e-bikes for kids: buy or build?

[revvr]

I need to set up my 4 year old with an e-bike of some sort. We live in an area with a lot of hills. While he is young and has energy, I cannot reasonably ask him to pedal up the hills at 2 mph as I zoom past him on my Aventure, even though I can barely do 10-12 mph climbing these hills with pedal assist on a 750W motor.

I've started to look for a bike for him, but the prospect of buying an e-bike only to have him outgrow it in 1-2 years is not great. Then I thought it might be better to buy a kit and adapt cheaper bicycles as he outgrows them, so I just move the kit from bike to bike as time progresses.

However, the reason why I got the Aventure is because I didn't have to put anything together. Went in there, whipped out my card and had a fully assembled bike in my truck.

Are there any reasonably priced kits for kids out there that I can use that are relatively easy to set up? Is there another direction that I should be looking in?

 

[harryS]

I've been thinking about this for my granddaughter, complicated by the law saying she is too young to ride an ebike in Illinois. Still, I often see little guys on Jetsons. Since she is quite comfortable with a scooter which are in a legal limbo here, I thought I'd get a sit-down model. Replace the controller with a 24v model, which should keep it under 8 mph, and either put in a 24V pack or use a DC_DC reducer. Hm, I might want an RC battery cutoff too, and a foot brake. Plus adults could ride it.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/GlareWheel-EB-NTEC1-Green-Commuting-Electric-Bike-Scooter/400259290

 

[Gordon71]

Have you checked your laws regarding Ebikes? I doubt it's legal for a 4 year old to ride an Ebike. It certainly isn't where I live.

 

[revvr]

I have checked; you need to be 16 or older to operate a a class 3 e-bike in California. Everything below that is fair game. I wouldn't want my 4 year old on a class 3 bike anyway.

 

[indianajo]

I skinned my knees elbows & hands on asphalt & gravel for 18 months when I was 7 & 8. I can't imagine a 4 year old falling at e-bike speeds. Polyester hadn't been invented; cotton jeans would rip right through.
**** frame fractured too & stabbed me in the stomach. Shades of Calvin. Bike helmets hadn't been invented yet, good thing I didn't bounce that off the road.
Get one of those half bikes and hang it off the back of your bike. Or carry him/her in a child seat on a rack. My mother carried me on the front of her bike 1953-1956. Dad built a seat of masonite & steel, caged me well. I loved the view. Mother didn't get a driver's license until 1956.

 

[revvr]

Guys, I appreciate the concern, but not all 4-year-olds are alike. My kid excels in one particular area: gross motor skills. He never used training wheels and has been riding bicycles since he was 2 years old, he walked at 10 months... The kid is good with this stuff. He can handle an underpowered e-bike. I just need something that can assist him in climbing significant hills.

 

[revvr]

Google balance ebikes by Harley and Davidson

These are awesome, but I need him to pedal. Part of the idea is to get him tired so he sleeps well. Kid is super active.

 

[Gordon71]

People have no problem children riding 50cc-80cc dirtbikes.
Yet they think it's too dangerous to ride ebikes

You think? Show those pics to the average mothers of the average 4 year olds and you might get a different opinion.

 

[JRA]

Have you considered a trail a bike or a towing type system that he can ride his bike but you give him some assist and he can still pedal? Might be able to find a trail a bike on local want ad of your region? Several tow options on the market now also.

 

[AHicks]

You think? Show those pics to the average mothers of the average 4 year olds and you might get a different opinion.

I have to agree. While I would encourage something like that myself in many circumstances, it's not going to be a decision made lightly. There's a LOT to the decision to encourage a 4-6 year old to ride a dirt bike. An e-bike may be a LITTLE better plan, but there are still a lot of variables in play. Definetly NOT something Grampa shows up with without discussing it with mom and dad for sure.....