Originally Posted by
_Elena
I also was confused trying to choose the most suitable bike for my two-year od nephew. It's a good idea to surf the net for some kind of reviews where different models of bicycles are described. In my case, this website turned out to be extremely useful: cutelittledarling.com/best-bike-for-2-year-olds/. Maybe they've posted articles for other age groups, so give it a look. Good luck!
The OP's kids are 21 at this point
However, if you assume that other people are going to stumble on this topic in this day and age, kids bikes are heavy because manufacturers use cheaper components and construction techniques to keep costs down - few people are willing to pay hundreds of $ for a bike that's likely going to be in use only a couple of years; and for most kids weight likely doesn't matter much since they won't be riding for 25 miles.
There are way more kids options out there today, with great resale value: Pello, Prevelo, Cleary, Priority, Frog, Islabikes (UK/Europe only), BYK, Woom, Spawn...