What are balance bikes? Are they good for 3 1/2 year olds? Do they need training wheels?

KRISTIN

My daughter has outgrown her barbie, plastic tricycle from Walmart. I'm trying to find her a new bike-we like one at Walmart (Princess), but I just saw balance bikes at toysrus.com and was wondering what they are.

Are hand brakes better then foot brakes for her age?

Would a balance bike be better for a girl her age (3 1/2)?

Do balance bikes need training wheels?

Are there any bikes you personally loved for your kids that you could reccomend within my price range-I'm willing to spend $80 just on the bike because I also have to get a helmet, pads, and I promised her a horn and basket (if the bike doesn't come with one). She loves pink but theme isn't a big deal and other colors are fine if she doesn't mind. Its her bike so I'm trying to make her very happy with it-she loves the one at Walmart, but I'm trying to shop around and be smart about this. It has a foot brake, training wheels, and is adorable and perfect for her size (she's tall for a 3 year old). But any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much-this is my first time buying her a real bike and I'm afraid to pick the wrong one:(

Oh, is this the wrong category for this question?

Answer
Balance bikes have no pedals at all--they teach your child to build up speed with their legs and then lift them to balance. The thought behind them is to balance so that your children never learn to rely on training wheels at all.
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/186-9456430-9274351?asin=B001AIONOU&AFID=Performics_Google%20Product%20Listing%20Ads&LNM=Primary&ref=tgt_adv_XASD0001

At 3 1/2, she is WAY too small for hand brakes--she does not have the coordination to understand how to use them and would end up crashing into things. She needs foot brakes if you get a bike with pedals. I don't think they even make bikes with hand brakes for her sized child.
http://www.target.com/Girls-Mongoose-Bubble-Sidewalk-Bike/dp/B002TQYWVG/ref=br_1_15?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&searchView=grid5&searchNodeID=16259291&node=16259291&sr=1-15&searchRank=price&searchPage=1&searchSize=30&id=Girls%20Mongoose%20Bubble%20Sidewalk%20Bike&qid=

EDIT: I missed the part where you said she's tall. The Mongoose bike is a 12 inch. The Toys R Us website has 16 inch bikes. I'd bring her to the store and have her sit on a 12 inch bike and a 16 inch bike and see which one fits her better. I'd be inclined to say that the 12 inch would work, but you don't want to get it home and have it only work for 6 mos. You want it to last a little while. You also want to have them assemble the bike for you-- assembling bikes is a huge pain in the butt--trust me...

How to get started with dirt biking?

Nick

I'm 15 years old and i was interested in this since i heard about it the first time (I was about 7 years old) but i never really learned anything about this sport so now i'm trying to look up some information about it. I live in Holland and never really rode a motorcycle before and i think its hard to ride a dirt bike too but i really like it and i'm interested so i want to know how to get started or what do i need for it.

Any information will help and thank you.

Answer
Welcome to the sport.

Your first decision will be 2-stroke or 4-stroke. 4-strokes are easier to learn on, go longer in between maintenance and there are a lot more new motorcycles to choose from. 2-strokes are racing engines. The produce more power and torque than a 4-stroke of the same size, are lighter and cheaper to rebuild, but there are only three manufacturers that make new ones. If you look for a new 2-stroke over 85cc's - Yamaha, Husqvarna and KTM.

Go down to the local dealerships and sit on a bunch of different makes and models to see what fits you best, then try to locate a used bike.

You can save thousands of dollars purchasing used. The money you save can be used to purchase riding gear, tools, oil, fuel, etc. You can purchase used bikes on Ebay, Craigslist, BikeFinds and CycleTrader. By you living outside the US, you may not have access to these used motorcycle sites, but I am sure that there must be some equivalent that you will have access too.

I recommend a used bike first for first timers because you are going to crash. So, purchasing a used bike that is scratched and faded won't really matter to you. You are only interested in if the bike runs and rides good.

I also recommend used gear to first timers also. You are just going to tear the stuff up anyway, so used stuff won't really matter. In the states we can go to yard sales, garage sales, flea markets, Ebay and Craigslist to locate used riding gear. The only item of gear you should not buy used is a helmet. Get a new SNELL approved helmet. There are things you can save money on and then there are things where you just have to pay and a helmet is one of them. HJC makes SNELL approved helmets that are reasonably priced.

Once you get a bike and gear, you then need a place to ride. If your parents own a lot of property, you can just ride there, if they do not, you will have to locate a place where you can ride. Check with the local motorcycle shops and your buddies at school that ride. They should be able to locate some riding areas for you.

