My son previously had a bike with the hand breaks and they were terrible and hard for him to use, which made it dangerous as he went down hills into traffic using his feet as brakes! So we opted to do the coaster brakes. He's doing much better now and it is much easier for him to brake. I don't know why, but finding coaster brakes seems to be a thing of the past. My childhood memories are filled with memories of riding super fast, braking hard, and skidding all over the place (my legs have plenty of scars for proof). And they are easier to use for little kid hands. Anyway, overall the bike is great and well-liked by my son. It's also nice and light, so getting it in and out of the bed of the truck is easy. I'd recommend this bike. As for the reviews who complained about putting it together, we didn't have any of those problems. I warned my husband of those complaints, so we were both bracing for some profanity and frustration, but none was needed--our tire went on just fine. I don't know if we were lucky or if they've since improved that issue. The directions were indeed useless. Anyway, I'd recommend it!