Author Topic: 16" bikes for 5 / 6 year old? HELP! (Read 13399 times)

nee · « **on:** July 28, 2008, 12:43 AM »

Hi all...wondering if anyone can help here?

My son was at the stage where he was ready to ditch the training wheels on his small cheapo Argos bike, and it was getting a bit small for him so we decided to treat him to a new bike.
My wife wanted to get a cheap-ish one from the local K Mart (we live in Aus now btw!) but i insisted that if we're getting him a new bike its got to be a 'proper' bike...ie a BMX!
So i went out to the local bike shop here and there was a Hoffman Scarab and a Mongoose Pit Crew, both 16".
The Mongoose was slightly cheaper and had a giro, so i decided to go for the Mongoose to avoid stretched rear cables etc...just seemed easier.

However..

How bloody heavy is this thing!!?? Weighs about the same as my 1996 Standard STA did!!! Looking at info online it looks like the 16" Hoffman is about the same

Are there any alternatives to these? It's only a couple of days old, so im sure if i tell the shop asap then they will be able to take it back and go for something else.

Also, are these actually designed for kids as the cranks on this Mongoose are quite big, making it really hard for him to pedal without his knees ending up in his face. We can't raise the seat height any more as he wont be able to put his feet on the ground

It will be fine when he can ride standing though (without his bum on the seat)

Anyone got any ideas.....cos at the moment my wife's gone into the "i told you so" mode...and i don't want my son to learn to ride on a 'non bmx'!!!

Gary72 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 28, 2008, 12:59 AM »

Only alternatives are bloody expensive, I think Mirraco have bought out an ally frame 16 bike, and you also have the lil ripper. GT do the MACH 1, which is quite light, but there EL CENTRO or something is really heavy. The mach1 is quite light duty. My 7 year old has the Scarab which is holding up really well, had a few changes, no front brake, no pegs. Has a Shadow seat, Intac post, Colony 30t sprocket and 13t freewheel. He is quite tall, but he does like to ride his lil brothers Mach1 because it is lighter and has a shorter TT making it easier for him to throw around. But he would more than likely break it if he was allowed the chance, he rides quite hard.

nee · « **Reply #2 on:** July 28, 2008, 01:20 AM »

Many thanks for that....will have a better look

Its a real pain trying to find the weight of these things...most of the websites dont seem to give that info away, which is a right pain.

Thanks again

Bigplinky · « **Reply #3 on:** July 28, 2008, 08:28 AM »

I bought a 16" Haro for my lad last year (he's getting it this year for his Birthday) the spec looked really good which is why I went for it (and the big discount Winstanleys were giving on a 2004 model). They have 145mm 3 piece cranks, alloy 36 spoke wheels and cromo forks (3 tubes cromo frame). Not the lightest bike but it'll last him for years with no probs. Could weigh it if you want.

If I was looking now I'd also give the Lil Ripper a good look as that looks great.

Andy

nee · « **Reply #4 on:** July 28, 2008, 10:25 AM »

Hi Andy....cheers for the reply mate.

Well...i took Tom out on it again today and he seems ok on it...still a bit wobbly, but we'll get round that! haha

Can i ask how old your son is then Andy? (Tom is 5 at the moment) Was a bit worried about the weight, but i think it's gonna be ok!
Still got the problem of his knees being up near his ears when he pedals, but that'll be fine once he's ok with the standing & pedalling thing i reckon.
Im just trying to convince myself (well...it's more convincing my wife!) that it's not too big for him and was the right thing to do! lol

Haro82 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 28, 2008, 01:01 PM »

I got my daughter one of these just for messing about on and she's fine with it. She has just turned 6 but she's been riding it for 6 months or so. I think you just need to get him standing up.

It is heavy though.

toys19 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 28, 2008, 01:41 PM »

By nephew has a Dk general lee, £169 from winstanleys. He is 6 and has broken three halfords crap bikes already. Thios one is still in one piece after about 4 months which is a new record..

downhill3375 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 28, 2008, 01:54 PM »

i got my lad who's 4 a gt el centro a month or so back and that too is heavy compared to the 12" specialized he has had for the last 2 yrs , but within a day or 2 of riding he had got used to it and started to ride it more standing like i told him

i will see if i can dig a short vid of him at the local park so ya can check the bike out if ya like

i got the gt from dark diggler at fox cycles , top bloke

your lad looks alot bigger than our ben so he would be fine on the gt

i love the little thing me i have had a rip round on the local park on it

, but he shouts at me to get off it it's he's

downhill3375 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 28, 2008, 02:06 PM »

i can't find the vid but here's a pic

toys19 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 28, 2008, 02:08 PM »

That is cool and funky!

Stodgy · « **Reply #10 on:** July 28, 2008, 02:09 PM »

The lightest 16" Pit bikes are:

SE Lil Ripper - 20lbs
http://www.sebikes.com/2008/bike-detail.asp?id=32
&
Redline Proline PitBoss - 15lbs!!
http://www.redlinebicycles.com/bmxracing/bikes/proline-pitboss.html

RADBMX can supply both.

brass monkey! · « **Reply #11 on:** July 28, 2008, 02:13 PM »

Quote from: Stodgy on July 28, 2008, 02:09 PM

The lightest 16" Pit bikes are:

SE Lil Ripper - 20lbs
http://www.sebikes.com/2008/bike-detail.asp?id=32
&
Redline Proline PitBoss - 15lbs!!
http://www.redlinebicycles.com/bmxracing/bikes/proline-pitboss.html

RADBMX can supply both.

