Girlie 20 inch MTB

Roobar
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Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Roobar » Sat Dec 06, 2014 4:33 pm

Just took my daughter out to try a few bikes. She's keen for an MTB but also wants one that looks girly. Any suggestions?
I was thinking a byk 450 and then change out the tyres for something fatter.
Thanks
Roo

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MattyK
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby MattyK » Sat Dec 06, 2014 5:55 pm

Trek Superfly 20
http://www.trekbikes.com/au/en/bikes/ci ... perfly_20/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Or a ByK E450 MTB and girly it with some pink hardware like this (on a standard e450)
Image

Roobar
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Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Roobar » Sat Dec 06, 2014 7:13 pm

Thanks for the superfly link MattyK.

On the drive home I was thinking of talking to the bike shop and seeing if we could build up the pink E450x8 (http://www.bykbikes.com/kids-bike-range ... -bike.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) with fatter rims and tyres (for example the E450 MTB rims) but the superfly might be easier (the picture was approved) I might need to do some geometry and sizing research.

TheWall
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Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby TheWall » Sat Dec 06, 2014 7:27 pm

Can't get much pinker? [emoji1]

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/ ... ster-girls" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We have always had the hotrock series for our boy and girl and they are great. Very well built and not criminally heavy. Survived many camping trips etc etc...

Our 6 yo old has the 24 with gears and suspension. Fantastic bits of kit

I think one of my deciding factors in buying my Roubaix was when the LBS threw in this for my then 18month old lad...

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/ ... twalk-boys" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Why don't these come in Pink?

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/ ... /fatboy-20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ha ha

BrisVegas
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby BrisVegas » Sat Dec 06, 2014 9:31 pm

my 7yo has been riding a boys Avanti Black Thunder for a couple of years. I just put a set of pink crash pads and grips on it to offset the drab grey colour. I just bought her a lime green boys trek 220 mtb for xmas. They're a cool little rig.
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barefoot
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby barefoot » Sun Dec 07, 2014 8:39 pm

TheWall wrote:Can't get much pinker? [emoji1]

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/ ... ster-girls" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
My girl has the 6-speed version. Got it just after her 6th birthday.

Image

Took a while for her to get confident with just hand brakes, but once that was sorted she was fine. Didn't use the gears for a few months (just stick it in "2" or "3" and leave it there), but she got used to it after a while.

Generally pleased with it.

Trek do something almost identical, and I'd be amazed if the other big brands didn't also.

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MattyK
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby MattyK » Mon Dec 08, 2014 1:22 pm

Roobar wrote:I was thinking a byk 450 and then change out the tyres for something fatter.
Just an FYI for anyone thinking of this, ByK use a 451 tyre size, not a typical 406. Much harder to find tyres for (but not impossible), particularly knobbies. Moyura have one, but it's only 1-3/8" width: http://www.moruyabicycles.com.au/conten ... -tyre.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Roobar
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Roobar » Sat Dec 13, 2014 3:32 pm

Thanks for all the advice. Did a bike shop crawl earlier in the week (the things we put up with for the kids) and decided against a front shock due to weight which left me choosing between getting the byk modded and a superfly.

Rude salespeople at two trek sellers (both didn't have it in stock, had never seen one and just wanted to sell me MT60s) and a quick email exchange with BYK means Eric at Crank'n cycles is sorting a BYK with the MTB tyres on it for me.

I'll post pics when we give it to her and get it dirty.

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ValleyForge
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby ValleyForge » Tue Jan 13, 2015 3:04 pm

Roobar wrote:Thanks for all the advice. Did a bike shop crawl earlier in the week (the things we put up with for the kids) and decided against a front shock due to weight which left me choosing between getting the byk modded and a superfly.

Rude salespeople at two trek sellers (both didn't have it in stock, had never seen one and just wanted to sell me MT60s) and a quick email exchange with BYK means Eric at Crank'n cycles is sorting a BYK with the MTB tyres on it for me.

I'll post pics when we give it to her and get it dirty.
My daughter loves her new E450x8 but I swapped the trigger shifter off. It was needed too much force for her to select 1 or 2. And the red cables helped - I've posted pictures in the other topic here. I do know that the narrow wheels on ByK are quite difficult to swap out rims and tyres on as MattyK said. I got caught swapping a E450 single speed coaster to an 8 speed RD. What I thought was an hour job became 2 weeks.
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Mububban
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Mububban » Wed May 27, 2015 10:06 pm

I'm looking to buy 2 bikes for the kids who will turn 5 and 7 around September/October. They're both average height, but neither's quite cracked 20kg yet so low bike weight is a high priority.

We come to Rottnest Island (WA) every year which has some hills to climb so I want bikes with gears, even the 2-3 gears of the ByK range should help them out. I worry that a 7 speed derailleur would get damaged by kids who dump their bike down sometimes without much thought or care, and if I'm dropping proper money on these bikes I want them to last untilt hey grow out of them, not until they get trashed. So the Trek Superfly and Apollo Neo concern me. And that pretty much leaves the ByK for internal gearing that I've found so far. Any others with internal geared hubs?

Edit - just found another Aussie company Fourty Bikes, but their website is cr@p and no stockists are listed. Did they go out of business?

