How Much is Too Much?

M.C.

I'm a keen biker and am prepared to spend alot of money on bikes, parts and kit.

As a father I also like to make sure my boys get the best bikes I can afford as I appreciate the difference good quality can make, but most people I know seem to think I'm being wildly extravagant by spending £250 on an Islabike when you can go to Halfords and get one for a third of that. I'm not a wealthy man but if I could afford it (and if there were bikes out there) I'd spend the same on my boys bikes as I do on mine.

What's other people's opinion? Would you spend £250, £1000, £2000?

I also factor in that both my boys will use the bikes and the resale is far better on a good bike. I sold my youngest's 14" Islabike on eBay for £145 after only paying £169 a year earlier!

delcol

what ever your willing to pay...
if you are happy to part with a grand for your boys a bike then go for it dont let anyone put you off (unless it's a unhappy wife of course they dont understand)
ok you can buy cheap bikes from helfrauds etc but with cheap bikes comes cheap crap. as i found out before christmass when i had to build one for the bro in law, i tried to show the misses the difference in the cheap hidious thing from helfrauds and the scott contessa jr that our daughter has.. even she could see the difference in quality..

my daughter is only 5 and she has a kokua balance bike. a scott contessa jr 12 and we just got her a few months ago a scott contessa jr 16. a total cost of over £500.....

oodboo

I spent over £1200 on a trike for my 2 year old.

1mancity2

Buy cheap buy twice......

andy_welch

Islabikes are fantastic and I've never regretted buying quality. Regretted plenty of seemingly cheap buys though. We're onto our 3rd Islabike (over two kids) and wouldn't hesitate to buy another when they out grow these. They also have a trade in scheme so I'm not sure that they do work out any more expensive over the life of the child. Even if you don't trade them in they are built well (and designed well) enough that they are still worth a bit if you do sell them on.

Cheers

Andy

mini-eggs

Spend as much as you are comfortable with.

Personally I would judge it on how keen a biker they are. If they just want something to tag along on easy rides and mess around in a park with mates then something quite reasonable yet not too expensive would do maybe like a previous years model around £200-300

If they are interested and look likely to take up the sport and get into it properly then spend a bit more but mainly focus on getting a good frame, which can be upgraded easily (when they outgrown the frame, they'd have lots of nice parts to move on to a bigger better frame and could also teach them about bike maintenance and might help them appreciate what's involved)

styxd

Buy them something cheap and cheerful, they'll still enjoy it regardless.

Set them off down the right path - cycling is about riding bikes (no matter what sort), being outside, enjoying the fresh air, exercise, pushing yourself etc. etc.

It shouldnt be about squandering money on expensive pieces of metal and plastic to make yourself feel good in the trail centre car park.

oodboo

styxd wrote:

Buy them something cheap and cheerful, they'll still enjoy it regardless.

But if it's too heavy and the parts (gears/brakes) keep failing then they'll soon lose interest.

styxd

But if it's too heavy and the parts (gears/brakes) keep failing then they'll soon lose interest.

Why will that happen? Just because its cheap it doesnt mean it wont perform the basic duties of a bicycle.

And if it does break, then you'll fix it for them (and gain even more admiration off them)

felix.london

My boy (3yrs) has got a Adam's Runnabout - he loves it

only £60 form CRC;

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=21476

plastic tyres/wheels (& no brake like the Isla) but perfect for him to learn to ride, balance & steer. Think it will be OK til he's 4 this summer and then I think he could benefit from a proper bike.

Maybe this one;

http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/cnoc16.html

styxd

My boy (3yrs) has got a Adam's Runnabout - he loves it

There's your proof. It turns out if kids enjoy riding bikes, they'll enjoy riding bikes, whatever it is.

They arent suckered in by marketing/perceived quailty/brand image etc.

I cant imagine Steve Peat or Chase Hawk learnt to ride on £1200 tricycles.

oodboo

styxd wrote:

I cant imagine Steve Peat or Chase Hawk learnt to ride on £1200 tricycles.

Probably not but are any of them severly disabled? That's why my sons trike was so much.

MountainMonster

Buy what you feel comfortable buying, and in the price bracket you want. I wouldn't bother asking what people think on topics like this, as everyone has a different income level, and different levels of what things are worth for purchases. If you want to buy it, buy it, if not, don't.

peat

I know plenty of 'keen' cyclists who have fancy (£1k +) bikes that just sit in thier garage.....

I spent £500 on mine and must have hammered about 1000miles on it in the last 6-9 months.

styxd

Probably not but are any of them severly disabled?

Judging by their skills I dont think they are! But I sometimes wish Chase Hawk would put a bike helmet on.

felix.london

felix.london wrote:

My boy (3yrs) has got a Adam's Runnabout - he loves it

He must've sensed what I was writing 'cos he's now riding 'round the living room on it doing 'jumps' shouting "I want to balance, I want to balance!" - bonkers

M.C.

