Folding bikes for children
 

Does anyone know of a folding bike for children?

How big of a kid? Budget? How much riding?//

Bike Friday makes the Bantam bike for those shorter folks.

https://www.bikefriday.com/betatest/bantams/

But, they aren't particularly cheap.

I would think some of those super-compact small bikes could also be adjusted small, for example the 12" mini-folder.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LZO7KL2/

Or, perhaps one of these 12" bikes.
Portable 12 Inch Folding Bike Custom Mini Folding Bicycle - Buy Mini Folding Bicycle,12 Inch Folding Bike,Mini Cooper Folding Bike Bicycle Product on Alibaba.com
The new 12 inch 16 adult men and women children shock folding bike BMX bike Mini super light-in Bicycle Frame from Sports & Entertainment on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

Depends on their age, of course. Check out the Bike Friday OSATA. Had it existed when my son was young, I would have bought one. Instead we bought 4 bikes for him as he grew, costing more than the OSATA which would have worked for him from kid to adult (easy to change components/gearing). Granted it is not exactly a folding bike, more like a "packing" bike. Depends on what you need.

Dahon Curve,... That might work. Expensive though,...

I did some research on this very topic recently. Dahon curve's specs are absolutely perfect but handing off such an expensive bike to a kid wasn't going to happen. Ended up with an ancient Dahon ancestor, actually the first Dahon I think-- Dahon Classic. Seat and handlebar are adjustable, has front and back handbrakes, 16" wheels, and an internal 3-speed hub that's geared just right. It even looks stylish at least to me. Of other bikes I considered, I came close to buying the Citizen Tokyo but I found that the idea of a derailleur that nearly grazes the ground bothersome, and I read too many reports that the six speed is geared too slow.

That said, the Dahon classic is so old that you've either got to be lucky or know how to examine a bike before buying. In retrospect, I probably should not have bought one of the two that I did. But if everything is functional, it is really difficult to beat the fun of riding this old bucket. And I can't say enough about the 3-speed hub as it spans a nice range of speed and effort well.

Depends on their age and size. I had good luck several years ago with a 20-inch Dahon 7-speed for my fairly tall 8-year old daughter. Another option might be a 16-inch Brompton.

Tried many folders including Brompton with children aged 8 upwards.
Only had success with a dahon curve. Due to brakes and handling and fit.

Price wise, you definitely made the right decision with the classic. A Curve is too expensive, and a Brompton would have been comically expensive.

I found bromptons brakes too hard for children to press fit poor and handling difficult. Mezzo same, downtube OK brakes handling but too long reach. Giatex reduced in length for them, but still didnt fit well. Underated bike the Giatex. Carry me a possibility. Diblasi R4 bars too high, onzo mini success and children loved it but doesnot fold. I could ride it also.

I had to fit a shortened seatpost to the Curve to stop it catching the floor on curbs due to excessive insert.

So glad I found this thread. I am also in search for a good long-term bike for mjy 7.5 year old. We've already spent close to $500 for 2 kiddie bikes in the past 3 years and they were outgrown too fast, so this buying-a-bike-every-year-or-so has to stop. Between my husband and me, we have 2 Dahon Speeds (D7 and D8). I just read the previous post that a Dahon Classic will fit a kid. I wonder if the Dahon Classic is similar size to the Dahon Speed? Thanks!

My experience with buying bikes for children, say 4 years +, is that weight is a big factor, you can get a bike that is ok for size but weighs far to much for a small child to be comfortable with. I'd imagine the Dahon Classic would fall into this category.

The best range of children's bikes I've come across, recommended to me on another part of this forum, was the Isla, aluminium framed, very light and specifically designed for kids, they kept their price very well and sold in a flash on eBay when we were done with it.

The makers of Birdy listed a fabulous child's bike, the Frog, once upon a time, quite expensive though.

Thanks Diode100! The Isla is indeed light, at 17lb, lightest I've ever seen, starting at $600 (ouch!) And you can add on by customizing and accessorizing. I am thinking a 24" will last him a long time, that is, if it doesn't disappear.

I think with an Aber HAllo going backwards the smart5 would work great

in addition to 20 there are 16 and 12 " wheel bikes ..

Try a Dealer if guessing over the internet doesnt work..




...

I had a nice sequence of bikes for my kids.

1. They started with Striders.
2. After they outgrew the Strider, I got them a Strider style bicycle with pedals ( and a crank )
3. After they outgrew the small wheel pedal bike, I got them a Micro-Mini BMX bike ( about 15 lbs )
4. Then I got them a folding mini for RV trips. Around the neighborhood they use Race MTB's that I imported.

Thanks,
Yan

I've got Citizen Tokyo's for both of my kids (almost 10 and 7):

http://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bi...-year-old.html

I've got Java X3 folding bike for my kids

from Yak .. https://eugene.craigslist.org/bik/d/...753348791.html

Kids go through bike pretty fast up to about 10. I woulnd't put too much effort in choosing one unless they're exceptional in caring for it. Which they won't be if they know its easy to come by.

Yeah,...that's really a "kids" bike,...:bang:

pull down the big IT bucks it is..

Big IT bucks? Not everyone wants to spend tons of $$$ on a kids bike. I really don't understand some of you here on BF,...you recommend stupidly expensive stuff all the time, when an OP will be on a shoestring budget. Then, when they don't follow off-the-wall advice, people get annoyed.

And, the bike YOU recommended above? It's listed as a kids bike, possibly,...but it's a custom Bike Friday built for shorter adults. Ridiculous,... :wtf:

My LBS Sells Trek's kids bikes.. good quality.. properly assembled , + service after the sale..


You should search for some of the bikes frame builders have built for their children..

The Bike Friday that works for kids is the OSATA model because the frame adjusts in length from small to medium to large as they grow. I gave my niece one and now she uses it at college and keeps it in the dorm room under her bed =). She's ridden it more than 10 years, just upgraded components as she got older. Amortized over 10 years, it was a freaking bargain, lol. Sometimes you can find used ones, too.