I'll start researching in person on the weekend.
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Roobar
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Roobar » Wed May 27, 2015 11:09 pm

Hi, I realized I never got to taking photos (she won't let me ahead) but the byks have a protective frame over the gears to protect the derailleur, so it shouldn't be a big risk (and my kids always use their stand for some reason, better than I was)

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MattyK
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby MattyK » Thu May 28, 2015 12:01 am

Yes, a lot of them have protector bars over the deraiieur or hub gear bellcrank. The SRAM hub on the ByK has the shifter mechanism inside the frame, not outside like the Shimano 3-speed hub. But as above, most will come with some form of protection.

The gearing on the 3-speed ByK is pretty low so hills should not be a problem.

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Mububban
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Mububban » Sat May 30, 2015 3:56 pm

MattyK wrote:The gearing on the 3-speed ByK is pretty low so hills should not be a problem.
That's what I want to know! My daughter likes the idea of my "granny gear" after watching me spin slowly but easily up the hills on Rottnest, I'm pretty much set on the e450-3 for her, and the e350-2 for my son.
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Roobar
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Roobar » Sat May 30, 2015 5:18 pm

Image
Finally got a photo, not single track but still building confidence on dirt

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Mububban
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Mububban » Sat May 30, 2015 9:50 pm

Roobar wrote:Image
Finally got a photo, not single track but still building confidence on dirt
Great stuff :) How do the smooth tires go off road? The one I saw in the shop yesterday (possibly the 540?) had what looked to be semi-slicks. They weren't even a mildly block treaded tyre, they really looked designed for speed on sealed surfaces.
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Roobar
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Roobar » Sat Jun 13, 2015 2:18 pm

I got them swapped at the shop for some more aggressive tyres (without going overboard) so it's not an issue. Most of our dirt is pea gravel though and she isn't keen on the drifting, not much you can do to control that though. . Image

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Mububban
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Mububban » Mon Jun 15, 2015 1:50 pm

I think the slick tyres will be safe for my kids, they ride to school on footpaths, the worst they'd cut across is some scrubby park grass and if they hit soft sand, they can learn a valuable lesson! :)

I saw a Liv (Giant) Veer this morning, similar size and style to the ByK by the look of it. Stretched out wheelbase, 20 inch wheels I think, 3 speed Shimano with some exposed doohicky on the outside of the rear hub but protected by a little alloy nudge bar. I gave it a heft and it didn't seem super light but hard to judge in isolation. Local shops sell them for $340 so a good $100 cheaper than the ByK e450, might be worth checking out but I'll happily pay the extra if the ByK rides better and weighs less. My almost 7 year old weighs 18kg and my almost 5 year old weighs 17kg so the lighter the better.
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MattyK
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby MattyK » Mon Jun 15, 2015 3:07 pm

Another to consider - these are pretty light weight.
http://www.apollobikes.com/bikes15/neo/ ... X5cuvmqpBc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hardly any kids bikes are truly "light", it's all relative. But it doesn't stop them having fun.

Roobar
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Roobar » Mon Jun 15, 2015 8:09 pm

The weights on the better kids bikes are all pretty similar. As long as they lack a steel anchor for the front suspension. The biggest problem seems to be getting salespeople to understand most 5-7yo dont need a suspension fork. (I know a few that do, though)

As someone else said get the one they like the look of, otherwise it won't get used.

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Mububban
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Mububban » Tue Jun 16, 2015 2:51 pm

Shock horror, my daughter on the weekend said "You know what? I think I'm actually getting a tiny bit bored of pink." To which our jaws hit the floor :D

I showed her the pics in this thread of the blue e450 and she approved. Now she just has to wait another 6 months for Christmas!
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Mububban
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Mububban » Sat Aug 15, 2015 11:28 pm

My kids test rode the ByK 350 for my almost 5 year old, and the 450 for my almost 7 year old. She tested the 3 speed model and experienced the difference in shifting gears for the first time. When she shifted out of top gear into "granny" her eyes lit up and she thought it was awesome. "It's like all the friction went out of my wheels, it was so easy!"

The 350 has grooved semi-slicks, but the 450 had full slicks and the tyres looked noticeably thinner than the 350. I might have to pop back in and have a closer look sans kids and discuss options there.

So I got them to order one for her (boys frame so it can be handed down), and the 2 speed auto shifting 350 for my son (pity the only colour that one comes in is an ugly mustard yellow), and they're on layby to be picked up before Christmas.
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MattyK
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby MattyK » Sun Aug 16, 2015 11:01 pm

Mububban wrote:...and the 2 speed auto shifting 350 for my son (pity the only colour that one comes in is an ugly mustard yellow)
I've been told by the manufacturer that you can arrange one in one of the other frame colours as a special build.

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Mububban
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Mububban » Mon Aug 17, 2015 2:21 pm

Good idea, never thought to ask.

To Facebook!!!
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Mububban
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Re: Girlie 20 inch MTB

Postby Mububban » Mon Aug 17, 2015 4:32 pm

Got told sorry, not really possible But next year's colour will be much more yellow, and less mustard.

The boy can live with the 2015 mustard colour :) LBS reckons ByK is in for 2 price rises by the time next year's stock comes in due to the falling Aussie dollar.
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