This is a great little bike for someone who already knows how to ride a bike. This would not make a good first bike. My son started riding smaller bikes when he was 4 and all of his previous bikes were really cheap but were good for learning. We gave him this one for his 7th birthday and it is really nice. The bike works with much less effort than his earlier bikes largely because the wheel bearings, gearing, brakes, and components are much higher quality. He really likes being able to shift the gears, but he really doesn’t know how to use them properly – hopefully that will come soon enough. The only drawbacks are that the bike only has hand brakes, which takes some time for younger riders to master. When they do get it, however, the brakes work much better than a pedal style coaster brake. Also, there is no kick stand, but one can be easily added. One last comment is that we bought this bike from a bike shop and they assembled it and then adjusted it again when we bought it. I’m sure that plays a large role in the quality feel of this bike.

Very nice bike. I bought it for my son so we can ride the trails together. It was easy to assemble and rides great. He rides it like a pro. However, i think its way too heavy for a kid but he dont seem to mind at all. It weighs more than my 26″ diamondback response but for the price you cant go wrong with this bike for looks, quality, and performance.

This is a good bike for a rider to make the next step up. My son went from the standard first bike with pedal brakes to this one. It took him about 10 minutes to adjust to the hand brakes and the bigger size. The package showed up with the cardboard slightly torn, but the bike was ok. If you can’t assemble this, how will you be ready for the zombie apocalypse?

Having read the reviews about no instructions and the difficulty of assembling and adjusting, I was on the fence for the purchase. The concerns proved to be unfounded. You don’t even need tools, they are supplied with the kit; all you need is an ounce of DIY spirit and a couple of hours (MAX), and you will have a happy child on a great bike. The most involved part of the assembly was the brake and cable adjustment, but the instructions are pretty clear; and um, my 7y.o. is not going to be competing professionally with this bike–it does not need competition grade maintenance. It just needs to work well enough to be comfortable and safe for the child.

Now, this is probably not the first bike you should get for a child; my son was proficient with his smaller bike, which he’d been riding since he was four. There is some learning involved with shifting gears (in fact, my son likes to leave it on a low setting); and some learning to use only handle brakes. There is no kickstand. It is heavier than an alloy bike; I believe it is a steel frame.

Nice looking, great bike, my son, who’s 8 loves it and wants to ride all the time. The only drawback is, he has a hard time switching gears. Very happy with it!

Got my son this bike for his 7th birthday, and he loves it. He loves the big boy appela it has. Color scheme is nice and bright. Only downside is the shifter is really hard to shift from the hardest gear to the easiset (6-1). Other than that, it has been great. He rides it everyday. Mounting a water bottle cage is difficult as well. The mounting brackets are under the bottom tube. Not a good place for it in my opinion.