. i would 100% take it to a bike shop to have them do a tune up though, my shop charges like $75. I don't trust big box stores to assemble bikes, loose handle bars, loose hub bearings, out of true rims, loose brakes, all one too many times. Get the bike she likes and have a pro check it out. My wife is stlillon a $80 dollar walmart bike. Both wheel hub lock nuts were loose and the bearing were not tightened properly, brakes were loose, and the handlebars were loose and a grip slipped off and she wrecked her first short ride. Several hours later I had everything properly tightened. also hair spray for the grips(inside), let them sit for a day, nice and tight, no slipping or rotating.

Shelly81

I'd go for the nishiki based on weight too. I wouldn't get an almost 40lb bike after seeing my oldest not able to ride heavy bikes, but both my kids are on the lower weight side.

DianaJohnson

I would check out craigslist or Facebook marketplace for your area. We got all of our boys Trek bikes that way.

Viich

+1 On watching for used nicer bikes. I just found a 24" Specialized hotrock street for my oldest son, and it's far superior to even the giant 20" he was on before. It's a hair big, but so light he can handle it.

Outside of that, get the lightest you can find. It's more worth it for kids than adults.

atbman

+1 a good s/h bike, assuming that you are confident that you can assess them, will be better for the price than a new one in your price bracket.

TrustPilot

I think they're both good, so it depends on your tastes. I also recommend taking the lighter bike.

1nterceptor

Another vote for a good used/2nd hand bike. In addition to Craigslist; local Ebay, thriftshops(Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc.), garage sales, local papers, bike coop, etc. Folding bikes can accommodate different sizes. Can be adjusted as child grows?

Mark Mandolin

A good second hand bike. However new is nice for little girls so answering your specific question go for the lighter bike. Might not seem much weight difference but is for an 8 year old . My 8 year old girl has a 20" Opus high end expensive 7speed mountain bike that I bought new. $400 canadian up in the overpriced North. She barely rides it even though she rides it well just isn't into it and much prefers trips to the mall, clothes and iPads. Oh well.

El Flaco

Truth. A well-taken-care-of used Specialized or Trek is always going to be a better bet than a Walmart bike. Kids don't really care if it's used, in my experience. They'll be less excited to ride a bike that's clunky and heavy, no matter how new and shiny it looks.