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GGG · 03-15-2014, 07:26 PM

So I am starting going bike shopping for my 5 year old and need an 16 inch or so bike. Twentys are too big. Just wonder if there is value in going up from the Walmart special.

So far I can see there are three tiers

Spawn bikes are your high end bikes. Nice aluminum frames light weight. Around 16lbs for the 16" I have a friend with one and they are awesome. They are feather light compared to anything else on the market. However I am not willing to spend $400 on a kids bike for a year or two. Maybe for the 20" one.

The next level seems to be your Specialized, Trek, Ghost, main brands. They come in around the $200 mark. They have steel frames, are a reasonable weight 10kgish. I am willing to spend this much if you get value for it compared to the Walmart bikes. This is where I get stuck. From looking at the bikes I can't really tell the difference between the Walmart special and the Treks. Do they use better components or are you paying an extra $100 just because it is a trek.

One that intrigues me is the Naknumura sport check bike. Sportchek recently has seemed to have good component low cost bikes (Janis) in comparison to the name brands. I am wondering if the Nakumura brand is along these lines or if it is just a Walmart competitor.

So my options right now that I am considering are

Spawn Banshee $400 (too expensive)
http://spawncycles.com/shop/spawn-cycles-banshee/

Trek mystic 16 $229 (or equivalent name brand bike) http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes...town/mystic_16

Naknumura Dream 16 $99
http://www.sportchek.ca/product/inde...uctId=23153796

Or just by a Walmart special for like $80.

Any advice would be appreciated.

03-15-2014, 07:26 PM	#1
GGG Franchise Player Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: California Exp:	Kids Bikes So I am starting going bike shopping for my 5 year old and need an 16 inch or so bike. Twentys are too big. Just wonder if there is value in going up from the Walmart special. So far I can see there are three tiers Spawn bikes are your high end bikes. Nice aluminum frames light weight. Around 16lbs for the 16" I have a friend with one and they are awesome. They are feather light compared to anything else on the market. However I am not willing to spend $400 on a kids bike for a year or two. Maybe for the 20" one. The next level seems to be your Specialized, Trek, Ghost, main brands. They come in around the $200 mark. They have steel frames, are a reasonable weight 10kgish. I am willing to spend this much if you get value for it compared to the Walmart bikes. This is where I get stuck. From looking at the bikes I can't really tell the difference between the Walmart special and the Treks. Do they use better components or are you paying an extra $100 just because it is a trek. One that intrigues me is the Naknumura sport check bike. Sportchek recently has seemed to have good component low cost bikes (Janis) in comparison to the name brands. I am wondering if the Nakumura brand is along these lines or if it is just a Walmart competitor. So my options right now that I am considering are Spawn Banshee $400 (too expensive) http://spawncycles.com/shop/spawn-cycles-banshee/ Trek mystic 16 $229 (or equivalent name brand bike) http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes...town/mystic_16 Naknumura Dream 16 $99 http://www.sportchek.ca/product/inde...uctId=23153796 Or just by a Walmart special for like $80. Any advice would be appreciated.