Kid’s bikes used to be made of poor quality parts that left many bikes rotting away in garages. But a new wave has kids moving towards higher quality bikes that they can grow up with. To shed more light into two bikes that have passed the quality test, here’s a Mongoose vs Schwinn kids bike review.
Girls are said to be choosy about colors and what to wear. As I would soon come to learn, boys are choosy about what toys or gadgets they own. My 8-year-old son was adamant about owning a BMX freestyle kids bike. Problem here is, I am working on a budget, and the only freestyle bikes available would only take him two years or less before he is rendered too big for it.
There is no way I am going to spend my hard earned money on that. So while I thought it was tasteful of him to want a style bike, I knew it was upon me to hit the road in search for a good bike. My boy is an aggressive little man that would take minutes to trash any inauthentic copycat bikes.
It would only take a real freestyle bike to handle or withstand any aggressiveness placed upon it. During my research, I narrowed down to two amazing bikes. The Mongoose and the Schwinn kids bikes. For some reason, I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t choose one between the two.
Here’s a Mongoose vs Schwinn kids bike review to let you in on what I found out about these two bikes.
Model |
Mongoose |
Schwinn |
Frame material |
Steel |
Steel |
Age |
8 to 12 years |
8 to 12 years |
Brakes |
U brakes |
Linear pull brakes |
Mongoose vs Schwinn detailed comparison
Gears
Do kid’s bikes need gears? What for? See, it takes good gears to move the bike along. While toddler bikes really have no use for gears, kids 6, 7, 8 years and above must ride bikes with gears. The point is to have them learn the basic skills required to ride an adult bike which they can only do well if they can operate and control the bike properly.
Mongoose bikes come in a simple freestyle gearing system that is so powerful it will do all the tasks performed a kid’s bike with multiple gears. The Schwinn bike, on the other hand, comes with simple gears suitable for a kid between 8 and 12 years.
Tires
These two bikes are freestyle bikes. This makes it crucial that they come installed with thick, stable tires that can support the bike’s weight and the weight of the child. After close observation, I noticed that they have more than usual tire clearance space.
The Mongoose freestyle bike is designed with unique features like crank tubes to prolong the bike’s durability in the event a crash occurs.
The Schwinn freestyle bike, on the other hand, has strong wheels and a rotating hub aimed at preventing cables from getting caught or tangled. This way your kid can take as many handlebar spins as they want without taking a break to unwind the cables to their normal position.
Brakes
To take various stunts one of the most important components are brakes. Brakes help to keep the balance and pace of the bike always in control. The Mongoose freestyle bikes come equipped with U brakes which in this case is a welcome feature. In other speed bikes these types of brakes are frowned upon but here, they are necessary.
The Schwinn bikes alternatively come equipped with linear pull brakes which may get the job done but aren’t as effective as the U brakes.
Frame material
The type of material used to make the frame of a particular bike is what determines the price of the bike. Giving parents a conveniently affordable option, the Mongoose and Schwinn freestyle bikes have frames that are made of strong, durable steel. These bikes can take in a lot of beatings thanks to this strong material. But no matter how many crashes they get into or how many accidents they suffer, they remain intact.
This also tells you that these two bikes are heavy. For adult bikes, this is a bad thing but for a kid’s freestyle bike, this is not such a bad quality.
Mongoose vs Schwinn freestyle detailed reviews
Mongoose review
This Mongoose beauty is a true representation of what a good freestyle bike should look like. Kids between 8 years and 12 years want to do more than just ride around the streets on their bike. They want to boast and show off to their friends. They compete on who can pull of which move best. As a parent, you can’t stop them from having fun. So to make sure they do not ruin their bikes, how about get them this bike?
It has a tough frame, it is placed higher from the ground and it is sturdy. What kids love most about this bike is that it can handle their aggressiveness. With wide tires that provide more than enough stability and wide pedals to keep the kid in control, there’s not enough words to explain what the kid feels each time they pull a move. It has all the necessary components and quality parts. In fact, other than size, there’s no difference between this freestyle kids bike and an actual adults freestyle bike.
Pros
- Quality parts
- Wide sturdy tires
- Strong, durable steel frame
Con
- There’s a chance that this bike is too heavy for most kids
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Schwinn review
Detailed engineering is what the Schwinn freestyle bike represents. The few kid’s I have seen get on this bike are able to make a few simple stunts despite this being their first time. No matter how many times the bike crashes or falls in failed stunts, I do not worry because I know, this is exactly what it has been made for. You’d think that buying a kid’s freestyle bike is as expensive as buying an adult bike. But the good news is that it is in fact very affordable.
This price friendly status does not come at the expense of quality. This bike has been designed with quality wheels, quality gears, effective shifters and a shape that accommodates and secures the kid in whatever angle.
Pros
- Has a tough steel frame
- Very affordable
- Uses high-quality parts
Con
- This bike is installed with linear pull brakes which are not as effective as U brakes.
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Conclusion
While both these bikes may prove slightly heavy for most kids, it is easy to see why kids still love them. In terms of design and quality, I must say that the Mongoose freestyle bike is the best choice for all kids who are serious about freestyle riding. This Mongoose vs Schwinn review shows that affordability can go hand in hand with quality.