I wasn't really looking for advice, I know what I'd be willing to spend but I wanted to see if I was in the minority or if there were other like minded people that were willing to spend more than £250, £1000, etc. most people I know wouldn't.

Bishbosh10

When I was a kid I had a 50th hand Raleigh Grifter bitsa that I loved to bits and rode it all the time.

I also used it as a goal post and was never concerned about leaving it outside the sweet shop. Kid's don't need expensive gear, at least, not until their teenage years.

Just my 2p.

tenfoot

I think it also depends on the age of the child. My kids first bikes were BSOs made by Universal. This was done because I knew they'd outgrow them before anything had a chance to pack up. We then spent a little more on eldest's bike, which has now been passed to my youngest.

My eldest is now running around on a DMR which I was lucky to get 2nd hand from my brother. I think it's worth getting a better quality bike when you know they will have it a bit longer (took it out for 20 miles the other day and had a hoot)

andy_welch

tenfoot wrote:

I think it also depends on the age of the child. My kids first bikes were BSOs made by Universal. This was done because I knew they'd outgrow them before anything had a chance to pack up.

Then what happened to it ? Not having a go, but I like the fact that the first Islabike we bought (5 years ago) is still being ridden by somebody and will probably end up like that 50th hand Grifter at some point.

Cheers,

Andy

tenfoot

The BSOs are in the garage and will probably be sold on a local mumsnet site for 10, maybe 20 quid. The smaller bike was used by both kids. My daughter is just about to start using my son's 2nd bike which has an aluminum frame and is six speed. My son's DMR has several previous owners.

So in a way, all of the bikes are good enough to be that Grifter for the length of service for each stage in a
child's cycling "career". The DMR presently is that Grifter.

jehosophat

I think people with strong interests need to be careful not to waste money on other people when they show the slightest glimmer of interest in the same things, unless they are going to genuinely benefit from the added expense (assuming funds are not unlimited). Particularly when it is young children we are talking about - they trash things and grow out of them in no time at all, and don't appreciate much more than the colour (if my daughter is anything to go by!).

In a similar vein I find it odd when people dress their young kids in designer brand clothes that are no different to the very nice looking stuff you can pick up cheaply these days. The kids don't appreciate it, they want a yellow one, or one with a horse on it, or whatever. If you buy designer then get angry with them for trashing it, or try and instill in them some sense of superiority over their peers because theirs are not designer, that is not great parenting IMHO.

Of course bikes are different because generally you get what you pay for, but I was talking to some mums at the park at the weekend who have lots of kids and are very active, cycling a lot as a family, and the general consensus was that their kids didn't give a rat's about the cost/quality of the bikes and never, ever changed gear even if you provided them with gears (primary school age) so I'm not sure what to buy my daughter next! I do see a lot of tiny kids perched on massively too big bikes from mtb brands, not at all happy on them, with people like my daughter running rings around them on single speed kids bikes!

andy_welch

I find the not changing gear thing a bit strange. Even my 6 year old had mastered that within a couple of days of getting his latest bike (his first one only had one gear). Mind you, it's pretty hilly up here, so if you don't change down you have to get off and walk, which reinforces the message nicely.

Without wanting to bang on too much about the Islabikes, there are obviously advantages to a bike that has been properly thought out and designed for kids e.g with short reaches to brakes and appropriate length cranks etc. But there is also more to consider than just how your kids appreciate it. Tenfoot has obviously done a good job with his bikes, but a quick look at my local tip would suggest than an awful lot of these kids BSOs end up in the landfill pretty quick. A decent quality bike ought to still be worth something when your little one grows out of it so it may not actually cost you any more than a BSO once you've sold it. Even if it does at least you should be reducing waste.

But each to their own.

Cheers,

Andy

mb london

I spent £250 on my 7 yr olds specialized and he loves it, I also bought him a little camebak which he loves.
The point about a decent bike is quite simple, they will want to ride it. I know that half of the fun for me going out on my bike is that I actually enjoy riding MY bike, destroying Epping forest on a £125 Cosco special would not be as much fun, even though my wife continues to say ‘ a bike is a bike’

This must be the same for the little people in our life. A £100 out of Halfords will be riding like a dog in no time and there will be little enthusiasm for them to get on.

And yes the resale point is a very good one

jehosophat

The resale thing is a valid point and true of many things, bikes included. Ebay has made selling stuff on much easier, and there is a very ready market for quality goods, whereas cheaper stuff often seems to have little value second hand.

The one thing that pushes me more towards a "proper" bike brand bike for my daughter for her second bike is the epic weight of cheap kid's bikes - her's weighs nearly as much as my hardtail (or indeed the new full susser I am building up). For the limited miles they do, reliability seems fine, but the weight is a joke. So, if she continues to show signs of wanting to ride enough to justify it, I'll be looking around soon, and will definitely look at these islabikes as well as major OEM's...