There are literally hundreds of brands of kids bike choices. We at the Super Cool Bike Shop only carry what we would feel comfortable putting our own loved ones on. We take great pride and care in every bike we build. In addition to meticulous building standards, we stock all of the necessary safety equipment any adult or child would need. Whether you buy a bike from us or not, there are some things to be conscious of.

One problem for the consumer is that most of kids bikes are being sold at stores where you can’t trust the employees to know the difference between coaster brakes and side-pull brakes, such as Walmart, Target, Sports Authority and Toys R Us; and they similarly don’t know very much about the quality of bikes on the showroom floor. A second problem is often these same employees assemble the bikes — with no formal training as bike mechanics — so even a good bike may be assembled wrong, making for a potentially less safe bicycle. Given the circumstances, when buying a bike from Walmart, Sports Authority or like stores, caveat emptor!

Even though kids bikes are small, to get the same quality in the bearings, machining, assembly, finishes and lightness as an adult bike, they would cost about the same. But kids are expected to out grow their bikes in a year or two, so not many parents are willing to spend $300, $600 or $900 on a bike for their child. Hence, you generally won’t find kids’ bikes with the same quality found in adult bikes, although they exist. Don’t be surprised if your kid’s bike weighs more than your own. Manufacturers such as Fuji, Jamis, and SE do offer high quality, reliable bikes for $150 – $300.

Purchasing a bicycle for your child is exciting for both parents and kids. A bicycle is your child’s first vehicle and it’s one of a child’s first steps to independence and healthy transportation. Kids are usually most interested in the look and color of the bike (well, most adults are too). But remember, the bike is a vehicle not just a toy. As the parent, it’s your job to help your child find the right size and style of bicycle.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when shopping for a bike:

Fit should be your first priority. Don’t buy a bike that is too big for your child with the rationalization that they will “grow into it.” You don’t buy sneakers 3 sizes too big, do you? It will be easier for your child to control a bike that fits properly. Better control of the bicycle means that he or she will be safer.
When buying a bike, do these simple checks for proper fit:

Get a bike simple enough for your child to handle. Some kids have trouble with handbrakes or multiple gears. Only buy a bike your child is comfortable using. Listen to his or her concerns because your child is often the best judge of what feels right. Don’t get something fancy with the hopes he or she will keep up with you on the road or trail.

Buy a bike suited for the type of cycling your child will be doing. There are many styles of bikes and having the appropriate kind is important. For instance, a one-speed BMX-style bike won’t be much fun for cycling any distances on the trails or roads.

Be sure to test-ride the bike. You wouldn’t dream of buying a car without taking it for a test spin, would you? To properly check fit and control, your child needs to test-ride the bike.
Shop at your local bike shop. Bicycle shops typically sell higher-quality bikes at competitive prices and will stand behind their products. In the long run, a better-quality bicycle will save you money on replacement parts and repairs. A good bicycle will last for years and, with good maintenance, can be sold once your child has outgrown it. A bike from a bicycle shop has also been properly assembled and is therefore safer. For instance, an improperly assembled jumping bike may literally fall apart during use.

Buy a properly fitting helmet. Helmets can significantly reduce the chance of a head injury in a crash, but only if they fit right. To make sure the helmet fits properly, learn with your child how to do the Eyes, Ears and Mouth Test and have him or her check the helmet fit every time he or she puts it on. It is the law for bicyclists 15 and under that they must wear a helmet at all times. Higher-quality helmets ($30 and up) will be much easier to adjust. Let your kids pick out a model they like to help them take ownership (will make it easier to get them to wear it). Be a good role model by wearing a helmet yourself every time you ride.

To review, a properly-fitted, high-quality bicycle is safer. Investing a little time and money will go a long way to make sure your child has a healthy means of recreation and transportation! Have a great time!

Ciamillo Cycling Products are handmade in CNC Workshop in Nicholson, Georgia, USA. Click here to read more about them: Ciamillo

Jake and Chris both have been running the Zero Gravity Zero G Brakes for a bit and have nothing but high praise.

Offering various models, you have the choice of Stainless Steal or Titanium hardware to save those few extra grams. Often compared to Shimano Dura Ace brakes, they provide equal or better stopping power, weigh less as well as cost less; especially when factoring in the cost of Dura Ace 7900 brake levers which are required. The red brakes pictured above are the highly coveted, rare Red Devil Special Edition Zero G brakes, only 666 of them ever made. Want something unique for yourself? Ciamillo offers fully custom Zero G Brakes.

More from Ciamillo about what gives their brakes great power and feel.

The precise modulation and dynamic leveraging of the Ciamillo cam allows for tighter drafting and will literally change the way you race. There’s more to the story than Ciamillo’s ramping leverage – it puts leverage, rate, and travel where it’s needed. On a road bike, there’s a finite amount of cable pull and leverage coming from your lever at the bar. That road caliper designers do with available input is a balancing act. Along with the stiffness, strength, and geometry of materials this balancing act determines the performance of raod brakes. There are three things to balance in caliper design – travel, rate, and leverage. High-leverage brakes usually suffer low travel distance and rate while high travel brakes usually suffer low leverage resulting in lack of braking power. Racing requires a considerable gap between the pad and rim in the event the wheel gets bumped from true. For this, adequate travel is a must. In addition, racers want a high rate of travel for tighter drafting with feather brake changes that are snappy with no delay between lightning fast reflexes and rim contact. High-leverage conventional brakes have neither the travel to close a large gap nor the rate to be highly responsive. Conventional designs give the calipers a balance of rate, travel, and leverage without maximizing any of these parameters.

All dual pivot and single pivot conventional brakes balance these design parameters with a set value for all three that is static – rate, travel, and leverage are constant. Unlike the static natures of conventional brakes, the Ciamillo cam allows for dynamic rate, travel, and leverage. This dynamic nature allows the input to be maximized for all three parameters at the proper time. It puts high-travel/low-leverage at the beginning of the pull – this allows for rapid response brake feathering needed for tight drafting. As the pull of the lever progresses the travel and rate slow and leverage ramps up. When the lever enters the range of 60-80% pull to the bar on a Ciamillo brake, the leverage is ramped to well over 2.5 to 1 and approaches 3.0 to 1 at full lock. The lower leverage and high-travel rate at the beginning of the pull allows for lightning fast response times when feathering and the high leverage generation later in the pull allows for powerful emergency braking. This gives the racer the confidence to draft tighter. Ciamillo brakes dynamically maximize rate, travel, and leverage where you need it and it will iterally change the way you race.