I want to purchase a two-wheeler (with training wheels) for my 4 year old daughter, but since she will quickly outgrow it (RIGHT??), it just makes sense to get one we can pass down to her 2 year old brother when he is ready. The only difference I see in MOST of the bikes for preschoolers is the girl verses boy colors. Is that right? There isn't any important difference in the frame design, is there? Isn't the slanted bar for girls just a tradition from the days of women wearing dresses?
Can anyone recommend a good gender neutral bike for a 4 year old? I have no idea where to start (and I don't want to spend a fortune at a bicycle shop; I would rather get one from Target or the like).
My son started with a balance bike and did terrific at 2 years old. He never needed training wheels. People were amazed when they saw such a small child zipping around the park on his bike. You can see how well they work on youtube look up balance bikes. They are terrific You should give it a try !
Good luck ! : 0 )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFjJE33roE
C.
Try going to Macomb Cycle and Fitness. They're on Schoenherr, either between 11 & 12 or 12 & 13 Mile Roads. They have a kids bike trade in program, and they usually have a nice selection of used kids bikes from the trade in program.
Walmart/toys r us/ and Target bikes are so cheap when you don't get the princess or barbie bikes and you just get the generic. Generic department store bikes are just fine for a four year old. I have the same, a girl and a boy 2 years apart. If your kids are like mine, small girl, big boy, your boy is going to be ready for the same size bike your daughter has before she is ready to move to a bigger one and then you will end up with two anyways. For a year my kids were both on a 16 inch bike. My daughter just moved up to a 20 inch for her 7th birthday and we finally got one from the bike store. BTW... her 16 inch bike will be posted on Craigslist later today if you want to check it out!
I think that color/characters is the only difference at that age. I know that I had a blue bike around that age and there was a "bar" to make it look like a boy's bike, but it was removable. So, when it got passed down to my brother my dad put it back on. I don't know if they still do that though.
The only problem might be finding a gender neutral bike. it seems like EVERYTHING nowadays is character related. Toys R Us has a pretty good selection. And you might find that they have more in the store than they show online.
If you want one of the smaller siizes (that she will outgrow pretty quickly) you may even want to try craigs list or garage sales. Then you may get a good deal and not have to worry about passing it down.
Good luck!
We have both a boy and girl and I can tell you there is no real difference between their starter bikes ... just color. Don't spend a lot on one, either. You are absolutely right that they aren't used for very long. Plus, you don't know if your child will even enjoy bike riding. Our son got a couple of years use out of his first bike and then we invested in a quality one from a bike shop when he was six. I'm not sure where you can find a gender-neutral option, but you might check Target and Wal-Mart's sites for options and reviews (normally don't recommend Wal-Mart -- I hate them -- but they have terrific pre-assembled bike options that can't be beat).
Good luck!
Our bikes seem to be lasting the kids about 2 1/2 to 3 years at that age. They have a big growth spurt at about 3 then they stay about the same until they are starting school. I think getting them their own bikes would be nicer.
K started out on a 14" or 16" Sea Star from Walmart and she wore it out so we got her a 16" Barbie bike for christmas, she's 6.
J is on a 12" Spiderman bike, when it comes to playing outside they both want to be on their bikes at the same time, he just turned 3 and isn't really pedaling well but tries very hard.
You might be able to find a used bike for both of them on Craigs list or from a friend in your community.
There is no big difference. If you can't find a gender neutral one, then buy the most basic boy bike that you can find and outfit it with a basket, bell and streamers bought separatly! Then when she moves on to a bigger bike, she can take these items with her and leave her gently used bike to her brother. Take her to the store with you. Sometimes the 16" bikes are not really much bigger than the 12", so she might could start with the 16".
passing down bikes is a great thing. the first bike i ever got was my brothers and it was blue and neon green, I just asked my dad to paint it different color. so we went to the store i picked out the color i wanted and we bought a can of spray paint and painted my brother's blue and neon green bike into my hot pink bike. there is o reason to waste money when you can buy a can of spray paint for 2 dollars and change the color. as for the frame, I think it is just tradition. most girls don't wear dresses when they ride a bike these days
In regard to size (12" vs. 16") I thought I'd add my 2 cents... We bought our almost 3 year old a 12" bicycle for Christmas. She's not extremely tall--more in the 50th-60th percentile. I did consider how quickly she might outgrow it, however ultimately it came dow to a matter of safety. It was critical to me that she be able to stop the bike by putting her feet down, especially if it started to go towards the street or if she started to panic in regard to steering/controlling it.
I have a friend who bought her daughter (same exact age but slightly taller) a 16" for Christmas. She realized that it was too big for her daughter to control and ended up getting a 12" instead.
A 14" might provide a bit more wiggle room for growth, however 14" are not as widely available; you might have to specifically look for stores that sell 14" and/or there might not be as much of a selection.
Here's a little chart that provides approximate age in regard to bicycle frame size and the child's height/inseam. (Note: a 16" bike is thought to be the appropriate size for a child between the age of 5-8 years, depending of course on the individual child's growth/size): http://www.ibike.org/education/buying.htm
Have fun!
We got ours from a rummage sale during the summer... my little girl didnt like the color of it so we just spray painted it to the color she liked. Check on craigslist for a kids bike... I bet you can get one for about $10-15, get the paint and by the time the little boy gets to 4yr you can spray paint it another color for him.
I believe the frame design is the same until they get into the bigger bikes.
I'd agree with CAWriterMom on not spending a lot of money. My in-laws and parents graciously went in together and purchased our son his first bike last year for Christmas (2.5 years old). He did great on it last year, but it's obvious that he's outgrown it and will need a new one this spring.
My best advice is to take her to a bike shop, have her properly fitted and buy a decent (but less expensive) one from Target, Walmart, etc.
We have some neighbors that had a turquoise bike for their daughters before they had their son. He's now 4 and has no clue that they simply put stickers on that he'd like and think it is a boys' bike.
http://www.target.com/Kids-Bikes-Sports/b/ref=sc_fe_l_2/1...
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=b...
