Folding bike for children?
 

My daughter is about to turn 8, and she needs a bigger bike than the 16" non-folder she has.

It would be very convenient to have a small folding bike for her, that we could tuck into the car and take it to the park and such.

Are there small folding bikes suitable for children? I noticed that the Bike Friday Bantam is basically made to order for specific sizes... does anyone have experience with these?

Thanks!

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Lol no worries ... Yor daughter is almost ready for a full sized 20 inch folder. a long as you keep it simple no accessories like carrier and fenders keep it light.

Best Thor

Depending on her height, maybe look at the Osata from Bike Friday as that model will be able to grow with her to adulthood. I know it is one a lot of schools use. The frame adjusts from 4' to over 6' tall riders. She could possibly outgrow the bantam pretty quickly.

My kids are 6 & 8, they are able to ride a 16" wheel folding bike. Neither can ride a 20" folder safely.

Thanks
Yan

Federico, I have sold Strida bikes to parents for their kids. The kids love the choice of colours and the shape, the parents love the low maintenance, clean belt and how easy it is to adjust the height as they grow. Suggested minimum height is 4' 9" or 145 cm but I have seen children smaller have no difficulty.

cheers Bill

disclaimer, I am the Canadian Strida distributor

I found the brakes an issue on folders for children.
The V brakes on a dahon curve worked ok for 8 year olds. Had to fit a telescopic post so that it didnt catch the floor when fully inserted.

If price is no object, you can certainly go with a Bike Friday for a child. But for a child's bike, I don't see much of a reason for a folder unless your car is really small. When I recently took my kids to the park, I removed the front wheels from their bikes and fit my Bike Friday with their two bikes in the trunk.

If it matters, my kids both ride 20" wheel bikes from Islabikes.

A Dahon Curve is a 16" wheeled folder. I'd think it would be perfect for a child to ride.

Remember, it's not necessarily about the size of the wheels.

Although I no longer have a subscription, I remember David Henshaw in the British mag A to B writing about this very topic.

He modified a Brompton for his son Andrew to use while he was growing up. I think the major mod was a seatpost attachment that allowed the saddle to be moved forward a few inches more than typical. I believe there were other mods, small brake levers for small hands and the like.

This was a folding and cargo bike family, so the choice of a Brommie was de rigueur. No kiddie bikes for Andrew!

Brompton's Saddle Adapter pin on top of any plain tube seat post
Saddle Adaptor Pin

QR as shown is not how they are made, its a threaded bolt .. horizontal tube.. point it ahead or back ..

note: Older Mk2 Bromptons were a little shorter top tube than the current ones.

M bars can be made closer or replaced with other 1" type handlebars..

Some people say otherwise. But my children were never happy on either a mark 2 or newer Brompton. Bars wrong height, brake levers too hard to pull afair. Not enough gears unless you lower them all also.
Dahon curve had adjustable handle bar stem. Still had issues with only one usable gears for children. Need smaller chain rings.

We've had an RV for almost two years, for the first year of RV trips my kids used mini's. They work but they were not ideal. They fold super small, however the seatpost is so low it can caught up on curbs and the handlebar is a little too high for both. I could use a shorter post to solve the first issue, but I was unable to solve the latter problem. For much of the past year I started using 20" wheel kids bikes with an angle adjustable stems. I remove both wheels and seatpost and pack them in the RV. They are a bit bigger than the mini's, however the kids like them much better because they actually fit on the bikes....which is the most important thing.

Honestly I think a nice kids bike is better than a nice folding bike for kids under 10.

Thanks,
Yan

Yan, I'm curious - would you recommend a kids bike over the BF Osata? I'm going to get my niece a bike and thought she could use the Osata from middle school and on into college as it would fit in a dorm. I remember with my son having to buy kids bikes often as he grew like a bleeping weed, a 20" and 24" in middle school, then 26" in high school (because he wanted a road bike by then). The OP was asking about the Bantam and they are pricier than the Osata bikes.

