Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44296 in Sports & Outdoors
• Size: One Size
• Color: Purple
• Brand: Mongoose
• Model: R1603
• Released on: 2007-01-01

Features

• Single-speed 16-inch bike with bright purple frame decorated with white and pink lilacs
• Vibrant pink handlebar with removable bag and multi-colored streamers
• Rear coaster brake makes stopping easy for new riders; removable training wheels
• Also features enclosed chain guard, adjustable padded seat
• Recommended for ages 6 to 8

Amazon.com Product Description
A flashy bike that's sure to delight young girls, the Mongoose Lilac 16-inch cruiser bike for kids features a bright purple frame that's decorated with white and pink lilacs. It's complemented by white wheels and a vibrant pink handlebar with removable bag for storage and multi-colored tassels for added flair. Training wheels offer stability while learning and can be easily removed while coaster-style brakes make stopping a breeze for new cyclists. Other features include a chainguard to prevent snags and oil stains on pants, pedals with reflectors, and an adjustable padded seat. Some assembly is required. This 16-inch bike is recommended for ages 6 to 8.

Customer Reviews

The GOOD, the BAD, and SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW
PROS:

I. The bike's appearance is quite pretty and fun. It is physically consistent with the impression given by the images here on Amazon. My anticipation of my daughter's reaction when she sees it Christmas morning has me excited and smiling.

II. The bike is better constructed than several bikes of similar appearance, such as those sold with the Disney and Barbie labels.

III. Once assembled, and with some adjustment (see note below), it is fully functional. Mine arrived with all the required parts (unlike the experiences related by some other reviewers).


CONS:

I. While better constructed than many similar 16" bikes, it is not of the quality you find in bikes for older children and adults, despite coming from Mongoose, a brand with a good reputation. Of course, it's inexpensive and not expected to be kept for decades.

II. The bike is very heavy. It seems as heavy as an adult bike, even though it is about a third the size. Inexpensive heavy steel was used for the frame rather than the lighter alloys used in adult bikes. This is a drawback. I think children would find the bike more easily handled if it were lighter. (And I would prefer it to be lighter, simply because I lift it into the back of my SUV.)

III. The wheels (the rim and 5 spokes) are plastic. The result is that they are warped. (This is typical of plastic wheels, I'm told.) You will see a wobble in them as they roll, and this makes adjustment of the hand brake, which grips the rim to stop the bike, a little tricky. The rear wheel of my daughter's bike made contact with the rubber grip on the brake clamp and squeaked. It required a bit of tinkering two or three times. (Note: the training wheels also squeaked until they were lubricated.)

IV. The tassels are just very cheap plastic shreds and do not look like they will last long.

V. Now the biggest con--something that may be important for you to know:

NOTE: ALL OF THE BEARINGS CAME OVER-TIGHTENED AND REQUIRED ADJUSTMENT--SOMETHING THE AVERAGE PARENT MAY FIND DIFFICULT TO DO.

I was very fortunate to have the services of a good friend who has owned a bike shop in Orlando and a bike shop in New York, and who still works with bikes. We assembled my little girl's bike in his workshop garage using a special bike stand that gripped the frame.

When Marc first told me that the crank bearings were over-tight, I thought he might be being a little picky (after all, his bike cost $3,500 and he's accustomed to precision), but then I turned the pedals myself, and I found it difficult. It was so difficult, in fact, that I was a little angry with Mongoose. My 38 lb daughter would have had a very tough time pedaling the bike. Marc made an adjustment and the pedals/crank became much easier to turn.

Marc explained that bikes are quickly assembled now days using machine tools that over-tighten. He said THIS IS TRUE OF ALL BIKES THAT ARE SENT IN BOXES, WHICH BY THE WAY, INCLUDES THE BIKES SOLD IN STORES AND BIKE SHOPS. He further explained that good bike shops spend about two hours assembling each bike before they put it on the floor, because they know they should manually readjust the bearings at the crank (aka, bottom bracket), at the wheels, and at the handle bars, and know they should also make a few other adjustments. He said that department stores seldom spend the time to do this, because it cuts into their profit margin significantly. And many bike shops similarly do a poor job of correcting the manufacturer's maladjustments, though they know better.

Thus, this is not a problem isolated to Mongoose. YOU WILL LIKELY ENCOUNTER THIS PROBLEM IN ANY BIKE YOU ORDER ONLINE OR BUY IN A STORE.

1. So, whatever bike you buy, check to see if the crank turns easily when you hold the bike off the ground.
2. Check to see if the wheels continue to spin for a good bit after you give them a turn.
3. Make sure the handle bars are not too tight when you turn them.

If you encounter a problem, which is likely, you will have to put in a little extra work or enlist the help of someone skilled. (If you do not correct the problem, the bike may be hard to pedal/use and the over-tightened bearings may become damaged with use.) Note: Even if you don't encounter a "problem" turning these, you may find that adjustment improves performance. [I tried to link the URL of a useful site here, but Amazon removed the link.]

Good luck, and I hope your little girl or boy is delighted with the bike you choose and has fabulous fun riding it.

Great Bike - Missing Parts
I ordered this bike for my 5 year old daughter and I am very happy with the value. I have read in many bike reviews about issues with shipping and missing parts. This was not an exception as there was a hole in the side of the box from the wheel hub poking through. They put a plastic cover over the hub (I know this because the other side still had this piece intact) but somewhere along the line this came off. The result was that the axel nut came off in shipment and was missing. The bike was also missing another small nut for one of the reflectors. I felt fortunate that these were the only things missing and knew that I could find them at the local tool store if I needed to. However, I placed one call to Mongoose and 5 minutes later, they promised to ship the parts out immediately with zero hassle. It was possibly the BEST experience that I have ever had with a customer service call. I didn't have to go in circles with the machine to finally wait on hold for 20 minutes to talk to a person and get the run around from the first rep only to ask to speak with a supervisor who 20 minutes later "gives in" to my request after an hour of adding unnecessary stress to my life. I haven't received the parts yet (just called today) but she told me they ship from IL so it should not take longer than a couple days to receive.

In summary, shipping a bike seems to have some risks to it but this bike is great for the cost (I payed $76) and I am very happy with Mongoose's Customer Service.

OK, bike
I had a problem with this bike. At first, it came without a seat, so I had to send it back, and also, bike didn't look new, dirty wheels, some scratches. Replacment came very fast, but it was hard to put together, a front wheel didn't fit into the fork, so I had to take the bike to a bike shop, pay $[...] for assembling and tunning the rest. BTW, instruction for this bike doesn't match this bike at all. The instruction that came with the bike is for an adult bike, it's useless.