Bikes Direct Bike: Gravity Avenue B
 

Before you flame, hear me out.

I have an 11 year old daughter that would like to start doing longer rides with me on a multi-user trail. I don't want to shell out $600-900 for a Felt kids bike that she will outgrow quickly.

The Bikes Direct Bike is only $279 shipped, and has a microshift groupo (with down tube shifters) and the 43cm size will probably fit her.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...y/avenue_b.htm

Are there any other bikes that I should consider (my LBS does not have the Fuji Ace in stock, and the Fuji Ace is $100 more MSRP with stem shifters).

I got mine one of these:
http://www.redlinebicycles.com/archi...10-conquest-24
The 24" wheels were really the way to go.

Yeah, its more, but it really fits her. They hold their value really well and it's just a great bike.

- Z

I can't find a local bike shop that stocks any kids road bikes.

If anyone in Seattle knows of a LBS with kids road bikes, please let me know.

Go for it!! Who cares what others say or think about it?

She has a lot of growing to do yet. I wouldn't spend an awful lot on her now. If she truly loves riding then spend less now and then spend a lot later when she can make more use of the bike. She won't be able to ride this more than likely more than two years. Unless she has a younger sister coming up no matter what you get you will take a loss on it.

My friend has the same bike and he absolutely hates it! I rode it a couple of times and I didn't like it either. It is uncomfortable and very unresponsive. The components are really bad and shifting is very slow and loud. I have another friend who got the Motobecane Mirage Pro(http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...rage_pro_x.htm) It is an awesome bike for the price($499), but right now most sizes are sold out.

But I guess the Gravity will be OK for a year or two until she grows and wants a better bike.

To OP, that BD bike still has a standover of 29 inches. How big is your kid? When frame sizes get real small but still take 700 wheels they start raising the BB height instead of lowering the whole frame. They can be a little crazy to get on, off and stand over for short people.

If it fits, it will be a great, interim, starter bike......

Thank you, this is a helpful post. Her inseam is 25" and she is about 4'7"

Do you guys think this would be better because it is a mixte?

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...gesport_xi.htm

They don't have a small enough size in the mirage pro :(

I'll admit I didn't really read any of the posts, but how cool is this?

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/fr...bike-6397.html

Here's another option:

http://www.bikemania.biz/ProductDeta...ode=Kent_52407

People love to diss the adult model, but with a bit of tuning I'm guessing it will run fine for your purposes.

Yup it's better. Microshift components have horrible shifting.(In my experience)

Since kids outgrow these bikes pretty fast, you should consider resale value. BD bikes have virtually no resale value (for obvious reasons).

I have already sold several kids Treks on Ebay and got at least half of what I had originally paid. Everybody wants Treks (most popular name it seems) and parents like buying used ones for their kids.

my recommendation for kids is always to find something used off of CL or similar that sort of fits. when they're growing that fast, every bike sort of fits at some point.

also, at her height, forget 700c wheels, looks for 24 or 26" wheels.

a kids mtb fitted with super skinny tires and drop bar ends like the ones below is going to be by far your best, most cost effective bet.

http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/bar/barendrd.gif

OK, I'm going to pitch this one more time: Spend more and do it right. Buy used if you have to.

First off, 24" tires are the way to go. You will never get a child to fit right on a 700c bike so just forget it.

Second, any cheap bike you get is going to be heavy, heavy, heavy. Especially mountain bikes. I have seen younger girls struggling with these things. Think bike weight as a percentage of body weight.

Finally, consider what you are trying to do. Are you trying to set her up for a lifetime of cycling fun? A low-end, ill-fitting bike is setting them up for a poor cycling experience. Especially if you want her to do longer rides, give her every chance to succeed. This means a bike that fits properly, works properly and is of a manageable weight. A 24" will last her quite a long time in terms of fit.

I did a ton of research around bikes for kids this age and can tell you that the choices for quality 24" kids bikes are VERY limited. Redline and Fuji and maybe one other, but its very limited.

I can also tell you that on any <$300 bike the components will be absolute junk, end of story. This will detract from both her and your enjoyment of the sport.

Feel free to PM if you like.

- Z

My 9 year old is riding a $80 BMX my wife bought him from Academy. It's a piece of crapola. I've had to readjust it so many times it isn't funny. Watching him pedal is an act of pain on my part.

I had to relent and let her have her way only because this Christmas I want to buy him the Pinarello FPD at Competitive Cyclist. But the logic on her part (and many others is the same): Why spend more when they can't use it for a long time?


My only addition to this thread is this: Would you settle for something that made you uncomfortable, was heavy, shifted poorly and generally would make you dislike or at least be more disinterested in cycling? Then why would you put your kids on something that would?

This thread does make me miss my old 24" schwinn 10 speed. Weighed a ton but I could always keep it going myself.

cheap and fit sounds like a good starting point, there's so many things going on at that age they might lose interest fast.

I see your point, but I'm also not trying to spend $1k on a bike that will last 2 years.

If you look at my signature, you will see that I don't even have a $1k bike.