Good bike for a commuting young teen?

[Anonymous]

My 13 year old DD is hoping for a new bike for Christmas. She uses her current bike regularly to get to/from school and to see friends, but she says her bike is slower than her friends' bikes because it's heavier.

Issue is that I don't know much about bikes. Growing up I just went with Schwinn or huffy

We don't have a huge budget, so I'm hoping to find something in the few hundred range at most.

Does anyone have any suggestions about brands or what type of bike I should be looking for?

[Anonymous]

I’d go to the Trek store and try a few yourself. They have a good range and many are lightweight. They usually also have a decent clearance section.

Try hers and then try others so that you have a good feel for weight.

[Anonymous]

If you want to get her a lighter bike, then you will need to spend more money. Look in the $800‐$1100 range... such as the Trek FX 2 or 3.

[Anonymous]

1) do you think your DD is close to her adult height? Or do you expect her to grow more than another 2 inches or so? If you think she’s likely to grow a lot in the next year, I’d consider waiting.
2) a used bike might be a really good option here.
3) if she’s using it as a commuter bike, she may want a hybrid. I think a solid one, new , these days is probably in the range of $500-$700.

[Anonymous]

Go to phoenix bikes in Arlington. It’s a really cool organization that teaches kids to maintain bikes, they can even earn a free one. They should be able to steer you in the right direction.

[Anonymous]

Go to bikekinetic in Falls Church. Great place and they sometimes have used bikes too.

[Anonymous]

Look at used bikes at REI and elsewhere. A new lightweight bike will be a lot more expensive than the same bike used.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at used bikes at REI and elsewhere. A new lightweight bike will be a lot more expensive than the same bike used.

I love REI in general, but I would go to a bike store that has a used selection for this purchase to make sure you're talking about someone who really knows bikes. We got a decent used bike at Trek in College Park. I would not buy new or very high end for a commuter bike that presumably would be left outside.

Another option would be to ask her friends to try theirs to see if they're comfortable. If they're roughly the same size.
I had a friend who wanted a "faster bike" who came to the realization that her bike was fine and she was just out of shape!

Lastly her existing bike may ride better with a tune up, so that could be a cheaper interim step, especially if you haven't been doing regular maintenance.

[Anonymous]

I highly recommend joining the DC Family Biking group on Facebook, if you're still on that platform. Lots of great advice, lots of bikes for sale (from their actual owners--many hand-me-down types).

My teen bike commutes to school on a used Specialized. The tune-up, modifications, and heavy-duty lock cost more than the Target bike his dad wanted to get, but it's also far more reliable with quality components.

[Anonymous]

Is she an avid biker rider beyond biking to and from school? If so, I’d be willing to invest more although I’d also look for used bikes like others said. I’d go to a good bike shop (we like Griffin and Terrapin in Bethesda) and get advice and have her try out models, and then you can look for used versions.

If she really only bikes to and from school, I’d look at bikes at Target- again, have her try them out. In my experience, the window for girls frequently riding bikes ends by age 15 or so (before anyone jumps on me, I’m a woman who loves to ride. but this is what I saw from my boy/girl teens and their friends. both kids and their were avid bikers through about 9th grade, after that the boys kept it up (and in some cases, got even more into it) and the girls drifted away from it)

[Anonymous]

12:19 again. my kids have specialized bikes like the above poster suggested and they have held up great.

[Anonymous]

Electric motorcycle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at used bikes at REI and elsewhere. A new lightweight bike will be a lot more expensive than the same bike used.

I love REI in general, but I would go to a bike store that has a used selection for this purchase to make sure you're talking about someone who really knows bikes.

At least the Bike Department at REI at Tysons has people who really know bikes very very well. They carry various used bikes there also, even from brands that REI does not usually sell. Obviously the used selection varies over time, but the REI Bike Dept has really expert staff.

[Anonymous]

Got my 14 year old a trek recently. It was about $700, I think with a trade in.