Guess I was a fool to buy a china-mart bike.
I think not, I won’t buy anything expensive for my kids, they have no respect at all, everything gets trashed.
Buy a hi-end bike and it will get stolen quicker, buy a dirt cheap flashy gimmicky Chinese bike and they will be happy for awhile, and most kids get tired of anything pretty quick.
So I expect a certain amount of lifespan or longevity anyway, just have to figure how much you are willing to spend on something not worth repairing, just drop it off at a Goodwill, make a really poor kid happy. And give a job to somewhat that needs it at the same time.
I made that painful mistake about 15 years ago. I still have a spot on my knee where I have no sensation due to the crash.