Kids' bike buying advice.

Johnny Napalm

Hi.

I'm on the hunt for a bike for my 7yr old lad. He's not too sure which style he requires - mtb, or bmx. I have told him the pros and cons of each one, which he is now thinking about. I've had a quick look around and found some good bikes, but I suppose like anything else, things are expensive these days.

I feel that he may eventually settle on a mtb (not long before he's showing me up), but I was wondering if anyone knew of any good bike deals around for the young 'uns?

2wheelsonit

What is your budget?
My son has a mountain bike but now wants a bmx, i think the bmx's are good for knockling round on the front or with freinds but if he comes out with me then the mtb is best due to gearing
Decathlon have a couple good kids bikes i wouldn't pay too much as there gonna outgrow it neway pretty soon

Johnny Napalm

Thanks, Wheels.

I agree with what you say - it would be great to have both, but I'd need to find bargains for that to happen. He'd be happy with a bmx for riding around with his mates, but a mtb with gears would be great for in the woods with his ol' dad. If it comes down to it, then it would be a geared bike for overall use.

I reckon £150.00 would be the tops, but the cheaper the better. That said, I know that it's better to have something decent quality rather than a BSO.

The Spiderman

For that money I'd suggest a secondhand Carreras Blast,maybe a Specialized Hotrock,Dawes Bandit or Ridgeback MX24 or similar.

Wanted ad on the classifieds normally throws up some good bikes.i got my son a really nice GT Aggressor for £50.

ianrams

My two boys are 8 and 12 and use 24" wheel Specialized Hotrock and a 24" GT Palomar. One was £75 on Ebay and the other was £200 new. They are both solid and able to take the trail centres at Nant Y Arian and Brechfa including red routes. There are always Hotrocks on Ebay and I would highly recommend one.

diy

Carara blasts are very good value, providing you can get them in the sale or with money off. My oldest 8 has the 24" version which has disc brakes and my youngest 6 has the 20" version. They are well spec'd bikes and don't make me feel guilty when the kids say - dad why is my bike heavier than yours

I looked at the hotrock too, but its not as well spec'd as the blast and more money. Both bikes hold their value well, so if you can stretch to new and get a deal either with quidco or wait for money off deals then do it.

I paid around £140 for the 20" and £170 for the 24".

Slow Downcp

My 11 year old's selling his Felt Q24 - it's three years old and well used, but still decent condition. Looking for £120 if any good to you?

The Spiderman

Carrera Blast currently on sale at £189!

Johnny Napalm

I ended up getting the Carrera Blast for him for £168.00. It's a great little bike, and it will last him a while, and it can then be passed on to one of his younger brothers.

We went out yesterday for our first proper off-road father/son run, and he loved it. He's not been interested in bikes at all previously (and, boy, have I tried) until a couple of weeks ago, but now he wants to be out all the time. In fact, because of his lack of interest, he couldn't even ride a bike a couple of weeks ago, but he suddenly decided he wanted to and off he went.

We didn't do anything too risky, but he even tackled a few roots without even thinking about it, whereas I thought he might have got off (not inherited his father's chicken gene, thankfully).

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I can now look forward to a few weeks time when my 7yr old is making me look even worse than I already am. ;-)

Theo Cupier

Both my older boys (age 10 & 9) have Specialized Hotrock 24.

Now looking for something for my daughter and my first thought was the Hotrock again, until I read comments about the Blaze. Superficially, the girls' equivalent (the Carrera Luna) looks to be the same spec as the Blaze, does anyone know if there are any actual differences between Blaze and Luna - other than paint?

For £169 or £189 these seem like a good bike - might get a second hand Hotrock or Islabike for the same money, but not much else, it seems. Does that sound fair? Is there an obvious reason not to go for a Luna?

apreading

Theo Cupier wrote:

Both my older boys (age 10 & 9) have Specialized Hotrock 24.

Now looking for something for my daughter and my first thought was the Hotrock again, until I read comments about the Blaze. Superficially, the girls' equivalent (the Carrera Luna) looks to be the same spec as the Blaze, does anyone know if there are any actual differences between Blaze and Luna - other than paint?

For £169 or £189 these seem like a good bike - might get a second hand Hotrock or Islabike for the same money, but not much else, it seems. Does that sound fair? Is there an obvious reason not to go for a Luna?

I have a hotrocklooking for a good home if you are in berkshire. Would do a good deal for someone on here as i cant be bothered with ebay...