What age is too young for a 'proper' bike rather than a toy?
Discussion
My little lad is just coming up to his 6th birthday in a few weeks time and has mentioned that he'd like a BMX to replace his current "babyish" (his words) bike 
His existing Transformers bike came from Toys R Us and although he still fits it ok, it's obviously not cool enough for school now, and to be fair weighs a bloody ton!
So, am I just transferring my own recent interest in bikes (and my desire to spend every spare penny on my new hobby) by thinking I should be looking for a 'proper' bike for him. Or should I just get down to Halfords, because he'll have grown out of it or got bored of it by the time it's Xmas anyway?
If anybody's had good experiences with particular makes for their kids or online retailers then let me know.
His existing Transformers bike came from Toys R Us and although he still fits it ok, it's obviously not cool enough for school now, and to be fair weighs a bloody ton!
So, am I just transferring my own recent interest in bikes (and my desire to spend every spare penny on my new hobby) by thinking I should be looking for a 'proper' bike for him. Or should I just get down to Halfords, because he'll have grown out of it or got bored of it by the time it's Xmas anyway?
If anybody's had good experiences with particular makes for their kids or online retailers then let me know.
Got my son a Spesh Hotrock 16 when he just turned 5, he's just about outgrowing it now at 6 1/2, it's been brillaint, we ride the Brechfa green trail (short loop) and Brecon Kids Skills park and Green/Blue loops together and he loves it. Only cost me about £150 and for 18 months service I think that's good value.
It's light and tough, I wish my Spicy was half as reliable!
I'm going to get him a 20" in a few weeks time if he was going to just ride it down the park I'd probably just buy a cheap/basic quality bike, but he loves coming on "proper" mountain bike rides with his Dad so I'm going to get him a 'proper' bike this time with 5 gears and short-travel fork (not that you get a choice).
wait till he's big enough for a 24"!! He's getting one of these.
Whether he wants it or not!
It's light and tough, I wish my Spicy was half as reliable!
I'm going to get him a 20" in a few weeks time if he was going to just ride it down the park I'd probably just buy a cheap/basic quality bike, but he loves coming on "proper" mountain bike rides with his Dad so I'm going to get him a 'proper' bike this time with 5 gears and short-travel fork (not that you get a choice).
wait till he's big enough for a 24"!! He's getting one of these.
Whether he wants it or not!
Never too young!
Got my daughter a Specialized Hotrock for her Birthday............... she was 2, 2 weeks ago. Fair enough, she's a bit of a beast for a 2 year old, but can get on it unaided and is already trying to pedal it. It does weigh more than my roadbike though
but there's plenty of time yet to teach her the virtues of Carbonfibre.
Of course with Kids it might be a fad, but if he already knows a noddy bike from a proper one you could be in for an expensive few years.
Got my daughter a Specialized Hotrock for her Birthday............... she was 2, 2 weeks ago. Fair enough, she's a bit of a beast for a 2 year old, but can get on it unaided and is already trying to pedal it. It does weigh more than my roadbike though
but there's plenty of time yet to teach her the virtues of Carbonfibre. Of course with Kids it might be a fad, but if he already knows a noddy bike from a proper one you could be in for an expensive few years.
nammynake said:
Isla Bike will be the default answer on here. Hold their value well come resale too.
This for the simple reason that as a percentage of bodyweight kids bikes are hugely heavy. Kids have little strength and a heavy bike takes some man-handling, so you should really get the lightest bike that your wallet can afford and Isla are about the lightest and reasonably priced too given their re-sale value. Their geo is designed for kids too and not simply scaled adult geo.
are you trying to put him off cycling for good. SkinnyBoy said:
haha I did offer him some lovely STX rapidfires, but no he loves the grips
ts! Personally I hate em, but for his level of riding and his mechanical sympathy or lack of, they are bullet proof.
Get him a sturmey. The inevitable missed gear leading to him taking his kneecap clean off or butting his bts! Personally I hate em, but for his level of riding and his mechanical sympathy or lack of, they are bullet proof. ks on the cross bar so his eyes bleed will give him the mechanical sympathy of a the most unlucky of TVR owners.rhinochopig said:
Get him a sturmey. The inevitable missed gear leading to him taking his kneecap clean off or butting his bks on the cross bar so his eyes bleed will give him the mechanical sympathy of a the most unlucky of TVR owners.
Oh he knows of this bliss, he took out my little Bickerton foldy the other week and this being equipped with Sturmey's finest, takes finesse to keep it in the zone. The spin and shin left a nice dent on his leg some gravel rash on his palms when he bailed out!ks on the cross bar so his eyes bleed will give him the mechanical sympathy of a the most unlucky of TVR owners.
SkinnyBoy said:
Oh he knows of this bliss, he took out my little Bickerton foldy the other week and this being equipped with Sturmey's finest, takes finesse to keep it in the zone. The spin and shin left a nice dent on his leg some gravel rash on his palms when he bailed out!
He must be an adrenaline junky, I don't think I've ever seen such a dangerous looking machine. Is that a wooden frame? Looks like the b
d off-spring of a one night stand between a chopper and a Brompton. Do you ride it much - how does it ride?
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