What were those heavy steel-framed kids bicycles called that they had in schools back in the early 80s?

dutchboy80

Not BMX-- they were made completely of solid metal (even the seats) and were very "clunky". A lot of kindergartens had them for the kids to use at recess.

Answer
Hm. There was no such thing as a commercially produced mountain bike until about 1985, so I'm going to assume that is not what you mean.

The predecessor of a mountain bike was called a "clunker" which were made out of older balloon-tired bikes. Then there was the "lightweight" which included a variety of different bikes including the Schwinn Varsity, many different 24" and 26" wheeled bikes with single speed, 3 speed, 5 speed and 10 speed... some even had 12 speed!

Of course, there was the 20" bike which included BMX bikes and those called by a variety of names including "high rise", "spyder" and "Sting Ray" models.

All of the bikes of this era and prior were heavy compared to today, but in my opinion much more care was taken to machine and assemble them which makes some of those 30 and 40 pound bikes MUCH friendlier and more efficient than many 20 pounders today.

How can a college kid make some quick cash?

Summer's D

Guys, there are a lot of things that I really want to purchase. For example, Iâve got a coupon from Gamestop that will let my buy Assassinâs Creed 1, 2, and Brotherhood for $50. Not bad, right? But I donât have $50. And the coupon expires August 7th.

I also need to buy a pair of costume pirate boots from Amazon by mid-August.

Now, Iâm a poor college student. I donât have a job (yet) despite all my efforts to find one. I know that there are alternative ways to make some cash quick, but I need help and suggestions.

No, âprostitutionâ isnât a funny or clever answer.

Answer
Why not consider picking up dog droppings as a part of your own business? You can earn upwards of $20 an hour, and all you need are a few tools a bicycle, and perhaps a bicycle trailer. This article talks about it and how a woman in Colorado quit her management job to do it.
http://squidoo.com/TeenJobsInABadEconomy
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Bicycle sizes?

Elbert

I have a boy that's soon to be 8. He is an average sized kid and my wife and I are thinking about getting a bike for his birthday. The problem is, we don't know diddly about how to fit a bike for him. There isn't a bike store that we can go to for him to try one out and that would definitely spoil his birthday surprise! So how are bikes sized and which one would be ideal for his age? Thanks.

Answer
I would stick with a 20 inch bmx style bike.
That is highly recommended. An 8 year old son would probably put a lot of wear and tear on a bike. But, bmx bicycles are made to take a beating and can withstand a lot more than other types of bike. So, that should be ideal for him and, to make it even better, by having a stronger bike, (bmx) you save yourself from fixing many strenuous annoying repairs that without the right tools, can be pretty expensive to fix. (THIS IS MORE COMMON WITH BIKES THAT AREN'T BMX.)
When I was 8 years old, I had a 20 inch bmx bike. It fit me fine, and I was actually quite short at the time. I grew into it a little bit more, fit me perfectly and lasted me many years.

To save yourself from spoiling the surprise, you are frankly just way better off with a 20 inch. bmx bike.

I guarantee you that's the kind he would want. That's the kind of bike that's popular among the youth now a days. Plus, if for some odd reason he is un-capable of reaching the pedals, you can always simply adjust the height of the seat.

I recommend these 3 brands which you can find in practically any store that sells bikes. "Mongoose" very strong, been around for many years. "NEXT" very durable as well. And of course, "Schwinn".

I hope this helped you out on the selection of a bike for your son, a bicycle is a great gift.

How do you straighten a bicycle wheel? 20 inch kids bike.?

iceman2

Answer
If it has spokes - there is a small tool you can buy that twists a small nut type flange at the outer wheel side of the spokes tighten on the ones that you want to pull with and loosen the opposite ones (close by not on opposite side of wheel entirely) accordingly - it's not hard - you'll figure it out.

just be patient and thorough and you can get it very straight even as a beginner.

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How do you straighten a bicycle wheel? 20 inch kids bike.?

iceman2

Answer
If it has spokes - there is a small tool you can buy that twists a small nut type flange at the outer wheel side of the spokes tighten on the ones that you want to pull with and loosen the opposite ones (close by not on opposite side of wheel entirely) accordingly - it's not hard - you'll figure it out.

just be patient and thorough and you can get it very straight even as a beginner.

Is it legal for a kid to ride a home made motorized bicycle?

Simon

My friend and i are working on building a motorized bike with a Schwinn Chopper bike and a weed-eater motor (25 cc) and we are wandering if we can legally ride it on public streets.
I live in Florida

Answer
This all depends on your local laws. You don't say where you live so I can't give a specific answer.

