New bike for a 9 year old

mrbubbaman
mrbubbaman Posts: 171
edited February 2017 in MTB buying advice
My 9 year old son really need a new bike, he's currently on a 20" wheel Apollo, which is clearly to small for him now.

I've had a browse online and prices vary for a child's bike. I took him to Halfords this morning and looked at a Carrera Blast http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/k ... in-bike-24

And a Mongoose jump bike
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/b ... mp-bike-26

He prefers the look of the Mongoose due to the colours, however I know nothing about either of the bikes.
He doesn't do a huge amount of riding, so I don't want to spend a huge amount on the bike. My Google skills have failed in relation to the Mongoose as I can't find an independent review of it. I know there are a few on here who's children have the Blast

Any tips and pointers on either? Or any other options? The Mongoose would be at the maximum price point

Comments

  • philcubed
    philcubed Posts: 260
    Got the Carrera Luna for my (9 yr old) daughter. Nice bike. A bit heavy, but she likes riding it. Had to change the grip shift for thumb shifters as she didn't get on with them (cost about £15 IIRC). Got hers off ebay for £100, had barely been used so was in as new condition. They seem to keep their second hand value, so should be able to sell it for about the same when she grows out of it.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Both are pretty basic and very heavy, the Mongoose is even heavier despite saving about 1/3Kg by being 1xgeared, that gearing and weight will make it a real battle up hills.

    I'd look for a decent used Blast and use the savings to make some small improvements to try and shed some weight, for a 9 year old those bikes are going to be pushing half the riders weight.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • mrbubbaman
    mrbubbaman Posts: 171
    I've scoured eBay for the last month and nothing local has come up. I'll keep searching!
  • natrix
    natrix Posts: 1,111
    That Carrera is 16kg, the HOY 24" is 9kg, that's a big difference to a 9 year old. My advice is keep looking for secondhand bikes, Frog, HOY, Islabike (a bit pricey) etc. I've had some good deals on childrens bikes from the classifieds on BikeRadar.
    ~~~~~~Sustrans - Join the Movement~~~~~~
  • mrbubbaman
    mrbubbaman Posts: 171
    oxoman wrote:
    I take it your not near Derbyshire then. Try gumtree as well but some on there tend to be a bit hot.

    Sadly not and that's been the issue with the likes of eBay, most are collection only and 100's of miles away
  • natrix
    natrix Posts: 1,111
    Singletrack has quite a few childrens bikes for sale as well, e.g. http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic ... og-62-bike
    ~~~~~~Sustrans - Join the Movement~~~~~~
  • Guanajuato
    Guanajuato Posts: 399
    What I've found with both my daughters, bikes with front derailures can be problematic. Even the lightest twist or trigger shifts are difficult to use - the resistance of the pull is just too much. They have both struggled with the concept of the front chainring as well. I'd stick with a 1x setup if you can. the need for 21 gears is marketing gumpf. :roll:

    Second hand will get you something better.
    A slightly battered one would give your child (and you!) a way to learn bike maintenance. When I was 9, I wanted a 'racer'. My dad bought me a tatty frame + Wheels. I had to fix, save up and beg and borrow bits to build it up as a usable bike. Learnt a hell of a lot. But never did get on with cottered cranks :D

Categories