[flomaster]

So for my Sons 3rd birthday he grandma got him a department / walmart store special 16" bike with training wheels which was clearly to big for the little guy at the time. he could barely reach the pedals and wasn't strong enough pedal the bike.

we sold the bike and used that money to get him a Strider bike which he's been riding for about a year and a half. He's a little dare devil he rides fast and can handle it very well.

After a recent 6 mile ride from Newport pier to Balboa Island he was getting tired from running/ coasting his bike and kept telling me he wanted a pedal bike. So I start looking on craigslist for 16" bikes with a lot to choose from with prices from $5 -$125 I wondered why the big difference in price. it wasn't until I started looking into small bikes I released how crappy those department store bikes are. so the hunt for a Hotrock or the likes of one was on, but I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on a new bike.

I came across an ad for a 16" Specialized Grom Fuse for $100. I tried to do some research on the Fuse but didn't really find anything and figured heck why not. I talked the guy down to $80 and took it home thinking it was bigger than the other 16" bikes I've looked at.

so now I have a bullet proof bike that shall last him a couple years until he's ready to upgrade to a bigger bike with gears.

if I adjust the seat so it fits him while standing his knees are coming up way to high while pedaling. so I raised the seat and its not EASY for him to mount and dismount from the bike, but it's easier for him to pedal it. would it even be worth looking into a shorter crank so I can lower the seat a wee bit?

also the grips are worn and torn and need replacing i'd like get another pair with that handle bar insert to protect the bars and grips when he takes a spill, what grips would you recommend?

without further adieu here is Ryley on his bike for the first time.

Ryley riding a 16" Specialized Grom Fuse - YouTube

edit: Added photo

-=Jason=-

 

[musikron]

I'd lower the seat some for him, little kids have weird proportions, he's gonna look "not right" on everything.

Shorter crank may not hurt, but it may make it a bit hard for him to pedal from the looks of it.

 

[dbhammercycle]

That was an awesome rockin' soundtrack and amazing that he would go for 6 miles on a strider! I would say keep the seat lower for easier dismounts. As he gets used to the bike raise the seat for better extension when pedaling. Since he's a natural, that should only be for a couple days. As far as grips, just go the LBS, give the little dude some options and buy those. Thanks for the post.

 

[flomaster]

I'd lower the seat some for him, little kids have weird proportions, he's gonna look "not right" on everything.

Shorter crank may not hurt, but it may make it a bit hard for him to pedal from the looks of it.

yeah I'll lower the seat a bit. I don't really want to mess with the bike to much. replace things as needed: tires, brake pads, and grips.

That was an awesome rockin' soundtrack and amazing that he would go for 6 miles on a strider! I would say keep the seat lower for easier dismounts. As he gets used to the bike raise the seat for better extension when pedaling. Since he's a natural, that should only be for a couple days. As far as grips, just go the LBS, give the little dude some options and buy those. Thanks for the post.

sounds good I'll lower the seat and take him to the LBS and let him pick out some grips. I wonder if little gloves would be wise as well to protect his hands when he takes diggers.

yeah I was really impressed he did the 6 mile ride on his Strider. so many heads were turning when they saw him running/ striding / coasting on it. I heard so many comments from people who have never seen a balance bike before. about the last 1/4 mile he asked to ride in the trailer with his sister.

-=Jason=-

 

[ilmfat]

Size 2 gloves are fairly limited.

Jumping to size 3 opens up options.

Check out bmx sites.

I like danscomp.com and jrbicyles.com

The reason the pedal extension/standover ratio is so jacked is cause that is a bmx w a high bottom bracket.

Teaching him to pedal standing up will help a lot!

 

[ilmfat]

He looked really good on that bike.

Another week or 2, and he'll be solid.

 

[slapheadmofo]

That's awesome. He's all over it.

I'll also agree with the lower the seat some sentiment to start out with, then raising it up later when you're going to cover some distance, as well as making sure you have him spend plenty of time riding standing on the pedals, with the seat slammed down as low as it will go. Maybe rock the bars forward just a bit too. Learning to ride standing up is a huge boost in the bike-handling skills dept.

 

[ilmfat]

+ a million to standing.

Once my daughter got comfortable standing, both pedaling and cruising, her confidence and skill Improved DRASTICALLY.

 

[Flamingtaco]

If he can do 6 miles on a strider, he's ready for a geared bike. At the least, get a tag-a-long and take him on some real rides. One of my boys joined me on a 15 miler on a 20" and it was way too much pedaling. I put him on a small frame 24" bike and he did the same ride in half the time. The stem was turned the wrong way so he could reach the bars for awhile, but he was so much happier (no, a hotrock wasn't on the table).

 

[flomaster]

I saw a trail a bike / tag a long / whatever its called on craigslist for $40 I should have bought it. the others i've seen are running $60 -$125. for harder trails that's one way we can both ride together.

I picked up a 2011 Specialized Myka HT in white for my wife so now she can join along with me. Specialized Bicycle Components

we plan on hitting up a local spot that is pretty flat with some small accents this weekend I cant wait to get the family out on the trails.

-=Jason=-