Why get a really good kids mountain bike?

Why get a really good kids mountain bike?

Previous video: https://youtu.be/TGK0qVbP830
El Oso Niño Kids Fat Bike: http://amzn.to/28PBGEy
Line 24 Kids Hardtail: http://amzn.to/1Y3q0dU

This is Domingo, a pretty average sized adult, and here’s me riding a 24” kids mountain bike. We’ll get back to that in a minute, but first let’s talk about kids bikes in general.

I know that pricey kids bikes are a tough sell for most parents. Kids grow really fast, and they change their interests from day to day. For $150 bucks, you can get them something that pedals around until they grow out of it. From what I can see, this is what most kids end up with. Given the reasons I mentioned, it’s hard to blame any parent for this, especially when you consider the other costs that come along with kids.

Some parents do see the value in spending a little more though. A nice kids bike will have better parts and a smoother ride, but I think that’s obvious to most people. “Good parts” isn’t a good enough selling point for most parents, but I think the weight of the bike should be.

At 6 years old, I weighed about 45 pounds, but the weight of this cheap 20” kids bike is 36 pounds. Now let’s say you weigh 160. How would you fare on a 130 pound bike? How well could you stop it, or maneuver it? That’s about what this bike would feel like to a 6 year old.

Even if they have the strength to pedal and climb hills with it, let’s also consider the brakes and shifters. You hear that? That’s a little kid shifting gears. Kids learn real quick, but their hands aren’t very strong. A well designed kids bike will not only be to scale with their weight, but also use parts that are refined enough for little hands. These kids were all able to hold a decent pace on Saturday, partially because they’re all bad asses, but also because they have decent bikes.

So with those points made, let’s have some fun. We have here, two nice kids bikes that I’ll be giving away later this afternoon. Before that, my sister and I are going to take them out on some easy trails to see how they ride. I assembled both of these earlier this week, knowing that we’d be doing this, so I made sure they were both tuned up from top to bottom.

The plan was to go easy on these bikes, but I was having a little too much fun on what felt like a 24” dirt jumper. Lucky for this bike, there were no jumps around.

I decided to take a chance and see if I could bunny hop the hardtail on to this picnic table. The lower bench was no problem but the top part looked pretty scary. Keep in mind that this also means dropping off the other side—all 155 pounds of me. Both bikes left the trailhead in perfect working order, ready for more abuse from the kids.

And abuse them they did… From hard shifting, to crashes, to direct impacts on the chainrings, these bikes held up to exactly the kind of abuse you could expect from kids. If you want see more about this event or these bikes, check the description for a link to my previous video.

So nobody expects you to get a $3000 carbon race bike for your kid, but getting a better bike with kid friendly components will ensure that they get a fun and enjoyable introduction to mountain biking. At the very least, do it for yourself. After all, the faster they go the more fun it’ll be for you to follow them.

50 Comments

  1. G Daddy on July 16, 2019 at 9:31 pm

    Good points. I love riding my bike and hope my kids enjoy it as much as I do as well. I bought my son who is 7 years old a 24" Meerkat model mountain bike from Clearly Bikes. I added a shock fork for a $150.00 more. These bikes are great!!
    His bike came with hydraulic disc brakes front and back! I upgraded his seat. He loves riding it, wants to ride everyday. I just bought my daughter a Trek 20" Wahoo she’s happy as can be!!



  2. Ryan Mitchell on July 16, 2019 at 9:32 pm

    Uh its rough having to spend so much more on everything like I’ve been doing since I was 10 with my own money because I have to buy mens thing right now I’m 13, 155, and 5 foot 10



  3. GamingDragon46 • on July 16, 2019 at 9:32 pm

    Zeth i want to find like that trail does kids rode



  4. Noah Mallory on July 16, 2019 at 9:34 pm

    This is my dream job



  5. Cole Mitchell outdoors fishing on July 16, 2019 at 9:34 pm

    Hey I am getting a gopro soon and will be posting videos on utube please ask your subs to go and subsribe to Cole Mitchell outdoors fishing



  6. tristan hillman on July 16, 2019 at 9:35 pm

    hey seth, i was just recently given a 2006 Scott Reflex what upgrades would you recommend?



  7. Will Davis on July 16, 2019 at 9:35 pm

    “And abuse them they did.”

    *Shows kid riding throw water*



  8. MaxTheDude on July 16, 2019 at 9:36 pm

    3:34 What is that guy’s problem



  9. Danjan Supsup on July 16, 2019 at 9:36 pm

    Hey seth if you were a guy like me weighing 200 pounds what bike should you buy



  10. MayhemPlayz minecraft critical ops and more on July 16, 2019 at 9:37 pm

    I dont really have a decent bike but my bike is fast and is pretty good at offroad and my dad is gonna buy me a small mountain bike



  11. Aneta I on July 16, 2019 at 9:38 pm

    Where have you done the video?
    I would really like to go there.



  12. Xx_falder_xXTM on July 16, 2019 at 9:40 pm

    1:35 the swag kid



  13. Cravixz on July 16, 2019 at 9:41 pm

    What’s the fat tyre bike called and can u put the seat up on it



  14. SplitXParadox UnderWorld on July 16, 2019 at 9:41 pm

    That is the *thiccest* wheel



  15. Carlos Mendoza on July 16, 2019 at 9:41 pm

    my parents bought me a 6,600$ triathonlon bike from diamnondback



  16. Hi Tom on July 16, 2019 at 9:42 pm

    I mean my mum & dad got me a carrera



  17. Noah Mallory on July 16, 2019 at 9:42 pm

    Have you ever ridden on any man made mountains with trails?



