Retrospec Koda Plus 16 Review

The Retrospec Koda Plus 16 is a pretty bike with a lightweight aluminum frame, rust-free components, and plenty of other thoughtful features like a durable paint job, internally routed brake cables, easily adjustable handbrakes, and more.

Many of these are features only found on bikes at much higher price-points, making the Retrospec Koda Plus a highly attractive “budget” kids bike. That said, there was one big caveat we discovered in testing: the gain ratio (aka how heavy the bike is geared) made it hard to pedal up any sort of incline. If you’re riding only on flat roads, this might be okay, but for families who live around hills, opt for something with easier gearing instead.

For even more options, make sure to check out our list of the best 16 inch kids bikes.

Review In A Nutshell

Pros: 

• Beautiful looking bike, very aesthetically pleasing
• A more affordable price point
• Durable components and paint job
• Internal cable routing keeps things clean and tidy

Cons:

• Difficult gear ratio for newer riders
• Coaster brake
• No trade-in/trade-up program

Price: $249.99

Easy Assembly

The Koda Plus came largely assembled, and was very easy to finish putting together. Using the included tools and easy-to-read instructions, the bike was fully assembled in less than 15 minutes, which is a plus when you’ve got a four year old looking over your shoulder! We were out on the driveway in short order.

Frame and Sizing

The frame is made of lightweight aluminum (the fork is steel), and the geometry and weight make it very easy for the young rider to maneuver and control. At 17.5 pounds it’s not THE lightest bike around, but it’s certainly respectable, and the easy-to-ride design helps it handle better than the weight would suggest. The geometry is upright, making it easy for the child to balance and learn to ride.

It has a beautiful paint job and lots of fun colors. It’s a very aesthetically pleasing bike as a parent, but still appeals to kids as well. The paint and decals seem quite durable.

The Koda Plus has a very low minimum seat post height of 19″ and goes to 24” giving you lots of room for your child to grow.

The bike comes with removable training wheels if your rider needs some extra support before transitioning to two wheels.

Internal Cable Routing Is A Plus

Something we loved about this bike that I haven’t seen on other bikes in this price point (and honestly even in some at a higher price) was the internally routed brake cables.

I love this for kids because it not only keeps the cables in better shape, but it also keeps my kids from rotating the handlebars too many times and getting the cables all tangled up.

Brakes

The Koda has front and rear v-brakes, with aluminum levers that are easy for little hands to pull. The reach is also easy to adjust without any tools needed. I appreciated that detail, because it seems like it’s usually once you’re out riding that you notice these kinds of fit issues.

In addition to the dual hand brakes, the bike also has a coaster brake. We find that a coaster brake adds some issues for our kids when learning to pedal (especially kids that come from a balance bike where they needed to use their feet to slow down), but if your child is used to that system is nice to have it as a secondary option while they learn to use hand brakes. Learn more about our take on coaster brakes here.

Heavy Gearing

There were so many things to love about this bike, however, the one downfall was a big one for us, and that was the gearing.

Despite being advertised as an easy-to-pedal gear ratio, we found that it was difficult to pedal for our son, especially up any kind of small incline. Indeed, the 4.0 gain ratio is at the very high end of the range for 16-inch bikes. (For comparison, the Guardian 16 has a gain ratio of 3.55).

The bigger gear makes it a bit easier to start pedaling initially and can make it easier for kids just learning to ride for the first time. But our tester has been riding a pedal bike for over a year and a half and had to stand to pedal up even the smallest hill.

Because of this, after the first ride, we had to work very hard to get him to continue to ride it. We had another bike in a similar price point (actually a bit cheaper), in the same size (the Huffy GRM) at the same time, and he had no issue riding that one.

I believe they may have been very focused on making the first pedal stroke(s) as easy as can be, but at the expense of overall pedaling ease. Unless you live in a VERY flat area, this may be a dealbreaker.

Tires And Wheels

The 16-inch tires are wide and grippy, and even do fairly well on loose gravel and dirt in comparison to other kids’ bikes in this category. Our son was able to ride the bike off-road as well as on pavement.

The rims are aluminum, and the hubs spin super smoothly.

Other Features and Components

Overall, the components and features on this bike feel very thoughtful and well-made. The saddle is ergonomically shaped and seemed very comfortable.

The grips are thick and durable. Something I’ve noticed on other bikes at this price point is that the grips in particular are poorly designed and thin, and rip really quickly–not these! 

There is a quick release collar on the seat post which allows you to easily raise or lower the seat height without any tools. I personally think this is a must for a kid’s bike. The number of times we re-adjust the seat while out and about is a lot. Either his little sister wants to try, or he’s biking a lot of hills and wants it a little lower, etc. 

The pedals are great for this style of bike, lots of grip without being so “poky” that they’d be painful if your kid got one to the shin. 

Finally, the bike has a threadless headset which is of much higher quality than the quill-style headsets found on many budget kids bikes.

When They Outgrow The Bike

One small disadvantage to this bike is there is no trade up/outgrow/resell program with Retrospec, like there is with many other kids bike companies (Huffy, Trek, Woom, Guardian, Prevelo, etc).

However, it does seem from a Facebook Marketplace and eBay search that the Retrospec bikes hold their value okay, and so you should be able to resell them privately when your child outgrows it. 

This bike also seems like it would hold up really well through multiple riders, so if you have more than one kiddo, I think you’ll be able to pass it down and get lots of use out of it! If that’s the case, the lack of trade-in program might not affect you at all! 

My Kids Favorite Part

The Koda Plus comes with a bell already installed, that you better believe my kids love. It may have been their favorite part. It has gotten a lot of use and is still going strong!

While it can be slightly annoying as a parent, I liked the fact that it makes your kid more noticeable while they’re learning and when riding the trails and paths with others. Another fun addition was a cute sticker pack!

Comparison 

Compared to our very favorite 16-inch kids bikes (the Woom 3, the Prevelo Alpha Two), the Retrospec is heavier, but far more affordable and realistic for most families. And for the price point, the bike is beautiful and seems quite durable.

Perhaps the most direct competitor is the Guardian 16. It comes in at the same price and a similar weight.

The biggest difference will be the braking system. We appreciate that the Guardian does NOT have a coaster brake, but also appreciate the dual handbrakes on the Retrospec so kids can start to learn appropriate 2-hand braking at an early age. We’ll give the Guardian the slight edge because it has an easier-to-pedal gain ratio.

One thing I would note: I would definitely try the Koda (or another Retrospec bike) in a larger size when my kiddo is stronger and/or more advanced at riding, and the gear ratio isn’t as big of a deal. We loved so many of the other things about the bike!

Bottom Line

The Retrospec Koda Plus 16 is a beautiful bike with lots of impressive features and durable components at an affordable price. However, the glaring issue of the gain ratio, that caused our rider to resist picking it up, and the lack of a trade-in program are two things to think about before purchasing.

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