Ridgeback Honey or Raleigh Mini Miss

Michelle2013

I am looking to buy a first pedal bike for my daughter's birthday (she will be 5). I have been round Halfords and 2 independent bike shops and we are looking at getting a 14" wheel bike (she is very small for her age).

We are now debating between a Ridgeback Honey (£140) or a Raleigh Mini Miss (£110). Daughter seems to prefer the Raleigh but that is more on aesthetics! The bike shop recommended the ridgeback as said the components are better and a lighter bike.

Would it be mad to spend £140 on a bike for a young child? Any recommendations?

Thanks
Michelle

craker

I spent £20 on a sparkly purple thing my 5 yo (it must have 18" wheels and she didn't start to ride it til she was 6. She's 7 now). It gets left outside a lot and we don't do a lot of cycling together (she was in tears last weekend when a sunny day turned out to be very windy. We turned round after a couple of miles). My 6yo lad is just growing out of a Raleigh with a stuck seat post that I claimed from the rubbish dump (that one's on 14" wheels).

I'm not convinced that very cheap bikes are justifiable for one's children (I own 6 bikes of various eye watering values) but they don't complain, nor do they do a vast amount of cycling.

In summary, what are your expectations for a smallish 5yo girl who will grow out of that bike within 2 years?

Michelle2013

Thanks for the reply.

Daughter is very excited about getting a bike but I think it will be mainly used for going up to the park or for use in the garden. I don't expect her to be travelling great distances on it at her age and size and neither of us currently have a bike.

baudman

Michelle2013 wrote:

... and neither of us currently have a bike.

This is key.

If she's just going to ride it by herself, on the odd (fun) occasion, then spending a lot doesn't make as much sense as if she was going to ride it more often, longer distances, with one or both of you. If it's kept in good condition, however, you may be able to pick up a good return on resale. (Cheaper bikes, left outdoors, pretty-much have no resale value at all).

Thinking outside the box, I'd heartily recommend, if it fits into your lifestyle, that all three of you get bikes. It's a wonderful family pastime and, for us, also a major part of our transport options.

marylogic

We got my daughter a Ridgeback Honey recently and she was absolutely gutted because she wanted the cheap one with handlebar streamers. ONce we put streamers on the Ridgeback she was quite happy. It's very hard to know because all kids are individuals but she seems very happy with it and it is well put together. My son was given a cheap spiderman bike when he was the same age and he struggled with it. My husband had to spend a fair bit of time sorting it out. If neither you nor your husband are into tinkering with bikes and you can afford it I would recommend getting the Ridgeback from an independent shop. It's unlikely to need anything doing to it, and if it does the independent will likely offer good after sales - you can check at the time of purchase.

mpatts

My 2p's.....

I do wonder if the 14 inch is too small for her, even if she is small - even if it is the right size, a 14 inch wheel might only last a year, my daughter was (is) very small for her age, and she had an islabikes CNOC14 for a year or so, then traded up to the Bein 20* (small frame) pretty quickly. Also, as a side note the larger wheels tend to be slightly more stable. In other words, you might be better of with a 16.

To be honest, cheap bikes are cheap for a reason, and will not last, be heavy, and generally harder/less enjoyable to ride. But, if you don't ride yourself, I wouldn't spend to much time worrying about it - I'd just get one that she likes the look of (this will mean she is more likely to ride it). She'll get the hang of it - especially if you are planning to fit stabilisers.

I will always, always plug http://www.islabikes.co.uk/index-eu.html because their bikes are amazing. They are expensive, but resale values are very very strong. Amy is on her third, and it won't be her last.

If nothing else, use their size chart to go to Halfords armed with info http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/pdfs/sizes/Size_Chart12AW_web-c2.pdf




*as an example, amy has a friend (same size) who has a raleigh. They ride at the same speed/ease on the flat, but as soon as a hill comes into play you struggle to even push the raleigh up a hill. It's literally twice the weight.

Michelle2013

Thanks. We have ordered her the Ridgeback Honey from an independent bike shop. This is the size they recommended when we went to the shop. She is extremely small for her age (she was premature) so is probably the size of the average 3 year old. I will double check the size when we go and collect the bike later this week.

larakitten

Hi, we had a similar debate when getting my daughter's 2nd proper bike this year. She too is 5 and very small for her age (not premature but very ill after birth). She's about the height and weight of a 3 year old too.

We debated a Cuda Blox 14" and the raleigh you mention - of course my girl wanted the raleigh with the streamers and the dolly seat etc but we managed to persuade her (by the addition of streamers and spoke clackers) to go for the Cuda as it's an alloy MTB style and we knew she would manage it better as it's lighter etc.

Well, about 4 weeks on and the difference in her cycling is incredible. Her first bike, a 12" raleigh weighs a ton compared to this little bike - we've started cycling regularly with her round forest trails and to school and she loves it. Got her all the proper gear to go with it - cycling t shirt, fluoro jacket to match mum, little pink mitts etc and she begs to go out on her bike all the time. Its really boosted her confidence - which a 16" bike would not have done as she couldn't get her feet to the floor when she sat on it. Yes, we might only get a year out of it, yes it was the more expensive bike but to see the difference in her cycling now, it was worth every penny.

Good luck, hope your daughter enjoys her new wheels!