Originally Posted by
FBinNY
BTW- looking back o my childhood, chainguards were always getting caught on the crank arm and bent, eventually they were removed, and most of the heavily used kids bikes in my neighborhood were without halfway through the firs season.
+1. When I was 12 or 13 I had a J.C. Higgins (Sears' house brand, actually made by AMF) balloon tire, single speed bike. I remember the chain guard being nothing but a PITA. It never aligned properly and the first upgrade I made was to remove it and throw it away.
As a rule, kids (girls in this case) small enough to ride a 16" Barbie bike are almost certain to wear shorts while riding it so pants legs getting caught are unlikely. A chainring mounted disk is a more useful safeguard but these cranks are often riveted or one piece so mounting one is problematic at best.