With our daughter about to turn seven, we realized that it was time to officially retire her 12" You&Me pink bike and upgrade. After literally hours of searching reviews online, we had narrowed it down to this model and a Diamondback 16" bike. We chose the RoyalBaby 16" model in orange.
I sat down and read every single review of this bike, and I would like to address what seemed to be the most popular complaints:
* "Too heavy!" - Not sure what these parents are comparing this bike to. I kept checking the shipping weight to see if I missed something and the "2" in the "28 lbs" was actually a 3 or a 4...but nope, I was right. Then, thinking about the mess of returning this large object, I ran out to the shed to see how heavy her 12" bike was. I picked it up...then I picked up my 20lbs bar bell...then I picked it up again. I estimated her bike to be maybe 3-5 lbs heavier than my weight. When the RoyalBaby bike arrived a day early (gotta love Prime!) I assembled it and picked it up. Boy, was I relieved when I easily hoisted it up with one arm. This bike maybe weighs around 25lbs, which is perfect for our 7 year old girl. She's already fallen and can easily hoist the bike back up on her own. To all those complainers, go spend another $100 and buy an aluminum frame bike for your kids.
* "Wheels don't spin freely" - This was also a big concern of mine, as I am a stickler about quality control at the factory level. During assembly, I flipped the bike over and checked out both wheels. They did feel a bit "sticky" at first, and didn't roll to a stop. First off, fellow parents, please make sure you read all the directions before you begin, if you're not mechanically inclined. One thing I noticed was that the front caliper brakes needed to be adjusted, as they were rubbing slightly against the tire, creating that "imbalanced" sound when spinning the wheel quickly. I scanned the directions, and it had some instructions about how to adjust the front brakes. A few minutes later, no rubbing. The rear wheel also felt a bit sticky and had a bit of a rubbing sound also...but then I realized that you must turn it (when upside down) with the pedals fully forward and engaged. If the coaster brake is engaged in the slightest, you can hear it rubbing as the wheel turns, so take note. With an adjusted brake, the front wheel spun much easier, and almost rolled to a stop...there was some resistance still, but I figured with weight on the wheels right-side-up, resistance would be negligible.
As the directions suggest, make sure you lube all moving parts periodically. I grabbed some 3 in 1 oil and some auto grease and lubed everything up. It felt like the wheels were just "out of the box" stiff, and began to loosen up a bit on their own. Which leads me to the next con to address...
* "Wheels out of true" - This one was concerning because it was mentioned by a few reviewers who claimed to have experience in bike assembly, maintenance, and repair. I didn't really know what they meant by "true", so I did some Google research and realized they meant balanced, with a straight rim. Here is where I almost docked a star. Both wheels were out of true and that was part of the reason they didn't spin as freely as I had expected initially. As I spun the wheels, you could see both of them needed adjustment, as they bowed left and right with several "bubbles" causing the rim to wobble considerably as it spun. However, after reading about "truing" a bicycle wheel, I found that it was pretty straightforward: You just adjust the spoke studs at their base, right above the rim, with a spoke wrench. This bike's spokes are a size 13 according to my $9 spoke wrench I purchased on Amazon. Once I figured out tightening the spokes was counterclockwise, in about 10 minutes I had both wheels very close to true and they spun much easier! My daughter even mentioned that the bike seemed to ride much smoother after my adjustments. Since I was able to correct the issue, and I'm pretty sure that places like Wally World and Target don't "true" their bikes prior to purchase, I decided not to dock a star.
* "Royal Baby All Over The Bike = Not Cool!" - I totally get this one for the kids who want to be big boys and girls. However, after easily peeling off a few decals, and throwing out the ridiculous stickers that come with it, this bike only says "RoyalBaby" in two places...the seat and the center of the handlebars. Even the company logo on the front of the frame has a predominant crown where you can't even see the small print "RoyalBaby" unless you stick your face right up to the forks. The company name on the tire tread is black on black so unless you're looking closely at the tires, you can't tell. This bike has definitely passed the cool test with our 7 year old daughter!
* "Missing Parts" - Bike came with all the parts.
* "Pedals won't screw on/break easily" - This one may change after a few months of use, so I'll keep an eye on it and update, if necessary. However, I had no issues with the pedals, they screwed onto the crank arms just fine (take note that the left hand pedal must be tightened counter-clockwise).
* "Water bottle is cheap" - Have to agree with this one, unfortunately, as it already is cracked and leaking. However we have several bicycle water bottles in our home and they all fit snugly in the holder, which is made of metal and bolts to the frame. Not enough of an issue to warrant docking a star, in my opinion.
* "Chain falls off" - Chain was nice and tight and has not come off, yet. Besides, the rear axle sits in a groove which allows you to slide it backwards or forward to adjust the tension in the chain, which apparently, some of these reviewers failed to realize.
* "Tires won't hold air" - I inflated tires to 35 psi 4 days ago and they are still full.
I was a bit apprehensive about purchasing this bike, but so far, it seems to be a home run. We can't keep her off of it, she even just likes to sit on it when she can't ride! The frame seems to be solid, well made, and has quality frame welds. The color scheme of the orange and black with the white seat really looks sharp! Heck, I would rock this bike, if I fit! After truing the wheels,it was definitely a relief to see her get up to speed and coast almost the entire length of the sidewalk. She also loves the big, thick black tires.
I also really like that it comes with a kickstand and a quick-adjust seat, which makes sizing it for her a breeze!
In conclusion, we are very happy with this bicycle. With a little time taken to read the instructions and make some basic adjustments, this bike seems more than capable of providing our kids with years of good riding.
UPDATE 12-18-2015: After reading my review, the company sent me a replacement water bottle, free of charge. Very nice customer service, in my opinion. Bike has performed flawlessly so far...
RB
Mark F
