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SirNotAppearing
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Question about kids' bikes
09/01/13 at 6:19pm
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My 6 year old nephew has started riding the trails a bit, and my brother is looking to upgrade him to a 20" bike. At that size, are gears and a front suspension a help or is the weight trade off going to hold him back?

Also at 48" tall, I assume a 20" would be the right size?
  
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Re: Question about kids' bikes
Reply #1 - 09/01/13 at 7:15pm
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Each kid is different. I've seen 3 year olds rip trail on a 12 inch with no training wheels and seen 9 year olds that needed training wheels.

I think gears help negate the extra weight from the fork and gears. A 20 inch should be about right for his age.
  
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Re: Question about kids' bikes
Reply #2 - 09/02/13 at 12:31pm
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I think weight is key.  I would get the lightest bike I could find with gears.  IMO the fork is not worth the weight (and the travel quality is pretty bad too) but you might not be able to find a quality bike with no fork unless you build it up. 

My kids don't go down hill fast enough to make full use of the fork but they do notice the weight of their bikes on every uphill.
  
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