Review on Raleigh Bikes Rowdy Youth Years by Jonathan Yang

I am a keen cyclist and a former mechanic in a bike shop. I do all my bike repairs myself. We bought our 7 year old son a 20" screen for his birthday. I think he will be able to ride it until he is 9. The seating position is a bit "old school" than the modern "long, low and loose". That means his weight is shifted a little more forward than I'd like, but that's probably not as important for this age group. That puts him in an offensive position that he enjoys but also gets into trouble easily when he relies too much on the front brake, especially on steep descents.He had fallen before and although I didn't see it what he was describing sounded like would he apply the front brake too hard. I learned to ride XC style mountain bikes, so he can do it too. The setup was typical of a box bike. I opened up the headset and added some lube. It wasn't quite dry, but about s could have helped more. The wheels were true enough. I'll check them out in a few months and check the bearings. The bottom bracket was a disaster. I noticed a snagging when turning the cranks, which continued even after removing the chain. When I removed the cranks and bottom bracket, I found the body was full of metal shavings. They would quickly destroy the camps. I cleaned and re-greased everything. I like thin bars and grips; They're great for little hands, although the handles tend to slip off easily. I need to find a way to "glue" them in place. The brake levers can also be adjusted for small hands, but then you will have less traction before the levers are on the handlebars. "Grip shift" style shifters are fine; about what you'd expect in this price range. The shifter is annoying. I didn't know Shimano made stuff that cheap. I replaced it with a 105 squirrel switch I had lying around and the difference is amazing. I recommend an update. These switches can be purchased for around $30. Overall, that's about what I expected at this price point. At around 20 pounds, it's a lot lighter than his other bike and allows him to get used to the handbrakes and shifting gears.