Buying bike advice

tommy4333
tommy4333 Posts: 4
edited October 2016 in Family & kids cycling forum
We are after some bike buying advice. Our son is about to turn eight. He learned to ride a bike aged 5 and took to it really well. Last year, for his 7th birthday we bought a 2nd hand 20" bike for him. It was too big initially. 6 months later he could manage the size but it was so heavy he has never felt confident on it and so is reluctant to ride.
He wants a bike with gears for his 8th birthday (his other one had stunt pegs, no gears). We don't want to make the same mistake again so are trying to find out a light-ish built kids 20" bike with gears, that won't break the bank (£200 absolute max)

Advice greatly received!

Comments

  • Underscore
    Underscore Posts: 730
    I agree to look at 24" bikes too; my middle boy is still 6 months from his 8th (and he's about average height, I would guess) but I've just moved him on to a Beinn 24 and the saddle's far from on its lowest setting!

    _
  • tommy4333
    tommy4333 Posts: 4
    Thanks for the advice ...will have a look at those ones. A friend has just bought a frog bike actually!
  • mpatts
    mpatts Posts: 1,010
    Where are you based?

    My advice is to pop along to a local CX race - you'll see a lot of kids at them on a load of bikes, all with helpful parents. At RAF halton on Sunday there was a seller of frog bikes for them to try out too. You can't beat a good poke round.
    Insert bike here:
  • tommy4333
    tommy4333 Posts: 4
    Hi, we're based in the north east, will look online to see what events can find locally. Thanks
  • Russellcharles
    Russellcharles Posts: 1
    edited November 2016
    Underscore wrote:
    I agree to look at 24" bikes too; my middle boy is still 6 months from his 8th (and he's about average height, I would guess ) but I've just moved him on to a Beinn 24 and the saddle's far from on its lowest setting!

    _

    My kid is turning 8 in January and she´s tall, so I'll take you're advice and get a 24'' instead of a 20''.

    Thank you so much!
  • Huismans
    Huismans Posts: 20
    Another advice I can suggest that helped with my younger brother and his daughter was to take her with him when he went to ride a bike. That way she could sit on the bike, feel it, and see if it was comfortable enough for her to ride where he'd then make sure she was going to use it. That way he never ran into the problem of buying a bike she wasn't comfortable using.

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