Dave,
whats the 'RAD' price for the Lil Ripper ?

Matt

Haro82 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 28, 2008, 02:22 PM »

Quote from: Stodgy on July 28, 2008, 02:09 PM

The lightest 16" Pit bikes are:

SE Lil Ripper - 20lbs
http://www.sebikes.com/2008/bike-detail.asp?id=32
&
Redline Proline PitBoss - 15lbs!!
http://www.redlinebicycles.com/bmxracing/bikes/proline-pitboss.html

RADBMX can supply both.

That redline looks a good one . How much are they roughly?

Gary72 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 28, 2008, 02:47 PM »

That redline seems to have the wrong TT measurment 14.4??
Mirraco
http://www.mirrabikeco.com/bikes_project_16.html#
How much?

Bigplinky · « **Reply #14 on:** July 28, 2008, 03:09 PM »

My Lads 4 1/2 at the minute but he is on the smaller side height wise for his class so I think he'll be riding his 12" Dyno for another 6-8 months before I give him the Haro.

Your son looks about the right size for tha Mongoose and to be honest how heavy were old Raleigh Strikers etc and we never had any problems thrashing them

Got the same problem with trying to get him to stand up pedal though he ain't interested in it yet.

nee · « **Reply #15 on:** July 28, 2008, 04:05 PM »

Many thanks for the replies everyone, top notch

Quote from: Bigplinky on July 28, 2008, 03:09 PM

Your son looks about the right size for tha Mongoose and to be honest how heavy were old Raleigh Strikers etc and we never had any problems thrashing them

Thats so true!! Actually, until you said that i totally forgot just how easy we've had it since we were kids with everything getting lighter and that

Linus27 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 04, 2008, 10:38 AM »

Great thread guys. I am in the same boat as my son is 5/6 and will be getting a BMX for his 6th birthday in Novemeber. I have also been a little unsure on what to get him. The few I have been looking at have been,

Mongoose Pit Crew
Diamond Back mini Viper
Haro F16
Haro Z16
Haro Nyquist 6-Teen 16-Inch Bike
GT El Centro 16-Inch Bike

However, most are so expensive at around the £120 - £150 range. Still, if I have to pay it I will.

How much is the Redline from RADBMX???

HypoxiaBMX · « **Reply #17 on:** August 30, 2008, 03:14 PM »

Hi all. My son is 8yrs old, 4ft 5in tall, and 5 1/2 stone. I just got him an '07 GT El Centro 16 from ebay. The bike looks the business but is way too heavy. I weighed it today at 30.4 lbs. Since he absolutely loves coming to the skatepark with me I am looking to invest in a lighter bike already. Would a Redline Pitboss be suitable? It weighs 15lbs. I know it is a "race" bike but would it be strong enough for him? it has a 14.4" top tube. Is this too short for a rider his size? Thanks.

pandyr · « **Reply #18 on:** August 30, 2008, 06:50 PM »

I got my lad a 16" haro nyquist, he loves it. When we take it to the track on race days to mess about on all his mates cant get enough of it so I would recomend one

Linus27 · « **Reply #19 on:** August 30, 2008, 06:56 PM »

I got my 6 year old son from Ebay a GT Mach One Expert. It has a 16" frame and I thought it had 16" wheels but when I got it home it actually has 20" wheels. Bit of a bummer really. He can ride it but its a bit to big for him. Its a great bike and only cost £31. Not sure to let him cut his teeth on it or try and get one that has 16" wheels. Depends how quick he will grow and how long it will be to big for him. He's also struggling to reach the brake levers as they are full size.

HEYWOOD BMX · « **Reply #20 on:** August 30, 2008, 08:42 PM »

http://www.alansbmx.com/product_info.php?products_id=7084

Just depends on how much you like your kid.....not so sure alloy frame is such a good idea.

spesh · « **Reply #21 on:** August 31, 2008, 10:00 PM »

i got my boy a mini burner it was Â£50 but it doesnt matter if it gets trashed as it will still be worth Â£50 when i sell it
i sold this one for Â£50 and done up another for him in the bottom pic
the nu bikes are quite expensive and heavy and they will soon get to big for them so youll have to get a 20" and the 16" will be worth bugger all
at least with a cheap burner itll be relatively light and you proberbly wont lose any money on it imho

Linus27 · « **Reply #22 on:** August 31, 2008, 10:28 PM »

Quote from: spesh on August 31, 2008, 10:00 PM

i got my boy a mini burner it was Â£50 but it doesnt matter if it gets trashed as it will still be worth Â£50 when i sell it
i sold this one for Â£50 and done up another for him in the bottom pic
the nu bikes are quite expensive and heavy and they will soon get to big for them so youll have to get a 20" and the 16" will be worth bugger all
at least with a cheap burner itll be relatively light and you proberbly wont lose any money on it imho

Hey Spesh, that bottom Burner looks superb. I might look for one of those for him. You speak wise words also about him thrashing the 16". At least he has a half decent 20" GT waiting for him when he is a little bigger.