Buying A Kid's Bike

[SiXSwordS]

My son is turning six soon and I’m buying him a bike. I found a basic chart-- not online unfortunately-- relating inseam to frame size, but I still have a few questions.
[ul][li]What’s a good brand? A bad brand?[]Is a store brand out of the question?[]Should I buy something he can “grow into?”[]I see no reason to get him something with shocks, heavy duty tire tread or handlebar extensions, but are there any worthwhile extras for kids?[]Flames and cool stickers or no?[/ul][/li]Some info that might help: I am not rich. We took the training wheels off his old bike toward the beginning of fall and he’s wobbly, but he can ride. His best friend has a cool bike with flames and whatnot, but it still has training wheels. We probably won’t get a new bike until my financial investments (PowerBall, not scratch off) pay out. I’m buying this weekend.

Any insights?

[misstee]

First of all,

How ya been Six?

We have bought a lot of bikes in the last 10 years. I never did any research on them. You are a way cool dad!
All but two of the bikes were bought with the children present. ( The last two were Christmas gifts two years ago. ) That way, the child for whom the bike was for could test it out in the store to see if it was a comfortable ride for them.
Do remember to get a helmet, elbow and knee pads for your son.
And FWIW, I think flames are way cool!

[11811]

@SiXSwordS

[ul][li]What’s a good brand? [/li]Schwinn, Giant, Trek, GT/Dyno

A bad brand?
Huffy, Murray, Roadmaster

[li]Is a store brand out of the question?[/li]I’d steer clear of store brands, unless the store is Performance. And even then…

[li]Should I buy something he can “grow into?”[/li]You can raise the seat and maybe the handlebars to accommodate a little bit of growth. But that’s a short-term strategy. Couldn’t you just encourage him to stop growing?

[li]I see no reason to get him something with shocks, heavy duty tire tread or handlebar extensions, but are there any worthwhile extras for kids?[/li]Shocks on a bike meant for a six-year old are going to be cheap and unserviceable. Knobby tires aren’t a bad idea. Fatter tires are maybe a little better for riding, plus you can assume that he and his friends will find unpaved places to ride. Then he’ll appreciate knobby tires. A pad that velcros around the top tube might be appreciated.

[li]Flames and cool stickers or no?[/ul][/li]Flames and cool stickers yes! Plus maybe some letraset to put his name on the frame?

Any insights?

BMX style bikes are way sturdy. I’d recommend that as a first bike just knowing how kids are with their stuff.