Originally Posted by
altenwrencher
Seven is too young for hand brakes. A coaster brake is the wise choice.
When I was about 9 or 10 and ready for a new, bigger bike, the Schwinn Racer was the main one considered. I kinda liked the one with hand brakes and a 3-speed shifter. The salesman strongly suggested the version with a Bendix coaster brake 2-speed hub. I was familiar with a coaster brake - weren't we all at that age? I went with his suggestion. It was definitely the better choice for me at that age.
Perhaps if you’d been using hand brakes from 3 or 4, you would have felt differently. No age is too young to start learning hand brakes if able to roll.