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-   -   1st bicycle for my kid? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bicycles/241026-1st-bicycle-my-kid.html)

I have been trying to do some basic research on a cycle for my 3 year old.
He is around 95 cm tall and weighs around 15kg.
I have been trying to buy the Btwin 3-5 year old cycle but it is out of stock since quite a few weeks.
What I liked in the specifications is the free wheeling feature and something about using 30% lesser effort to brake.

I haven't been able to find a similar feature set in the traditional brands from my childhood. i.e. Bsa, Hercules, Hero etc.

Obviously I do not want to spend too much as this will be used by him for 2-3 years at the most, but I also do not want to get one from a no name, unknown brand with suspect safety and reliability.

I am open to suggestions and would ideally like to spend less than 5000.

I would still suggest waiting for a B'Twin bike. B'twin is the most reliable brand if you are on a budget. Plus, if anything goes wrong, good service is always available.

The main thing is, the bikes are better put together than most other brands. Even if they cost a little more than bikes from other brands, they are stronger, more reliable and safer. Those are important points when it comes to our children.

I am in the same boat as you. Endlessly waiting for the Btwin 3-5 years bike to be available. I went ahead and bought the smallest bicycle (no-brand) in Vijayawada where I am currently located and the kid just doesn't like it as it is slightly bigger for her. It is quite heavy too. The brakes are tight and non-functional. I will wait for few more months and buy the 4-6 years bike from Decathlon when I return to Hyderabad.
Currently the kid is happy with a balance bike which she has been riding since she is 2 years old. Now the kid is too tall for it but still loves it.

I would suggest to wait for some time and go for the 4-6 years bike from Decathlon. Maybe you can consider buying a scooter in the meantime.

Was in exactly the same spot 2 years ago, I brought my daughter a locally manufactured cycle, Allwyn Princess.
Things that I considered + should have considered, and would suggest you as well...

a. Kids will outgrow the cycle soon, so take a size bigger.
b. Take a cycle with least add-ons (accessories just make it heavier for kids to ride initially).
c. Take a cycle with normal tires and not the thick full rubber ones, keeps the cycle lighter to ride.
d. Give the color choice to kids.

I made mistake on points b and c. My daughter's cycle has a basket, backrest and carrier; to top it up, the tires are hard rubber, the cycle's heavy and the fully rubber tires make it even tough to ride.

Its a bit of a departure, but you can try a brilrider.
I bought one for my son when he was 2, I think. He used it for about a year, before we got him a proper pedalled one.
Also, resale is fantastic on these things. :D

I got the Kross Bike extreme 20T for my son in 2019.
He was 3.5 years old then. It is well built, no-frills and is used regularly even now.

I remember paying ~7K then.

I got this for my Kid when she was about 3. It comes in a few sizes. But now, I am not seeing this on their website. See if you can find them in a store near you.

That's what I thought as well. In fact yesterday I had visited a local cycle shop and saw that most of the kids cycles were of shockingly poor quality and very heavy.
I wonder if things were this bad when I was my son's age.

I have been tracking the website daily for the past few weeks and there seems to be no change in the stock position.



Like you what worried me was the weight and lots of unfinished edges etc. Even in reputed brands such as BSA, Hero etc.

There is a similar bike at Decathlon as well.
Just wanted to know if your kid could balance himself when he moved to a pedal bike or were the training wheels still needed.

Was he okay with a 20T size tyre, how tall was he at that time ?
This gives me confidence to pick up the 16T from Decathlon


I was actually hoping I could gift him the cycle for his birthday, end of September.
The way things look currently I have 2 options.

1. Buy a balance bike which he might outgrow in a matter of months. He is 95 cms already and the bike is rated for upto 100cm. Buy the 4-6 year cycle once he outgrows this.

2. Buy the 4-6 year old cycle right away and hope he grows into it soon enough.

I am leaning towards option 1 as of now even though it is more expensive as I hope to get additional value from the balance bike when my 3month old grows into it.

I would still ideally like to pick up a proper pedal cycle meant for his size from a reputed manufacturer for not too much money :p

My suggestion is still option 2.
It is too late to buy a brilrider now. Below is a pic of my kid on the brilrider when she was 3 years 2 months and it was too small even with seat raised to the highest position.

The best to buy is when the kid turns 2.

Was in the same situation in Dec-2018. Went to Chennai-Broadway area and got my son a Hero Sprint Stark 20t. He has been using it regularly since then and now, after almost 3 years, has almost outgrown the cycle. I should also say that my son is taller than all his peers - so outgrew the cycle pretty sooner than normal.

On the cycle - it has been really good - and I would definitely recommend.

Costed Rs.4000/- - mainly because I got it from the wholesaler in Broadway. The same cycle in regular retailers was costing around 5.5-6K then.

Here is a picture of the cycle.

I got a BTwin for my younger son when he turned 3. Call it genes or just plain human capability, both of my sons started riding the cycle without any training wheels or help. Just mounted and flew off. As my older son turned 8, I got him a Schnell and I regret the decision. Bad quality, constant punctures, gear shifter failures and what not. The BTwin that I have and my sons cycle are just amazing after all these years.
I can safely say that BTwin is a better bet today.

Bought a 14” B’Twin bike for my daughter when she was 3 and I can vouch for it. She used it a lot with and then without stabilisers. No service needed, not too heavy and you can see the current condition in photo that I just clicked. Just bought her a 20” for her 7th birthday, 24” was taller for her but am sure I have to get that in 3 or so years.
I too have a ST520 L Rockrider for myself :).

Before Decathlon days, I checked for some options in India to gift my niece/nephews but the quality was awful, all Chinese imports, even Hero/BSA looked very bad.

I would suggest you to wait for the btwin 3-5. Ergonomically it is just perfect. My kid is using it from 3 years and the only maintenance required is to check the air pressure once in 3 months.
Brands like hero have added features like a basket attractive stickers but messed up on the riding position and ergonomics.

Can you please give the name of the wholesaler shop?

I also would suggest going for a BTwin.

I bought a BTwin for my daughter in Decathlon for her 5th birthday. The bike is light, good quality and even though bit on the pricier side (5.5k), it is worth it.