Guardian Kids Bikes Ethos. 16/20/24 Inch, Multiple Colors for Boys/Girls. Safer Brake System for Kids. Lightweight Steel Construction. Easy Assembly. ASO SharkTank.

To give a little background on my kid’s-bike buying adventure, I spent a good amount of time on the Two-Wheelin Tots website. The way they explain things on there just makes sense. For instance, I see kids riding around on those cheap "big box store" bikes and the kid looks so awkward on it - their legs don't have room, the handle bars are up to their shoulders and the whole thing looks unstable. A dead give-away that the bike isn’t designed well is if it looks like a toy instead of a miniature adult bike. Two Wheelin' Tots explains in basic terms the concept of bike frame geometry and the importance of having a light weight bike with a low center of gravity and a longer wheel base.In other words, If a bike is uncomfortable because it sits too high and is unstable, or it's too heavy, it makes it harder for a new rider to learn. The better the bike's geometry and weight, the easier it is to ride and the more likely a kid is to keep at it and they’ll actually enjoy the bike.The Ethos has a steel frame and is listed as being 20lbs. To compare, the Schwinn Koenn is about 25lbs for the same 16 inch size but other brands like Raleigh make a 16 inch that’s around 19lbs. The Guardian Original is a lighter aluminum frame but the smallest size of those is a 20 inch.My oldest kid, who was 5 at the time, was very timid with anything remotely resembling “adventure”. We got a balance bike for his little brother but he was too big for a trainer like that. So, after a lengthy amount of research into various brands and hoping to get the “best bang for the buck”, we went with the Guardian.The 5 year old was pretty hesitant at first but instead of running behind him, holding on to the seat and hoping he caught on to peddling a bike suddenly, I went with another suggestion - I left the peddles off the Guardian Bike and let him cruise around like it was a regular balance bike. Once he was comfortable with the feel and weight of the bike (which was about a week), I put the peddles on. As he already had confidence in the bike from walking and coasting around on it, he started getting the hang of peddling pretty soon after. Now he’s a bike ridin’ fool, cruising around all over the place.One thing we ran into though, and it was purely my fault, is that the 16 inch was just about maxed out for the height limit when we first bought it for my kid - I should have looked at the specs more closely… Luckily his more coordinated brother was ready to move on from the balance bike pretty quick so we just bumped the older one up from the 16 inch to a 20 inch. And because we liked the Guardian bikes so much, we went with the 20 inch Guardian Ethos and moved the younger onto the 16 inch Guardian.Now to tackle all the features and some very minor drawbacks.The biggest touted feature of the Guardian bikes is their SureStop brake system. There's 1 brake handle on the right grip that works the rear brake. When the brake pads grab the rim of the tire, the thing that holds the brake pads slide forward, pulling a secondary cable that actuates the front brake. As Two Wheelin' Tots explains, coaster brakes are not ideal for kids learning to ride a big-kid bike because they tend to balance by peddling backwards. With coaster brakes, this locks up the rear wheel and the kid goes skidding off. Some bikes have only a rear wheel hand-brake but this may not give enough stopping power. Other bikes have separate front and rear brakes (like all adult bikes have) but small kids may not catch the concept of going light on the front brake when stopping and they end up going over the handlebars.A few other things I like - the chain-guard on the front crank helps keep errant shoe laces and pant-legs from getting snagged, the seat seems well made and is well cushioned, and the whole thing is just well made from the smaller components to the rims and tires and the frame itself.The bike comes mostly assembled so there’s minimal Christmas Eve night or birthday-eve headaches. Aside from setting the bike up for your kid’s height/inseam, the only thing you have to do is put the handlebars into position, put the seat on, put the peddles on, then tighten everything down.As for the drawbacks - the previously mentioned weight of the bike can be an issue for little riders but my bird-boned middle child is only about 35lbs and he can still peddle it around with ease, so long as he doesn’t encounter any long inclines or any semi-steep hills.Another thing - as with any object that has moving parts, the more complicated it is, the more chance there is for a problem at some point. We’ve had the 16 inch Guardian bike for almost a year and haven’t had any issues with the special braking system but I foresee it being a pain when it needs to be tuned up or taken off for any reason. There’s very little movement when the little brake pad things slide forward to actuate the front brake, so getting the tension on the cable to be “just right” may require some patience - I’m hoping it’ll be easier done than said but I suppose only time will tell. Right now, since it’s 105 degrees outside, the bikes aren’t getting used much, so with luck the kids will be gentle on the bikes until they grow out of them and I won’t have to deal with it.Last of all is the price. The listed price when I wrote this review was $240. I bought mine when there was a sale going on so I snagged the 16 inch for about $190. It’s a great bike for $190 but at the $240 range, you can get a Trek, Giant, or other similar better-known-brand of bike. However, the other 16 inch bikes from these big brands lack the braking system that the Guardian has, and they all seem to have coaster brakes (which I hate) regardless of whether or not they also have a hand brake - so the Guardian does earn a win for me there. These other big brands may not have the best kids-bike geometry in their lower $200 price range as well - obviously their ridiculously expensive competition bikes will be honed-in to perfection but their lower end, suburban family bikes may not have all the features and design qualities of the Guardian so do your homework if you look elsewhere.Again, these bikes are built very well. I’ve looked at the common cheap bikes and the way the tires are so close together with high handlebars and a frame made of what feels like lead when you lift it, they’re just terrible for kids trying to learn how to ride. My neighbors who have kids the same age as mine were all impressed that my little guys took to riding a bike so quickly - My kids are NOT coordinated - They catch footballs with their faces instead of their hands, sort of coordinated - So I chalk it up to a well designed bike that the kids are comfortable on and can handle with ease.

