RALEIGHBikes Rowdy 16/20/24 Kids Bike for Boys and Girls

This bike has amazing value and if it is within your budget for your child and you want to step up to significantly better quality without significantly higher price, this is the ultimate sweet spot IMO. It is a HUGE step up from Walmart/Target/Dicks bikes and despite what a few LBS owners on here are claiming (maybe some margin bias?), a friend with his own LBS has confirmed that this bike has excellent value on par with what he sells. I priced this with some of his own inventory, including Cleary, etc., and for what you get, he recommended to go with this bike. I don't have anything against owning a Huffy, Schwinn, Kent, etc. variety from Walmart/Target, and growing up, that's what I learned on. However, if you have the option to spend a little more for a better quality bike that makes the transition from pedal/coaster brake single-speed 16" to a handbrake and 6spd, this bike will allow for better long-term investment and much better ride for your little one. The biggest benefit outside of improved frame and components is the weight savings compared to cheaper bikes. With an overall weight of 21lbs reported on multiple sites, though I didn't independently verify, seems fairly accurate. You just can't get that weight range in this price point.It has many favorable qualities for a 6-10 y/o in the 20" category and works as a great beginner mountain bike that can easily transition to the road. It matches up very favorably against high-end kid specific brands like the Cleary Owl 3spd 20", for much less than even their single speed, and while not quite as nice as the likes of Spawn, Prevelo, Guardian, or Woom, it also gets you 90% of the way there for more then half the price of many of those! It is also 3+lbs lighter than the lowest tier Trek options like the Precaliber 20", and while that's a nice durable bike, this is $120 cheaper minimum. The Precaliber has a front suspension, but at this age, the fork is complete junk and only exists for aesthetics at the cost of extra weight. I would take the weight savings over the fake suspension any day.If you are looking for a solid value bike that gives you mostly quality components, relatively lightweight frame, threadless stem, and Shimano 1x6spd with dual hand breaks, this bike is a great transition bike. I hesitate to spend $400+ on a bike that my child will at max only use for 3 years, but wouldn't hesitate to spend the $80-120 extra over the Walmart/Target/Dicks varieties. If you have "hand-me-down" aspirations, this bike would be perfect. It offers better components, better frame, better weight savings, and with a decent assembly and tune, can provide years of joy. Two-wheeling Tots has this bike listed as their "Best Value" bike in the 20" category and I can easily see why.The few things I don't like about this bike are:-The aggressive stance means my son sits/leans forward quite a bit in a permanent attack position. My son picked up on it quickly, but it is still a little more aggressive than I would have preferred for 7 y/o. It also means that long rides are a little more tiresome. The handlebar grips are on very securely (someone else said theirs was coming off), but, much like others mentioned, aren't very comfy. However, it has a threadless stem and aluminum handlebar and is easy to swap out to a less aggressive handlebar if desired with around a $10-15 investment. Otherwise, no complaints so far.For the price, there really isn't anything to complain about. This bike oozes the "cool" look for my son with the black and orange, which his friends have been envious of, while also being from a reputable brand with solid build. The shifters aren't great, but very easy to work and appropriate for this age. Brakes work perfectly fine after adjusting, and the wheels were relatively true.Great value intro 20" bike, do not hesitate if its in your budget.

Got this bike for my 41" tall 4-year-old who's outgrown his starting 12" bike.Color is closer to yellow than green, but still looks fine.Assembly was very easy, despite Raleigh's best attempts. I figured out all the major steps without any bike maintaining experience. About an hour total, taking my time. It comes with an "assembly guide" which isn't very comprehensive, and only covers adult bikes - you have to read between the lines to adapt it to this bike. That said, it's pretty simple to figure out - drop the seat post into its slot and tighten, put the handlebars where handlebars look like they should go and tighten, put the front wheel on and attach brake lines.That said, not having any experience with it I still had to pay a bit to take it to a bike shop and have it tuned up correctly - brake pads adjusted into place, tension on the lines just right, etc. Now that I've seen it, maybe I could do it myself next time, but I might also ask whether it would cost about the same to just have a shop assemble it.Finally, my kid's pretty short for his age - 41". He got frustrated and wanted to quit when I first put him on it, because it was very hard for him to mount and get started even with the seat all the way down. I had to cut about 1.75" off the bottom of the seat post to let it go all the way down, and now it's just barely short enough for him (plenty of room to grow into!). I don't think that'll be much of a problem with maximum height, though, as he'll need to be on to bigger bikes anyway by the time he gets that tall.With the seat post trimmed and everything tuned up by the shop, the kid absolutely loves it. Moving up to this from a stupid coaster brake is excellent, and he took to the hand brake immediately with no issues. The wide handlebars look like they give him a little better control, and the aggressive seat position works out well for him. He's much happier to have a larger bike that lets him go faster.

I’m an avid cyclist and former bike shop mechanic. I do all my own bike repairs. We bought the 20” for our 7-year-old son on his birthday. I think he should be able to ride it until he’s about 9. The fit’s a bit “old school”, not modern “long, low and slack”. What that means is that his weight is centered forward a bit more than I’d like, but that’s probably not all that important for this age group. It puts him in an attacking position, which he likes, but also makes it easy to get in trouble if he relies on the front brake too much, especially on steep downhills. He’s already gone down once, and although I didn’t see it, what he described sounded like grabbing too much front brake. I learned on XC-style mountain bikes, so he can too.Assembly was typical for a boxed bike. I opened up the headset and added some grease. It wasn’t completely dry but a bit more could help. The wheels were reasonably true. I’ll true them and check the bearings in a couple of months. The bottom bracket was a mess. I noticed some catching when I rotated the cranks, which continued after I removed the chain. When I removed the cranks and bottom bracket, I found the shell was full of metal shavings. They would have destroyed the bearings pretty quickly. I cleaned everything out and regreased.I like the thin handlebars and grips; they’re great for small hands, though the grips tend to slide off easily. I’ll have to find a way to “glue” them into place. The brake levers can also be adjusted in for small hands, though you then have less pull available before the levers bottom out on the bars. The “Grip Shift” style shifters are OK; about what you’d expect at this price point. The rear derailleur is junk. I didn’t realize Shimano made such low-end stuff. I replaced it with a short-cage 105 derailleur I had lying around and the difference is amazing. I recommend the upgrade. Similar derailleurs can be had for about $30.All in all it’s about what I expected at this price. At about 20lbs it’s a lot lighter than his other bike and gets him accustomed to hand brakes and shifting.

4 year old is able to rip on this thing! Great value considering other similar bikes on the market. Other bikes have gotten so expensive for kids, but this thing is more than what kids at 4 should need and at a much more reasonable price

I’ve bought both a full-size Raleigh bike and a Raleigh Rowdy 16. I love the aesthetic and performance of them; however, both that I’ve ordered have had defects. The first had a part of the paint on the bike chipped. The company was able to offer a partial credit for that. The more recent one had a flat tube. Frustrating experience from an overall good product. Need better QC in my opinion. Be sure to check your bike fully when you do buy it.