Kids Road Bike Review From Bicycles Network Australia
We've had a lot of great feedback following the release of our Kids Road Bike range late last year. So we were super happy when the Bicycles Network Australia (BNA) wanted to be the first to do an official review of the 620R - our road bike for kids aged 10 to 14 years old. The guys over at BNA are cycling enthusiasts and we knew our bike was going to be put in the hands of a kid, and a parent, who knew Road Bikes inside out. And their review has not disappointed - they provide a really honest and open review giving great insight into what parents and kids look for in a road bike - and a must-read for any parent considering buying a performance bike for kids. 
"Good bikes for kids are hard to come by, especially when you're at the budget end of the market, but that doesn't mean they can't be found."
Author, David Halfpenny, likes to ride bikes, and he knows them well. His whole family rides bikes, and his daughters are involved in the local bike clubs so giving one of them a chance to try out the new ByK kids road bike was a great opportunity for us and them. "My daughter Darcy loves the 620R because it's just like my bike and her older sisters' bikes... There is absolutely nothing "pretend" about it, it's a real road bike, but where it differs from adult bikes is that each part has been carefully thought about with small kids in mind." So what components did David look for in a kids road bike? Here's a few areas of the bike design that David points out:- "The microSHIFT brifters are the exact right choice for a kid's bike. The 's' (short reach) version of their brifters is designed for small hands and these are a popular choice on serious kids racing bikes for those in the know.
- The cranks are shorter than adult cranks because kid's legs are shorter than adult legs (mostly), and
- the drop bars are shallow and attached to a short stem for short arms.
- The seat is sporty, but well padded, and
- the top tube is sloping, which gives the bike a longer life with a growing child.
"...the smart money has been spent on the performance and kid friendly parts of the bike.... It's sensible design"
David goes on to make a really good point about the cost of kids bikes: "Good bikes are expensive, and I'm always looking for options, because I don't want my kids to ride crap. ... I just want them to enjoy their riding, the same way I do. The more they enjoy their bike, the more they'll ride it and, ...introducing them to a lifetime mode of active transport and recreation is important to me." And then he points out: "...you're not buying this bike, you're hiring it from the next owner. Good kids bikes have very good resale value. They keep their value better than adult bikes due to their rarity and, because kids probably aren't going to be riding their bikes in the same way that adults will (big rider, thousands of k's, all weather), they'll be better treated." We've mentioned the point of resale value before in our article, 10 things you need to know before you buy a kids bike and know a lot of customers that certaily sell-on their old ByK's and then put that money back in to getting the next size model! In summary, author, David Halfpenny, says:"This isn't a bike that some purchasing manager chose from a catalogue and purchased a hundred thousand of, this is a small production run bike where each component was tested and considered."
"Warren's years of bike shop experience and fatherhood are the best advertisement for this bike."
You can read the full review here: http://www.bicycles.net.au/2015/02/review-the-byk-620r-an-aussie-designed-bike-for-kids/