The Raleigh Rowdy 16 was built for riding around the neighborhood, to school, or on the local dirt trails. This 16 inch boys bike is easy to maneuver for young riders. The single speed drivetrain keeps them focused so they can concentrate on the bike path or sidewalk ahead while practicing braking with the front and rear V-brakes. The Raleigh Jr. Mountain saddle and Soft PVC grips may look like those found on an adult bike, but they are designed to fit the proportions of growing kids. Get ready to get rowdy on the bike with your child for years to come, starting with the Rowdy 16.
K**R
Great first pedal bike!
After almost a year of off and on research, we decided to buy this bike for our sons 4th birthday. Our reasons were that it is lightweight, high quality, has hand brakes but no coaster brakes, will grow with our growing boy, it was more cost-effective than its peers with the same criteria just listed, it's consistently been in stock on Amazon... and it's red, which is exactly what our son hoped for in a new bike.For reference, our boy just turned 4 and is 42" tall, weighs 41lbs, wears 4t-5t clothing and has been happily riding his MyKick Burley Balance Bike for 2 years.I was nervous that the bike would be far beyond our inexperienced skill level to assemble, and I worried that it would be too big for our son.Well, it took about 3 hours and several YouTube videos but we got the thing put together the night before the birthday. And the next morning, it took literally 5 minutes and the birthday boy was off and riding, no issues with the size/weight of bike and no issues getting on and off the seat, which is at its lowest point. With this new bike slightly angled, my son can reach the ground easily with one foot and on tiptoes with the other, but this doesn't seem to bother him at all. *As a sidenote, we also left the reflectors off, partially because we forgot and partially because by the time we realized we'd forgotten them, we decided we never rode in the dark anyway and are in a predominantly rural area, plus the seat could go a bit lower without the reflector on. We'll put them on in another month or so when the boy has grown and is more confident in handling the bike. ***Disclaimer: I am not encouraging anyone to do the same but want you, as a potential buyer, to know what worked for us and the full reason why our son can ride this bike easily at his height! ***So far the only negatives I've seen from this bike are:. It is definitely a challenge to assemble and took a considerable chunk of time - but we knew this going in so planned accordingly. The rear brake is pretty hard to use/pull - which is why we had all of the YouTube videos to try to loosen the thing a little. Less than a month after purchase we had a flat tire - but this was kind of expected due to the rougher terrain of gravel and goat heads and nothing a little green goo couldn't fix. No kickstand so we have just been extra careful with propping up or gently laying down the bike - not always easy with a 4 year old. And, less than a month later, the kid is now a speed demon on our walks! This was inevitable though, and the months of everyday traffic safety learned from his balance bike days have paid off more than once alreadyPros include:. Competitive pricing - it took much convincing of my frugal husband to spend this amount on a first pedal bike, but this one was easily $75-$100+ LESS expensive than some of the others I researched. High quality - even in the midst of frustration while assembling, my hubs commented multiple times on the quality of the bike. Brake system great for beginning pedalers - backpedaling is ok on this bike, no accidental sudden stops to shake a beginner's confidence. Super attractive - I love how it looks like a miniaturized adult bike! And the almost-orangey red color and tasteful design are appealing to young boys without resorting to cartoon characters or over the top graphics.. Lightweight - the weight of this bike was another concern of mine. And yes, it's still a bit challenging for our son to pick up from off the ground but totally manageable. Great size to grow with your child - in theory, this will last our son several more years, then will hopefully be passed to our next boy in line. Happy parents and happy boy :)This was perfect birthday present for our son! There are zero regrets on our part concerning this purchase. We love the Raleigh Rowdy 16 because it is an excellent bike for growing youngsters, and its unique braking features and lightweight frame render it especially well suited for those fresh off a balance bike... just what we needed.
A**R
High quality for the price and weight
Great bike. My boy loves it. He is a light weight, small build, athletic 4 year old. He's been riding a balance bike since 18 months old.At the moment I do not know his inseam length, but Compared to other 4 year olds he's on the smaller side and his inseam looks to be average length. He's on his tip toes with the seat post an inch from its lowest setting. The frame allows the seat to drop fairly low to accommodate riders.Assembly was straight forward. Background on my mechanical skill set. I have assembled multiple new bikes out of the box for myself and family members. Comparatively this was easy and straight forward.As others have mentioned, the stem was upside down and needed reversed. Also I removed an inch and half of handle bar from each side. Three inches total. I wouldn't cut any more off then 3 inches. More then that and there will not enough room for the brake levers and the grips to fit before the handle bars bend near the stem area. The stock handle bars are extremely wide for a small framed child. The handle bars are easy to cut with a pipe cutter that can be found at a local hardware store for $10 to $15.I checked the rims for trueness and both were good. I snugged a few spokes while spinning it on the trueing stand, but nothing major.I performed a slight adjustment on the v-brakes front and rear, but again nothing major. Just a slight adjustment to better center the brake pads on both sides of the rim. I also adjusted the throw of the levers and brought them closer to the grips. This allowed my small handed boy to bettter reach the levers and provided him more confidence in his braking.The one grip I have is that the seat post clamp does not have a quick release. This is cumbersome since kids want the seat as low as possible at first, but as the gain confidence or grow you can be constantly raising the seat and having to fiddle with the Allen wrench. I had an old quick release bolt that I had found on an old junk bike that I had removed and kept for just such a time and need and it fit and worked perfectly, but it would have been a nice touch if it would have came standard.Great bike for the price, quality and weight.
A**J
Great Quality
This bike so far has exceeded all my expectation. The quality is great- easy for my husband to assemble. My son is 3 1/2, his inseam is 17 in. And he is just a hair under 40 in in height. He rides without training wheels and is a very quick learner- I was worried this bicycle (16 in) would be too big for him, right out the gate and down the driveway he had it...his feet barely touch the ground but he is a very determined boy and he quickly figured out how to lean the bike to mount and dismount. He loves the hand breaks and it took no time for him to learn this braking technique. The bike is an easy ride- we are so so pleased. I suspect he won't outgrow this for several years and that was the point. 👍🏻
M**.
Lightweight and good value for money.
Very happy with this bike for my son. Typically kids bikes are way too heavy - my daughter's bike is 25lbs which is over half her weight! I'm 6'5" and 190lbs and my road bike is 16lbs....crazy. This bike weighs in around 16lbs and although a tad big for my 3.5 year old he can still maneuver it pretty well. He learned to ride a bike on a little 12" and then quickly progressed to this one. The other lightweight options are all at least twice the price of this one. Really not worth it as they grow so quickly they will need a bigger model before you know it.
