| Archive for justcycling.myfastforum.org Just Cycling |
| bianchigirl |
Help - really good kids bikeNow, I love a bit of research of kids stuff, and I also like to get my little lad the best I can afford but am in a real dilemma.We want to get him a proper bike for Christmas - have decided to go the route of getting one with pedals and taking the pedals off, rather than spending out on a balance bike then trading in - those things are expensive and I already have a loft fool of stuff waiting to go on ebay. So a real bike it is and am prepared to spend about £100 on it. Like the look of the Islabike and the Specialized but wondered what my chums here recommend. Unfortunately don't live near a good bike shop, and the only one nearish just has the Specialized. Looking forward to reading your recommendations - links appreciated! |
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| bianchigirl |
Or is it worth going the balance bike route? | ||
| Slapshot 3 |
Friend's daughter has an Islabike (MTB) assume it's road bike your after. Izzy's 10 isn't that big but this has a made for her look about it. Good components and nice and light.
Hope it helps |
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| Aether |
My brother bought a Kokua balance bike for his first son when he was around 18 months old, it was the best thing he ever got him. Not only did it serve as a great form of exercise for his boy but it also helped to improve his coordination, confidence and of course balance. Last year they went on holiday and took it with them and he was even blasting around a small bmx park, dropping off little jumps and flying round corners. When he was presented with a real bike with pedals at nursery he just got on it and rode without the need for stabilizers. He used it up until he was 3-3 1/2 and after a short trip to the LBS to spruce it up it's now in the hands of his younger brother.
It was quite expensive but the amount of use it has had, the fact it is being recycled down to the next kid and the amount of pure joy it has bought his son seem to out weigh that cost. I have already ordered one for my little boy, though at 11 weeks old he will be looking at it in his room for a while before he can get on it and ride! |
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| bianchigirl |
I do like the look of the Islabikes - measured Tom's inside leg and it's 40 cms so seems he needs a 14" (this is for Christmas and he'll be taller then) - don't want to spend out on something too small but don't have the opportunity to get and actually try anything.
He did like the Specialized Hotrock but it's 12" and I don't want something he's maybe already outgrown. That's my problem with the balance bikes, hence the decision to get a 'proper' bike and take the pedals off. Aether, seen that story repeated so many times - wished I'd got him one earlier. Thanks so far, hope to hear from anyone else! |
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| SlowRower |
BG,
I'd go for one of the Balance Bike things if you've got the funds. They are very light, which is a massive help for the novice rider and parent, when the kid "downs tools" and needs someone to carry their bike home! (No force on earth can get a three year old to ride if they don't want to!!) My youngest had one for a year and then hopped straight on her sister's bike and pedalled off, so the irksome getting rid of stabilisers phase was avoided. Two of our friends have gone down this route as well, and the three kids were all pedalling without stabilisers under the age of 4. You need to teach them to brake, though, as the Balance Bikes are stopped with the feet. We went down the stabiliser route with older daughter which was a nightmare, as her attempts to get rid of stabilisers coincided with a period when my back was dodgy and bending over to keep pushing her along was not good! The Kokua Balance Bikes sell for around 75% of their purchase price on eBay, so they're easy to get rid of, and the net cost of use is pretty low. (Minimal parts to break either, which is handy.) For a first "proper" bike, you'd probably not go far wrong with the Specialised. (Elder daughter has a 20'' wheel version at the moment and it's a smart piece of kit.) We got Ridgebacks first time out (14'' wheel initially and then 16'' wheel) as this was what the LBS sold. They come is girly pink and more manly metallic blue, if memory serves! Don't forget the bell, which ever route you decide. Very important... 
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| SlowRower |
One thing we found was that in order for the kids to be confident setting off, they needed to be able to start off with at least the balls of each foot still on the ground. This then results in needing a bike which is too small in the conventional sense, with the knees up near the ears when pedalling. Once they get the confidence to start with only one foot on the floor, you're into "proper" sizing territory (and indeed the flying mounting technique!) |
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| MAILLOT JAUNE |
Not much experience in kids bikes, except to make sure they're not too heavy.
