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Cleary Bikes’ Decent Kids Mountain Bikes That Won’t Break The Bank

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Cleary-2

Remember that feeling of freedom as a kid? Bikes empower kids to learn about our world in a way that is free of a screen. Cleary Bikes recognizes that kids become engaged when they have the independence to ride around wherever they choose.

Designed to be fun, not stressful and scary, Cleary bikes roll smooth, quiet and provide a thrill for kids. The 4 bikes that have really cool names, Owl, Hedgehog, Gecko and Starfish. The intent with the bikes was to make them simple enough to last through the abuse a kid can inflict, yet also be enough of a “real bike” to teach them proper riding techniques and keep the weight down.

Check out the specs, colors and prices after the break…

Cleary-Owl CLeary-Owl-Blue

The Owl is for the older kids, with 20″ wheels, but weighing only 19.1lbs. Cleary concentrated on building the bikes as durable and simple as possible, so it will work well, and for a long time on the trail, half-pipe or on the way to school. The Owl comes in blue or grey for $325

FEATURES –

  • Front and rear hand brakes, ships with flat handle bars
  • Slim, junior race-style saddle designed to maximize a rider’s range of motion while minimizing chafing and weight
  • 5mm Allen skewer on front wheel
  • Internal cable routing
  • Three-piece crank, Square taper bottom bracket
  • Reinforced steel fork
  • Single speed drivetrain with removable chain guard
  • Grips, handlebars and brake levers designed for small hands; slightly larger than on the Starfish and Gecko
  • Bike geometry centers the rider’s weight between his or her hands and seat, which creates a stable, quick-handling bike
  • 32×19 gear ratio
  • Comes in Easy Grey and Cleary Blue

Cleary-Hedgehog CLeary-4

The Hedgehog weighs in at just 16lbs with 16″ wheels. It is available in cream and orange for $285

FEATURES –

  • Front and rear hand brakes
  • Slim, junior race-style bike saddle designed to maximize a rider’s range of motion while minimizing chafing
  • 5mm Allen skewer on front wheel
  • Internal cable routing
  • Three-piece crank; Square taper bottom bracket
  • Single speed drivetrain with removable chain guard
  • Grips, handlebars and brake levers designed for small hands; slightly larger than on the Starfish and Gecko
  • Bike geometry centers the rider’s weight between his or her hands and seat, creating a stable, agile bike.

Cleary-3 Cleary-Gecko

The smallest of the models with a drivetrain, the 12″ wheeled Gecko is an amazing 15.8lbs. Selling for $245, it is available in cream and green

FEATURES – 

  • Front and rear hand brakes and Coaster brake
  • Slim, junior race-style bike saddle designed to maximize a rider’s range of motion while minimizing chafing and weight
  • 5mm Allen skewer on front wheel
  • Three-piece crank; Square taper bottom bracket
  • Internal cable routing
  • Single speed drivetrain with removable chain guard
  • Grips, handlebars and brake levers designed for small hands
  • Bike geometry designed to provide early riders with ample room to stand over the seat or top tube with two hands on the handlebars, and feet on the pedals or toes on the ground

Cleary-1 Cleary-Starfish

The smallest of the models, the Starfish does not have a drivetrain. Designed as a kick bike, it has 12″ wheels, and is $205.

FEATURES –

  • 5mm Allen skewer on front wheel
  • Fully adjustable saddle and handlebars will last at least one growth spurt
  • Semi-slick tires
  • Slim, junior race-style bike saddle designed to maximize a rider’s range of motion while minimizing chafing
  • 5mm Allen bolt on rear wheel
  • Internal cable routing
  • Grips, handlebars and brake levers designed for the littlest hands
  • Bike geometry designed to comfortably position first-time riders with two hands on the handlebars, seat on the saddle and feet on the ground
  • Variable speed, Fred Flintstone style

All Cleary Bikes arrive 99% assembled. This is a pretty nice feature to prevent most home mechanic dads from trying to adjust the brakes with a pipe wrench.

www.clearybikes.com

 

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myles mc c
9 years ago

gears mess up kids progress. both my kids are now back on single speed to focus on skill development and braking…and joy

Matt
Matt
9 years ago

OK, I’ll bite – What is the main problem with all the other bikes on the market that *don’t* teach proper riding technique?

I’ll be honest. To me they look like normal bikes with a Farrow & Ball paint job, and suitable price adjustment. But maybe I’m something.

Andrew
Andrew
9 years ago

We bought one of these for my son a few months ago. Super nice bike for my 4 year old. The Cleary 16inch bike weighs less than his 12″ Trek. It looks as sharp in person as it does in the marketing images. Components and construction quality are on par with its looks. It is a great alternative to the Walmart/Trek/Huffy/etc kids bike landscape. We look forward to getting the 20″ version as he grows.

JasonK
JasonK
9 years ago

Matt: Most kids’ bikes weigh at least half what the kid does and are poorly scaled down. They don’t fit well, they handle like crap and they’re monstrously heavy, at least proportionally. Mostly, they have Ashtabula cranks, coaster brakes and (often) steel rims. Saddles are often poorly proportioned as well.

I know…my kids are stuck with bikes like that.

How would a 150-lb man like riding a 75-lb bike? Probably about as much as a 45-lb kid likes riding a 23-lb bike.

These aren’t cheap, but they’re not insanely overpriced for what you get, as far as I can tell. I totally want these for my kids.

Al
Al
9 years ago

Yep, most 20″ kids bikes weigh at least 10 pounds more. For little kids, that’s a HUGE weight difference. Combine that with higher gearing, and most little ones give up at the slightest incline. That’s no way to instill a love of riding in young ones. Or at least that’s might thought.

Roy
Roy
9 years ago

Having raised kids on bikes, these are superior to the crap the big companies put out. LIghter and with proper geometry. Look at the HAngles of kids bikes! Not even NORBA geo in 1987 was that steep! With multiple kids you can move the bike kid to kid which makes these reasonable prices seem down right cheap. These things will last for years. NO, I have nothing to do with this company or know anything about them, but I do know about raising kids to ride bikes. I will be sending this link to a friend who just yesterday was going to buy his son a bike for Christmas and was complaining about the heavy steep angled junk at the IBDS

Wolfman
Wolfman
9 years ago

Yeah, I’m down with these. Square taper BB and some decent hubs would do wonders for the majority of the kids bikes out there. I also like standard front and rear handbrakes when they’re ready for it.

B
B
9 years ago

Awesome weight and spec
Front QR position – ugh
Great ride for the kids

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