Bike frame, wheels, brakes, and pedals seem well-made and high quality. I had an issue with a front brake cable being too loose. I contacted the company via the "contact us" link on their site. I received a call-back from 1 of the owners of the company within less than 5 minutes. He walked me through tightening up the front brake, offered to mail a new cable crimp end cap and was extremely patient and kind on the phone. My original review was going to be less than 5-stars, but given to make things right the company did. Awesome experience and a well-made bike. My kid loves it so far.

Bought this for my 7yo niece (and hand-me down for my daughter in a few years).The bike is very light compared to other models we have seen at the big box stores so it’s easier for her to transition to her “bigger girl” bike. The top bar on the frame is also lower so it’s easier to get on/off.The other determining factor was the 1- handle brake that controls both front and back. She is new to shifting gears and this gives her one less thing to have to think about (so she doesn’t accidentally pull the front brake and fly over the handlebars!) and is much safer than just one rear brake.Bike shipped to me in 2 days (thanks Amazon) and pedals, handlebar and front wheels were done within 10-15 minutes. Was surprised that they even shipped a nicer quality chrome wrench instead of the throwaway tools I usually see.I took it for a test ride and was pleased that the brakes were set and the gears shifted cleanly right out of the box. I had no need to tighten any cables or anything.The bike looks great and is well made, so I’m really happy with the purchase.

While bike is well made and assembly is very quick, quality control could be better. 7th gear makes the pedals free and doesn't move the rear wheel. Changing to higher gear is easy but moving to lower gears is challenging for my son as the shift grip is really tight. Not expected from Guardian bikes.. Disappointed!!Update 9/14/18 - Customer service is awesome! They worked with me to resolve the issue. Bike is working as expected now and my son is very happy with his new bike!! changing the review to 5 star.

Received the bike with a scratch on the top tube, wasn't sure if it was a cosmetic scratch or anything structural. I reached out to Guardian and received an email reply within the hour (at 11:30pm no less!).Kyle at Guardian immediately offered either a small discount or ship a new bike, and also offered to look over the bike with me via video chat. In the end, Kyle shipped out a new bike immediately, and got it all resolved within a week. Incredible customer service, and truely shows their dedication to their customer and their ethos of safety. It's refreshing to have customer service based in the US that is so dedicated to responding and resolving issues.On to the bike, the innovative brake system works as advertised, and only engaged the front brakes when the back wheel is on the ground skidding. The bike is one of the more cost effective child bikes at this size to offer no coaster brake, hand brake and a relatively light frame.Would highly recommend the bike both on the product as well as the incredible customer service of Guardian.

My daughter can’t change gears so having the local bike shop put on a friction shifter since can’t find a trigger shifter for 6 gears... kind of annoying to spend an extra $50 to make the bike work since the twist shifter is impossible for the age and size of kids on the bottom end of this bike’s range. My daughter is in the range and 8 yrs old.Otherwise, the brakes are amazing. It took only 5 minutes to put the bike together! The frame is awesome and perfect height to get a small person that has no problem with a 20mile trail ride into a 20in bike to make it easier. Love these bikes.If they fix the stupid gear shift it would be 5 stars for sure