Good luck, have fun and welcome to the sport.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

What size/type of motorcycle should i get?

bike helmet 2 year old size image

blacksparr

I'm a 19 year old female and I am signed up to take a motorcycle safety course in a few weeks. I am looking around to see what type of motorcycle to get but I am not sure what I should be looking at. I don't like crotch rockets very much, so any suggestions?

Answer
Buy something used and inexpensive for a starter bike.

Look for something old but not too old. You don't want something so old that it is a junker, but not something so new that you'll feel bad if you lay it down.

Look for something in the 500 - 800 CC engine size. This will be powerful enough so you don't get bored too soon, but not so fast that you will be afraid of it.

Look for a standard or cruiser bike for your first bike. They are more forgiving and usually have less power than a sport bike with the same size engine. Although cruisers are heavier than other bikes they have the lowest center of gravity and are easy to balance considering their weight. Stay away from the sport bikes for your first bike as they require more skill. Going with a sport bike for your first bike is like getting a Formula 1 race car for your first car, not a good idea. Also used sport bikes tend to be more abused.

Consider the fit of the motorcycle. People come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. So do motorcycles. When selecting a motorcycle consider how well it fits your body. Ask yourself how well you can put both feet flat on the ground. Ask yourself how well the seating position feels. Do you have to reach too far to the handlebars? Riding hunched over can get uncomfortable very fast. Is the foot peg location comfortable? Does the bike feel too big or too small? An uncomfortable motorcycle won't be much fun to ride for any amount of distance. However, a bike that fits you well will be lots of fun.

In general, cruisers will have a shorter seat height than most other bikes. You may want to consider this if you are a short person.

Avoid buying over the Internet. I would never buy a motorcycle sight unseen. You could very easily end up paying too much for junk. Always do a visual inspection and test ride before buying a motorcycle. When you go to look at the bike, bring a helmet. If you do not have your motorcycle license yet, bring a friend with a motorcycle license and 2 helmets.

Watch the classified section of your local news paper. Some locations have shopper magazines with used motorcycles in your area. Reasonably priced used bikes are out there. Be patient. Don't buy too quickly, but if you find one you like, buy it right away. Unfortunately, as the price of gas rises so will the price of used motorcycles. If you find a good starter bike, don't hesitate as they can sell quickly.

Don't get hung up on any particular brand. All of the name brands are about the same. Pay more attention to the bike's condition. If any one brand were really superior to all other brands, this would be the only brand bike on the road. In addition, if any brand bike was really inferior to the other brands, nobody would buy them and the company would be out of business.

Learn on this bike. Make your mistakes on it. You will make mistakes. Nearly all new riders will lay their bike on its side at least once. Would you rather make your mistakes on an older bike or your nice shiny expensive new bike?

The most important thing you should do when getting your first bike is to take a motorcycle safety course.

After you have been riding a while and gain some experience, you can sell your starter bike and get the one you want. If maintained properly and not abused, you won't lose too much money on your starter bike. Put the money from the sale towards the bike you really want. By this time, you will have figured out what style bike best suits your riding style and needs.

I know I used variations of this answer before. However, I feel this is good advice.

Use your head while riding. Remember, Stupid Hurts.

Have fun - Ride safe

When buying a new bmx raceing bike what do you look for?

pickle

How do you know it's the right size for you? What parts are important to the weight of the bike? What brands are good? What size and tires are right for this sport.
This is for an 8 years old boy who wants to race for the first time. He's got a helmet and protective clothes. But his bike is not right because it has foot brake. I don't want to asemble and our budget is 250-300.

Answer
For an eight year old, you are looking at a mini or junior sized bike. Micro Mini will be too small. You are looking at a bike with 1 1/8" Tires.

There are complete bikes out there for around $300, but be aware that kids grow out of mini and junior sized bikes all the time, meaning that there, and you can ofen pick up a $400 bike for under $250 that has bee raced 1-2 seasons. Most bike shops could give it a good tune-up for around $50 and you are ready to go.

You are correct that a bike with a coaster brake is not a good choice.

If you are looking for areas to improve a race bike in the weight department, the wheels are the best place to make improvements - as anything that is rotating is more important that the non-rotating parts.

Good Brands? GT, Redline and Diamondback are companies with a hisotry of BMX racing and they are still producing bikes for racing today.

Mongoose, as suggested by one other poster, has not been producing competitive race bikes for a number of years. THey have some entry level bikes that woudl be OK for racing for around $200 and then the rest of thier bikes are Dirt Jump/ Freestyle Bikes. The parent company that owns Mongoose also ownd GT and Schwinn as well as some tother brands. GT is currently thier "race bike" brand.

If you do decide to go used, there are some premium brands to watch for in addition to Redline, Diamond Back and GT, there is also Intense, Supercross, Redman, GHP, Felt and a bunch of others.