Have you tried looking on ebay? I know you said that you were going down the "buy a proper bike route", but balance bikes on this site seem cheap: http://www.whywoodworks.co.uk/bal...?gclid=CMSJ4N2wgp0CFVtm4wodylk9bw Good luck and happy shopping. |
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| bianchigirl |
MJ lovely stuff on that site - won't be showing it to Tom though as he'll want one of the motorbikes 
Thanks for all the advice and recommendations everyone. Guess one of my reasons for getting the proper bike and using it without pedals and stabilisers is that there is no other sibling for it to go to (not even anyone close in the family and my mate has twins so difficult to give her one of anything like a bike!) - but I do get the thing about having them on the small side for stability etc. |
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| SlowRower |
Good point - That does change the economics of the situation. My pair have already discussed when younger gets to inherit elder's Hotrock.
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| MAILLOT JAUNE |
Tom's not the only one who wants one of the motorbikes 
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| Bartali |
BG - I bought my godson one of these kiddimoto bikes. He loves it!!
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| MAILLOT JAUNE |
Don't suppose you would consider adopting me, bart and buying me one of those.....
Lucky godson. So you are The Godfather!!!!! |
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| Bartali |
I must admit I did fancy keeping it for myself! I never had 'toys' like that when I was growing up, so I guess it's nice to be 'Godfather' and buy it for the little un!
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| cardinal guzman |
MTB rule of thumb = buy the best specialised you can afford.
Dunno if this extends to tiny people bikes. Don't get a too small bike!!!!!! Think of Tom's knees. He'll miss them when they're gone and doesn't need to start crunching them and twisting them now. |
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| Slapshot 3 |
Ain't that the truth |
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| CapeRoadie |
Buy a used new-looking bike that fits and take the pedals off. No sense in polluting the world anymore. Recycle, recycle. My little one learned this way and then we put the pedals back on and off she rode. | ||
| bianchigirl |
of course I'll be back here come Christmas looking for advice on taking the bloody pedals off
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| SlowRower |
Make a note of where you put the pedals after you've taken them off would be my top tip! (I made that mistake when I sold an old bike and wanted to keep my SPDs and put back on the original pedals. I eventually found them when I moved house, having had to buy a new pair of normal pedals to complete the sale.  )
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| Mrs John Murphy |
I assuming growing up in Yorkshire, luxury was a lump of coal and a beating for xmas. If you were lucky... aye. |
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| Bartali |
Yeap .... and I had to share the lump of coal with me whippet! | ||
| grrr |
+1 kids bikes are not light (don't be fooled by the size, they only come in steel as far as I know) and they are not wieldy. The Balance Bikes are much lighter. Our local park is less than 10 minutes walk and it seems like a lifetime carrying kids bike. As i'm 6'4" wheeling it along is even harder! |
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| 70kmph |
you never know could be the next ...Wiggins
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| MAILLOT JAUNE |
[quote="grrr]kids bikes are not light (don't be fooled by the size, they only come in steel as far as I know) and they are not wieldy.[/quote]
kids aren't light either - don't be fooled by their size! Try hiking back from a park or wherever when the kid decides they are also too tired to walk home and you've got a kid plus bike to carry as well!!!! Reminds me of having to carry my skis and my mate's kid's skis back to the ski shop. Fortunately the little one walked back, but wasn't a happy bunny. |
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| cardinal guzman |
b. | ||
| MAILLOT JAUNE |
bg, not sure if this would be of interest to you, maybe in a couple of years time, but there was an article in Saturday's Telegraph about "moving from a starter bike to bit more grown up" bike.
It mentioned evans cycles in-house brand Pinnacle, also Islabikes (as previously mentioned) and Beinn 20, which is about 200 GBP (ouch!), but has a high resale value. Edit: just checked on-line (which I should've done before posting), it didn't make it clear that a Beinn 20 is an Islabike 
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