Children's bike recommendations

Anomaly100 · 28 February 2015 at 5:28PM

I've three children the eldest can ride a bike but the bike he has is now too small and a little broken, he's nearly 8. My next child is nearly 5 can ride a bike with stabilisers but I would like to get him riding without them this year. His bike weighs an enormous amount so he needs a new bike too. Youngest is currently happy to use scooter so I'm going to hold off buying her a bike for the time being. We do have a balance bike she can ride if she wants to.

I would really like to get out biking a bit more with them all. I don't really know much about bikes to be honest. I mean I know you can get road bikes, racing bikes, mountain bikes etc but I don't know brands to look out for or what I should be buying.

When they get cycling it will be on proper cycle paths or off road. Unlikely to be out for ages as the dogs can't walk that far! Eldest has no fear and happy to cycle down steep bits and I think he probably needs a mountain bike or BMX. The nearly 5 year old I just want something he can have really good go at pedalling on.

I've seen Isla bikes recommended because they're lightweight but they cost a lot and have no gears/suspension - is that important at my kid's ages? I find lifting their current bikes onto the bike carrier on the car difficult due to their weight so weight is an issue.

Price wise I haven't really considered. The upside of having three is that I should get my money's worth so its not the end of the world if they cost a lot. I'd rather spend more and get them loving cycling than scrimp and have it be something they are not so bothered about.

I would really appreciate any advice.

smithers1981 · 28 February 2015 at 6:23PM

Heard good things about islabikes.co.uk designed for kids not cheap but sometimes you get what you pay for..... better than some of the crap sold from halfords.

Ash_McCloud · 28 February 2015 at 7:29PM

Visit your local bike shop and have a look at a few. The staff their will also be able to advise which bikes hold their value should you wish to sell them on when your children have outgrown them. Although you seem like you've got a bit of scope for 'hand me downs' with their ages being relatively close. Still, they'll be in better nick to be passed down if you buy quality.

So, sorry for waffling, visit a little bike shop, not Halfords etc.

Nebulous2 · 28 February 2015 at 9:06PM

Islabikes do have gears, depending how old your children are and what you buy. A lot of effort has gone into their design to make sure they fit small children effectively.

You don't want suspension for small children as it adds weight without any benefit. You end up with a bike which is about as heavy as the child and it rarely gets used.

Eight years old is a funny age though, at that point peer pressure is kicking in and if other children have suspension then your child may expect it as well.

Islabikes are expensive, as you have noticed yourself. They do have a good resale value, but that doesn't reduce the initial outlay, particularly if you are buying two. It sounds as though you might struggle to get the time to go cycling, so it would be an expensive buy to sit in a shed.

If I were in your position I'd be trying to work out what they want, especially the older one, then take it from there.

hugo15 · 1 March 2015 at 2:38PM

Islabikes are good and tend to hold their value pretty well. You should should be able to get at least 50% back when you sell it on.

As an alternative, have a look at Frog Bikes https://www.frogbikes.com/ My eldest has one and I'm impressed with the build quality. The other advantage of Frog Bikes is that they are sold through bike shops so you can go and have a look and try for size. They are cheaper that Islabikes too.

Anomaly100 · 1 March 2015 at 10:48PM

Thanks for the recommendations. Those frog bikes look good and no where the price of the Isla bikes. A shop not far away stocks them so I can go and look at some in the flesh.

alleycat` · 2 March 2015 at 10:35AM

Plus one for frog bikes.

My 6 year old has a frog 55 and it's excellent.

Steep(ish) outlay but i expect it'll retain good value come replacement time due to the quality of the product.

My colleagues kids have Isla bikes but we found that my lad (and his) couldn't operate the "grip shift" in one direction.

As a point of comment. Don't be sucked into buying a bike with front "shocks" for a youngish child.

The kids often aren't heavy enough to make the shock work properly and they are often cheap and "heavy" components that offer no benefit with the downside they make the bike heavier.

babysteps24 · 2 March 2015 at 1:51PM

We recently bought our kids hoy bikes and an Isla bike, both are lightweight, I prefer the hoy ones but have heard the ISla ones keep their value and you resell them for a decent amount

alleycat` · 3 March 2015 at 11:05AM

That halfords bike...

It weighs more than my adult bike, which in itself isn't exactly "fancy" (under £400).

By all means Op try it out but i'd be amazed if it's really the claimed RRP £400 (or offer £200).

My lads bike is 3KG+ less than that and barely cost more.

Children's bike recommendations

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