Geared Children's Bicycles?

I know kids outgrow bikes at an alarming rate,  but I was wondering if they are any 3-speed (or any speed),  20" wheel children's bikes out there, or if one could be built/cobbled together from an existing children's bike frame so that there would be a few choices in gearing.  

I would love to buy or actually build a bike for my SO's little girl that has some form of gearing- be it 3 speeds or more - so she could go on longer rides with us without the "it's too hard to pedal" rant when we encounter any hills and rough stuff.  I looked online and have seen there is a 6 speed Jamis Capri out there, but it is more of a mountain bike, and she is into the cruiser style (aesthetics are very important for a 7 year old girl) besides the fact that it is out of my price range right now for something she will outgrow in a year or two.  I am wondering why I can't find a simple 3 speed in a tiny size or find instructions on converting a kid's bike to 3 or even 6 speed.  She already has Giant Taffy kid's bike (bought from a LBS) and wondering if we could do something with what we have already.

 Oh, this is the style of bike she has expressed interest in: Electra Hawaii 20 inch . 

 

Just putting it out there to see what people can suggest. Thanks! 

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Permalink Reply by Melanie K on June 13, 2011 at 9:36am

Great idea- I didn't even think about the wheel size of a folding bike being 20". Thank you very much for the suggestion, as that might work.  I'll keep my eye out for some used hubs/wheels and see what turns up.  I wasn't even sure where to begin on this, and I really appreciate everyone's thoughts.

I just can't see paying the $279 for a new bike right now since she is growing and will probably need a 24" in two years, but she's getting more advanced in her riding, and I am sure she could go longer distances with us if she could at least change gears as she is already a strong rider. 

Permalink Reply by Liz on June 13, 2011 at 9:43am
you could also consider a "trail a bike", I see lots of them on craigslist.  It would give her a way to stay with you guys on a long ride without getting worn out, then getting a better bike when she's a little bigger.
Permalink Reply by Melanie K on June 13, 2011 at 10:04am
We had used a "trail gator" at one time- it is a tow bar that attaches to the adult's bike and the kid's bike, allowing her to use her own bike to trail behind, and is very similar to the trail a bike- the thing is, she really wants to ride longer distances with us (we aren't talking 40 miles, but maybe 10-15) and not be towed or trailed behind one of us as she wants to do it herself. Although there aren't a lot of hills in Chicago, the little single speed bikes that are built for kids are pretty heavy and even smaller hills are tiresome for little legs after a couple of miles. I think the max distance we have taken her pedaling alone is about 5-6 miles straight on the Northshore trail, and she did very well, but struggled on some of the inclines and hills and started tiring out- which started me thinking if she just had an extra gear or two, she would be golden. 

Liz said:
you could also consider a "trail a bike", I see lots of them on craigslist.  It would give her a way to stay with you guys on a long ride without getting worn out, then getting a better bike when she's a little bigger.
Permalink Reply by jennifer james on June 13, 2011 at 11:10am

We have a bunch of little geared bikes - they are not that hard to find. Go to Working Bikes frequently and ask at their desk if they have one to spiff up - that's where we have got ours before. One was a Jamis Fester Two Zero, another a Trek. The mountain bike style ones are easy to change over- just get thin road tires and some fenders, handlebar streamers, even a different set of handlebars. Irv's has all that stuff cheaply. That sounds easier to me than building a new wheel and making it work though that sounds like an interesting idea to me.

They often have some girly bikes at Working Bikes-- you can always decorate what you find with kid chosen decals. Usually kid bike decals just peel off with a little work and the gender id often goes with them.

Our guys really love the time they get riding with us on their own bikes too!

 

We also always put lights on our kids bikes - they need the visibility. Generators are cheap at Working Bikes and there are relatively inexpensive LED lights now that will work with them, like Busch and Mueller Lyt and Seculite Plus, which you can keep moving up to bigger bikes as they grow. More than battery lights but kids and batteries don't mix well in my experience.

 

Another thing that helps us sometimes on the uphill ranting is having a special snack or drink on board.

 

Good luck - post what you decide on in the end

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on June 13, 2011 at 11:40am
Huffy made literally millions of 3-speed banana-seat bikes in the 70's.  Most of them had Shimano hubs but I think some where Sturmey-Archer as well.  It shouldn't be too hard to find a 20" wheel or even a complete or mostly-complete bike on CL or Working Bikes with which to start a child on.  The sky is the limit on these bikes and could be configured just about any way from a BMX-style or MTB or putting Northroad-type bars to make it a comfort bike.  Changing out seatposts and stems would be the easiest way to keep the bike usable for a few years into the teens when a 26" MTB,  comfort, or road bike can fit.
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on June 13, 2011 at 1:19pm
That's a nice bike with the added benefit of modern V-brakes for decent stopping power.  But it does have 24" wheels which are a bit bigger than what the OP was talking about, and it has a derailleur which will be much more work for a parent to keep up -especially as kids tend to be a bit rough on bikes and throw them down on whatever side they feel like.  An IGH would be better and easier to maintain (no maintenance other than maybe a few drops of oil in the older hubs)  -especially with a guard over the indicator chain to keep it from getting messed up which is the weak spot of the old 3-speeds.  3 speeds is plenty -2 would be fine too but finding and setting up a kickback hub is a bit more searching.
Permalink Reply by Melanie K on June 13, 2011 at 1:29pm

Thank everyone for all the ideas- I am currently checking out CL, but a trip to Westtown Bikes/Ciclo Urbano has been long overdue, as well as looking at Working Bikes (a little farther away, but definitely something I need to check out).  I would love to have her help us customize it - and all the suggestions here really give me some nice material to work with.  It's not only that I don't want to spend $250-$300 on a fancy new bicycle, but I would rather spend a little money and put something together ourselves -having her help us change out parts, decide on handlebars, decorations, etc. would really make it a fun learning experience for her (and us) as well. Her dad and I have built up our own bikes for ourselves, so we have some basic knowledge of what to do, just needed some great advice on where to begin- that's why I posted here :) 

 

@ James Baum: I am lucky our girl is very careful with her bike- always puts the kickstand down and makes sure never to lay it on her side as she doesn't want to scratch it- and she likes to take care of her things.  A 24" bike is a few years away and we will probably just buy or build it for her. I would love to find a  3 speed hub already on a 20" wheel as I could really do more with that, and that is all she needs for now.  The search will be on :) 

 

@jennifer James- I agree that great snacks and refreshments do help her get over those whine humps- just thought this might be a great rainy day project. 

 

Thanks everyone!

Permalink Reply by Chris B on June 14, 2011 at 3:08am

This is a little expensive, but a cute cheap folding bike should last awhile even when she's bigger:

 

http://www.citizenbike.com/catalog.asp?product_category_id=1&pr...

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on June 14, 2011 at 5:12am
A cheap folding bike is a good idea for a low-cost 20 but some of the cheaper ones are a bit janky when it comes to reliability -especially at the folding junction.  Perhaps they could be permanently unfolded by welding/brazing the joint if it becomes a problem.

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