Road bike for ten year old...

prb007
prb007 Posts: 703
edited July 2011 in Family & kids cycling forum
My 10yo is dead set on a road bike for his birthday (just passed), and has £220
of birthday money burning a hole in his pocket, so spotted this on trawling tinterweb...
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/triban-junior-172069436/
looks ok, if a bit basic, also neutral colour, so can be handed down to
his kid sister in 2 years' time :lol:

Opinions/advice welcome.
he has outgrown his Cube Kids 20 MTB, so may be
selling that on here, shortly!
I know the islaBikes are better built, but won't be recouping
any or much resale value, as bike will be handed down, realistically
and tbh, can't get my head around forking out 400 quid for a kids bike :shock:
If Wales was flattened out, it'd be bigger than England!
Planet X Ti Sportive for Sportives & tours
Orange Alpine 160 for Afan,Alps & dodging trees
Singlespeed Planet X Kaffenback for dodging potholes
An On-One Inbred for hard-tail shenanigans...

Comments

  • Gussio
    Gussio Posts: 2,452
    We are a bit behind you and just bought our eldest (4yr old) an Islabike. Really well made and great resale value. Nice customer service too. His sister will use it after him.
  • fnegroni
    fnegroni Posts: 794
    prb007 wrote:
    My 10yo is dead set on a road bike for his birthday (just passed), and has £220
    of birthday money burning a hole in his pocket, so spotted this on trawling tinterweb...
    http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/triban-junior-172069436/
    looks ok, if a bit basic, also neutral colour, so can be handed down to
    his kid sister in 2 years' time :lol:

    Opinions/advice welcome.

    It is cheaper than the Islabike Luath 24. That's true.

    But let's list all the benefits of the Islabike Luah versus the Btwin:

    - drop bar: smaller, with shallower drop, better for children
    - STI brakes, which IMHO are a must these days
    - 8 speed cassette/shifter 11-32 instead of freehub 7 speed.
    - 36 tooth chainring instead of 40: excellent for CX and touring.
    - CX cantis: brakes which allow mounting CX tyres, so you effectively get two bikes in one: roady and CX
    - rack bolts: it can be used as a touring bike!
    - proper rear cassette: the Btwin seems to have a standard freehub.
    - 9.3 Kg weight versus 10.7 Kg.

    Admittedly it is expensive at £400. I think the islabike is worth around £300 compared to the Btwin.

    But I don't see a better option. A rack and CX setup is IMHO a must for children.
    http://wokinghamcyclist.blogspot.com
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    see http://www.bikeradar.com/beginners/forums/viewtopic.php?p=16577106&sid=b288683ebf51a85645b9d69bee1cbfd5
    which may be of interest

    The Decathlon bike looks really good - but I guess the Islabikes will grow with your child and give them more options if they get into it. The Dawes looks like an in-between option at an in-between price - you can get cheap ones for less than £300 if you search the internet.
  • zebra67
    zebra67 Posts: 113
    From past examinations of Decathalon bikes I would say they are reasonable for the money. Noticeably a lot heavier than Islabikes, but that's generally the case. Ditto the Espoir. And that weight difference (just a few kg) is huge relative to the size of the child.

    We have a Luath 24 for DD, btw. It will get passed down to 2 younger brothers & I do expect it to still have resale value (but your luck may vary). One thing that drives me nuts about the Luath-24 is the handlebars look just way too wide (37cm); Handlebars on my 21" frame Motobecane are 41 cm. I seem to recall both the Decatalon & Espoir bikes have narrower width handlebars.

    I notice the pic has toeclips -- most young riders use SPDs, now. Something else to budget for.

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