Diamondback BMX Freestyle Bikes

Diamondback Mini Viper vs. RoyalBaby Freestyle vs. Torker Throttle

Your child features learned to zoom with confidence across the neighbor hood or your favorite path on a balance bicycle, and now that they’ve cultivated some inches, you think they’re ready for pedals. You can’t wait to share the delight of cruising on a bicycle—and you’re nervous to see precisely how easily your son or daughter will transition from stability bike to pedal bike.

Perhaps, like I did, at this point you headed to a big-box store in order to see what style of bicycles had been supplied there. Maybe this travel ended up being a little bit of a downer while you understood that big-box bikes are clunky, garish, crippled with instruction tires, and most certainly would not seem to be a simple transition from a balance cycle.

Dissatisfied, you turned later that night to your great solver of most life’s dilemmas, the Internet, plus one method or another found your way to Two Wheeling Tots. You believed giddy to understand exactly how many high quality bikes exist which are thoughtfully created simply for young ones, however the price tags on those bicycles were like a bucket of cold-water in the fire of pleasure. Will your budget limit your confident balancer to graduate to a bedazzled Barbie boat of a bike?

Thank heavens, the clear answer is no!

After numerous reader demands, we invested quite a bit of time with three of Amazon’s preferred 16” children’ bicycles under $200, therefore we involve some good news that doesn’t need stepping foot inside a big-box shop. While these bicycles don’t have the enhanced options that come with more-expensive bikes (such as threadless headsets and high-end components), they’re good bicycles that won’t strike a hole within wallet.

Torker Throttle Bicycle Throttle Mountain Bicycle

Ideal for either the road or a gentle trail, the Torker Throttle Mountain Bike provides good mix of upright comfort and a forward operating angle permanently control.

A popular among our testers, the Torker is lightweight, arriving at a reasonable (for the cost) 18.2 pounds. It offers an appropriate seat, big pedals, a somewhat flimsy-feeling partial string shield, and a rear coaster brake. Adjusting the chair needs a hex wrench.

In comparison to WalMart’s 16” upcoming Rocket, the Torker has a larger wheelbase, lower step-over height, and reduced, more-forward handlebars for much better control. The seat height ranges from 21”–25”.

Diamondback MiniViper BMX

Like the Torker, the MiniViper has actually just a backside coaster braking system, however it’s notably heaver at 20.8 lbs. Irrespective of a heavier framework, the biggest difference between the 2 may be the shape of the handlebars. Given that title implies, the MiniViper features more BMX-style geometry. Its more-upright handlebars were not problematic for the experienced pedalers, but might be more difficult for a new driver. Torker’s handlebars are narrower and less than the Diamondback’s. The seat level ranges from 20”–24”.

However, with an extended wheelbase, lower step-over height, and right handlebars (without angled in), the MiniViper is a massive step up from WalMart’s upcoming Rocket.

RoyalBaby BMX Freestyle

In addition to a rear coaster, brake the RoyalBaby has actually a front hand brake. The brake lever is stiff and harder to interact than on better bikes, and honestly, kids don’t make use of it much (nor should they make use of it exclusively, as that is a risk for traveling within the handlebars). Its chair is unlike any I’ve seen before, made of a somewhat squishy synthetic with a handle in the straight back, apparently for an adult to hold onto (but my back hurts just considering it!).

This has a fully-enclosed chain guard and, unlike the Torker or Diamondback, a convenient quick-release chair post. The tires tend to be additional wide, virtually two times as broad as those of all young ones’ bikes. This might atart exercising . additional security for a brand new pedaler, but additionally may have been one reason why our testers chosen to go out of it within the garage. Nevertheless, the geometry associated with the RoyalBaby is demonstrably much better than next Rocket, with more-forward handlebars and a lesser step-over height. The Freestyle can be chosen in 12″, 14″ and 18″ variations.

Evaluations

These images reveal the distinctions in riding position when it comes to various bicycles.

Important Thing

For under $200, we (and our testers) like the Torker Throttle because of its lower body weight and middle-of-the-road operating position. The Diamondback MiniViper brings in second destination, weighing significantly more than we’d like for a 16” bike, but otherwise good throughout. The RoyalBaby Freestyle has many weird functions that mainly only add volume to an already heavy framework, but it’s nonetheless a lot better than many big-box bicycles due to the better biking place.

The best place to buy

All three bicycles can be obtained on Amazon, Torker Throttle ($187 – sold-out), Diamondback Mini Viper ($110 – sold out on Amazon, offered at Dick’s) and Royal Baby 16″ Freestyle ($86). The Torker also comes in a girl’s “Wildflower” variation for $155.