Commuter Bike for Kids
 

I am looking for a 24 inch utilitarian bicycle for my 9 yr old kid as she is outgrowing her 20 inch Trek.
Will be used for riding to and from school.
Most kids bikes these days have ridiculous accouterments.
Looking for something without gears (no maintenance and we live in a flat area).
Also wish for fenders and racks.
Thoughts?

sounds like anything will do. Why should a kid expect a new bike is beyond me. Get a 24" mountain off CL and single speed it.

X2 on a cheap kid's mountain bike. They usually have semi-horizontal dropouts. You can convert it to single speed for less than $30, and can get smooth tires for it fairly cheaply. Kenda makes 24" (iso 507) street tread tires.

I like the suggestion of converting a 24" MTB into a SS commuter. For a new bike your choices would likely be limited to a 24" BMX or cruiser. The former might not have mounting points for fenders/racks so cruisers might be the way to go (if your daugter will allow herself to be seen on one, that is). Here are a couple of choices:

http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes...lassic24girls/
http://www.diamondback.com/bikes/you...la-cruz-24-11/

x3 on converting a MTB or buying a decent cruiser.

Thanks for the ideas.
Actually found a guy who did this
Looking for swept back handlebars for a kids bike. Anyone know a source?
Thread here:
<http://carfreedays.com/2008/12/09/kids-bikes-they-suck-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/>

I got my granddaughter a 24" Specialized Hotrock, swapped out the knobbies for slicks and put a nice wicker basket on the bars.
It should last her a couple of years before she outgrows it too. She loves having gears like everyone else.

http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Spec...6367?$Display$

The Kids Trek FX is the best I've found that is reasonable. It is not a mountain bike.

http://www.primeauvelo.com/images/produit/velo_1808.jpg

My almost 9 son rides it all the time, but he rarely goes on trails. We rode together to school today (only 2.8 miles away) on my way to work, but he goes for 30+ miles rides on it too. It has simple 7 gears, rigid fork, and non-knobby tires that aren't crazy fat (but they're not skinny either). I think it's just the FX in 24 inch wheel size. The pedals are adjustable so you can actually make the crank bigger as the kid grows. It has mounting points for racks/fenders.

I was set on getting my granddaughter that Trek...until I picked it up off the showroom floor. Holy crap, that thing was heavy compared to the Specialized.

I always suggest that parents look at the rather excellent range of folding bikes that are out there... you will not have to look at getting your daughter another bike for a very long time if the bike is of a solid build quality.

My oldest (13) rides a vintage Raleigh Saffron that she adores because it is smooth, comfortable, and because she will not need another bike until she is 90... and she really likes the stability of the 20 inch wheels.

Because she will have this bike for many years I have no problem upgrading things and have hand built new wheels, will be installing a new crank, and will probably upgrade the 3 speed to an 8 speed IGH at some point.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/saffy1.JPG

My youngest is about to outgrow her current ride and I am looking for another Saffron or perhaps a vintage folder for her... she is almost tall enough to ride mine.

My daughters ride 14 km a day on their commute and we ride everywhere else... the Saffron has been bombproof as has my youngest daughter's vintage 3 speed.

Hey Sixty-Fiver-
Like your idea.
Where can one find a used Raleigh Saffron?

Really, the bike doesn't seem heavy to me. I don't doubt the Specialized is lighter, as I can tell the Trek is not a light bike. But, maybe it's because I ride adult bikes that are much heavier (as is my wife's bike), it doesn't feel that heavy. It's about the same weight as my son's old steel 20 inch bike. It also wasn't heavier than the kid mountain bikes they had at the store there.

I think there is an Electra Townie for kids (24 inch) that I've seen at some bike stores. It would have fenders and chainguard, but probably has gears. Converting a MB from Craifslist is a good way to go.

For a bar, just get a narrow North Roads type. Velo Orange's Belleville bar is only 43cm: http://www.velo-orange.com/beha.html
Also, Velo Orange's Porteur Bars: http://www.velo-orange.com/vopoha.html are 48 cm, whereas the standard Walds/Pyramids are more like 50. Most of the NR-type bars sold are actually even wider, from 52 to 58cm, and cruiser bars can be like 62.

The Trek MT200 is a 1x7, so it's a fairly simply bike. Lightweight for a kids bike, no suspension, and can accept a rack and fenders. Bontrager also makes a pretty cool kid's bike rack: http://www.bontrager.com/model/07575 has spot for a basketball or baseball bat. A couple cargo bungee straps and you're all set!

It didn't seem heavy to me either, until I picked up the Specialized. ;)

It is definitely an uncommon model as I have seen few references for them and only a few listings (in the UK)... it is actually an Italian made bicycle, replete with a cottered Italian threaded bb, with Raleigh badges and an SA 3 speed.

I'd look on E-bay... I was lucky to have found mine locally and as it had no shop stickers so may have been imported from across the pond.

Nealeco? The seattube sure looks it. I had a Bianchi Nealeco folder. Had much thicker tubing for the rear rack. Fun little ride.

The folding version is called a "Compact" and is very similar to many Italian / European folders... the Compact does not offer the same solid fold / hinge assembly you see in a Raleigh Twenty.

I figure that if I had to I could build an identical frame in our shop and end up with a lighter frame as all I have at hand is aircraft grade chromoly... :)