Be awere that there are also very nice race bikes bearing the FMF name, and they are good bikes and components. But they are no longer produced and getting any sort of mfg's warranty, even on a new bike, will not likely be possible. But if you can get a new FMF at near used prices, it may work out well.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

What size/type dirt bike do we buy for our son?

bike helmet 2 year old size image

Jill

We want to buy my 11.75 yr old son an off road bike and he has very very little experience riding. He is 5'5. Please help. We are adventuring down a path we are unfamiliar with.
He weighs about 110 lbs.

Answer
The Honda CRF100 or 150 trail model, Yamaha TTR 125, or Kawasaki KLX125 would all be great choices.
If you don't feel the need to be dropping 2 grand on a brand new bike, most of these bikes you can find a couple years old in pretty good shape for much less. Check ebay or your local dealership.
Also do not forget to put him into some safety equipment, a good helmet and a good pair of boots are a must as well as goggles, chest protector and gloves. Pants and jersey are also a good idea but not a must. Now back to the bike, Steer clear of bikes like the KX85, YZ 85, CR 85, RM 85, or CRF150R. He is going to think they look cool, and they do they are also much faster and much more expensive, these are race bikes not entry level bikes. Make sure he can also touch with at least his toes on both sides, if he cant reach the ground the bike is to big, if he can sit on the bike flat footed knees bent, the bike is to small. Hope this helps

Why are there fewer commuter-cyclists lately? What are the main thresholds to bike-commuting?

LastGenera

Imho, the bike manufacturers are to blame, and here are my opinions. What's your two cents?

In my view, bike saddles are uncomfortable and possibly cause the dreaded Male Dysfunction Syndrome. Also, the Shimano fancy gears and shifters wear out in only 1,000 miles and are costly. In comparison, old bikes had gears/chains that lasted 20 years or more.

Open-face bike helmets don't protect the teeth from impact, and there imho aren't inexpensive full-face helmets for people who wear glasses, size 63cm, or XXL.

Then, there's bike theft.

Any other reasons not listed here?

Answer
I hate to say it, but I strongly disagree on every point you've listed.

The 'root' of the low visibility of commuter biking is that the population (as a whole) has been encouraged to obtain and then maintain a sedentary lifestyle. Suburbanization and the 'sprawl' left over from the 50's contributes to longer commutes in terms of distance and time. Working longer hours at a given job means less time to make the travel between home and work .. which results in looking for a faster means of doing so.

The average level of activity in today's population is around 50 percent of the activity level of the 1950's population. That means folks are simply doing less in the way of exercise, and when they do attempt it, it is less strenuous. Sure, there's a handful of exceptions who take exercise (and strenuous types at that!) as a way of life ... but they are more than compensated for by those who do absolutely nothing.

I've ridden on the same Shimano drivetrain on each bike I own (the newest one is a 2004, the oldest is a 1969, and there are three from different ages in between). No bike has less than 7500 miles on it ... the 2004 road bike has almost 8000 miles in just over 2.5 years of riding. There's nothing wrong with the shifters, brakes, rings, cassettes, chain, or freewheel on any of the bikes.

The variety of saddle materials and shapes out there means there's something for everyone. The more probable cause of an uncomfortable saddle experience is that you aren't fitted properly to the bike itself! Check your overall fit at a local bike shop ... there's a fair bit of geomtery involved. And no two people are exactly the same, so your setup has to be somewhat 'custom'.

Cleanup after arriving at work from a lengthy commute can be tricky, if your place of employment doesn't have showers. However, it's pretty much guaranteed it DOES have a washroom - which means running water. Pack a cloth and a towel, some work clothes, and some soap/deodorant. You can clean up with relatively little fuss quite quickly.

As to theft - there's a couple of answers to this. One is to use a 'beater' bike for the commute, so it doesn't appear as attractive to potential thieves. The other is to subtly pressure your employer into providing safe storage during the workday. Email me - I can give you a good example of how I changed the way things were done with my previous employer. Or check a previous answer I've given here on Yahoo! Cycling ... it pretty much portrays the same example.

As to actually pressuring the employer ... use the idea that a fit and active employee is a better health risk from an insurance point of view, so it would be to his benefit to set up safe storage in lieu of higher premiums.

Lastly - there are several styles of bicycle out there on the market. The 'commuter' bike is designed specifically for getting around an urban area; it's slightly more comfortable riding position than a true road bike, and easier to pedal and manoeuvre than a mountain bike. They can be found fairly cheaply; take a look at your local shop. Then try a couple of styles out ... there's one out there for everyone. If you can't find a good bike for you out there, it isn't usually the manufacturers fault - it's yours, for not doing the legwork (and yes, sometimes that means exercise as well!).

Powered by Yahoo! Answers