In some locations you can ride a motorized bicycle on the street if the engine can not move the bicycle faster than 20 MPH.

Other locations don't allow this at all.

If you live in the United States see the link below. Click on your state. Find the link for "Other Types". This will give you information on the scooter and moped laws in your state. These laws will also usually have information about motorized bicycles.

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Is it legal for a kid to ride a home made motorized bicycle?

Simon

My friend and i are working on building a motorized bike with a Schwinn Chopper bike and a weed-eater motor (25 cc) and we are wandering if we can legally ride it on public streets.
I live in Florida

Answer
This all depends on your local laws. You don't say where you live so I can't give a specific answer.

In some locations you can ride a motorized bicycle on the street if the engine can not move the bicycle faster than 20 MPH.

Other locations don't allow this at all.

If you live in the United States see the link below. Click on your state. Find the link for "Other Types". This will give you information on the scooter and moped laws in your state. These laws will also usually have information about motorized bicycles.

Are the kids in Japan spoiled?

Dyana

What kind of cars do kids in Japan drive? and what age do they get their first car? I heard that alot of them spend alot of money on designer clothes and gadgets....

Answer
It depends on a family. All Japanese people are not rich. But that doesn't mean that they can't send their kids to, for example, America to have them study in a four year college because the tuition in America is not that bad. Usually people in the middle class can afford to send their kids to overseas.

Anyway, usually many kids in the middle class get a part time job when they are in a high school. But the reason why they get the job is that they want to buy something for themselves: designer brand wallets, designer brand handbags, latest gadets and so on. But the high school that I went to didn't allow students to get a part-time job so I couldn't work. So when I needed money to buy something, I just asked my mom to give me some money.

And normally, Japanese kids can't drive their car until they turn 18 years old because of the law. But of course some rich kids get their first car before they turn 18. My friend's brother got his first car when he was 17 years old. And it was a brand new Mercedes Benz. But my friend's parents are rich so I don't want you to think that all Japanese kids get that kind of car as their first car. Well, usually lots of Japanese kids take a bus and train and/or ride a bicycle. That's the typical transportation for many Japanese kids and actually adult people, too.

But because they don't own a car, they have money to buy designer brand stuff. It's not uncommon to see Japanese people who take a bus and train and ride a bicycle carry designer brand stuff.

And usually many Japanese people get their first car after they turn 18 or 20 years old or after they are obviously permitted lawfully to get their driver's license. Well, I actually don't have a driver's license in Japan because it's very expensive to get a driver's licence there. But since I'll live in the states for the rest of my life( or maybe I'm going to live in a different country??? I don't know...), I don't really need a driver's licence there but here in the states where I could get my driver's licence for $20 dollars( well..I got my driver's license more than 10 years ago...). Anyway, my brother took his driver's license before he graduated from a four year college in Tokyo and it cost him about $3000 dollars. So getting a driver's licence is not cheap in Japan. That's why, some people who can't afford to get a driver's licence don't have a car but take a bus and train and/or ride a bicycle. And typical Japanese college students from the middle class don't own a car but a bicycle or moped.

And two of the most popluar cars among young adults these days in Japan are Toyota Corolla and Honda Fit. But I want you to know that a typical middle class family owns only one or two cars since they usually don't have a house with a huge parking space ( well, if one household has more than one car or two cars, that means their adult kids still live with them or they usually have a job that needs tracks and/or vans or they live in a country side where more parking space is available for cheaper prices or they are farmers).

Anyway, my answer for your question is that typical Japanese kids from the middle class are not spoiled but rich kids are usually spoiled.

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How much should I pay for a used bicycle?

best 20 kids bicycle image

Madelynn

I don't need anything fancy. I just need it to get around to nearby places like the library and the record store, since I'm only 14 and can't drive.

Again, nothing fancy.

How much should I pay for a used bicycle in decent condition?

Answer
This is a good question, but it is hard to answer. There are an incredible number of factors that will influence how much you will have to pay for a bike. I always found getting a bargain really is a matter of how much time and effort you are willing to put into the pursuit. If you need something right now, you usually will pay top dollar. If you have time and are willing to spend some effort looking around you can scout out all sort of deals.