I only have a sample of two kids to judge. Each of my kids have a 16" BMX bike, 18" triathlon bikes, 20" wheel kids MTB, and mini bike. So they pick whichever bike they want to use. In the neighborhood they normally use the 16" BMX bike since it is cheap and can be left outside. The 18" wheel tri bike is exclusively used for Tri's, both finished in 2nd place in their age category this year. The mini started out as their favorite. However the 20" MTB has worked out very well....I have gone mountain biking with both of them many times, and they are really good. I think that is their favorite bike, and it works well on the road with the 2.1" MTB tires or 1.25" slicks.

Honestly I am not looking to save money on kids bikes. I am looking to find the right bike for both kids, each bike has it's pluses and minuses. The 20" wheel MTB has worked out much better than expected. I think an angle adjustable stem is key to modify the fit as they grow.

I think the Osata can be a great choice, depending on the child and application.

Thanks,
Yan

Ah, that makes sense, Yan. If you have the luxury of multiple bikes (as an adult as well) there is the benefit of each tool for a specific need. Not sure I see my niece wanting or needing multiple bikes yet. The OP didn't state whether his child was really into sport biking or other styles but I can see where that should inform his decision. Thanks.

I had a hard time on my mountain biking in my early 20's. Both my kids are much better than I was as an adult! I think their low center of gravity really helps.

I took some GoPro videos of them mountain biking. I will post as soon as I understand how to extract the files. Everyone will be surprised!

Thanks,
Yan

I bought a Dahon Curve for my daughter several years ago, when she was 9, and she has continued to ride it and enjoy it as she grew.

I made the very same choice earlier in the year. Choosing between two 20" kids bikes versus the BF Osata.

You can get decent deals on the OSATA, but even after them it will still be more expensive than a relatively expensive kids bike such as an Islabike. The Islabike is very light and the components are all kid-sized down to the narrow cranks. Sure, in a few years we will have to switch to a bigger bike, but then the kids will be in a range where the used bike market is pretty good. And they'll be at an age where a decent used-bike is perfect if they're going to use it as transportation where casual damage or theft is a real possibility.

Ooooh, I hadn't seen the Osata! That looks great, thank you!

Thanks. I tried a Strida a few years ago before settling on my current bike. The belt was certainly a good feature. There's a distributor in Mexico City; I may be able to swing by one day and try a Strida on my daughter.

Yay! Congrats!

It's a normal Nissan sedan. My wife (who does most of the car commuting with our daughter, since I work from home) wants to be able to take both their bikes in the car - she'll be getting a folder, too. We want it to be as easy as possible for her to carry the bikes in the trunk with extra space left; I can usually catch up with them after school, in the park, if they decide to go out for a spin (and get back home together, with all three folders in the trunk...).

I'd *LOVE* to get an Islabikes, but from the look of things it's going to be as expensive to get into Mexico as a folder, and we *do* want to be able to travel easily with the bikes. We'll see.

(Been reading your blog, BTW. It's very good! Congrats on the babies - that's why panniers come in pairs, right? :)

I got the three bikes into the trunk of a Toyota Camry with room to spare. I'm not sure how that compares to your car, but it should narrow down the possibilities.

I'm wondering whether I could get a 20" wheel bike into a suitcase. You'd certainly have to take off the fork and wheels. The frames are so much smaller that if one is used to working on adult bikes one might have the wrong expectations. I'm unfamiliar with purchasing stuff in other countries but I understand that shipping costs, tariffs and VATs can add up.

Thanks. I have a bunch of half-written stuff; but the kiddies have reached the age where they want to be independent yet still have you around. It leaves very little time for other things. But it's good to know that someone looks at it.

You can certainly get a 20" folder into a suitcase, and you should not have to remove the fork. You will have to remove the wheels, and some other components depending upon the model.

I think the question refers to a 20" non folding kids bike. I think it is possible by removing the fork.

Thanks,
Yan

Oohhhh! Good catch! Thanks Yan.