Back in college, I used to work in a bike shop that sold low-mid price bicycles. I spent a lot of time assembling and repairing them. Lots of times, lower-end bikes had lots of issues: bent parts, untrue wheels, misaligned brakes, etc. I had never heard of the Royal Baby brand before, but after reading other reviews, I decided to get one for my eight year old son. Of course, when it arrived, I gave it my usual thorough walkthrough. Initially, I noticed that the parts seemed to be good quality. Welds were solid and the finish was perfect.

Assembly was just like any other bicycle: pedals, handlebars, seat, accessories. All parts lined up perfectly on the first try. No fighting, no twisting and pulling, none of that. It also comes with some cheap tools to help with assembly, so you don't have to worry about finding a pedal wrench, or the right size metric allen. Once together, I started to look at the mechanics. Tires were very true. There was no noticeable wobble to them, which was abnormal for bikes in the $100-150 range. The brakes were adjusted perfectly. They were centered on the rim and had the perfect amount of pull.

Overall, it seems like a quality bike for the price and I am pleased with the purchase.

And last - the assembly was pretty easy - They came mostly assembled already. It took about 15 minutes per bike (Putzing speed) to get everything ready to go. One bike came with the tires ready to go and one bike needed to have the tires inflated before riding.

The best first bike. I did a lot of research. As an avid MTB rider I wanted my grandson to learn to ride and hopefully develop the same love of peddle sports that I have. I also wanted him to learn as quickly as possible, I'm hoping he gets to the point that we can ride mountains together while I'm sprite myself. This bike has many feature that build confidence and make learning on it safe and fun. The large tires make it more stable. The handle on the rear of the seat, which is for the teacher to grab, is placed there to create a true center of gravity while learning balance. (Even if you can't afford this bike, when you teach kids to ride, never hold their shoulders, it's not our center of gravity and is counterproductive to learning balance, alway grab lower, in the waist area) The fit and finish of this bike is also very stout, it's a firm foundation, which completes the riding experience. This is, hands down the best first bike you can find.