Here is what I've noticed about bicycle prices. A 2 to 5 year old bike should never sell for more than half the price of a comparable new one. Older bikes can be easily had for $20-$50, but may need some work to get on the road. (Tires and brake pads often need to be replaced, but these are pretty cheap and easy to deal with.) The more someone simply wants to get a bike out of their house, the less it will cost. Nearly every one who has kids has a couple of old bikes collecting dust in the garage that they may want to get rid of.

Here are the places to find a decent used bike:

- bike store expect to pay top dollar
- used bike cooperative - lots of places have cooperatives that rebuild and sell bikes
- thrift store
- police and/or town sales of abandoned and stolen/recovered bikes
- craigslist.com
- neighbors - try sticking a note in all of your neighbors mailboxes or doors stating you are looking for a decent used bike. (You may get one for free.)

Good luck and happy hunting.

Why the government is so slow in building bicycle trails for people to commute?

d o

Why the government is so slow in building bicycle trails for people to commute which will significantly reduce our dependence of foreign oil and global warming? This also gives people chance to excercise.

Answer
Most people are under the mistaken belief that politicians are community leaders. This is far from the truth. Politicians respond to topical events so they can be seen to be doing something. (I'm a cynic but I think they also like to make a few quid on the side)

Cycling has two great allies at the moment Global warming and obesity. There has been no better time than now for the cycling community to take the bull by the horns and get out there and lobby.

I'm more familiar with statistics in my own country.From the little I've been able to dig up on the U.S. and the U.K. , there seems to be large parallels.

One bicycle is sold each year for every 20 people in the population.

25% of the adult population (over fifteen) will ride a bicycle at least once a year. Less that 8% will ride more than once a week.

The number of cyclists has risen dramatically in the last few years.

Every politician all over the world knows the value of keeping lobby groups happy.

Cyclists represent larger percentages of the population than many very effective lobby groups.

It is hard to co-ordinate an effective lobby group when cycling is so splintered you have roadies, mountain bikers, bmx, flatland, track/velodrome, and there are competition riders, social riders, commuters and kids all fighting between each other trying to get the few scraps that come our way.

If anybody cares to start a world wide lobby group solely aimed at getting more people cycling it has my support.

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What are my best options for toting three kids around with my bike?

best 20 kids bicycle image

B

Is there a trailer for 3 kids? Would it be ok to have a "trail-a-bike" type option then connect a trailer to that? Or get a child seat plus the trailer? Kids are 4 mos, 2.5 yrs, and 5 yrs old.. The 5 yr old can ride a bike, but very slowly and not very far.. Thanks!

Answer
You have a few option, although I agree with those who mention 4 mos may be a little young for any kind of biking. The only way I would bike with infants is if I can either carry them very close to me, or if I can strap them into a reclined seat where they don't have to fully support their head while going over bumps etc.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bend,OR&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.460237,67.763672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bend,+Deschutes,+Oregon&ll=44.05157,-121.315155&spn=0.28771,0.529404&t=h&z=11 Front mounted seat.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FIH0EG?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwgalttechco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FIH0EG Top Bar Mounted

In Denmark they often ride with the youngest in a front basket or cargo bay laying down in blankets.

I've tried my kids in trailers at 9 mos and found it didn't work for me with any of them because I couldn't watch how they were doing and couldn't attend to their needs at all without stopping, dismounting etc. AND until over a year they didn't do well enough with head control. The trailers actually ride fairly jouncy and bumpy because the kids are sitting right on top of the wheels.

Moving on....

I have seen people do the tag along and the trailer, but for regular use it seems to long and unwieldy to me.

I'd go the cargo bike / long tail route: Madsen Cycles has a model that seats 4 with seat belts (takes the optional extra seat to get to 4 - standard is 2) http://www.madsencycles.com/
A review of cargo bikes: http://www.metaefficient.com/bicycles/longtail-bikes-a-review-and-buying-guide.html
And Riding triple on a long tail http://surfabike.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/mundo_bilby_side_m-preview1-jpg.jpeg

How do I install training wheels around a rear derailleur on a 20" bike?

StanleyLiv

Just purchased Wald training wheels for kids bike (16" to 26"). The right side has a gear derailleur on it, which extends further than the axle. I can't put the training wheel bar on the axle since I don't have clearance.

Can this axle be extended out farther somehow?

Answer
There are better ways to learn how to ride a bike. Remove the pedals and lower the saddle so they can flat foot on the ground and push them self around and learn to steer. Then try coasting down a small slop with the feet down and then lifting the feet. Next replace the pedals and gradually raise the saddle.

http://www.wikihow.com/Ride-a-Bicycle

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