Children's

74 Main Street Middlebury Vermont (802) 388-6666

The Things We Carry

Here's how we do children's bikes:

	We are always on the lookout for non-name-brand single-speeds that are sold through legitimate bike industry distributors.
	We offer Trek for customers who are Trek fans and willing to pay a little more to keep it all in the family. Most of our Trek children's bikes are special order, but Trek has a New Jersey warehouse, so we can usually get the bike in three days.
	Specialized has the highest prices, because all their children's bikes are built with aluminum frames. Specialized's Hotrock girls' and Hotrock boys' bikes are among the lightest children's bikes you can get, so they're easier to move around.
	We also maintain a good stock of reasonably-priced, smaller size adult bikes for tweeners and early teens who are too tall for a 24" wheel bike.
	We offer used bikes as they become available, year-round, not just at a one-weekend sale. Please note that our used bike inventory depends on what people are trading in. Contact us, to see what we currently have available.
	Finally, we help you take care of your child's bike.

Your Child's First Single-Speed:

	Starting price for your child's first single-speed bike, purchased at a place like Walmart? $50
	Starting price for your child's first single-speed bike, purchased from a name-brand manufacturer like Raleigh or Giant? $150

How is it possible for a name-brand bike to cost three times what a department store bike costs?

We have to admit, we've experienced some sticker shock too. Our basic 12" wheel starter bike went for $99 at the beginning of '07, and at the beginning of '11 it was $140 -- but that's the way it is. Also keep in mind, the cost of producing all bikes, even department store brands, is going up -- and there are only two ways a department store chain can hold the line on prices:

	Absorb the additional cost and take a lower profit
	Go to a cheaper manufacturer and use cheaper materials

So what are the benefits of buying your child's first bike from us, instead of a department store?

	Quality: A name-brand child's bike is a scaled down version of the company's adult bicycles. This means better materials and better workmanship.
	Assembly: If you buy from us, you know your bike has been assembled by a competent bicycle mechanic.
	Trade-in: When your child outgrows a bike you purchased from us, bring it in, complete (remember to bring training wheels if you took them off) and in good condition. If you meet these two conditions, we will give you 50% of what you paid for any Bike Center bike with 12", 16", 20", or 24" wheels, toward the purchase of your child's next bike. We also accept name-brands we don't sell, although we can't guarantee 50% of the purchase price. We do not accept department store bikes as trade-ins.
	Free check-over: You get one free check-over with an adult bike purchase from The Bike Center. For any bike with 12", 16", 20", or 24" wheels purchased from us, you will get a free check-over every year, for as long as you own the bike (labor only, parts not included). Free check-over does not apply to bikes that have been left outside all winter. You need to do your part too in the upkeep of the bike.
	Service -- if you ever need replacement parts, we have them in stock, or we can order them -- and we know how to put them on.

Multi-Speed Bikes:

	Starting price for your child's first multi-speed bike, purchased at a place like Walmart? $75
	Starting price for your child's first multi-speed bike with 20" wheel, purchased from a name-brand manufacturer like Specialized, Trek, Raleigh, or Giant? $250 (or $300 with 24" wheel).

Let us pose this question: Would you buy your child's skis or skates from the toy department at a department store? Check out Walmart's website, and see where they list bikes.

Your child's first multi-speed will likely be the first bike they take out of the yard -- to a friend's house, or even to school. Safety is one of the keys to your child successfully enjoying their first "transportation independence."

Let us pose another question: How many multi-speed Nexus, Huffy, Roadmaster, Kawasaki, or other department-store multi-speeds do you actually see out on the road?

Not many, and the reason is pretty simple: when these bikes stop working, the cost of fixing the bike is often more than the original purchase price for the bike. Spare parts for very cheap bikes are often difficult if not impossible to come by. Department stores seldom maintain any meaningful spare parts inventory, other than tires and tubes.