[Closed] First pedal bike - to disc or not to disc?

Disk brakes are very efficient tools for chopping the ends of little pinkies off. Kids fiddle about with bikes and play with them - they're as much an activity centre as a bike to ride. The idea of disks on kids bikes - especially preschool age kids - makes me pretty queasy

Good point. Hadn’t thought about that!

Disk brakes are very efficient tools for chopping the ends of little pinkies off.

and spokes and sharp sprockets and chainrings aren't? rubbish. I think this myth about disk brakes has long since been dispelled.

Young Kids grow out of bikes really quickly and don't appreciate the tech or kit like we do. Stop thinking like an adult and realise that your daughter is probably more concerned about pink spangly paintwork and tassels on the end of the handlebars. Anything that gets them out on the bike is the important thing. Pink paintwork and handlebar tassels are more likely to get a young kid out on the bike than disk brakes and a frame construction that saves a few grams.

I got Frogs for my kids and ultimately was a waste of time. Luckily they hold their value and all have sold well so no cash wasted ultimately, but the kids couldn't give two hoots that they were frog bikes and were more worried about the colour and the kick stands. Ultimately I could have got them any old cheap thing from Halfords (just like most of their mates had) and they would have been just as over the moon.

Buy the bike your kid wants...not the bike you think you wish you'd had when you were a kid but thinking as an adult but in reality you wouldn't have wanted as a kid because you'd be more concerned about colour and tassels.

I'm with maccruiskeen on disc brakes - "upsidedown spin the pedals try and stop the wheel with your hand kind of way"

To be clear. It will have pink pedals etc!

Kids will either ride whatever you give them, or they won't. Ours shared a succession of 2nd hand Trek, Ridgeback, Spesh etc. Youngest got a Frog which held its value quite well, but we actually lost more money selling that on than we did with the others.

I don't think discs are needed when they are small, but if budget allows, fair enough. They need a say in colour etc, found it useful to show them what I'd found on eBay/Gumtree wherever, and take them with me so they could test ride and make the final "yes", but to be honest, it was a new bigger bike, they never said "no"!

If you spoil them too soon with expensive lightweight kids bikes, the harsh, heavy reality of their first adult sized 26" bikes will either be a disappointment or an expensive upgrade frenzy 😆

Think disk brakes are overkill at that age/size anyway. Kids don't have the speed or mass to warrent them.

I think this myth about disk brakes has long since been dispelled.

I know two fully grown adults who have sliced the end of a finger off while ‘maintaining’ their disc brakes! I would avoid on a young kid’s bike for that reason.

Not possible to slice your fingers with the latest Shimano roadie discs.

We have just upgraded from a belter 16 (for sale soon, in central Scotland).
With v brakes you can back off the springs in the arms and they are really easy to pull, as long as the cables are good. They have worked great for us.

Our replacement has mechanical discs and they are not fit for purpose. It just needs to much force for little hands to pull the levers. Either my old shimano hydraulic discs or a set of Clarks M2's will be going on this week.
Trouble with hydraulic's is that I know they will get damaged and its a longer, more complex repair than sticking a new cable on.

I'd get hydraulic disc unless there is a great chasm in price. The sooner kids learn to modulate, the better IMO.

+1 avoid discs for young kids

There's a reason they have chainguards on young kids bikes. They fiddle.

And wouldn't be so snobbish about Halfords . Some of their kids bikes are at least as good as the snob brands.

But better 16 with rim brakes is a very light awesome kids bike, to answer the op

Thanks for the belter 16 feedback!

rubbish. I think this myth about disk brakes has long since been dispelled.

I think you're confusing the argument about disk in road bike crashes. The 'spokes' of disk against the calliper are a very effective sheer. But unlike your garden sheers they're connected to a flywheel. Theres plenty of other snag and crush options on a bike but nothing quite as effective in its action as a disk.

There are no shortage of 'adults' on this forum who've found that out the hard way 🙂

I'd say discs aren't good value for money at that age. There's a good chance they'll grow out of a bike before you even have to change the brake blocks!

I know two fully grown adults who have sliced the end of a finger off while ‘maintaining’ their disc brakes!

Fiddling, and grease and oil on a kids bike. Discs not needed.

Both my kids grab the brakes and stop dead instantly for any and every reason. ...and frequently for no reason. I'm riding along behind supervising so I've avoided disk brakes purely to give myself an extra 1/4 second braking time. This is with kids between the ages of 2 1/2 and 7 years. Wanting better brakes than them [1] was a big enough factor that I never considered any other factors!

The unexpected advantage of this is I've learned how to adjust/maintain V Brakes properly - a skill I never perfected when I was using them myself!

[1] When I say better brakes I mean 'technically' better brakes. Obvs a 2 stone toddler with V's can easily outbrake a 14st adult with discs. A 2 stone toddler with V's can stop instantly.

I don’t think discs are needed when they are small

I don't think discs are needed at any age. I've got some new-fangled V brakes on my current favourite "steed".

I’d get hydraulic disc unless there is a great chasm in price. The sooner kids learn to modulate, the better IMO

I can't work out whether this is meant to be taken seriously or not...

But are discs really needed?

I can't imagine the aero advantages are going to be much of a factor at the sort of speeds they'll be travelling. Also much worse in cross-winds, their handling skills might not be up to it.

I got Frogs for my kids and ultimately was a waste of time. Luckily they hold their value and all have sold well so no cash wasted ultimately, but the kids couldn’t give two hoots that they were frog bikes and were more worried about the colour and the kick stands. Ultimately I could have got them any old cheap thing from Halfords (just like most of their mates had) and they would have been just as over the moon.

The problem with this statement is you don't have a meaningful control group. Your Halfords tat would have sold for £15. Would that have been a waste? You've no real reference how much it would have been used if you had gone that route. Certainly though, its clear that when it comes to riding your bike places, rather than playing in the street/park the lighter bike, with kid friendly brakes will be more likely to get used. IME (of both options) they are also easier to maintain - so its more likely the brakes etc work when you bring it out the shed.

Coming back to the OP's question - if those disks actually work better I'd be concerned that little ones will be more likely to go over the bars. They can already manage that with rim brakes, and they won't be used to the control it needs. Perhaps not your child if they learn the feel quickly - but the first kid they lend it to.

The problem with this statement is you don’t have a meaningful control group. Your Halfords tat would have sold for £15. Would that have been a waste? You’ve no real reference how much it would have been used if you had gone that route.

I had to give our Halfords bike to a charity shop, no buyers. (...and I really liked it. The frame was a bit heavy but that only worked out as 10pc more weight than a frog. ...But zero resale value even in very good nick.)

Agree it's all totally unpredictable:

12 inch Halfords Apollo bought new and passed between siblings:

Child 1: showed no interest, learned to ride at 4 when she was already too big for it and new bike immediately sourced, wished I'd accepted the rusty wreck a mate offered for free.

Child 2: Learned to ride at 2 1/2 did hundreds of off road miles on it, wished I'd bought something far nicer.

We have a Belter 16 on rim brakes and a Belter 20 on cable discs. Neither have been an issue for the little riders or for maintenance, but the discs are certainly "better" once they get out onto steeper, longer hills. But for a very first pedal bike I don't think it matters as long as the brakes actually work. So I wouldn't stress over it too much. The Belter bikes themselves are great.