We had bought a few bikes over the past few years at garage sales that had the old pedal brake system. This is the brake system I learned on when I was young.
Unfortunately, my daughter just didn’t like the pedal brake system style.
This meant many frustrating trips to the bike park with a severe lack of results.
My husband and I had enough and began to search for a bike that had decent quality without breaking the bank.
We also wanted a brand of bike that would last a few years through her initial years of learning how to ride a bike.
I did a lot of research trying to find the best bike for 5 a year old girl. My daughter is currently 45 inches tall so this made finding the right bike at a decent price difficult.
There were a lot of 18-inch bikes in the $350 dollar plus range. However, I really did not want to spend that much money. This is because the bike would only get a few years of use before it would be too small for my daughter.
We also researched a lot of 16-inch bikes for girls in the $100 dollar range that had mixed reviews at best.
At the end of the day, even though it was a bit more than I wanted to spend we settled on the Royalbaby Space Shuttle 16 inch bike which you can check the price here on Amazon.
7 Reasons We Bought the Royalbaby Space Shuttle 16 Inch Bike
Weight of The Bike
I didn’t want a big heavy bike that my little girl would have trouble picking off the ground.
The Royalbaby shuttle with its lightweight Magnesium frame came in at 20 pounds without the training wheels.
This is a big weight savings for a 5-year-old when compared to other bikes.
Most other bikes in this category are made of steel and can weigh 25 pounds or more.
Bike Tire Thickness
The Royalbaby space shuttle bike has 2.4-inch tires compared to the common 1.5 inches or 1.9-inch thickness in tires.
Having fatter tires helps with stability especially since my daughter had not fully learned to ride a bike yet.
Disc Braking System
The bike comes with brake levers on the handlebars with front and rear 120mm disc brakes. This means she can break with her hand instead of her feet.
As I mentioned previously I wanted to stay away from the old school pedal brake systems. This is because breaking with her feet on the peddles was one issue she was having.
Enclosed Chainguard to Prevent Injury
We have all heard the stories of little legs getting caught in an old bike chain. Having a chain guard on the bike would help me avoid this problem and put my mind at ease.
Comes With Training Wheels
My daughter was past the stage of need training wheels. However, if you’re thinking about reselling a bike in this age group in the future then it’s a good idea to have training wheels as an option.
Easy to Put Together
The Royalbaby space shuttle bike comes 95% pre-assembled. It took me about 30 minutes to assemble using a screwdriver and the small tools provided by Royalbaby.
Name-Brand Recognition and Quality
Royalbaby is a bike manufacturer from China but don’t let that scare you off.
It is the largest and most well-known kid’s bike manufacturer in China and they sell kids bikes across the world.
Not to mention reviews compared to other bikes in this price range were not as good as Royalbaby.
Now once your child is older that will change but in this price range and age group, Royalbaby is the best bang for your buck.
Features Of The Royalbaby Space Shuttle 16 Inch Wheel Bike
- Lightweight magnesium frame
- Hand brake levers for easy braking
- Nice heavy-duty kickstand
- Comes with 2 reflectors
- Front disk brakes and rear disk brakes
- Glossy paint finish with a space-age look
- Adjustable bike bell
- Quick-release adjustable seat for easy height change
- 2.4-inch thick tires for stability and comfort
- Color options pink/purple, black/red, white/red.
Bike Packaging and Delivery
I found the packaging on the Royalbaby Space Shuttle 16 inch bike to be excellent. Everything was packaged carefully and the paint on the frame was well protected.
I purchased the Bike from Amazon here and had no issues.
Conclusion
So far my daughter loves the Space Shuttle Royalbaby bike but she has only had it for a few months. There have been no issues of any kind so far with the bike.
If there are any issues in the future I will adjust the article and bike review but so far so good.
If you’re looking at bikes for a 5-year old I would highly recommend the Space Shuttle Royalbaby bike.