[Gray-Sama]

Hello!

This is the first that our daughter will try on riding a bike. She is 6 years old. Maybe you can recommend some good bike models that is suitable for her?

Thanks everyone!

 

[Flushing Shadow]

There are a lot of choices, but what of riding do you do? mostly road of just plain singletrack? i bought a Cube Street 200 for my son last month, it's still packed because he turns 5 next month, but it was a clearout sale and i could not let it pass.
Most serious brands have a nice line up of kids bikes; Cube, Cannondale, Trek.

 

[Xterra123]

We have had Trek, Giant and Specialized in the kids fleet over the years. It was noticable that Specialized seemed to make the lightest and most quality kids bikes for our budget. The Trek and Giant bikes were like driving tanks which made a difference.

Take a good look at Specialized. Also watch Craigslist and be patient for some sweet deals on used kids bikes.

 

[Muirenn]

I've seen a lot of great posts in the kids and family subforum on this subject.

https://forums.mtbr.com/families-riding-kids/

 

[MSU Alum]

From your profile, it appears you are in Australia. I would go to one of your local bike stores with a good selection of bikes and get help from them in fitting a (cheap) hardtail bike to her. Maybe a nice little hydration pack, helmet, etc. She will outgrow it fairly quickly in size and, if she likes the sport, in capability.

Once she's tall enough to fit on a 26" wheel bike, I'd be inclined to build up a frame for her, just to keep the weight down.

The more important thing is the way in which you introduce her to biking. Not all kids immediately take to it. Patience, as you probably know, is critical. When I first took my 7 year old son - my youngest - biking, we'd go about half a mile, sit down and have a candy bar and a few sips from a Camelbak, look at the scenery and go home. Now, 20 years later, he forces me to go on 30 mile sufferfests in Utah. It's great!
Good luck.

 

[Leafkiller]

My personal opinion is for her first bike try to get the cheapest you can find for her. This way you are not out a lot of money if she doesn't enjoy it. I had hoped any of my three kids would be into biking but they have not. So we have about a half dozen bikes not being used by them.

 

[Gray-Sama]

From your profile, it appears you are in Australia. I would go to one of your local bike stores with a good selection of bikes and get help from them in fitting a (cheap) hardtail bike to her. Maybe a nice little hydration pack, helmet, etc. She will outgrow it fairly quickly in size and, if she likes the sport, in capability.

Once she's tall enough to fit on a 26" wheel bike, I'd be inclined to build up a frame for her, just to keep the weight down.

The more important thing is the way in which you introduce her to biking. Not all kids immediately take to it. Patience, as you probably know, is critical. When I first took my 7 year old son - my youngest - biking, we'd go about half a mile, sit down and have a candy bar and a few sips from a Camelbak, look at the scenery and go home. Now, 20 years later, he forces me to go on 30 mile sufferfests in Utah. It's great!
Good luck.

That's epic!

 

[Gray-Sama]

Actually, her grandparents already bought her one. I'm not sure what the model is but I'm pretty sure that it is not suitable for a beginner like her. I am strongly inclined to tell them to return it but I don't want to offend them since they are super excited to get their granddaughter on a bike. Still, I feel like they are overstepping their boundaries.

 

[mahgnillig]

Hmm that's a tough one... maybe ask what model bike they got her? If it's a cruiser with a basket she's not gonna be shredding the woods or skate park with it! I'm not a parent but I see a lot of littles starting out with BMX here... it's a very kid friendly sport and the skills you learn on the BMX track do transfer over to mountain biking.

 

[mLeier]

Hello!

This is the first that our daughter will try on riding a bike.

As in, she has never ridden a bike before and does not yet know how to balance on one and/or pedal?

If this is the case, I strongly suggest either finding a balance bike that will fit her or buying a cheap bike (even a used one) that you can turn into a balance bike. Make sure that she can sit on the seat and have her feet flat on the ground and remove the pedals, cranks and entire drive train so that she can get used to the balancing and coasting aspects of biking. Balance bikes are amazing for getting kids into the sport quickly, enjoyably and without the frustration or the fears that come with trying to learn how to ride a bike.