Would you buy this for your kid?

Equipment
1

Just another sign that Specialized has lost their $hlT…

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2

Considering that it’s still the same $1000 USD when they introduced it (I shared it in Dec 2020), it’s kind of a “steal” compared to the elevated pricing we have seen on everything else :stuck_out_tongue:

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3

I’m perfectly fine with people buying them new, listing them for 600, me offering 500. Then me using it for a few years, listing it for 600 and selling it for 500 :wink:

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5

If I was a millionaire…maybe.

6

They could at least put S-Works on it… for that price :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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7

I’ve been wondering if you could remove the pedals from a regular kid’s bike to make it into a balance bike. Yeah, the crank might still hit some ankles, but you would be able to add the pedals when the child wanted to take the next step.

8

no… helps keeping the kid real from day one.

9

  • Sure, that is essentially the origin of balance bikes.

  • If you are even slightly mechanically inclined, pulling the cranks is easy as well. You will have bearings and grease to deal with, but will be a fully clear setup without the risk of a crank getting tangled in clothing. That would be my direction of choice.

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12

I think some people do (maybe remove whole crankset & chain with removing pedals), but with our kids the 12" size is fairly rare to even find pedals, and when you do the geometries seem just awkward.

I never fully chased it down, but we had a used Cleary Gecko ([https://www.clearybikes.com/products/gecko-12-1-speed/])(https://www.clearybikes.com/products/gecko-12-1-speed/) and the weight balance coupled with crank / leg lengths at 3-4 years old was tough. At the bottom stroke and stopped I could get things looking ok, but at top stroke our child’s knee was so high it seemed to cause difficulty to learn.

Ultimately we stuck with a standard Stryder until outgrew, then stepped straight to a Woom 16" which was a slight stretch to reach the ground at the time, but learned quickly from there.

Kids seem to outgrow bikes so quickly at those early sizes hoping to keep one to transition through various points feels like a good idea but hasn’t worked for us in practice.

13

I may be most shocked that several local stores claim to have them in stock (at least according to the Specialized search tool on the page). Sort of assumed it was a little bit of a joke on their end.

Heck, the lead time on this thing may be less than a Tarmac in my size.

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14

I went with the easy solution of not having kids, so I don’t have to worry about it.

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15

I am just crossing my fingers for the “Catwalk” version :stuck_out_tongue:

16

Kids, never.

But I’m finding that the stupid purchase limit is about 3x higher for grand kids and my grand daughter is approaching strider bike age . . . .

17

You could find the previous generation(2020?) at some retailers for ~$500 last month, must have been because this new color was coming.

Getting my kid a Strider that comes with a rocking base(think rocking horse).

18

I bought 2 of my kids a balance bike. When the time came for a first ride on a proper bike it literally took them 5 seconds to master it and pedal away without falling off.

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19

The principle is sound, but the price is extravagant. Get a $40 balance bike on Amazon instead which leaves $960 left over to invest in their college fund.

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20

This is what we did for our daughter. Regular bike, pulled the pedals off for a while, and then put them back on a couple days before her 4th birthday. Rode like a champ.

The 7yo neighbor kid was still on training wheels and nearly fainted when he saw her riding :smiley: His parents pulled the pedals off his bike for a few days - he was riding on his own in no time.

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