$125 kids bike good quality?

My little sis wants to start getting into bike (just plain road biking with me). But we aren't willing to spend $200 on it. Maybe like $150. So..what brand? She is a girl, 4'9 and 9 years old. Thanks, God bless. PS. Not willing either to get a cheap Walmart one either to wait till she outgrows it.

Speaking from experience, go to a bike shop. My son destroyed a couple of cheap ones and the bike shop bike was money well spent. I spent around $150, so it wasn't really more than a more expensive, box store bike, but the difference was that EVERY part could be replaced so I wouldn't have to buy a new bike if he broke something.

Turns out he never needed a part replacement on that one (save for tubes and tires which any bike will need) and he rode it about 5 years before it was stolen. It had a BMX type frame and the kids don't outgrow those as quickly as a road or mountain bike frame.

I forget what brand, but frankly the bike shops don't want to carry junk and a lesser known brand may offer a better value.

The alternative is to figure out what size road bike she needs, then hunt out craigslist or the equivalent for a used one. Kid's grow quick so getting used equipment in good shape is easy.

Good luck.

It depends on what you are going to use the bike for. If it is going to be ridden daily and have a lot of miles put on it then go to a bike shop and get a quality bike. Even if you have to pay a little more you will be happier. However, if you are only going to ride it once in a while and only plan on going short distances at slow speeds, then a department store bike will probably do just fine.

You're best bet is to look at bike shops for used kid's bike . I would reccomend the Fuji Ace 24 ($380 new) if you can find one used. It can be hard to find a bike smaller than 50cm, especially a used one. Check at the larger bike stores in your area, they may know somone who is looking to sell a bike that meets your needs. You can look at different websites like bikesdirect.com but you have to do some assembly on those bikes if that bothers you.