  18. Kaleb Boudreau on July 16, 2019 at 9:42 pm

    I have a 1400 $ bike am 12



  19. Pigge lies on July 16, 2019 at 9:48 pm

    So this is a twenty four inch kid bike?



  20. 4leaf CLOVER on July 16, 2019 at 9:48 pm

    I have a $120 mongoose from Walmart (pink cause it is my sisters old bike) it is super heavy and hard to shift and im just waiting for its breaks to just give out and fling me into a tree



  21. Liam Cruz on July 16, 2019 at 9:49 pm

    Oleta river state park?



  22. DEADMAU5 35675 on July 16, 2019 at 9:49 pm

    A diamondback line 24 is a good beginner mountain bike for kids



  23. Flightsimuatorx Fan on July 16, 2019 at 9:50 pm

    parents please buy a decent MTB for your kid. I had a cycle which was terrible and took the joy out of cycling



  24. Austin Kauppila on July 16, 2019 at 9:51 pm

    With any 150 buck bike I could keep up with those kids



  25. RB26SNO on July 16, 2019 at 9:52 pm

    My parents won’t buy me anything, I want to buy a $330 bike but I’m not aloud



  26. Dashcrash 1 on July 16, 2019 at 9:53 pm

    Ok so let’s say your 13 years old 5,8 and 190 lbs what bike would suit that person



  27. Nolando on July 16, 2019 at 9:54 pm

    I had a stroke reading the title



  28. Jayden Ortiz on July 16, 2019 at 9:54 pm

    What do you recommend for a good beginning bike?



  29. Carlos Mendoza on July 16, 2019 at 9:56 pm

    the other day i saw a 8 year old with a devinci wilson



  30. jason4556YT on July 16, 2019 at 10:01 pm

    I’m 12 and I have an Avanti Montari. Which has hydraulic disc brakes, 24 speed Shimano gears, threadless stem, and looks really nice. My 11 year old friend has an unnamed Scott bike that’s practically the same/
    I used to have an Apollo Cougar which I got when I was 10 lol
    Rim brakes, 7 speed shimano and doesn’t have a threadless stem. It still worked though, and I could ride trails without dying lol, but as a kid I would reccommend buying a good mtb.



  31. Fat Pigeon on July 16, 2019 at 10:01 pm

    Well my bike so trash suspesion dosent even work
    Cant pedal cuz i used the brakes not really hard
    It cause like 375QR ?



  32. Nuno Ribeiro on July 16, 2019 at 10:01 pm

    Great Advise. To a 7 and 9 year old boys a 24" wheel is advisable as an introduction to mountain biking?. I was a fanatic when I was younger…the bug is still there ;). Thanks.



  33. Fred Hancock65 on July 16, 2019 at 10:01 pm

    I M your numder 1 fan and i live in auztrailia can you send me a full face helmet and i subd to you



  34. Eduard valentin Koos on July 16, 2019 at 10:01 pm

    I am 13 and i have a bmc trail fox whit a fox float shock and bomber forks i bought it for 900 dolars



  35. Barry Scott on July 16, 2019 at 10:02 pm

    Seth is like 4 foot that bike is tiny



  36. Richard Anderson on July 16, 2019 at 10:07 pm

    Just picked up the Trance Jr. for my ten year-old. $2100. He rode a Giant XTC for the last 3 years. What a difference! The kid is beyond stoked! Much faster, smoother, better in every way! Worth every penny. Now if I could only keep up with him!



  37. OllyG Gordon on July 16, 2019 at 10:08 pm

    Omg fat bikes



  38. Veeti Kraft on July 16, 2019 at 10:10 pm

    Well if I’m 15 and 170cm/5’6 I think lol.. Should I get a good 20" mountain bike as its cheap and light for me I’m just thinking that it would be too small for me idk



  39. THE OG EGG on July 16, 2019 at 10:15 pm

    Is a seven hundred us dollar bike good? Just curious



  40. Essential Number 3 on July 16, 2019 at 10:15 pm

    do diamondback kids bikes come with the same starter package with the shock pump and pedals like the regular bikes do?



  41. Lily is big ol silly on July 16, 2019 at 10:16 pm

    My parents went with WALMART and won’t even let me ride my other bike which I like better but is still cheap



  42. MOTO MTBING g on July 16, 2019 at 10:17 pm

    Can someone tell me is a trek pre caliber 24 7 good?



  43. MaxTheDude on July 16, 2019 at 10:18 pm

    Put on 0.25x at 1:35 You see a guy showing a middle finger



  44. Isa Wardhana on July 16, 2019 at 10:19 pm

    Im 14 and im comfortable with my 24 MTB



  45. Tko Skits on July 16, 2019 at 10:20 pm

    Are supercycle bikes good enough to handle this



  46. LeonVIPPER on July 16, 2019 at 10:20 pm

    I am 12 year old kid and i have a Specialized Stumpjumper 27.5 for almost 5 years and ill never quit mountainbiking



  47. Karen K Young on July 16, 2019 at 10:21 pm

    I GOT A DIAMONDBACK FOR UNDER 150 DOLLARS AND IT IS AWSOME



  48. Davideo Jockey on July 16, 2019 at 10:21 pm

    Kids on bikes? Is this europe lol



  49. NearCry91 on July 16, 2019 at 10:27 pm

    3:35 "Daddy, this guy’s an asshole" 😀



  50. Boomtown MDM on July 16, 2019 at 10:29 pm

    lol I’m 4 foot 6 and i ride my dad’s atx by putting my xtc jr saddle on the atx. Tons of fun! I’m super confident now