Reply With QuoteBefore you buy anything you have to find out what he's into. Don't buy a mountain bike if he's into BMX etc.
Iam buying my nine year old nephew a bike for his birthday .Can anyone recommend some decent quality bikes that are not too expensive .
Before you buy anything you have to find out what he's into. Don't buy a mountain bike if he's into BMX etc.
Isla bikes have a great rep but are expensive.
We went with Frog Bikes who are also very good. https://www.frogbikes.com/
My older one has one from Halfords and the difference between the 2 is huge!
Isla bikes are good but as mentioned very expensive. They hold their resale value though. After testing a few last year we got our kids Specialized Hotrock mountain bikes. Dearer than standard Halfords stuff but proper bikes with good components, not too heavy and also have decent resale value a few years down the line. Mine love theirs.
Isla is the way to go. They are not the cheapest (so outside the initial OP request), but the quality as regards light weight, fit, finish is worth the extra, never mind the good resale value.
I got mine Scott bikes as they were growing up, great quality and good price. Still got them too although the kids have moved on to bigger bikes, kept them for next generation.
Islabike Luath. Cross type bicycle that (as long as you insist it is looked after properly) will sell for almost what you bought it for.
Lighter, faster and better proportioned than almost anything else out there. Your little chap will crush his opponents on recycled cathedral gas-pipe-Apollo-from-Halfords BSOs.
OK, last bit tongue in cheek, but if you want to get a child to enjoy riding a bike then go for something decent. The tips are piled high with rusty lumps of crap for a very good reason.
Another vote for Islabikes. They are exceptionally well made and more importantly, light.
They are expensive up front but hold their value well, and if you can get hold of a good second hand one, you'll be able to sell it in for not much less than you bought it for.
Just noted the price issue. Seriously, if you can do it, run the extra shekels on an Islabike in the safe knowledge that you will get most of it back in a few years when it's time to sell.
If budget is really an issue then you've got a more limited playground (and definitely go second hand rather than new). Avoid anything with suspension if you can, if you can't then avoid anything with rear suspension. At lower price points suspension will be next to useless and add kilos - weight really is a big deal with bikes (especially for light, young riders).
Frog Bikes are a great alternative to Islabikes. They are on sale at the moment too.
https://www.frogbikes.com/lightweight-kids-bikes/
Thanks for your advice , I will look into isla and frog bikes .I better start saving
Very true about Isla retaining their value. I couldn't believe what they were selling for on ebay!
I eventually chose Frog because other than the brand name, it seemed to give me the same. The fact that the local bike shop sold them as well made it an easy decision. So all setup / adjustments etc can be done by them if you prefer. You should also be able to get a decent discount.
Isla bikes are very good, you could also look at Decathlon's B'Twin range which are decent and a bit more pocket friendly.
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I’m interested in the outcome, was frog bike a good choice? My 6 year old is getting beaten by her 3yr old brother on her BSO, and want to treat her to an early Christmas present. Currently decision is either Islabike Beinn 20 or Frog 52, with £90 difference in price!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Both are great. We have Islabikes for my two and I cannot recommend them highly enough (I now just automatically order the new size when they outgorow what they have).
Can recommend Frog - my sons got the 73 model, just below full adult size and the light weight makes a huge difference, particularly for me having to lift onto car roof bike carrier. Decent Shimano components and not overly complex either -it’s only 8 speed with a single front ring so less to go wrong.
Islabike all day long - we have both types in our household & the quality of the Islabike over the Frog is significant.Originally Posted by Darkeeboy
Also, the Islabike will retain much more of its value making the £90 difference irrlevant.
HTH
Cheers
Paul
Another vote for Islabikes
Whatever you go for, I would check the weight of it too. Some of them come in quite heavy, especially for younger kids. That might not matter so much for a 9 year old but I was really surprised in the variation of weight in bikes for the same age range.
For 9 year olds, Isla bike benefits don't justify their cost in my opinion. Great for younger kids though.
Have bought Isla and Scott for my daughter, very happy with both.
Depending on your budget, this year I bought my 6 year old one of these;
https://earlyrider.com/collections/b...ter-20-trail-3
Lightweight, a great introduction to gears and outstanding quality. He loves it, and I struggle to keep up with him now he has his confidence.
We've had Islabikes for ours and they're great - and if you want one then do PM me because my (very tall) ten year old twins have just graduated to new machines.
However, the experience of buying those new machines has been quite illuminating...
My son said to me the other day 'what did you like doing when you were my age' and I told him I loved riding my BMX. Later that evening, I had a bit of a browse on eBay and –*long story short –*a week later I had bought really decent BMX's for him and his sister for the grand total of £100.
Both of these bikes were less than 5 miles away, were bought new by the sellers (one for £200, the other for £300) and looked almost unused. And both the people I bought them off said something along the lines of 'I hope your kid gets more use out of it than my one did'!
Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that if your child fancies a BMX then (unlike Islabikes) the world seems to be awash with very cheap, perfectly serviceable used examples!
got my nine year old the halfords 24 inch mountain bike, carrera blast , good spec,better off buying used alot cheaper
Thanks all. I like the Islabike best but wouldn’t buy online as I’m sure my daughter is in between sizes of the 16 and the 20. Off to see the frog at leisure lakes on the weekend as they have the 48 and 52 in stock. It seems to be inseam rather than age to determine the correct size and she is 49 inseam so leading towards the 48 but not sure on longevity before she wants the bigger bike. Try out is the only way forward...
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I commute to work on a B’Twin and it’s a lot of bike for the money. Have a look at the kids bikes in Decathlon. Halfords is also a good shout too where you can try before you buy and reasonably priced.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/24-rockr...LPD_BwE#s24%22
The frog looked great, wanted to go for the 52 for more growing room but found out the stabilisers won’t fit because the rear derailleur gets in the way. Tried the 48 but that then looked too small.. thinking now is the optimum time to get rid of the stabilisers and teach balance with the 52- pedals...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yep that's the way to go. Absolutely no need for stabilisers. Take pedals off, get them used to balancing, once they are pushing themselves around at a decent speed, add pedals and (literally) 2-5mins later (if you help them with the start bit to begin with) they will be cycling.
Isla and Frog are the best recommendations in my experience but obviously are not the cheapest available.
An alternative could be the Pinnacle brand from Evans Cycles. Alloy frames, decent components and reasonable prices.
Fully agree! Stabilisers are the work of the devil
Another vote for Pinnacle here - as an ex road racing cyclist I was rather fussy and her Pinnacle Ash balanced weight, quality and price very nicely. A couple of years later it's rock solid and she still loves it.
Posting Permissions