Kids bike brake/pedal question?

[RossiT]

Just got my 3.5yr old daughter a Specialized Hotrock, is there anyway to disable the function that locks the rear wheel when she pedals backwards? It would be much easier if the pedals were free. There is still normal brakes aswell.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks

[Trooper2]

Are you positive the Tektro V-brake is up to snuff?

I've worked on alot of kids bikes that had hand brakes that were worthless. I do not recommend removing the coaster brake function as it's natural for a kid to pedal backward to try and stop. With that said, if you insist upon removing the coaster brake function the only proper way to do it is to replace the entire coaster brake wheel with a freewheel. Probably set you back about £ 25.00 to £ 35.00 to purchase the new wheel and freewheel, maybe more if you want the shop to swap over the tire, etc.

Edited by Trooper2 on Saturday 8th September 18:53

[RossiT]

Trooper2 said:

Are you positive the Tektro V-brake is up to snuff?

I've worked on alot of kids bikes that had hand brakes that were worthless. I do not recommend removing the coaster brake function as it's natural for a kid to pedal backward to try and stop. With that said, if you insist upon removing the coaster brake function the only proper way to do it is to replace the entire coaster brake wheel with a freewheel. Probably set you back about £ 25.00 to £ 35.00 to purchase the new wheel and freewheel, maybe more if you want the shop to swap over the tire, etc.

Edited by Trooper2 on Saturday 8th September 18:53

Thanks for the advice, the normal brake is pretty good but I understand what your saying, it's just the bikes she rides at playgroup have the backwards freewheeling pedals so when she rides her own one with us she's always locking up and finding it tough to get going again.

[Kermit power]

I would stick with it for a while, and find a save slope for her to practice on.

We got exactly the same bike for my daughter 2 years ago, and had exactly the same issue, but she soon got the hang of it, and it's better to have her inadvertantly stopping herself a few times than it is to have her go down a hill and not be able to stop!

You'll also find that as she gets older, she'll find it easier to get moving again. The Hotrock might not weigh that much in absolute terms, but in terms of percentage of bodyweight for a 3yr old, it's like one of us trying to pedal a moped!